Detroit — There are a lot of ways to describe an 82-game NHL season, particularly for a rookie like Lucas Raymond, who had never gone through one before.
Some of the words are likely to be a bit colorful, to illustrate the difficulty of it all. Many of them would simply describe how tiring the season is.
But Raymond used a different, somewhat unexpected word.
“It was a really fun first season,” Raymond said. “The result wasn’t as we wanted it, but for me, personally, I really enjoyed it. We had a great team that made it really easy for me to come in and be welcomed real quick. That helped me out a lot.”
Make no mistake — the losing wasn’t fun. Raymond can’t remember ever missing the playoffs in his junior career back in Sweden.
But from a personal standpoint, it was a brilliant debut, with 23 goals and 34 assists, and likely being a finalist for the Calder Trophy for NHL Rookie of the Year, along with teammate Mortiz Seider.
“Coming into training camp, I didn’t expect much,” Raymond said. “I just had the mindset to try and make the team and when I did that, it was about looking forward and performing on the ice.”
Of all the impressive things for Raymond and Seider, playing all 82 games was one of those items that may not be talked much about, but it’s a credit to two young players who dealt with a lot.
They faced opponents’ top players game after game, had never experienced pro hockey travel like this, and the pressures and expectations of the NHL.
Raymond mentioned how the general life of the NHL makes the entire process a bit more manageable.
“Sometimes, you don’t feel great,” Raymond said. “(It’s) an 82-game season, and I was not used to traveling in different time zones. Traveling, I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but it’s very comfortable for us and we get great help all around with trainers to make sure that we’re prepared. I felt good.
“It’s more mentally (challenging) than it is physically to really be there every game and be on it. It was a great first season for me to get into that and know what’s coming next season.”
Still, the long season did force Raymond to make one difficult decision: to decline an invitation from the Swedish national team to play in the men’s world championships beginning next week.
The grind of the NHL schedule, along with taking a break and getting prepared for September training camp, will keep Raymond away from Finland, the site of the world championships.
“It was a very tough decision,” Raymond said. “You always want to play for your national team, especially in a tournament that big. But the decision kind of came down to that I didn’t have much left in the tank and had to think about having a good summer. I want to have a really good summer this year to be prepared for next year, and I feel now I can get more time and I can prepare the way I want to.”
Former coach Jeff Blashill kept Raymond on the top line all season with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. Raymond, despite being a rookie, showed he deserved the responsibility and challenge, by forming chemistry with the Wings’ two leading goal-scorers.
“They’re both extremely good players, both scored 30-plus goals, and for sure you learn from them,” Raymond said. “They’ve been around for a while now, too, and they help me out a lot, not only on the ice but off the ice, too. Just communication and helping me out there, too, they were huge for me.
“But there’s a lot of parts you can take away from everyone’s games.”
Raymond will take some time off before resuming training for next season.
The prime areas, nuggets that scouts have talked about Raymond since junior hockey, are strength and his skating. To a certain degree, they intersect, with the expectation that if Raymond can become a more explosive skater, it could also make him that much more dangerous offensively.
“I want to become bigger and stronger, and that comes naturally because I’m still very young; I’m still developing physically,” Raymond said. “That’s for sure a big part, and then try to work on my skating. (I want) to be able to come out of tight corners with speed and stay strong there.”
Everything Raymond does will be geared toward having improved team success next season.
Raymond doesn’t remember the last time he was on a team that missed the playoffs – if he’s ever missed at all. The disappointment of missing the NHL playoffs this spring will be fuel heading into next season and playing meaningful games.
“It’s tough. The last part of the season, when we were out of playoff contention, it was tough,” Raymond said. “We were in a great spot at the beginning of the season, and then lost it a little bit the second half, which was tough.
“We have a competitive group and everybody loves to compete. I would have loved to have been in the playoffs right now, so the mindset is to regroup and have a really good summer and then go at it next year with being determined to make the playoffs.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan