It's time the Detroit Red Wings make a bold move

Sometimes, well, more often than not it is difficult to understand what the thought process is when Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde puts together some of his lineup combinations.

The Red Wings have been a bit hampered upfront in their top six over the past few games, playing without Patrick Kane, who is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Kane will once again miss Sunday's game at home against Vancouver, but there is a good chance he returns to the lineup on Tuesday when Detroit is in Boston to take on the Bruins. Although Kane is off to a slow start (3G, 7A) statistically, he's still a valuable winger on this team, even at 36 years old. He's a power play catalyst working from that right-wing hash, often feathering that seam passes to his good buddy Alex DeBrincat or Lucas Raymond, and he also has the ability to put the puck right in the wheelhouse to whoever is manning the point for a one-timer. Kane's shooting percentage currently sits at 7.5%, significantly down from the 13.6% he produced last season. When it's all said and done, I assume Kane will finish somewhere between those two percentages.

With Kane out of the lineup, Lalone has elected to elevate grinder and penalty kill specialist Tyler Motte. Before Kane's injury, the second line had been DeBrincat, Kane, and Marco Kasper. Without Kane, it's DeBrincat, Motte, and Compher. What has Compher done to deserve an elevation after Kasper looked really good as the second center? In turn, Compher was skating well with Jonatan Berggren and Motte. Without Kane, that second line needs to have a bit more scoring punch; perhaps Berggren playing opposite DeBrincat. A fourth line of Veleno, Compher, and Motte wouldn't be the worst idea; just saying. Head coach Derek Lalonde likes to roll four lines anyway, so they'd still receive a fair share of work. Instead, we are once again set to suffer with this stubborn lineup below on Sunday afternoon.

It's time for the Detroit Red Wings to make a bold decision

Now that I've said what I needed regarding the forwards, let's talk about the defense, shall we? I have no idea what the Detroit Red Wings are thinking. Albert Johansson, who was elevated in the third period on Friday afternoon to the second pairing, and performed well with Jeff Petry. The pairings were mixed up due to special teams and the fact that Ben Chiarot began the third period in the box for a very careless four-minute high-sticking penalty as time expired in the second frame.

Ben Chiarot isn't helping anyone. The Red Wings continue to play their veteran defenseman, who plays as if he's Detroit's third-best option, yet he is by far their worst performer.

Chiarot sometimes finds himself caught out of position in the defensive zone, which can create challenges for his partner. While he has the ability to take risks in the neutral zone and offensive blue line, it might be beneficial for him to focus more on maintaining his assignments. With some adjustments, he could enhance his defensive consistency and provide better support to his teammates. There is no reason Chiarot should be found down below the offensive goal line as much as he is. Detroit's main focus this past off-season, preached by general manager Steve Yzerman, head coach Derek Lalonde, and captain Dylan Larkin, had been team defense, yet they've gotten worse. We haven't even talked about their league-worst penalty kill.

Just a year removed from signing Justin Holl to a three-year deal that averages $3.4 million annually, the Red Wings decided to place the veteran defender on waivers to begin the season. Holl was quickly recalled due to injuries and lackluster play from Ville Husso who got the opening night nod and lasted just 25 minutes before getting the hook. Husso was placed on waivers the next day and cleared, allowing the Red Wings a roster spot to recall Holl. Holl was the odd man out because Berggren and Johansson were both no longer waiver-exempt. Although Holl isn't anything to write home about, he's performed a bit better than expected in the early going this season.

Free agent addition Erik Gustafsson has been a significant downgrade this season to either Jake Walman or Shayne Gostisbehere (take your pick). Gustafsson was brought in to anchor the power play, but Detroit's power play has been great whether he's in the lineup or not. He's produced just three assists on the year, albeit they've all come on the power play it's a far cry from Gostisbehere's 56 points, 29 of which came with the man advantage a year ago. For what it's worth, Gostisbehere has recorded 19 points this season in 25 games.

The Red Wings need to do something bold. Chiarot is too much of a liability right now and can't be in the lineup. Johansson doesn't have the upside of Edvinsson, but he's proven steady enough as a rookie to be in the lineup on an every-game basis. Lalonde needs to go back to that pairing of Petry and Johansson with a third pairing of Holl and Gustafsson or Chiarot. Right now, I'd like to see a message sent to Chiarot by making him a healthy scratch. If Detroit had an Edvinsson-like ready in Grand Rapids, I would place Chiarot on waivers to make sure the message sent is clear. The problem is William Wallinder is trending in the right direction but doesn't appear quite ready to make the jump to the NHL yet. Can he possibly be worse than what Chiarot brings? Also, if you are wishing for a trade, nobody is taking Chiarot and his $4.75 million contract. The other answer might be coming as soon as next season in Axel Sandin Pellikka. That trade of Olli Maatta earlier in the season isn't looking too good at the moment.