Red Wings reveal how they'll replace captain Dylan Larkin in the lineup

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has missed the past two games with what the team is describing as "personal issues". However, whatever specific issue that he's currently dealing with off the ice has yet to be specified.

Unfortunately, whatever issues he's dealing with have yet to be resolved. Head coach Jeff Blashill once again didn't have any update on the status of his captain this afternoon. And to that end, the team has altered their top two lines during today's practice session.

Forward Pius Suter, who was signed as a free-agent by GM Steve Yzerman during the offseason, was slotted into the top center spot on Detroit's top line alongside Tyler Bertuzzi and Lucas Raymond. Of course, this means that the relatively short experiment with Michael Rasmussen taking that spot was exactly that - short.

However, with only a goal and an assist in the 11 games he's appeared in this season after netting 14 in 55 games with Chicago last season, the Red Wings need more production from him. 

“He’s our most experienced center right now,” Blashill said. “He did a good job last year playing with Patrick Kane and good players (in Chicago), so we just thought potentially the make-up of that line gives him some beef a little bit with the strength of Bertuzzi, and potentially it gives the other line a little bit of beef as well.”

Suter knows that he needs to produce more, considering the contract that he was given. 

“I want to be an overall player,” Suter said. “The production hasn’t been what the team would like it to be. I think the chances were there. I’m missing back door tap- ins, so it’s just kind of a grind in that regard. You don’t want to jump too much to offense, because it’s still important that you don’t get scored on and hurt the team.”

The Red Wings will be taking on the Sabres tomorrow night from KeyBank Arena in Buffalo in an effort to break their four-game losing skid.