Red Wings 2022-23 Wrap-Up: Andrew Copp

DETROIT --While his Detroit Red Wings teammates prepared for the 2022-23 season throughout training camp and the preseason, Andrew Copp was rehabbing from offseason abdominal surgery.

Copp did recover to make his Red Wings debut on Opening Night, but the 29-year-old forward admitted he was not his normal self at the start of his first campaign in Detroit.

"Especially in the beginning of the season, I don't think I was playing my best," Copp said in his end-of-season media session. "I got very pass happy. Kind of related to the injury, not being able to drive and skate with the puck as well as I would have liked."

But Copp got healthier as the season progressed and finished with 42 points, including a career-high 33 assists, and was one of only three Red Wings skaters to play all 82 games.

"As the year went on, I thought he had a bigger impact," Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman said. "He was very good on our penalty kill. He's a very good defensive player. He was one of our plus players and played a lot of hard minutes."

Copp took great pride in his perfect attendance record in 2022-23, a feat he also accomplished in 2017-18 as a member of the Winnipeg Jets.

"I was battling through some stuff and felt like it was definitely not easy," Copp said. "It was only the second time in my career I've been able to do it. Any time anybody can play all 82 (games), it's impressive."

Still, Copp believes there is another gear he can find - especially on offense.

"Two years ago, I scored 27 goals in regular-season and postseason play," said the Ann Arbor, Mich. native. "So nine this year was a little bit of a letdown."

Yzerman echoed Copp's assessment.

"That would be the one statistic we would all look at and say, 'Jeez, he needs to score more,'" Yzerman said. "Ultimately, I didn't necessarily sign him for his scoring ability. I signed him for his all-around play and his flexibility, so I'm pleased with the year that he had."

Copp, who signed a five-year deal with Detroit last July, said his focus this offseason is to get "a little bit of that scoring confidence back."

"I think I have certain training to help me with that," Copp said. "I'll be able to do those things at 100 percent this summer. That's a main focus for me."

From personal experience, Copp understands how continuity within a dressing room helps create a strong culture. And after a full campaign under head coach Derek Lalonde, Copp said a sense of familiarity will bode well for the Red Wings in 2023-24.

"It's getting right to work instead of feeling each other out," Copp said. "I think that investment right from the beginning is gonna be huge for our team."