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Red Wings Lose Veteran Forward to Season-Ending Injury

Karl Rasmussen

Detroit Red Wings center Andrew Copp celebrates with right wing Vladimir Tarasenko
Detroit Red Wings center Andrew Copp celebrates with right wing Vladimir Tarasenko / Brett Holmes-Imagn Images
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The Detroit Red Wings suffered a bit of a blow to their Stanley Cup Playoffs pursuit.

Veteran center Andrew Copp is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season after undergoing surgery to repair his left pectoral tendon. The procedure will require a recovery period of four to six months, meaning Copp should be ready to return for the 2025-26 season.

Copp, 30, has 23 points in 56 games this season, his third year in Detroit. He's scored 10 goals and owns a plus/minus of +4.

The Red Wings sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, right in the thick of a crowded Eastern Conference playoff race, with 64 points in 57 games.

With Copp likely headed to LTIR, plus the team's decision to trade Ville Husso to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, Detroit could potentially open up significant cap space with which to make a trade ahead of the March 7 deadline. Copp earns $5.625 million per season, while the move to offload Husso freed up an additional $3.6 million.

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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.

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