Marco Kasper Stinks; Here’s How To Fix It

Kasper has played with 20 recorded combinations of the past two seasons. In that, with over 3.3% of his total time that season spent with that one line, these are the combinations that Kasper recorded both a Shots For % and Corsi For % over 50%. I consider that to be “effective” as that means Detroit controlled the play when Kasper was with these line mates.

The vertical axis has the percentage of offensive deployments on it, the higher you are, the more time you get deployed in the offensive zone. The horizontal axis is quality of competition, how good are your opponents, the further right you are, the better.

The green dots are where Kasper’s line was considered “effective” and outscored their opponents. the red dots are where Kasper’s line was still “effective” but got outscored. The x’s are where the line did not actually score a goal while on the ice together.

So ultimately, three lines worked for Kasper in terms of carrying play and factoring in on offence over the past two seasons: Larkin and Raymond (2024-25), Kane and DeBrincat (2024-25), and DeBrincat and Appleton (2025-26).

Main Takeaways:

Kasper looks like he kind of suffers from Andrew Copp syndrome a little bit. Can be effective defensively deployed, but to get the most out of him, he needs to be surrounded by dominant offensive players. Bonus credit to myself here, I actually compared Kasper to Copp out of his draft and Danielson to Compher.

So, let’s get something out of the way quickly: Kasper isn’t playing between DeBrincat and Kane this season. Andrew Copp has firmly cemented himself in that role and has been amongst the league’s best second-line centres since finding his way back there.

That doesn’t mean we can’t recreate that line in the aggregate.

What Type of Player Does Kasper Perform Best With?

Well, it’s clear that he needs at least one true offensive producer on his line. Specifically, he needs to play with a. scorer like Alex DeBrincat. The one consistent finisher on his line gives him somewhere that he clearly needs to move the puck to.

Next, he needs someone who can facilitate play well, a distributor who can check the puck of the boards. While he has worked well with Kane, Kane is the only person who doesn’t go to the boards to get the puck that has worked with him. The list of other players are people who are willing to play the puck down low off the cycle.

So, what players fit into both groups?

Finishing Options:

• Michael Brandsegg-Nygård
• Emmitt Finnie
• James Van Riemsdyk

Admittedly, the bottom six doesn’t have a ton of pure scoring options. Emmitt Finnie hasn’t been scoring much lately, but has shown he can. James Van Riemsdyk is a net front finisher, which isn’t really the type of scorer I had in mind, and Brandsegg-Nygård isn’t even back at the NHL level yet.

Grinder Options:

• James Van Riemsdyk
• Elmer Soderblom
• Mason Appleton
• Michael Rasmussen

The list here is a little longer than the former. Now, a lot of these names don’t really excite anyone, but they are pretty much built for this role. Appleton is the natural fit, having two of the effective lines with him, albeit one of them didn’t score, and the other was with DeBrincat. I do actually really like James Van Riemsdyk in this spot because he is sort of a hybrid of both. He has found a way to produce consistently offensively in the bottom-six. Van Riemsdyk checks both boxes, so he’s going to be on my Kasper line for sure.

Of the offensive scorers, I think MBN is probably the best choice. To all of you who keep up with my work, yes, I found a way to keep pushing my call-up MBN propaganda, sue me. But honestly, I think bringing MBN back up gives you a really natural line that works well together. It also puts back together Rasmussen, Compher, and Appleton, who played well together as well.

The good news about this line is that it still follows the Andrew Copp principle of “deployment doesn’t matter”. MBN and Kasper have the legs to work well defensively, and I don’t think JVR has been a negative in his own zone at all. I could see them being a pretty perfect third line; they can check, score, and hold their own defensively. Face-offs might be an issuee but they are for just about everyone.

Wrap Up:

Where Kasper Works: Kasper can play well in both ends of the ice, he does not need to be limited to poor opponents in order to be effective. He can take on any level of competition to a decent level, even this season, being effective against second lines. I think the biggest takeaway is not to shelter Kasper with worse players and instead play him quality players who support his game.

Who Kasper Should Play With: Well, technically, he hasn’t played with Raymond and Larkin yet, so I can’t fully eat my words. But as of right now, I think the best fit is calling up MBN and putting him between Brandsegg-Nygård and JVR.

More to Read:

Marco Kasper’s Sophomore Slump: A Deeper Analysis

Why the Red Wings Need Brandsegg-Nygard Back Now

• Marco Kasper’s Sophomore Slump: A Deeper Analysis
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