DETROIT — It was no surprise Marco Kasper headed off to the IIHF men’s world championships in Sweden and Denmark soon after the Red Wings season ended.

Simply put, Kasper wanted to play more hockey.

“You play all those games and you’re in a flow and it’s so weird, just the end of it,” Kasper said. “I love being on the ice.”

So Kasper had an opportunity to play more hockey — high-level hockey, at that — and the torrid pace he was on the second half of the NHL season continued overseas.

Austria made it to the quarterfinals of the IIHF world championships Thursday — it lost 6-0 to Switzerland — for the first time since 1994. Kasper, 21, the Wings’ talented rookie, was a major reason why.

Kasper led Austria with seven points (four goals, three assists) in eight games and displayed the impressive versatility at both ends of the rink that came to be expected of coach Todd McLellan and his staff by the end of this past season.

“You talk about 200-foot player, I would put him on our team in that category,” McLellan said toward the end of the season. “He plays our zone, the neutral zone and offensive zone, and he can play east-west or north-south. He’s a 200-foot player and they are very valuable.”

Kasper had 37 points (19 goals and 18 assists) in 77 games with the Wings, seeing his game take off after McLellan took over as head coach on Dec. 26.

Kasper soon found himself on a line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond and complemented the two offensive stars with a willingness to get to the net, create space, and do all the grunt work. Later in the season, Kasper centered his own line, moving back to his natural center position.

Wherever Kasper played, he showed definitively why the Wings drafted him eighth overall in 2022, and why there’s so much excitement around his game.

“For some, it’s very difficult (shuttling between center and forward), but Marco may be one of the exceptions,” McLellan said. “The initial task of going from center to wing is probably a bigger adjustment than going back to the middle. He played in the middle his whole life. When he went up and had to play the wing, that’s where he probably had to adjust his game and read a little bit differently, understand where and what might happen along the boards more than in the middle of the rink.

“We talked about can he produce some offense and he wasn’t going to basically with the minutes we were playing him and where he was playing. We moved him to wing and we put him up there, and he took advantage of it.”

Kasper was one of several Wings’ young players who received more ice time under McLellan and thrived with the responsibility.

“Just confidence,” said Kasper, of what he may have gotten during the switch to McLellan. “Also trying to play a 200-foot (all-around) game and getting out there and doing the right things. The intensity during practice was harder, and that’s good for me and the team. Going out there and getting ready for those games.

“The guys did a great job helping me and the coaches. They talked about how we wanted to play and needed to play.”

It’s unclear this soon after the season ended where Kasper will begin next season, wing or center. Kasper doesn’t mind either spot, although if he does play center, becoming more effective in the faceoff circle is a must (44.9% this season).

“That’s definitely something I want to improve on over the summer and into next season,” Kasper said. “That goes back to the matchups against these guys like (Toronto’s John) Tavares, he’s unreal in the faceoffs. You take away things from those guys, and Larks (Dylan Larkin) is real good on faceoffs, and just watching him and seeing how he does it. It’s a big point of my focus, and to play center, it’s something I have to get better at.”

In terms of preparation this summer, nothing will change for Kasper. General manager Steve Yzerman was impressed with Kasper’s maturity and preparation when the Wings drafted Kasper, and those traits were on display in the Wings’ locker room after he was recalled.

“It’s not going to change how I approach the offseason,” Kasper said of his rookie success. “I know it’s the same boring answer, but what I’m trying to do is go out there every day and do the best I can, whether it’s on the ice or in the gym, and try to do the best I can. That’s how I’m going to look at it.

“It’s going to be hard next year. I feel like I had a pretty good year, but it’s going to be really hard to come back and do as good and even improve, but it’s something I’m going to focus on.”

Playing in the top two lines most of the season, Kasper saw some difficult matchups against some of the best forwards in the NHL. Facing them on a nightly basis was a challenge he willingly took on.

Interestingly, it was taking on some of the older legends that Kasper will remember.

