{"id":390812,"date":"2026-01-04T21:39:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T21:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/390812\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T21:39:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T21:39:09","slug":"red-wings-shake-up-lines-detroit-hockey-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/390812\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Wings Shake Up Lines \/ Detroit Hockey Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Change was in the air among the club\u2019s forward lines as the Detroit<\/a> Red Wings practiced on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Following successive losses to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit coach Todd McLellan<\/a> didn\u2019t merely opt to put his lines in the blender.<\/p>\n

He put them in on the puree setting.<\/p>\n

When he was done with his slicing and dicing, only one of the four Red Wings forward units remained intact. Andrew Copp<\/a> is staying between Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat.<\/p>\n

FYI: Alex DeBrincat scored his 275th career goal, tying Jimmy Carson for the fifth-most by a Michigan-born skater in NHL history.<\/p>\n

Mike Modano (561)
Brian Rolston (342)
Kyle Connor (302)
Doug Weight (278) pic.twitter.com\/SPCD6mhZHJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think Copper\u2019s our first line right now, but I couldn\u2019t tell you who our second, third, and fourth lines are right now,\u201d McLellan told reporters after practice.<\/p>\n

Beyond that trio, McLellan blew it up.<\/p>\n

Blew it up real good.<\/p>\n

Captain Dylan Larkin is now skating between Marco Kasper<\/a> and Elmer Soderblom, who, combined this season, have played 66 games and scored five goals. Lucas Raymond, the Red Wings\u2019 scoring leader with 44 points, is dropping to what would technically be the third line with JT Compher and James van Riemsdyk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know who our third line is,\u201d McLellan said. \u201cI have a pretty good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red Wings Leaving Danielson Out<\/p>\n

The fourth line is now Michael Rasmussen at center between Emmitt Finnie and Mason Appleton. And the odd man out in this new grouping is rookie center Nate Danielson.<\/p>\n

Danielson has gone 11 games without a point and 13 games without a goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cNate is going to have to produce some offense over time,\u201d McLellan said. \u201cHe\u2019s still figuring out the game here, and I think he\u2019s got a tremendous toolbox.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got to put it all together.\u201d<\/p>\n

As much as Raymond\u2019s 44 points lead the team, McLellan was quick to point out how rare it is these days that he\u2019s counting goals among that point total.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think Razor has an even strength goal since November, which is a long time now,\u201d McLellan said.<\/p>\n

The coach is correct. Raymond\u2019s last five-on-five goal was tallied on November 29.<\/p>\n

Raymond has been so quiet as of late, please come back to your old self Lucas \ud83d\ude2d pic.twitter.com\/T44z5SiO1R<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 GameGab (@GameGabDetroit) January 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

What had been Detroit\u2019s top forward unit of Larkin, Raymond, and Finnie was carrying the club at the outset of the season. Lately, though, they\u2019ve been carrying on as if each player were carrying around an anvil when they\u2019re out on the ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cRazor and Larks, it hasn\u2019t worked real well with Emmitt,\u201d McLellan said. \u201cThey\u2019re the one line that hasn\u2019t had a lot going for them, even strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re great players, and we\u2019re going to need them to win, but it just hasn\u2019t gone well lately. They\u2019ve got to find their games, and maybe separating for a little bit will help them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Considering the recent outcomes, both for the team and their line, Raymond wasn\u2019t surprised by the line shuffling.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last two games have been a disappointment and maybe three of the last four,\u201d Raymond said. \u201cSo just get back to it and start winning games again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t