Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkinsaw the hunger that center Marco Kasper was bringing to the ice during training camp and the NHL preseason.
This training camp it looked like he wanted a spot,” Larkin said. “He worked his tail off for it. He was one of the few that stood out like he wanted a job.”
When push came to shove, Kasper didn’t get the deserved promotion. However, with the Red Wings 1-3 and in dire straits heading to Nashville, for Detroit’s 2022 first round pick, opportunity is knocking from him.
What a night for the Detroit Red Wings.
There was a time late in the second period Sunday at Scotiabank Arena when four of their most recent top first-round picks were scrumming with the Toronto Maple Leafs, shoving and jawing with divisional rivals. An older first-round pick, Dylan Larkin, scored a hat trick en route to a 5-2 celebration.
Even with their third victory over the past four games, the Wings (34-33-9) stayed among the bottom 11 teams in the standings, which is the cutoff to be eligible to move up to No. 1 overall via the draft lottery.
Marco Kasper, the No. 8 overall pick in 2022, made his NHL debut, two weeks after Simon Edvinsson, the No. 6 overall pick in 2021, made his. While they’re getting a taste of what it takes to play in the NHL, two prior top picks already are established: Moritz Seider, drafted No. 6 overall in 2019 and Lucas Raymond, drafted No. 4 overall in 2020. All were selected by general manager Steve Yzerman.
Kasper is the first Wings 18-year-old skater to debut since Martin Lapointe in 1991.
The Wings looked energized as they took on a fourth straight opponent fighting for playoff positioning. Defenseman Olli Määttä contributed a goal and an assist in the first period. Larkin’s 29th goal of the season pushed him to a personal-best 74 points in one season. Larkin reached 30 goals when he connected on Ben Chiarot’s shot midway through the third period, then scored again with 2.:12 to play on an empty-net goal.