“Sidney Crosby, to just line up and face off against him, it was pretty cool,” Kasper said. “You see how long he’s played and also (Alex) Ovechkin, he just breaks the goal-scoring record. They’ve been the best players in the world, and (teammate Patrick) Kane, and those guys for a long time have been the best, and that’s pretty cool.”

Kasper always will remember facing Crosby for another reason.

“I won the first faceoff,” Kasper said. “I didn’t win too many after that first one, but that was pretty cool.”

DETROIT — The outlook for Elmer Soderblom has changed considerably over one full hockey season.

A year ago, the Red Wings were intrigued by Soderblom’s potential, but it was fair to wonder if the 6-foot-8, 246-pound forward was ever going to fully realize and utilize the unique hockey gifts he had. There simply haven’t been that many big men who have a certain blend of skills Soderblom possesses.

Those hands, that touch with the puck, are usually found with smaller, swifter players.

But Soderblom is different. And one year later, as the Wings head into the offseason, he suddenly is very much in their plans going forward after an eye-opening close to the season.

Recalled Jan. 21 from Grand Rapids, Soderblom had four goals and seven assists in 26 games in the NHL, but the way he seamlessly joined the Wings lineup and grew his role under coach Todd McLellan was impressive.

The Wings may very well be rewarded for their patience with Soderblom, a former 2019 sixth-round draft pick (159th overall).

“It feels like the confidence got better and better during my time here,” Soderblom said during the Wings’ season-ending media conferences. “I’ve been working really hard over the last couple years, so eventually it’s going to click. I’m happy that the season turned out good for me and looking forward to next season to prove and show it even more.”

Soderblom had five goals and eight points in 21 games with the Wings in 2022-23, but the team sent him back to Grand Rapids as his playing time decreased and he battled injuries.

Soderblom had 13 goals in 61 games for the Griffins in 2023-24 but was never promoted to the Wings. Draft picks like Jonatan Berggren, Marco Kasper, Carter Mazur and Nate Danielson all were getting more attention than Soderblom, who emerged in his last several weeks with the Griffins with an NHL-caliber overall game.

But the time in Grand Rapids proved beneficial for Soderblom, whose development came full circle. Soderblom’s skating was always a question mark, but it was better. There was a need for more physicality, and he did play with more of an edge by finishing checks and generally being harder to play against. There was also more consistency in his overall play.

McLellan was somewhat familiar with Soderblom’s ability, but he admittedly didn’t know a ton about the big winger. But as the season progressed, McLellan was impressed.

“There’s a lot of tools in that man’s toolbox and he’s starting to access all of them,” McLellan said. “The common thought of a player like that (big, imposing wing) is a little bit clumsy, awkward and just a bullier bringing pure physicality; the puck is foreign to him.

“That’s not the case with Elmer. He has soft hands. He’s got a pretty good offensive mind and he is able to keep plays alive with his reach. He anticipates where plays are going. It’s not all about body contact; it’s about using your stick as well.

“He has quite a nice skill set for a guy that’s 6-8.”

Late in the season, Soderblom was bumped onto the top line playing with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, and he complemented those two scorers with his size and ability to get them space on the ice. Soderblom’s reach and aptitude made him a key figure on any line.

Going through the Wings’ late-season push that ended in a playoff miss, Soderblom learned how important being steady and dependable on a nightly basis is. He feels he improved in that area but can get better.

“You have to find a way to play for 82 games,” Soderblom said. “You have to find a way to be consistent. A lot of the veteran guys know how to do that. They bring something to the table every night, so just finding a way to be consistent is going to be huge for me. That’s a step in the right direction.

“Simplifying my game a little bit more and finding the consistency level, I improved those. Also, my physicality, I improved that, but at the same time, I can get even better at it. That’s why I’m looking forward to next year, to keep improving and keep doing more stuff like that.

“Other than that, of course I’m happy with my offensive play. I feel confident in the (offensive) zone, and I just want to keep building on that.”

Soderblom doesn’t plan on slowing down now, even as his NHL future appears a bit more secure.

