Most Red Wings fans were expecting Lucas Raymond to simply skate into this season and produce offensively the way he did toward the end of last season.

You remember that, correct? When Raymond almost singlehandedly dragged the Wings into the playoffs, leading the way with 21 points (14 goals, seven assists) in the final 18 games. It was arguably the best stretch of hockey Raymond, 22, has played in the NHL and helped him earn an eight-year contract worth $64.6 million ($8.075 annual average value) just before the start of training camp.

Raymond has been among the Wings’ best forwards. He leads the team with 12 assists and 13 points. Raymond’s ice time has increased, and he’s responded favorably to the expectations and bigger role.

But it’s that one goal that he has thus far — yes, just one goal — that’s been irritating.

With the Wings struggling to score, Raymond would have loved to have more than just one goal.

“If we’re winning games and I’m producing, I’m fine,” Raymond said. “But you want to score goals. Everyone wants to score goals, and I for sure want to score goals. A game (Saturday) like (a 4-0 loss to the New York) Rangers, you want to score goals. Everyone wants to.

“But it’s still something I’m not worried about.”

Raymond understands the expectations, especially after last season’s late surge, and expects that type of performance out of himself.

“I feel like that’s the player I am and that’s the expectations I have on myself to be contributing offensively, however that looks like,” Raymond said. “But you always want to score goals, that’s the most fun thing in hockey, except for winning. I’m not too worried. I’m comfortable with where my game is at. I feel like I just need to keep taking steps.”

It might help overall if Raymond would get more shots on net.

Entering Wednesday’s game in Pittsburgh Raymond had 23 shots on net, ranking sixth on the team. Dylan Larkin, who leads the Wings with nine goals, also leads the team with 40 shots.

Coach Derek Lalonde feels Raymond’s situation correlates with the Wings’ current offensive situation overall.

“He probably reflects the rest of our group,” Lalonde said. “A little more puck to the net, a little more body to the net. Even watching that (Saturday) game back, there’s still some things we could do around the net a little bit better to improve on some of that offense

“He’s probably a reflection on that, too.”

Still, Raymond isn’t concerned or frustrated. He’s been through similar streaks before. As long as he’s contributing in other areas, and the Wings win, his goals will come.

“I feel like if you keep doing the things that you’ve have had success with, it’ll come,” Raymond said. “I’m not too worried about that.”

Keep at it

The Wings largely followed the game plans against Toronto and the Rangers last weekend, and came away with one goal total.

The goals have been difficult to come by at times this season. And that makes a difficult task for Lalonde to keep his team from getting frustrated or beaten down.

“That was the one worry about Saturday’s loss, which was not the frustration of the loss, but it’s that we had to sit on it for four or five days, and that is hard,” Lalonde said. “Because the things we asked of them to improve on, we saw some of that in Toronto, and especially Saturday (against the Rangers).

“So it’s a message of stay on task and practice and very similar to where we’ve been, of staying on task. It’s frustrating in this recent lull, in that again, I sound like a broken record, but the process was good. But we didn’t get results and we have to turn it into results.

“It’s a challenge to stick with it, but at the same time the group has always since I’ve been here, they’ve been pretty good about judging performance over outcome. Even when we were hanging in there with a 6-5 stretch, there were some things we needed to improve.”