Raymond Climbs Red Wings Franchise Record Book
Since bursting onto the NHL stage ahead of anyone’s schedule in the fall of 2021, Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond has found himself in the middle of a lot of sentences that include the words “first since” or “youngest since” when it comes to contextualizing the early phases of his career within the long and illustrious history of the franchise.
Over the course of the last week, Raymond has climbed another such list, moving to fourth all time in Red Wings franchise history by goals before turning 23 years old. The 22-year-old Raymond has 90 of them (and counting) with the last two (coming Tuesday night against the Sharks then Saturday evening in Tampa) helping him leapfrog his captain Dylan Larkin for sole possession of fourth place. The only three players still ahead of him are all Hockey Hall-of-Famers: Steve Yzerman, Gordie Howe, and Marcell Dionne.
Through 46 games this season, the young Swede has 19 goals and 31 assists. Raymond won’t turn 23 until March 28th, so he has plenty of time to score the three goals necessary to surpass Dionne. Creeping ahead of Howe would be a tall order but not entirely outside the realm of possibility, while present Detroit GM Steve Yzerman can sleepy soundly in the comfort that his 164 goals before age 23 will hold firm.
On some level, it’s a rather arbitrary milestone, but the underlying truth is clear and obvious: Raymond has been highly prolific from the moment he arrived in Detroit. The organization needed him and [Moritz Seider] to contribute immediately in a fashion without precedent for the team in the 21st century.
And against the back drop, both players have thrived from the moment of their arrival. As Larkin said back before the season began, as a young and blossoming star, “You slowly become looked at as a leader on the team and a part of the core. I’ve noticed them be more vocal. Lucas at the end of last season—the way he played, the way he took over, started to dominate shifts, periods, and games. Mo with how he sacrifices the body, he’s always there for us. Those guys have continued to grow. I think they have more growth in them, but that’s any young 20-something in the NHL. We expect a lot out of them, and they’ve always answered, so I’m excited for them this season.”
