Red Wings unveil new line combinations

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The Detroit Red Wings’ even strength score has been broken and head coach Derek Lalonde has mixed up the lines to fix that.

First, one line remains untouched by Lalonde. The trio of Michael Rasmussen, Andrew Copp and Christian Fischer is intact. That line had the second-most five-on-five minutes of any line in the last game. They were on the ice together for 10 minutes of the overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks.

The rest of the front lines saw some shuffling.

Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond are kept together, with Vladimir Tarasenko in the top row. Marco Kasper, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat create the team’s second line.

Finally, Joe Veleno is out and Tyler Motte enters the lineup. Motte was on the line with JT Compher and Jonatan Berggren. The trio of Veleno, Compher and Berggren were heavily outmatched against the Sharks, despite playing the majority of each line (11:01 at even strength).

These new lines could be a relief for the attackers. The trio of Kane, Kasper and DeBrincat are certainly ones to keep a close eye on. Kasper can go to the dirty areas to retrieve the puck; Kane is an extremely underrated playmaker and a capable scorer, while DeBrincat can shoot the puck better than most.

Unfortunately, Red Wings fans will have to wait another day to see if these lines stick. And when they do, they’ll see how they fit together.

Bookmark the Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay up to date with the latest news, game day coverage and player features.

Related: Red Wings Torrid power play can’t compensate for five-on-five’s toothlessness

Related: Strong red wings forward that aren’t going anywhere

Related: Jack Campbell returns, but not to Red Wings

Related: Former Red Wings Forward ready for season

Related: After OT loss in San Jose, Red Wings drop to the bottom of the Eastern Conference

Related: Former Red Wings sniper on target range

Related: Fear, Imagination, and the State of the ‘Yzer Plan’