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J.T. Compher, Michael Rasmussen playing up to Detroit Red Wings' standard at last
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- J.T. Compher, Michael Rasmussen playing up to Detroit Red Wings' standard at last
Among the encouraging signs for the Detroit Red Wings as they embrace the second month of the season: the play of J.T. Compher and Michael Rasmussen.
They've looked more like the players the Wings (7-6-3) need them to be to have a chance at climbing in the standings. The next opportunity to rise comes Thursday, Nov. 5, when the Wings host the Vegas Golden Knights at Little Caesars Arena. The Wings were just on the road for two games, and after Thursday, they head back out for four. They were off Wednesday.
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The Wings need everyone going to give themselves a chance; as Todd McLellan put it after the 4-2 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning, "We see some players elevating, a few falling off a little bit, and we'll have to poke a couple just to make sure that they maintain the level they've been playing at."
SUNRISE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 02: Andrew Copp #18 of the Detroit Red Wings, J.T. Compher #37 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrate a goal by Michael Brandsegg-Nygård during the third period against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on November 02, 2026 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
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Compher and Rasmussen are in the elevating group. Compher has four points (two goals, two assists) his last three games. Rasmussen has one assist in that span, but his big contribution has been screens: On both of Compher's goals, it was Rasmussen who took away the opposing goaltender's eyes.
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"I know they've been the target of people that follow our hockey club," McLellan said. "Fairly or unfairly, based on past. I don't think they should be the target of anybody right now. They're giving us what they can give us, and they've been effective players, in my opinion, and I'm going to keep playing them."
Compher steadily has elevated his game since returning Oct. 22 after a seven-game injury layoff, and he and Rasmussen have been paired up on the third line, with either Nate Danielson or John Leonard on the right wing.
"I think Mike's playing really good hockey right now," Compher said. "Since I've been back in the lineup, I feel like we've played well together. When he's playing hard and holding on to pucks behind the net and getting to the front of the net, he's going to be really impactful."
Rasmussen, 27, seemed on the rise a few years back when he regularly produced around the 30-point mark and played to his 6-foot-6, 220-pound size.
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But a leg injury in February 2023 impacted his effectiveness beyond that season, and he didn't perform to the expectations of his contract (he's now in Year 3 of a four-year deal with a $3.2 million annual average value). Compher, 31, likewise hasn't fully performed to the expectations of his deal (he's now in Year 4 of a five-year deal with a $5.1 million AAV).
But if Compher and Rasmussen can build on the way they've been playing, the Wings stand to be the better for it.
Contact Helene St. James at Hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: J.T. Compher, Michael Rasmussen playing up to Detroit Red Wings' standard at last
