Where Do Copp and Compher Fit in for the Red Wings?
To maximize each player and their middle six, how should the Red Wings utilize Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher in the coming season?
At this time a year ago, if you wanted to stir up summertime sports talk radio-style trouble regarding the Red Wings, you might lob the allegation that Dylan Larkin is not a "true" number one center for a Stanley Cup aspirant.
After the '23-24 season, the chasm between the Red Wings with Larkin in the lineup and the lineup without him more or less silenced that discussion. However, with regard to the Red Wings second and third centers J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp—both acquired at not insignificant cost via free agency in the summer of '23 and '22 respectively—there are questions to answer. Contractually, Detroit is locked into the two players in the short-to-medium term (though buyouts or trades are not unthinkable at some point down the road), so what is the best way to use them?
On the most recent episode of The Silky Mitten State, Connor Earegood and I tackled this question. We discussed the possibility of pairing the two of them up as they were for a few spurts throughout the 2023-24 season. We also moved toward the position that the best outcome for Detroit in bolstering the middle six this season is getting significant contributions from one of the team's top forward prospects in Jonatan Berggren (who is not exactly a prospect any longer), Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, or perhaps Carter Mazur.
You can catch an excerpt of our conversation in the featured video above, then listen to the full show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts:
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