DETROIT – Andrew Copp capitalized on a bit of promotion Sunday, when he was moved up to the second line, on the wing, with more skilled players in J.T. Compher and Patrick Kane.
Copp scored one goal and assisted on the other in the Detroit Red Wings’ 3-2 overtime loss to Edmonton. He is off to a good start with four goals, tied for the team lead, and six points in seven games. He was asked if that’s a product of his expanded role.
“I would argue that the role wasn’t expanded until tonight,” Copp said after the game. “I’d say it was actually decreased, to be honest. I mean, I think that.
I think it’s in my game. I think that when I signed here, that was part of it. It hasn’t necessarily clicked exactly the way I wanted to.
And part of that is myself, part of that is injury from two years ago and part of that’s deployment as well.” The Red Wings expected more offense from Copp when they signed him in 2022 (five years, $5.625 million average annual value) to be their second-line center.
But he’s tallied only nine and 13 goals, 42 and 33 points, in each of his first two seasons. After Compher arrived last season, Copp settled into the third-line center spot, a checking role. His ice time has decreased from 18:09 per game in 2022-23 to 16:16 last season to 14:00 so far in 2024-25.
“I think I was relied on as a checking-line player, play against the other team’s top lines and no power play,” Copp said. “I think that can kind of change your outlook .