COVID protocol forces Red Wings to make 4 changes to their line up.

Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill has made a number of changes to his line up prior to facing off against the Columbus Blue Jackets in today's afternoon game.

According to multiple reports the Red Wings have been forced to replace both forward Robby Fabrri and forward Adam Erne has both men have been entered into the National Hockey League's COVID protocol. There's no word on what exactly caused both players to end up in this situation, and we also have no timeline regarding how long they may be sidelined as a result of it. 

What we can tell you is that forwards Frans Nielsen and Michael Rasmussen have gotten the call to step in and replace them. 

This is a big opportunity in particular for Rasmussen who failed to play any games at the NHL level last season after making 62 appearances for the Red Wings during the 2018 - 2019 regular season as a rookie. Rasmussen spent last season with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League but also used the extra time off during the offseason to head overseas and continue developing his skills. He played 18 games in the Austrian league for Graz EC where he had 5 goals and 13 assists for 18 points over that stretch.