Todd McLellan explains why Patrick Kane was demoted in the lineup
Red Wings fans noticed that Patrick Kane was moved down in the lineup during last night's 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, and Todd McLellan addressed why that was.
It appears as though the honeymoon period for the Detroit Red Wings and head coach Todd McLellan, who guided them to 8 wins in his 1st 10 games on the job, could be at its end.
The Red Wings have dropped 2-straight games and 3-of-4 dating back to last week's disappointing loss at home to the lowly San Jose Sharks. They were beaten 5-1 by the divisional foe Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, followed by last night's 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars 24 hours later.
The loss to Dallas featured many of the aspects that led to GM Steve Yzerman dismissing coach Derek Lalonde, highlighted by sloppy and poor defensive play.
Meanwhile, fans noticed that Patrick Kane, who departed the game during the 1st period but later returned, was moved down in the lineup. He was on the 4th line alongside Christian Fischer and Joe Veleno, while Jonatan Berggren was moved up to the 2nd line with Alex DeBrincat and Andrew Copp.
When asked why the change was made, McLellan said that he didn't view the move as a demotion, but rather just switching things up.
I don't know who our 1st line is and who our 4th line is tonight. I thought that Fisch (Christian Fischer) and Kane and Joey had real good shifts together, so I don't look at it as a demotion, I just thought we needed to shuffle things.
Kane had experienced a resurgence under McLellan, becoming one of the top point producers in the NHL since the coaching change was made in late December. During this road trip, he has 3 points (1g, 2A).
