Detroit Red Wings: What happened to prospect Michael Rasmussen?

During the 2018-19 season, Detroit Red Wings’ prospect, Michael Rasmussen, got his first shot in the NHL, but what happened to him in 2019-20?

The Detroit Red Wings have plenty of prospects who have been moved between the NHL and AHL levels, one of them being forward Michael Rasmussen. In 2018-19 the Red Wings gave Rasmussen his first taste of the NHL level, keeping him with the NHL team for the majority of the season.

Rasmussen would ultimately spend the bulk of his time as third or fourth line centerman, and he never seemed to truly breakthrough in his first trial run. The Red Wings tried to ease Rasmussen into the lineup; however, it resulted in him lacking the ability to score.

The first stay with the Red Wings for Rasmussen lasted 62 games, where he would ultimately score eight goals and tally ten assists for 18 points on the season. He was deployed more in the defensive zone than the offensive zone during the 2018-19 season.

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Looking back on the 2018-19 campaign for Rasmussen, it was a chance for Rasmussen to start establishing himself as a center, ultimately that would become his goal for the 2019-20 season.

He was sent to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins for the 2019-20 season to try and breakout.

Ultimately, Rasmussen would not be a breakout player for the Griffins in 2019-20, and injuries to his back kept him off the ice this season. He eventually would spend the whole year with the Red Wings but only crack his way into thirty-five of the games.

Rasmussen would score seven goals and add fifteen assists in those games for twenty-two points on the injury ridden season. After back injuries complicated his 2019-20 season, hopefully, the future is still bright for Rasmussen and the Red Wings.

It appears that the Red Wings are doing an excellent job of grooming prospects for the NHL level in the AHL; hopefully, Rasmussen is one of those. He vanished to the minors after a season in the NHL, but after recovery, Rasmussen will look to establish himself as a premier prospect center alongside Joe Veleno.

The rebuild is well underway, and after Rasmussen disappeared from the Red Wings roster in 2019-20, he looks to crack it again next season. Rasmussen will make it back to the NHL roster sooner rather than later, but it means that Steve Yzerman needs to clear some roster space.

Some players are eating up roster spots that could easily be replaced by the youngsters who should get their chance to stick with the NHL club and the new wave of Red Wings.