The Detroit Red Wings appropriately felt slighted by the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery when they somehow fell back multiple spots and ultimately landed the No. 4 pick despite having posted the worst record of any team since the expansion Atlanta Thrashers of 1999-2000. .
The consensus No. 1 overall selection in that season's Draft was forward Alexis Lafreniere, a star with Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The visions that danced in the heads of Red Wings fans everywhere of Lafreniere donning the Winged Wheel were dashed when Detroit not only didn't get the first overall pick, but had to watch the New York Rangers, a playoff team, select him.
The Red Wings then turned to their Plan B and selected forward Lucas Raymond, who was playing in the Swedish Hockey League with Frölunda HC. And by all reasonable measurements, Detroit's rotten Draft Lottery Luck in 2020 turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
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Raymond has become one of the best young players in the NHL after bursting onto the scene as a rookie, along with Moritz Seider, in the 2021-22 season.
He scored 23 goals with 34 assists in his rookie season, and while he experienced a dip in production known as the dreaded "sophomore slump" that multiple players endure, he roared back immediately.
Raymond caught fire in the second half of the 2023-24 season, finishing with 31 goals and 41 assists for a then career-high 72 points. None were bigger than his pair of goals in Detroit's home finale against the Montreal Canadiens to tie the score late in regulation and then give the Red Wings the overtime victory, keeping their postseason hopes alive.
LUCAS RAYMOND, TWICE IS SO NICE! 🚨🚨
After netting the tying goal, Lucas Raymond secures a MASSIVE two points for the @DetroitRedWings with the @Energizer overtime winner to keep them in the #StanleyCup Playoffs Wild Card race! pic.twitter.com/mFWrq5YdnZ
— NHL (@NHL) April 16, 2024
His output in the recently-completed 2024-25 NHL season was even higher, scoring 27 goals with 53 assists to set a new career-high in points with 80.
He was the highest-scoring player in the NHL aged 23 or younger, and he also became the first Swedish-born player aged 23 or younger to reach 80 points since Nicklas Bäckström in 2009-10 with the Washington Capitals.
Additionally, Raymond's 254 career points are 61 higher than the 193 career points for Lafreniere, and are the second-most by any active NHL player aged 23 or younger, behind only Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stützle.
The Red Wings recognized the special talent that they had on their hands when Raymond was extended for eight years last offseason, and he's in Hockeytown for the long haul.
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