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Red Wings Report Card: Compher Will Make History Next Season
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- Red Wings Report Card: Compher Will Make History Next Season
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The post Red Wings Report Card: Compher Will Make History Next Season appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now .
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
(Editor's Note: This is another installment of a player-by-player analysis of the Detroit Red Wings ' roster for the 2025-26 season. The emphasis is on how each player performed and their future in the organization. Today, we discuss veteran Detroit center JT Compher.)
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Age: 31, will turn 32 on April 8, 2027.
Contract Status: Two years remaining at an AAV of $5.1 million.
Last season's contributions: Seventh on the team with 11 goals. Ninth on the team with 28 points.
Grade: C-
Past
JT Compher arrived in Detroit to play for the Red Wings with a Stanley Cup ring on his finger and a target on his back. Signed to a five-year, $25.5 million contract, the Red Wings thought Compher could be the No. 2 center they needed. However, he'd never filled that role with the Colorado Avalanche , and it quickly became apparent that he wouldn't be doing it in Detroit, either.
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Over his three years with Detroit, things have gone from bad to worse with Compher. His goals (19-11-11), assists (29-21-17), and points (48-32-28) totals have steadily diminished with each passing season. Meanwhile, his plus/minus (-5.-7, -13) has grown worse in all three of his Red Wings campaigns.
Present
Compher is not without his positive attributes.
"He's good at getting pucks back and just playing a solid all-around game," teammate Alex DeBrincat said.
Compher is willing to do the dirty work at the net front. He's been asked on occasion to fill that role on the Detroit power play.
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"Just trying to get there and if I'm not touching it, get in the way," Compher said of going to the net.
Still, the good moments with Compher never seem to maintain a long shelf life. There are too many games during the season when you don't even notice his presence on the ice.
During the 2025-26 season, he would endure goalless droughts of 19 and 12 games. Compher finished the season with 1-2-3 totals over Detroit's last 17 games as the club desperately fought in vain for a playoff spot.
Future
No matter what happens this season, Compher will make hockey history. His sister Jesse Compher has signed with the new Detroit PWHL franchise. They will be the first NHL/PWHL sibling combination to play in the same city.
Exactly where Compher will slot into the Red Wings lineup is still up in the air. Ideally, he'd be playing as the club's No. 4 center. However, with captain Dylan Larkin , the team's No. 1 center, demanding a trade, everything is in flux.
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Will Larkin be moving sooner rather than later? If so, will he be replaced by another center who is coming to Detroit in the deal?
If not, then it's not out of the realm of possibility that Compher could be Detroit's No. 2 center. Only this time, it won't be by design. It will be by default.
The post Red Wings Report Card: Compher Will Make History Next Season appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now .
