Detroit Red Wings forward Marco Kasper appears to be battling the dreaded sophomore slump, having not registered a single point in his last 10 games.
Thursday evening's 5-0 loss to the New York Islanders was the latest game for Detroit Red Wings forward Marco Kasper in which he didn't register a single point.
Kasper, who was among the NHL's best rookie players during the second half of last season, has now gone pointless in his last 10 outings while also posting a subpar minus-7 rating.
Needless to say, this isn't what the Red Wings were expecting of Kasper coming into this campaign.
Kasper found himself not only demoted to the fourth line during Thursday's loss, but he was also whistled for a 10-minute misconduct for reasons unknown.
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Head coach Todd McLellan, who said he was never given an explanation from the officials behind their decision to whistle Kasper for a misconduct, stated that Kasper's confidence level just isn't where it needs to be right now.
"I think it's obvious, it's not where it needs to be," McLellan said of Kasper's confidence meter. "But it’s difficult when you’ve entered the league and a lot of good things have happened for you, and then you come back, and all that momentum goes away."
“But confidence isn’t something that’s in your back pocket and you just lose it at the mall or leave it in your car," he continued. "Over time, it erodes, and you’ve got to find ways to stop the momentum and get it back. And he's frustrated, he got in a fight at the end of the game, and maybe that will trigger it."
As time ticked away in the third period, Kasper's frustration boiled over, and he dropped the gloves against Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo.
Detroit was understandably counting on Kasper to be a significant part of their offensive attack considering what he accomplished last season. From January 10 through the end of the campaign, he led all NHL rookies with 17 goals and ranked fifth in total rookie scoring over that span.
Kasper also represented Austria at the 2025 World Championship, tying for the team lead with four goals.
While he scored in his second game of the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs and later followed that up with a two-goal outing against the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 30, Kasper has yet to find the back of the net since then.
"I know, he knows, and his teammates know he's a better player than what we have right now," McLellan said. "Everyone has to participate in cracking that nut, including Marco....we need the best from him, and right now he doesn't look like the same player."
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