For the Detroit Red Wings, injury news went from bad to worse Tuesday morning, when the team announced that center Andrew Copp will miss the remainder of the season.  Copp was injured in Saturday's overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild, and now, the team revealed Copp underwent surgery to repair his left pectoral tendon that is slated to keep him out of action for four to six months, a timeline that draws his 2024-24

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From Copp's point of view, the injury is obviously a profound disappointment.  Detroit signed Copp in the summer of 2022 to bolster its forward group as it looked to power out of its rebuild.  He struggled to find consistent offensive production and a clear role during the first two seasons of that contract, but Copp has been playing his best hockey as a Red Wing since Todd McLellan's takeover behind the bench.

Since McLellan's arrival, Copp settled into a second line role, often with Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane on his wings.  In that capacity, the best of Copp's game shined through: strong skating, outstanding hockey sense, and 200-foot reliability.  Those qualities—along with his aptitude as a passer—made him an excellent fit beside DeBrincat and Kane.  Now, an unfortunate injury—seemingly sustained in the scrum following DeBrincat's hit on Brock Faber during Saturday's game— has derailed that building momentum for the 30-year-old University of Michigan alum, whose injury came in his 700th career NHL game.

Again, stating the obvious, the injury is a significant blow to Detroit's playoff aspirations.  Copp was an important piece to the Red Wings penalty kill and also a valuable five-on-five contributor.   While he's never been a fixture on the Detroit power play, Copp presently ranks fourth among Red Wings skaters in five-on-five points (he has 18, trailing only Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin, and Alex DeBrincat).

In the short term with Michael Rasmussen also unavailable due to injury, it appears Grand Rapids Griffins call-up Sheldon Dries will fill in down the middle, but the long-term nature of Copp's injury raises questions around the Red Wings' trade deadline plans.  Without Copp for the rest of the year, will Detroit look to add an additional centerman ahead of the deadline (March 7)? 

There are certainly internal options to replace him (not least a potential move back to center for rookie Marco Kasper), but if the Red Wings are serious about pushing for a playoff spot, the case for an external supplement just got a lot stronger.  If there is one positive out of the situation, it's that at least the injury came before the trade deadline, and general manager Steve Yzerman and his staff will have the chance to consider their options and potentially seek out a replacement.

How Will Red Wings' Forwards Respond to Loss of Copp & Rasmussen? On Tuesday night in St. Paul, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings">Detroit Red Wings</a> will take on the Minnesota Wild, and they will be doing so absent a pair of centers: Andrew Copp and Michael Rasmussen, who had been in the middle of Detroit's second and third lines.

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