Derek Lalonde inserts a questionable lineup Monday with Patrick Kane injured

I don’t usually get too excited or upset about lineups, especially when I understand that a coach is probably trying to create a spark or, in Detroit’s case, possibly save a job. I feel Lalonde’s seat is hot, but not as hot as many people think.

That said, if the Red Wings go on a 2-8-0 downward spiral over the next ten games, Lalonde will be (rightly) toast. Personally, I think if a change is going to be made behind Detroit’s bench, I think it will come right when the season ends. Again, unless this team really starts to fall further behind in the standings, coupled with their players continuing to underperform.

I’m not saying I agree with waiting; if general manager Steve Yzerman believes a change needs to be made and the right coach is available, he needs to make a move similar to what St. Louis Blues recently did by hiring Jim Montgomery after his firing from the Boston Bruins in favor of Joe Sacco. Is it Joel Quenneville, Gerard Gallant, Lane Lambert or the promotion of Dan Watson? Or maybe not change at all (ducks)? Only time will tell.

With his job potentially on the line, Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde decided to field a very questionable lineup Monday night.

At first glance, when I examined Detroit’s lineup Monday night, I thought it was one of those ‘here’s our lineup to begin the game and then we’ll immediately mix things up’ moments. Unfortunately, this arrangement became a reality. Just before the opening faceoff, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy spoke to one of his assistant coaches and covered his lips with a lineup card. He pointed to center ice where the players were about to start playing. It was as if Roy himself couldn’t believe Detroit’s line combinations.

If you missed it, Patrick Kane did not skate in practice Sunday and is not in Detroit’s lineup Monday night in New York. He is considered day-to-day with an upper body issue.

So what exactly has JT Compher done of late to reclaim the second line center position from Marco Kasper? Kasper, playing between Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, had been a very reliable line for the Red Wings playing behind the first group. It allowed a young player like Kasper to not only gain confidence, but to play with a couple of scoring or attack-producing wingers. Compher had also performed quite well playing with Jonatan Berggren and Tyler Motte over the past few games. Plus, Lalonde rewards Kasper and Berggren on Monday night by playing them with Joe Veleno, who had been a healthy scratch of late.

Speaking of Berggren, he was the obvious player to elevate to Kane’s usual spot in this lineup, playing with DeBrincat and Kasper. Plus, if Lalonde wanted to shake things up, he should have put DeBrincat back with Larkin and Raymond, leaving a second line of Vladimir Tarasenko, Kasper and Berggren that had skated as Detroit’s third line for a good part of the first month. That trio struggled to score but looked dangerous together and created a ton of chances. Since then together, Berggren and Kasper have started to produce offensively, so it shouldn’t be the worst idea. Basically, what I’m trying to say here is that in no way, shape, or form should Tyler Motte skate as a top-six forward. Good grief, Charlie Brown. A team that already struggles to produce offense at even strength, burying their young forwards with scoring upside in the bottom six instead of allowing them to fill a void with one of their better playmakers out is a choice.