TEMPE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 27: Christian Fischer #36 of the Arizona Coyotes warms up before a game against the Colorado Avalanche at Mullett Arena on December 27, 2022 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Zac BonDurant/Getty Images)
The Detroit Red Wings may not be thinking about contracts right now; that’s more of the off-season topic, but halfway through year two, it’s got some of us thinking. Andrew Copp’s five-year contract that he signed before the 2022-23 season could wind up being ugly.
Copp’s decline on the depth chart has already started with regard to the Detroit Red Wings forward core. The Red Wings inked J.T. Compher to a five-year contract during the previous summer. Unless everything changes, Copp will play at most as a third-line centre for this Red Wings club because Dylan Larkin is signed.
After a successful 2021–22 season in which he was traded to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline, Copp joined Detroit as the second-line centre. During his stints with the Jets and Rangers that season, he was reliable; however, since moving to Detroit, he has not been able to repeat that performance.
Detroit must eventually witness some value start to materialise. If not, Copp’s contract might eventually cause him problems. In order to avoid having their forward become a potential buyout target in the future or a trade candidate in a salary dump, the Red Wings must figure out a way to get more value out of him.
After playing for the Detroit Red Wings for an additional six months, Copp is still a mediocre player all around. Copp was with the Red Wings for a year and a half, but he was not as productive as he had been in the past. Copp participated in 82 games during the previous campaign, recording nine goals and 33 assists for a total of 42 points.
Copp has participated in 40 games this season, tallying six goals and 13 assists for a total of 19 points. With a goal against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, he might have ended a scoring slump. Despite his recent three-point lead over the Red Wings, he has not played well.
Copp must get to work. Right now, he’s a bottom-six forward, but he hasn’t exactly performed up to par. While nobody was anticipating 30 goals or even 60 points, it could be good to go back up to roughly 50 points. It would also be excellent to surpass the production line from the previous year.
Copp has the third-highest deal in the forward core, valued at $5.625 million annually, so going forward, he has to figure out how to add more value to the Red Wings. If not, the Red Wings’ contract will only get worse every year.
