from Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet,

Andrew Copp was always quick to adapt to whatever situation was presented to him.

The former Winnipeg Jets forward was always someone his coaching staff and teammates could rely on, so you can understand how he’s already been able to put a couple of things in the rearview mirror after signing an offseason deal with his hometown team.

That’s not to suggest that inking a contract with the Detroit Red Wings was a foregone conclusion for Copp, who was traded to the New York Rangers prior to the NHL trade deadline in 2022 for a package that included forward Morgan Barron, a first-round pick that turned into Brad Lambert and a third-rounder that became Swedish defence prospect Elias Solomonsson.

"There were a lot of balls in the air as those couple of weeks happen,” said Copp, who chipped in two assists as the Red Wings earned a 7-5 win over the Jets on Tuesday. “There's interest from a lot of different areas, but I think I went in with a little bit of a top group and Detroit was definitely in that top group, so it ended up working out, for sure. But it wasn't exactly seamless, I would say. It was definitely an interesting process, one having gone through it now, will prepare me if there is a next time.

“It’s been good. There are things that you don’t necessarily anticipate or you think is going to be a little bit different. Once you’re in the season, you get a couple more dinners here and there, but it’s not like I’m driving home an hour to see my family every day. You get into the groove of the season. Hockey wise, it has been a bigger adjustment for me. Going back to centre full time, coming back off the injury, I haven’t really felt like myself until the last couple weeks. It’s good now, but it was a little bit of an adjustment over that period of time. Otherwise, life is good.”

contiued