Coming off a breakout season in which Detroit Red Wings forward Marco Kasper finished tenth in Calder Trophy voting, the follow-up act has not gone as planned. The 21-year-old has largely struggled for most of the 2025-26 campaign, having posted only three goals through 23 games played.
Playing down the middle on a line to open the season, with Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, whom he finished his Freshman year with, expectations were high that the Austrian could carve out a role as the Red Wings number two center, behind Captain Dylan Larkin.
Last season, Kasper posted 19 goals and 18 assists, with the majority of those points coming after the Red Wings made a change behind the bench, bringing in now head coach Todd McLellan.