“I’m just going to keep working on every small little detail,” he said. “It takes a lot of small details to play in this league … and just keep being physical and using my size to my advantage, that’s a huge part, too. I’m just going to keep playing my game and improving along the way.

“It feels like I’ve improved a lot this year. I’m just trying to get better at some areas that I need to improve, be an even better player next year and be more ready.”

DETROIT — Instead of preparing for Game 1 of the playoffs on Saturday, the Red Wings were packing for the summer and saying their goodbyes.

It’s become a familiar routine. This is the ninth consecutive year the Wings are outside of the playoff picture, the second-longest streak currently in the NHL (Buffalo is at a record 14) and the fourth longest all-time in the NHL.

You could sense the frustration Saturday and the disappointment is mounting.

“We can’t make excuses anymore,” forward Alex DeBrincat said. “It’s time to take that next step and be a competitor. We have to do it.”

The Wings never were able to sustain the sort of positive traction that would have produced a playoff season.

They started slowly, and a 13-17-4 record at the Christmas break forced general manager Steve Yzerman to fire Derek Lalonde and hire Todd McLellan.

The Wings immediately surged. They had two seven-game win streaks and were in playoff position at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament break. But going 9-13-2 to end the season, including another miserable March (4-10-0), sent the Wings home again in mid-April.

“It’s not fun. You want to get ready to play Game 1 right now and that didn’t happen,” forward Lucas Raymond said. “Everyone is disappointed. We put ourselves before the 4 Nations break to be in a good spot coming back and making a good push for it. It didn’t click for us.”

Raymond completed his fourth NHL season and has yet to make the playoffs.

“You grow up playing hockey, and you play to win, whether that’s a Pee-Wee tournament or whatever it is,” Raymond said. “You’re always used to playing those games and not being able to do that is frustrating. Not fun at all.

“Everyone is determined to change that, and we want to take next step very soon.”

There were positives. The injection of youth and contribution by players such as Marco Kasper, Elmer Soderblom, Jonatan Berggren, Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson — along with more help next season — gives considerable hope for the future. Players like Moritz Seider, Dylan Larkin, Raymond and DeBrincat are still very much in the prime of their careers.

Plus, McLellan will have a full training camp to incorporate his systems, which the Wings believe will be a major plus.

“Todd is real good coach and I’ve been very impressed with him,” said Larkin, the Wings’ captain. “(Having) training camp with our group, our young guys and our core with him, it could be very valuable. Todd will really help turn this around here.”

Larkin, 28, made the playoffs his rookie season (2015-16) and has yet to return. The Waterford native admits it’s been “difficult.”

“(It’s) something I think about a lot, think about it every day for a long time during days. But that doesn’t do any good and you have to go out and play and win hockey games,” Larkin said. “We came up five or six wins short this year.”

The swoon in March, for basically the third consecutive year, will be on the Wings’ minds. Once the losing started and the momentum was going away, they couldn’t turn it around.

“It’s something we can’t figure out,” Seider said. “We’re always engaged. We’re dialed in. But we just couldn’t get it done. That hurt us. We were in it, and after March it was tough to look at the standings. I don’t really have an explanation.”

Playing hurt

Larkin played all 82 games this season but admitted Saturday he returned from the 4 Nations tournament — in which he was one of Team USA’s best players — with injuries.

“I picked up a couple injuries there and that’s just what it is. There were times I didn’t feel good and was playing hurt and I wasn’t able to do some things, a lot of things I wanted to,” Larkin said. “But I still went out there and tried my best. It is another disappointing year. I did play all 82 games, but I would have liked to be more effective in a lot of them.”

Larkin had 30 goals and 40 assists but was off the point-per-game pace he was near, or at, the last three seasons.

Larkin didn’t think any sort of surgeries would be needed for his injuries before adding he doesn’t “know yet.”

Ice chips

Patrick Kane, a prospective unrestricted free agent, would like to return to the Wings.

