Notes: Rasmussen a healthy scratch

MONTREAL - Mired in a winless streak of five games to begin the season, it was only a matter of time before the Red Wings began to tinker with their lineup.
Michael Rasmussen, Detroit's first-round pick, ninth overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, will be a healthy scratch for tonight's game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.

Martin Frk will take Rasmussen's spot. It will be Frk's first game of the season.
"We looked at the last number of games. I actually think Ras is a real good player. I think he's going to be a good player but as a young player, sometimes it's good to take a breather," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill told reporters after the morning skate. "He's had a tough last couple games so we're going to get him a chance to take a little breather, watch from up top.
"I told him to watch the game from up top, see what he can learn from watching and then get back at it on Wednesday and fight his way back into a good spot."
Rasmussen, 19, has played in Detroit's first five games and has one assist, is even, hasn't taken a penalty, and has delivered seven hits. He is averaging 12:33 of ice time per game.
A big man at 6-foot-6, 221 pounds, Rasmussen has been playing left wing instead of his natural center position. He has seen power-play time and has provided a terrific screen with his net-front presence, but the Wings feel he needs to be a bit more assertive and quicker.
"I think the last two games have been really quick. Out west it wasn't quite as quick, it was more of a big man's game and I thought he excelled and the last two games have been really quick," Blashill said. "So the thing that he just has to learn is to make sure that he's skating the second he gets that puck. Otherwise people are on top of him too quick. That's just something we've talked about. It's something he would have got away with at the junior level that he's not getting away with now and just got to learn that space.
"So from tops of the circles to tops of the circles, he's got to sprint with that puck or sprint away from the puck. The other thing that we worked on yesterday and by sitting him gives us a chance to really get after it after practice yesterday was we need big men in the O-zone to hold onto the puck and he's a guy who can do it. He's just got to learn how to knock people off as they're checking him, how to knock their checks off a little bit, using his shoulder, find ways to hold onto that puck a little bit more so we can have more time in the O-zone."
Detroit is in a tricky situation with Rasmussen. If he plays 10 games for the Red Wings, it burns off the first year of his three-year entry-level contract. He cannot be sent to Grand Rapids in the AHL because he is only 19. You must be 20 years old to play in the AHL if you have played in juniors.
The Wings could send him back to his junior team, the Tri-City Americans in the WHL, but Blashill put the brakes on that kind of talk.
"We haven't even talked about (that). I talked to Kenny (Holland) yesterday. Really right now, we're talking about tonight and that's it," Blashill said. "I think a lot of times with any player but especially with young players, they're best served, rather than let it spiral the wrong way. It's been two tough games. Rather than spiral the wrong way, let's nip it in the bud now, get a breather and go back at it."
Rasmussen was disappointed, but stoic when he addressed the media after the morning skate. He made it clear being sent back to juniors is not on his mind.
"I'm not really thinking about it," he said. "I play for the Red Wings right now so that's it."
His goal is to make being a healthy scratch a short-term aberration.
"I just hope to watch and learn, kind of put myself in different spots and just watch the play," Rasmussen said. "For sure I'm disappointed. Yeah, I want to play and help the team. Definitely am. Just got to keep working and like I said, just watch the game tonight and just kind of learn.
"I've played against men before, played against older guys pretty much my whole career. Just about getting used to it and adapting. It's not going to take a couple days, not going to take a couple weeks, it's going to take a while, so I've just got to learn every day and get better.
"I trust Blash and I trust the coaches to make good decisions for me ... different parts of the game are tough. I think I'm doing a lot of positive things in a lot of areas and some negative stuff as well. That kind of stuff I'll clean up and learn from. I'm a young player, (a) young guy so just trying to get better and learn and go day by day."
Blashill let it be known it would benefit the Red Wings if their younger players developed quickly, but the process is out of the organization's hands.
"Ultimately, we need all our young players to keep taking steps, so we can get to where we want to be as quick as possible. But we can't force that timeline, the timeline will be dictated by their play," Blashill said. "So I would say within the youth movement idea, guys that are young players on our team need to continue to take those steps in the right direction."

ATHANASIOU REMAINS POSITIVE: Based on the number of quality scoring chances Andreas Athanasiou has had this season, it's hard to comprehend that Detroit's swift centerman has only one assist and is minus-3 through the Wings' first five games.
Athanasiou has had several clear-cut breakaways and has consistently been buzzing around the opponent's net but has had zero puck luck.
Yet the 24-year-old has not allowed himself to dwell on his lack of offensive success. He knows that if he continues to play hard, coupled with a positive attitude, the goals will begin to pile up.
"The puck's either going in or not. Unfortunately, I've had some good chances and they just haven't gone in. Sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't," Athanasiou said after Sunday's practice. "I think I've just got to be really ready for my chances. I know I'm going to get more. I know they're going to come.
"Eventually, one's going to go in. Hopefully when that one goes in, they start coming in bunches. That's what I hope, and I think if I scored a couple of goals those last couple of games, they could have been the game-changers. It is what it is right now."
He isn't the only Red Wings goal scorer experiencing a drought. Athanasiou's linemate, Thomas Vanek, has gotten off to a tough start.
Vanek hasn't registered a point and is minus-6, and like Athanasiou, he has had several quality scoring chances but has failed to convert.
"We just kind of look at each other after some of the plays. If we have that play nine times out of 10, it's probably going to end up in the back of the net," Athanasiou said. "That one time, you hit a post, or you hit a skate, or the goalie makes a big save. It's just been a little bit unfortunate right now. It's hard to believe, but it's just keep going and eventually, the chances are going to go in.
"There's always times you go through where the puck doesn't go your way. At the same time, it's not like I wasn't getting chances through those times. I'm getting breakaways and some nice passes from Vanek. Vanek's getting some nice passes from me. It's going back and forth. It's just tough luck. I don't know what else to say."
Blashill has always liked the chemistry between Athanasiou and Vanek and it has been a potent combination for the Red Wings, but he's concerned if the pair's scoring troubles persist, they'll abandon the Wings' overall structure.
"That's the one thing again that I just cautioned them (Sunday) is it gets frustrating for offensive players when you get chances and you don't score, but the answer can't be to hope or cheat for more offense, it can't be," Blashill said. "It's not just them, but that just can't be the answer. It never results well. So, let's just dig in, let's play right, maybe simplify in some of those (scoring) situations."
BLASHILL ON FRK:It has been a challenging start for Frk.
Armed with one of hockey's hardest shots, Frk was among the NHL's top rookie scorers with 11 goals and 14 assists last season.
But he was aware going into the season that a spot on the Red Wings roster was not a sure thing and when he suffered an upper-body injury during training camp, he found himself in a situation where he has been desperately trying to work his way into the Detroit lineup.
He gets his chance against the Canadiens on Monday.
"I think when Frk plays his best, he's hard on the forecheck, he skates on the track hard and he shoots the puck and hits the net and it goes in. If he hits the net, it goes in," Blashill said. "I thought he had a good last three games of the preseason, we're going to give him a chance here tonight and hopefully he can put one in the net."
CHOLOWSKI EAGER TO PLAY:Detroit rookie defenseman Dennis Cholowski missed the Red Wings' last two games with an upper-body injury.
He is fully recovered and looking forward to getting back into the lineup versus the Canadiens, especially playing in Montreal.
"The building looks big out there. I think it's going to be packed. I'm excited," he said.