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Sophomore forward sits out against Blue Jackets
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Saturday provided a great comeback win for the Detroit Red Wings. However, their 4-3 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets offered another frustrating afternoon for sophomore forward Marco Kasper.
Kasper was pointless and minus one in the victory. On the goal that gave Columbus a 3-1 lead, Kasper allowed goal scorer Zach Werenski to gain inside position on him as he drove to the net to score.
Tony DeAngelo vs Marco Kasper from the New York Islanders at Detroit Red Wings game on Nov 20, 2025 https://t.co/bT8VfjDejq
— HockeyFights.com (@hockeyfights) November 21, 2025
Red Wings coach Todd McLellan has taken several measures in attempting to pull Kasper out of his season-long funk. He’s moved the 21-year-old Austrian from center to the wing. Kasper has been moving up and down the lineup in recent games. He finished Thursday’s 5-0 loss to the New York Islanders on the fourth line.
“He is dealing with a lot of frustration,” McLellan said. “Rightfully so.”
Following a 19-goal, 37-point rookie campaign, the Red Wings were envisioning Kasper filling the role as the team’s No. 2 center this season. That’s a place that has proven to be a sore spot in the team’s lineup for many seasons now.
This season, though, Kasper is looking more like the player described in projections from NHL scouts. The long-term view of Kasper’s upside in the eyes of many hockey experts is that he’ll be a solid 200-foot player who provides limited offense and is more suited for a bottom-six role.
marco kasper HATES to lose pic.twitter.com/Au0vuKewjD
— despicable ryan (@TheKlenkster) November 21, 2025
“It’s definitely not easy at all,” Kasper said of his current slump. “Obviously, you’re gonna get frustrated, and I’m not happy with how things are going personally, but I’ve talked about it before. All I can do, I think really, is just go out and practice, stay on the ice, work on things, work hard, and then go out in the game, try to build confidence with little things, make the simple play, make a hit, stuff like that.”
Perhaps it’s time that the Red Wings went back to what made Kasper famous as an NHLer. His big break in the big leagues came last season when McLellan slotted him on the wing alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond on Detroit’s top line.
Kasper established his credentials on that line, collecting 8-8-16 totals over two months. At that point, McLellan moved Kasper to the second-line center role between Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat.
Through 22 games this season, Kasper has three goals and is without an assist. It’s that latter number that is especially alarming. How someone who was playing center for much of the season can’t accidentally accumulate an assist is baffling, to say the least.
Going back to last season, Kasper has gone 25 games without an assist. He’s dished out just three assists over his past 43 games. He has no points and is minus eight over the last 11 games.
“There’s going to be periods where you don’t score at all, where just things are not going right,” Kasper said. “I think I’m just trying to go back to the things that I can do well and that I can actually, like, take control of, which is work hard, compete, and show up every day with the right mindset and do my best.”
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Agree Kasper could be tried back on the top line if that’s where they get the most from him and the line produces equally or better but it’s odd thing to reward a player for poor play so that may be the issue.
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