For the fourth straight year, Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond will represent Sweden in the World Championship.
Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond appeared to have been battling an injury down the stretch of their recently completed 2025-26 NHL campaign, repeatedly hesitating to shoot while also not finding the back of the net in his final seven games.
However, he denied any specific injury during his season-ending media availability session, and now the next step in his offseason have been confirmed.
For the fourth straight year, Raymond will represent Sweden in the World Championship.
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Raymond, who scored 25 goals with 51 assists, missed two games in early October after being leveled into the boards shoulder first by Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev.
While he didn't appear to be feeling any negative effects upon his return, his potency wasn't as strong after coming back from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Head coach Todd McLellan emphasized the need for Raymond to utilize his shot more, even calling out his lagging shot totals.
“You bet I am, he's 92nd in shots on goal heading into the game in Dallas, and he shouldn't be in there," McLellan said in mid-March. "He should be in the top 50 at least, top 40 in my opinion, with the amount of ice time and opportunities, the looks at the net."
"He's got such a good shot, but he spends a little too much time sometimes trying to improve the angle," he continued. "I think he can beat goaltenders by shooting it from where the open ice is. It's a hard thing to get into a player."
This season, Raymond was ranked 96th overall among all NHL forwards with a total of 173 shots on goal.
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