“I’ll take some time to think, but overall I’ve really enjoyed my time here,” Kane said. “It’s a great place to continue to my career and play and there are a lot of things about the organization that have helped me, not only with my (hip) injury but find a good role within the team and play. There’s definitely some mutual interest coming back and continuing on here.”

… Soderblom, who has been battling an undisclosed injury, expects to play for Grand Rapids in the AHL playoffs.

“If my injury gets back to 100%, I’ll be down there,” Soderblom said.

… Potential UFAs goaltender Alex Lyon and defenseman Jeff Petry both said they haven’t given much thought yet to what their futures hold. Petry, 37, is 19 games short of 1,000 for his career and is planning on playing next season.

Petry disclosed he had abdominal surgery the second half of this season, which limited him to 44 games.

… Andrew Copp (shoulder surgery) said he’ll be completely healthy for the start of September training camp.

Hockey can be a cruel sport and the Detroit Red Wings found that out Tuesday in Montreal.

The Canadiens’ Josh Anderson scored his 15th goal midway in the third period, snapping a tie, and Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki scored empty-net goals, sending Montreal to a 4-1 victory.

With the win, Montreal pretty much sewed up the second and final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. The Canadiens moved to an eight-point lead over the Wings, New York Rangers and Columbus (87-79). Montreal has four games left, while the trailing three teams have five games left.

Wings defenseman Albert Johansson lost his helmet on a collision behind the net. Knowing a penalty could be forthcoming if he continued on the play, Johansson started for the bench, leaving Anderson alone in front. Anderson converted Christian Dvorak’s pass past goaltender Cam Talbot, at 10 minutes, 48 seconds.

The Wings pressed and had a power play late in the third period. But the Wings failed to convert for the third time in the game.

Gallagher than scored into an empty net at 18:54, his 21st goal, and Suzuki scored his 28th at 19:07.

The Wings outshot Montreal, 23-4, in the first period, one of the best 20 minutes of hockey the Wings played this season and outshot Montreal, 36-21, in the game.

But the Wings couldn’t get the two-goal lead they needed early.

Montreal’s Cole Caufield scored his 37th goal late in the second period, tying the game at 1-1.

Caufield, the smallest skater on the ice, got into the net-front and backhanded a puck past Talbot at 16:29.

The goal after the Wings killed two Canadiens’ power plays — the last eight overall — and appeared to be taking further control of the game. But Caufield, one of the Canadiens’ flourishing young stars, got Montreal to even.

“They have a lot of good young players obviously having really good years and playing very well as a team,” forward Lucas Raymond said. “They are good team. They have a lot of skill, play with a lot of speed, edge and very efficient. I feel like they’ve had a good season. We know each other very well, just playing each other as many times as you do.”

Heading into Tuesday’s must-win game, coach Todd McLellan wanted the Wings to concentrate small-term, and not worry about the broader possibilities. But the strategy didn’t entirely come to pass.

“If we’re doing our job and we’re playing the way we can, we have to just focus on the next shift and worry about what we can control,” McLellan said. “That sounds very much like a cliche (but) it’s the truth.”

The Wings took an early lead on captain Dylan Larkin’s first goal in nine games.

After a bad pinch by Montreal, the Wings took off on a three-on-one rush with Patrick Kane skating with the puck. Kane got to the circle and fed a driving Larkin, who tapped the puck past goaltender Sam Montembeault for Larkin’s 29th goal.

The Wings received another strong performance from Talbot, who started his fifth consecutive game.

Talbot stopped a breakaway and a snuffed a three-on-two rush early in the second period, maintaining the Wings’ 1-0 lead.

“It’s everything this time of year when you get a guy that’s playing that way,” said Larkin Monday of Talbot. “He’s really been rock solid. He’s been a great addition to our locker room, a true pro. He works really hard on his game and takes care of himself. He’s fit in really well.

“He’s had a lot of success and we’ve needed him. He’s answered the bell this stretch.”

McLellan has seen a hot stretch from Talbot like this before when both were in Edmonton and Los Angeles.

