What was rumored earlier today has become as official as Darren Dreger is willing to put his reputation on, reporting Andrew Copp has signed with the Detroit Red Wings
5 years $5.625 for Copp in Detroit.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 13, 2022
Until the team announces it, it’s not final, but I’ll honestly have more fun watching Dreger get burned than I’ll suffer for counting on him here
[Update: It’s Final]
With any term over about three years, we have to look at how gracefully Copp can slide down the lineup as his ability to be the kind of player a contender needs dictates a line assignment appropriate to his expectations. If he’s going to be a slightly overpaid 3C for a competitive Red Wings team then it’s a paper cut that you hope doesn’t add up with other contract inefficiencies. If he ends up being a 3C worth that AAV then we should be in real good shape, but that’s an if I don’t want to count on.
Realistically, Copp has a chance to prove he’s not just a stopgap, but my expectations for him over this deal are more in line with a good in the room veteran whose AAV people complain more heavily about in three years (heavily dependent upon how well the team is performing at that time).
Unfortunately, based on the Trocheck signing and other comparables it looks like the AAV is either too high for five or the length is too long for the AAV.
Copp is an “efficient” signing as forward and in that same spirit of efficiency, I’m going to copy and paste the stuff I said about him a few hours ago in here because none of this has changed:
A 28-year old two-way center who will be slotted in both sides of special teams, Copp is listed at 6’1” and 206 pounds; a left-shooter originally from Ann Arbor, he was a fourth round pick by the Jets who traded him to New York for the Rangers’ playoff run. Career-wise his numbers are in line with a 2C kind of player.
- Does he win faceoffs? Yes, 51.8% of all he’s taken
- Is he good at shooting the puck? Career 11.2% (went on a heater with the Rangers where he shot a combined 19%)
- Does he drive possession? He’s been a possession net-positive for most of his career with a variety of linemates.
- Does he score a lot? That’s where we’re not sure. His last two seasons have paced out over 82 games at around 60 points (a pace that would compare to what Lucas Raymond did last year), but you’re banking that on a guy figuring out scoring later than when most forwards do./
In terms of where Copp would fit, he’d be Detroit’s 2C immediately and depending on term won’t be such a commitment that it’ll be anything but a quirk if he’s bumped out of that by a guy making significantly less than he is due to the way young player compensation works.
It’s not a very exciting addition, but Copp is a solid player and his addition is a bump in the right direction for an improving team. He’s not exactly a key piece, but he’s the type of player that good teams have.
