Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond officially catches Pavel Datsyuk in franchise history
Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond has now caught Pavel Datsyuk in franchise history with 82 points in the last calendar year.
The Detroit Red Wings were completely shortchanged when they fell to 4th place in the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery for that year's Entry Draft despite finishing with the worst overall record since the expansion Atlanta Thrashers of 1999-2000.
It meant they would not get the chance to select consensus 1st overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, a phenom forward in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League; the New York Rangers won the Draft Lottery despite being a playoff team.
With the 4th pick, the Red Wings selected Swedish forward Lucas Raymond; he combined with fellow rookie Moritz Seider to form the newest exciting duo on the ice in Detroit.
Despite battling a sophomore slump, Raymond has since taken the steps toward becoming a legitimate NHL star. He finished last year with 72 points (31G, 41A) in 82 games, and he's currently on pace to reach 84 points in 82 games.
In fact, he's scored the most points of any Red Wings player in a full calendar year (82) since the 86 points in 83 games Pavel Datsyuk scored in 2009.
Perhaps his biggest moments in a Red Wings sweater took place in the 81st game of last year, scoring the game-tying and game-winning goals for Detroit against the Montreal Canadiens at Little Caesars Arena, keeping their postseason hopes alive for another day:
Along with Seider, the Red Wings re-signed Raymond to an 8-year contract before this year began.
You're living right when you're mentioned in the same stat line as a Hall of Famer like Pavel Datsyuk, and Raymond is now in that category.
