Detroit Red Wings sign prospect Lucas Raymond to an entry-level contract
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Red Wings have officially agreed to terms of a three-year entry-level contract with Swedish prospect Lucas Raymond. The catch with this contract is that it will not begin until the 2021-22 season; hence, it will not take effect until next season.
The Detroit Red Wings selected Raymond with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft last fall. Since then, he has continued to play over in Sweden in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) until he sustained an injury.
He had to undergo surgery to repair his arm and has since recovered and will join the team in the summer/fall. Raymond should be healthy and ready to go; adding another prospect into the mix alongside some of the other names the Red Wings are likely to start mixing in like Joe Veleno, who could get a crack at the NHL sooner than later.
Raymond’s clock will not start until he hits the ten-game mark, which will be up in the air; he either makes the roster or does not. The likelihood is that Raymond will start the season and hit the ice skating for the Red Wings rather than in Grand Rapids, but only time will tell.
Detroit Red Wings prospect Lucas Raymond has signed his entry-level contract.
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The 19-year old winger from Frölunda HC has played in 34 games where he has six goals and 12 assists for 18 total points.
In the World Junior Championships this year, Raymond would log five games for the Swedish National Team with two goals and three assists for five points.
Raymond has been an exceptional talent and should be by the time he becomes a mainstay in the Red Wings lineup.
With the recent trade, the forward core is headed by Robby Fabbri, Dylan Larkin, Jakub Vrana, and Filip Zadina.
Assuming all goes well, the Red Wings could very well see Raymond in the mix for the 2021-22 season when his contract officially begins. He will be “fighting” for a spot on the Red Wings roster though the jury may already be out on Raymond.
There is a strong likelihood that Raymond gets a free pass and will be phased into the Red Wings lineup next season. If not, he will be sent down to the minors with the Grand Rapids Griffins, where the hope would be he could tear it up.
Raymond may not be a United States-born prospect like Trevor Zegras, but if Raymond can drop down to the minors and tear it up as Zegras has, the Red Wings should be in for a treat. Though it seems that Raymond will be given a shot to stick in the NHL right off the bat.
It appears that Raymond has the pieces to be a solid NHL talent; the question will be if the scoring comes around, similarly to Zadina.
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Congrats, Lucas, and welcome to Detroit! I think I speak for most Red Wings fans when I say Raymond is going to be a treat to watch when he dons the winged wheel uniform.