The Detroit Red Wings entered training camp with one of their biggest questions already hanging over the organization: how will they handle life without Dylan Larkin?
Larkin remains with the team, but his situation has created significant uncertainty heading into the 2026-27 season. The veteran center is dealing with an upper-body injury suffered during offseason training, and Detroit has not provided a specific timetable for his return. The Red Wings are hoping he can eventually participate in the preseason, but for now, the team has been forced to prepare without its longtime No. 1 center. (NHL)
That uncertainty has naturally pushed another veteran into an important role.
Andrew Copp has emerged as Detroit’s temporary top-line center during training camp. The Red Wings have been using Copp between Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond, giving him the responsibility of playing alongside two of the team’s most dangerous offensive weapons. (Yahoo Sports)
On paper, the combination certainly has plenty of talent. DeBrincat and Raymond have established themselves as important offensive pieces for Detroit, and both players are capable of producing at a high level. The bigger question is whether Copp can provide the type of center play required to maximize their abilities.
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Copp is not unfamiliar with playing in a top-six role. He has spent considerable time in important situations throughout his NHL career and has experience handling difficult assignments. However, the Red Wings are asking him to fill a particularly important void at a crucial point in his career.
The 32-year-old is entering the final season of the five-year contract he signed with Detroit in 2022. When that deal was completed, the expectation was that Copp would provide reliable secondary-center production behind Larkin. Now, circumstances have potentially elevated him into the team’s most important center role. (Octopus Thrower)
That represents a significant change in responsibility.
Copp’s recent production also makes the situation worth watching closely. He produced 42 points during the 2022-23 season, but his offensive numbers have declined since then. Detroit will need him to rediscover some of that previous form if he is going to remain on the top line for an extended period.
The opportunity is especially important because DeBrincat and Raymond give the Red Wings a potentially dangerous pair of wingers. Copp does not necessarily need to become an elite offensive center overnight, but he will need to keep pace with the two players beside him, create opportunities, win battles and provide enough offensive production to keep the line functioning effectively.
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Head coach Todd McLellan has indicated that Copp’s position is essentially his for the time being. With Larkin’s return date uncertain, the coaching staff has little choice but to prepare for multiple possibilities. (Yahoo Sports)
That makes Copp one of the most important players to watch during Detroit’s preseason.
The situation also highlights just how much Larkin has meant to the Red Wings. He recorded a career-high 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games last season and has traditionally been Detroit’s primary center and offensive leader. Losing that production, even temporarily, creates a hole that cannot easily be filled by simply moving another player into his spot. (NHL)
Copp now has an opportunity to demonstrate that he can handle those responsibilities.
There is also added urgency because Detroit’s training camp is compressed, leaving the coaching staff limited time to establish chemistry before the regular season begins. The Red Wings have emphasized the importance of quickly developing timing and familiarity between linemates. (NHL)
For Copp, that means every preseason opportunity could be significant.
If Larkin returns relatively soon, Copp could move back into a secondary role. If Larkin remains unavailable, however, the veteran center may be asked to carry a much larger portion of Detroit’s offensive burden.
That is a difficult assignment, particularly given Copp’s recent statistical decline. Still, the Red Wings have little alternative. Their top line needs a center, and for now, Copp is the player being asked to fill that role.
Whether he can rediscover the form that made him a 42-point player earlier in his Detroit tenure could have a major impact on the team’s offensive structure.
The Red Wings have talented wingers, an established defensive core and several players looking to take another step forward. But without Larkin on the ice, the center position remains one of the team’s biggest questions.
For now, that responsibility belongs to Andrew Copp.
And with his contract entering its final year and Larkin’s return uncertain, this could become one of the most consequential stretches of Copp’s tenure in Detroit.
Andrew Copp entering crucial contract year with Red Wings
Andrew Copp is entering a pivotal season with the Detroit Red Wings, and the timing could not be more significant.
