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Red Wings C Marco Kasper Suffers Injury
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- Red Wings C Marco Kasper Suffers Injury
The Detroit Red Wings entered the weekend needing more offense. Now they'll have to find it without Marco Kasper.
Kasper has been ruled out of Sunday's home game against the Winnipeg Jets with an upper-body injury, according to MLive . Todd McLellan said the 22-year-old center will be re-evaluated in a couple of days, forcing Detroit to shuffle its forward lines just one game into the season.
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There was at least one piece of good news attached to the update. Kasper's injury is not related to his fight with Sean Durziduring the second period of Friday's 2-0 season-opening loss to the New York Rangers, and Kasper was able to finish that game.
Emmitt Finnie Moving to Center
Kasper's absence creates an immediate hole down the middle, especially with Dylan Larkin already unavailable because of his own upper-body injury. Detroit's solution at Saturday's practice was to move Emmitt Finnie from left wing to center between Viktor Arvidsson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.
Finnie isn't completely unfamiliar with the position. Detroit's official 2026 training camp roster listed him as a center, and the 21-year-old is coming off an impressive rookie season in which he played all 82 games and produced 13 goals and 17 assists.
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McLellan believes Finnie's development makes him Detroit's best option for the temporary switch.
"(Finnie's) pace and his ability now with some experience to defend is good," McLellan told MLive. "We'd like to see more offense through the center ice position. Maybe he can provide some of that. We're going to overwork (J.T.) Compher and (Nate Danielson) if we don't get an extra center in there. And right now we think he's the best bet."
The offensive part of that explanation stands out after Detroit was shut out by New York on Friday. Moving Finnie into the middle isn't simply about surviving Kasper's absence, because McLellan clearly wants to see whether the youngster can help create something Detroit lacked in Game 1.
Carter Mazur Gets His Opportunity
Kasper's injury also opens the door for Carter Mazur to make his season debut against Winnipeg. Mazur practiced alongside Danielson and Mason Appleton on Saturday and should give Detroit another aggressive forward capable of creating pressure around the puck.
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Mazur appeared in eight NHL games last season before signing a two-year contract with Detroit during the offseason. He also produced 16 points in only 16 regular-season games with Grand Rapids and added five goals during eight Calder Cup Playoff games.
Detroit believed enough in Mazur to keep him on its 23-man Opening Night roster , and now his first opportunity has arrived earlier than expected. The circumstances aren't ideal, but a strong performance Sunday could make McLellan's lineup decisions considerably more interesting once everyone gets healthy.
Kasper's absence also removes another young player from an offense that already entered the season needing improvement. Detroit averaged just 2.91 goals per game last season , ranking 22nd in the NHL, which was one reason the organization added Viktor Arvidsson during the offseason .
Dylan Larkin Trending Toward Tuesday Return
Detroit could receive a major reinforcement shortly after Sunday's game.
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Larkin participated more extensively in Saturday's practice, taking repetitions with Danielson's line and working with the first power-play unit. McLellan said the Red Wings are still hopeful Larkin can return Tuesday when Detroit hosts the Ottawa Senators.
"Things are going in the right direction," McLellan told MLive. "He's more active in practice now than he has been in the past, so that's a good sign."
That would be a significant development for a lineup suddenly thin at center. Larkin missed Detroit's season opener and was already expected to sit Sunday, meaning Finnie, Compher and Danielson will have to carry the position against Winnipeg.
For now, Detroit's challenge is pretty straightforward.
The Red Wings couldn't score with Kasper against the Rangers. On Sunday, they'll have to figure out how to do it without him.
