With Dylan Larkin out, J.T. Compher’s Impact Even More Important
J.T. Compher’s high workload and defensive talents become even more important for the Red Wings with Dylan Larkin injured
© Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports - With Dylan Larkin out, J.T. Compher’s Impact Even More ImportantDylan Larkin might be out the next two weeks, but that doesn’t mean the Red Wings are without a top-line center. In reality, Detroit has played with an extra all year.
In terms of usage, J.T. Compher has played nearly as often as Larkin has, though he’s been used in different situations. Whereas Larkin’s usage centers around neutral zone play by using his speed to enter the zone, Compher has often been the go-to defensive option. As Larkin’s injury seems likely to alter the offensive firepower of Detroit’s lineup, Compher’s defensive play becomes all the more important.
“Now, (Compher is) probably a true 1C. You can see the way we use them, they both share a huge bulk of our minutes,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said Tuesday. “... They would both be in that 18 to 20 to 21 (range) depending on the flow of the night. Now, (Compher) might get more on his plate which is fine. I think he’s very capable and why he’s such a valuable player.”
Lalonde isn’t exaggerating the similarities between each center’s usage — in fact, it’s nearly bar for bar and shift for shift. Larkin has played 1,286 shifts this season, logging 1,092 minutes. 52.3% of those have come on the fly and 18.4% started with a neutral zone faceoff as tracked by Moneypuck. Meanwhile, Compher’s 1,287 shifts and 1,082 minutes of ice time have started 48.9% on the fly and 20.9% in the defensive end, tied with Andrew Copp for the team lead.
This usage plays to each player’s strengths in a way that complements their abilities. Detroit is a much better team when it can utilize Larkin’s playmaking and speed in the offensive end, while Compher is a much better defensive influencer than he is a gifted scorer. While the Red Wings might not have a truly elite center leading the helm such as Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, Toronto’s Auston Matthews and the like, they have constructed a duo that can bring about similar results.
But with Larkin injured, the two-headed monster, if you will, loses one of its key dimensions. The rest of the team will have to figure out Larkin’s missing scoring by committee, and Lalonde said Monday that he expects a bump in minutes throughout the lineup.
For Compher, this extra ice time probably means a bump in penalty kill time, but it could also translate to a bit more offensive usage, too. He’s a capable scorer, and heavier defensive usage hasn’t stopped Compher from averaging the highest points per game of his career this season at 36 points in 56 games. Perhaps he could leverage more offensive shifts to create more scoring chances, something Detroit would welcome with Larkin out these next two weeks.
Such was a role Compher played in Colorado last season, when Gabriel Landeskog’s ongoing knee injury kept him out the entire season and moved Compher up to the second line. In 30 of his 82 regular season games, Compher played north of 22 minutes for the Avs, including the majority of December 2022 when an injured Nathan MacKinnon meant Compher was stepping up for first line duties, too. Compher’s ability to handle this situation was part of what made his acquisition so alluring for Detroit over the summer, and he has continued to build on that usage thus far this season with his complementary play with Larkin.
Now, for the first extended span, Compher can show what he can bring as the true 1C by himself. While his tandem situation with Larkin might be the most beneficial for Detroit, Compher is capable of taking a big step as his previous track record has shown. The Red Wings could have benefitted from this the last time Larkin was injured in December, but Compher’s own injury kept him out of the lineup, too. If Compher was able to play then, it’s no stretch of the imagination to wonder if that banged-up span might not have gone so poorly.
“Big challenge for us — everybody goes through injuries,” Lalonde said Monday. “We didn’t handle it very well last time. I think we’ll respond a little better this time around.”
Lalonde continued: “When Dylan was out last time, we were out two goalies, we were out J.T. Compher, we were out David Perron. So yes, we’ve been fortunate with our depth all year long. This will be tested again.”
With Compher able to shoulder part of the burden of Larkin’s absence, he might be able to steer Detroit toward a better result than the last time the injury bug struck. That’s the benefit of having two number one centers, and it might be another reason why Compher has made such an impact on Detroit this season.