“My experience with him, when he gets on a roll and gets playing, get him the rest he needs, make sure he feels good, put him back in,” McLellan said. “We believe he can keep doing it. He’s been excellent. He’s made some real big saves.”

DETROIT — Patrick Kane added to a long list of career achievements during Friday’s 5-3 victory over Carolina.

Kane’s second-period goal gave the Wings a 3-1 lead and was his 20th goal of the season. That gave Kane 17 20-goal seasons in his career, passing Westland’s Mike Modano (16 seasons) for most among U.S.-born skaters. Kane is tied with Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby among current players, while both trail Alex Ovechkin, who has 20 20-goal seasons.

The all-time leader? Gordie Howe, with 22.

But catching Modano, who finished his Hall of Fame career with one season on the Wings after a legendary career in Dallas, was an honor for Kane.

“He was one of my favorite players, to be honest with you,” Kane said. “I remember him a lot, just the way he skated up and down the ice, his jersey flapping behind him. He was one of the best American players of all time, so (there’s) a lot of respect for him and what he’s done in this league.

“And obviously he broke my heart in ‘99 when they beat the (Buffalo) Sabres in the Cup finals,” said Kane, who was a youngster growing up in Buffalo. “But definitely watching him growing up and how fun he was as a player, so explosive. He scored so many highlight-reel goals.”

Kane (at 36 years and 136 days) also became the oldest Wings’ player to score 20 goals in a season, passing Pavel Datsyuk (36 years, 218 days).

As coach Todd McLellan was walking to Friday’s post-game media conference, he was informed of all of Kane’s Friday accomplishments by media relations director Todd Beam.

“The walk wasn’t long enough to get through everything, which is remarkable,” McClellan said. “It’s an honor to be around him and watch him play and perform. He’s still like a young kid.”

Friday’s victory kept the Wings near the playoff chase, with Sunday’s home game against Florida (5:30 p.m./TNT/97.1) the next crucial game on the Wings’ schedule. There are only seven games left for the Wings, who need to continue to win and home the three teams close to them (Montreal, New York Rangers, Columbus) slip.

“You look at our schedule the rest of the way, it doesn’t really get any easier,” Kane said. “We can play against these top teams in the league, we proved that (Friday).”

‘Story isn’t done yet’

McLellan asked his team after the Four-Nations Tournament break whether they were more like the team that struggled up until the Christmas break, or the one that got on track after McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde as head coach.

The Wings have shown enough consistency since McLellan came aboard to believe they are closer to the post-Christmas team. But there’s plenty to play for in these final two weeks, with an opportunity to end an eight-year playoff drought for the organization.

The Wings were in a similar position late last season and missed the playoffs on the final night of the season on a tiebreaker. Did they learn from the experience to help them this time around?

“We’re going to find out,” McLellan said. “We talked about how the story isn’t done yet. We can still write another chapter, so let’s get playing the way we can. Don’t worry about standings or scores or anything like that. Last year’s experience with this group, I’m sure it helps. It can’t hurt. The belief system should be ‘we’ve been through this before, let’s keep pushing.’

“We’ll see what happens (Sunday) after Florida.”

Talbot starting again

Goaltender Cam Talbot will get his fourth consecutive start in net Sunday. McLellan wouldn’t speculate as to how he’d plan on using Talbot, or Alex Lyon, or Petr Mrazek (recovering from injury) next week, with a game Tuesday in Montreal, and a back-to-back in Florida and Tampa (Thursday/Friday).

The Wings need to be careful in not overusing Talbot, 37, with such a compact and pressure-packed schedule in the final seven games, and two weeks.

But Talbot loves the workload.

“I’m always kind of like that, I’ll play any game they tell me to play,” Talbot said. “I just try to keep myself in as good a shape as possible and just be ready anytime I get the call. This time of year is when you want to be playing and have the team and the coaching staff to have confidence in you.

“It’s not something I take lightly, and I prepare myself accordingly.”