Resurgent Red Wings counting on Copp

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This article was published 26/10/2023 (710 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DETROIT — At first blush, Andrew Copp thought his teammates were playing a prank on him.

Not because he didn’t think Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck weren’t interested in signing long-term deals with the Winnipeg Jets, but Copp figured he would have received a heads up from his former roommate and close friend before the news went public.

“I actually came out of a meeting and the guys were like ‘(Scheifele) and Hellebuyck signed matching extensions and I actually didn’t believe them,” Copp said before the Jets faced his Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. “I was like ‘you guys are messing with me.’ Then I went back to my phone and saw that I had four missed calls and four missed texts from Scheif.

“I guess it happened fast.”

As someone who knows the importance of long-term security, Copp was happy for the players involved and for what it means for the Jets organization.

“I was happy for those two, to basically play their whole career in Winnipeg, as they should,” said Copp, who signed a five-year deal with the Red Wings last season as an unrestricted free agent that was worth US$28.125 million and carries an AAV of US$5.625 million. “They’ve been such good pieces and leaders in the room and the community. Those are two guys that you don’t let walk away.

“I’m happy for them and happy for the city of Winnipeg, to have those two commit for the rest of their careers.”

As happy as Copp is for his former teammates, he’s also in a good place as he enters the second year of the pact he signed with the Red Wings.

After missing out on the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring, the Red Wings are off to a fantastic start and look like they could contend in the difficult Atlantic Division.

Playing on a line with former University of Michigan Wolverines teammates J.T. Compher, Copp is playing right wing on the second line and had three goals and four points in seven games going into Thursday’s contest.

One thing that remains the same as the time he arrived as a rookie with the Jets is the mentality he brings to the rink each and every day.

“I came in (to training camp) in great shape. I did well in all of the testing and all of that stuff. I put in a lot of effort and hard work in the summer,” said Copp, who spent part of eight seasons with the Jets before the deadline deal that sent him to the New York Rangers. “I don’t know, it’s just always the same thing for me, just trying to prove myself and always trying to prove that I’m a consistent top-six player and produce — and then do all of the things that got me to the NHL in the first place. All the little things and the defensive details and all of that.”

Given his ability to play centre and wing, Copp is someone Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde can lean on in all situations, whether it’s protecting a lead or trying to find an equalizer late in a game.

“I think it’s going to be a little bit more of an offensive role than it was in Winnipeg, so I’m excited to try and prove that day in and day out,” said Copp, who had nine goals and 42 points in 82 games last season. “But I feel really good about where my body is at. I’m playing a good amount. The team is winning, so life is good.”

As the Red Wings push to try and get back to the glory days, it’s an exciting time for the franchise.

“Everyone wants to win and everyone is pulling in the same direction,” said Copp, who sees some parallels from his time with the Jets, being part of a group that grows up and becomes a contender. “I see a lot of the same qualities. A different type of team, for sure. But just in the feeling in the room. Early that year (in 2017-18), we started very hot that year and we kind of knew when we hit halfway that we were really good.

“We’re not close to that yet and I’m not saying we’re going to make it to the conference final, by any means, but there’s more of a belief factor. We’ve got some things to clean up in the short term, but we feel good about where our game is at and about the up and down contributions from everybody. Contributions in different ways and depth scoring and all of that. We feel good about the direction that we’re headed.”

Former Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot agreed with the assessment.

“It’s kind of like how we got going in Winnipeg. You see the team kind of just takes its progression and all of a sudden, it just takes off,” said Chiarot, who spent part of six seasons with the Jets. “I feel like we’re getting to that point. It’s been a good start, but obviously a lot of work still to do.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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