The veteran forward is heading into the final season of the five-year, $28.125 million contract he signed with Detroit in July 2022. When the deal was originally completed, the expectation was that Copp would settle into the role of a dependable second-line center behind Dylan Larkin. He was supposed to give the Red Wings additional stability down the middle and provide reliable two-way play.
That plan, however, never developed quite the way Detroit had hoped.
Copp has remained an important part of the organization, but his production has not consistently matched the expectations attached to his contract. At the same time, Detroit has continued to search for a legitimate answer behind Larkin at center. The lack of proven depth at the position has made Copp increasingly important, particularly with Larkin’s future now uncertain.
The Red Wings have several younger centers they hope can eventually take on larger responsibilities.
Marco Kasper is one of the most obvious candidates. Detroit continues to view the 22-year-old as an important part of its future, but his development has not yet reached the point where the organization can simply hand him the responsibility of being its No. 1 center. Kasper’s 2025-26 season also represented a step backward statistically, as he finished with 19 points in 81 games after recording 37 points the previous season. (NHL)
That does not mean Detroit has lost confidence in him. Instead, it illustrates why the Red Wings need to be careful about placing too much responsibility on him too quickly.
Nate Danielson is another intriguing option. The former ninth overall pick received his first extended taste of NHL action last season, recording seven points in 28 games before a lower-body injury ended his season. He is expected to compete for a larger role this season, but he remains a young player with limited NHL experience. (NHL)
That leaves Detroit with a difficult decision.
If Larkin is unavailable, the Red Wings need someone capable of immediately handling top-line minutes. Copp has experience playing in important situations, understands the defensive responsibilities of the position and has spent significant time in the top six during his career.
That makes him the most straightforward short-term solution.
Detroit has already experimented with Copp alongside talented wingers such as Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. The combination gives Copp an opportunity to benefit from two highly skilled offensive players while also giving the Red Wings a chance to see whether he can handle the increased responsibility.
The chemistry between those players could ultimately become one of the biggest storylines of training camp and the opening weeks of the season.
There is also another factor working in Copp’s favor: the Red Wings may not have an immediate external solution available. A legitimate first-line center is one of the most difficult pieces to acquire in the NHL. Even if Detroit decides that adding another center is necessary, finding a player who is both available and capable of filling that role could take time.
Until that happens, Copp could be asked to carry the responsibility.
That does not necessarily mean Detroit expects Copp to suddenly become an elite No. 1 center. Rather, the organization needs him to provide enough production and stability to keep the offense functioning while younger players continue developing.
The current depth chart shows just how important that development could become. Detroit has Copp, Kasper, Danielson and other players capable of taking center shifts, but the organization still needs someone to establish himself as a dependable top-six option. (Octopus Thrower)
For Kasper and Danielson, this creates an opportunity. If either young center makes a major jump, the pressure on Copp could decrease considerably. If neither player is ready for that responsibility, Copp could find himself playing a much larger role than originally envisioned.
There is also the possibility that Detroit eventually addresses the position through a trade.
The Red Wings have undergone significant organizational changes, with Steve Yzerman moving into a senior adviser role and Shawn Horcoff taking over as interim general manager while Detroit searches for a new hockey operations leader. The uncertainty surrounding Larkin has added another layer to the team’s center situation. (NHL)
For now, though, Detroit has to work with the players already on its roster.
That puts Copp in a particularly important position entering the season. His contract is approaching its expiration, the team’s center depth remains a concern, and the Red Wings need someone capable of handling major minutes if Larkin is not available.
The opportunity is there.
Whether Copp can take advantage of it could have a significant impact on Detroit’s season. If he can rediscover some of his previous offensive consistency while providing dependable two-way play, the Red Wings may be able to survive the uncertainty down the middle.
If not, Detroit may have to accelerate its search for another solution.
Until that solution arrives, the responsibility could very well belong to Andrew Copp.
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