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Red Wings Report Card: Lucas Raymond Needs to Shoot More Consistently
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- Red Wings Report Card: Lucas Raymond Needs to Shoot More Consistently
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The post Red Wings Report Card: Lucas Raymond Needs to Shoot More Consistently 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 Lucas Raymond , who just completed his fifth season in Detroit.)
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Age: 24, doesn't turn 25 until March 28, 2027.
Contract Status: Raymond has six years remaining on an eight-year contract with the Red Wings that pays him an AAV of $8.075 million. He'll be a UFA in 2032.
Last season's contributions: Raymond was second on the team in scoring with 76 points. He dished out a team-leading 51 assists and was third on the club with 25 goals.
Grade: B+
Past
Ever since the Red Wings made him the fourth overall selection of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Lucas Raymond has been delivering the goods in Detroit . He's scored at least 20 goals in four of his five NHL seasons. Over the past three seasons, Raymond has averaged 76 points.
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Among the players chosen in his draft year, Raymond is second in NHL scoring with 330 points. Only Ottawa forward Tim Stutzle (third overall, 409 points) rates ahead of Raymond.
Present
In many facets, the 2025-26 campaign was a breakout year for Raymond. His 76-point output was the second-best of his NHL career. And his +1 rating marked the first time in Raymond's career that he wasn't a double-digit minus player.
Playing for Sweden at the Winter Olympics, Raymond collected a point in every game, posting 1-8-9 totals in five games. His eight assists were the most by a Swedish Olympian since 1960.
"He really excelled at the Olympics, and the world is watching," Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. "So anytime that happens, if you're an average hockey fan, maybe outside of our market, you tend to go to the computer and look. Who's this Raymond guy?"
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Future
One alarming factor that jumps off the page in Raymond's 2025-26 numbers breakdown is his 25 goals. It's the third successive season that his goal total has decreased. He scored a career-high 31 goals in 2023-24. Raymond netted 27 times the following season.
The solution, according to McLellan, is obvious. Raymond needs to shoot the puck more. He finished last season with 173 shots, good for 95th overall in the NHL. Raymond's per-game average was 2.1625 shots on goal.
"He shouldn't be there," McLellan said of Raymond's ranking among shooters. "He should be in the top 50 at least, top 40 in my opinion.
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"The amount of Ice time, the amount of opportunities that he gets, the looks at the net. He's got such a good shot.
"He spends a little bit too much time sometimes trying to improve the angle. I think he can just beat goaltenders by shooting it from where the open ice is. But it's a hard thing to get into a player."
By contrast, Alex DeBrincat , who led the Wings with 41 goals, was fourth in the NHL with 284 shots.
"I don't think that Lucas Raymond should be 100 shots behind him by any means," McLellan said. "We've got to get him firing the puck."
The post Red Wings Report Card: Lucas Raymond Needs to Shoot More Consistently appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now .
