Lucas Raymond looking forward to Olympics – and big-time hockey with Red Wings
This story appeared on hockeysverige.se this week and has been translated from Swedish to English.
By Konrad Gronlund
The Tre Kronor is being rocked by a major injury crisis ahead of the Olympics.
It seems like the Swedes will have to do without some key cogs in the tournament next month. William Karlsson was ruled out before the roster was named, and since coach Sam Hallam presented his team on Jan. 2, the injuries have been piling up.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin will miss the tournament. It also doesn’t look good for Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson, who had thigh surgery last week.
On the blueline, Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson are also dealing with injuries. Philip Broberg recently returned to play for his St. Louis Blues after suffering a concussion earlier in the month.
However, it’s up front where the situation looks especially concerning. Outside of Carlsson, Gabriel Landeskog is questionable to play. Toronto’s William Nylander is dealing with a groin injury and currently has no timetable for his return. Joel Eriksson Ek is also battling injury issues alongside Wild teammate Marcus Johansson, who might be the first call-up if someone is ruled out from the original roster.
If you ask Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, it’s definitely not ideal.
“It’s obviously never fun when people get injured,” he said. “Guys become available and unavailable, but in some way that’s part of hockey. I think it can almost be even more dangerous if you go into a game or practice with the mindset of not getting injured.”
Right now, he’s still focused on his day job with the Red Wings.
“I think everyone on their respective club teams is playing for different things. What’s been a bit special about this season is that you know the Olympics are coming, but at the same time, the focus is fully there. You’re completely occupied with what we’re trying to do here with (Detroit).
“So being able to focus on that and then switch over to the Olympics, I think, is important. It’s a bit special, but it’s fun knowing that you have that coming up. But I think when there are so many games and everything happens so fast out there, if you go out hesitating or trying to protect yourself from getting injured, it might actually make it easier to get injured.”
With 53 points for the Detroit Red Wings, Raymond is the highest-scoring Swede in the NHL. In the midst of the injury crisis, the Swede’s strong season is something to be happy about ahead of the Olympics.
Raymond himself, however, is more interested in talking about the progress that the Red Wings have made this season.
”It’s the best version (of the Red Wings) that I’ve played for”, he said. ”I guess you can just see that from the standings, but also in the way we are playing and winning games. But it’s a long season, and we’re all aware of that. We need to be humble and keep being consistent night in and night out.”
It seems like the team is finally ready to make the playoffs after a drought dating back to the 2015-16 season. The Gothenburg native has yet to play in a playoff game since joining the Red Wings in 2021.
”It would have meant the world to me”, Raymond said. ”Since the day I got to Detroit, the goal has been to make it to the playoffs but most of all to win. We’ve been close a few times which leaves even more of a bad taste in your mouth.
“Lately, we’ve had the Sergei Fedorov jersey retirement ceremony and our 100th anniversary, and you see all the old players and get a glimpse of what it was like when they won the Stanley Cup every other year. That makes you yearn even more for success and to see Detroit as a city come to life and experience our arena in a playoff setting. That are a lot of reasons for you to want to make the playoffs.”