As Detroit Red Wings defenseman Dennis Cholowski returns to action Monday against the Montreal Canadiens following a two-game absence due to an upper-body injury, forward Michael Rasmussen will get a taste of life from above. Rasmussen will be a healthy scratch.

“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,” Wings coach Jeff Blashill told DetroitRedWings.com. “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.
“I think he’s going to be a good player but as a young player, sometimes it’s good to take a breather.”

Martin Frk will take Rasmussen’s spot in the lineup, but Blashill emphasized that people shouldn’t read anything long-term into this decision. It’s just a one-game sitdown for Detroit’s 2017 first-round draft pick, who at 19 still has a year of junior eligibility remaining.

“We haven’t even talked about (that),” Blashill said. “I talked to (GM) Kenny (Holland) yesterday. Really, right now we’re talking about tonight and that’s it.

“The way the rules are set up, it’s either the NHL or juniors. So that’s unfortunate for lots of guys. I think Ras is going to be a real good NHL player. I have tons of belief in him. I’m hoping that he moves from this and is an even better player next time he plays and he keeps taking steps in the right direction. But I think he’s going to be a real good NHL player. How quick, we’ll see. We’ll keep monitoring.”

Naturally, Rasmussen wasn’t thrilled by the news, but intended to make the best of his view from the press box.

“For sure I’m disappointed,” Rasmussen said. “Yeah, I want to play and help the team. I’ve just got to keep working and just watch the game tonight and just kind of learn.”

Cholowski found that he picked up some helpful nuances during his two-game injury-induced absence.

“Just getting to watch the other defensemen on both teams - my team and the other team, just see what they do, see what their tendencies are,” Cholowski said. “Watching the older guys and trying to learn from them a little bit. Seeing what works and what doesn’t work. It is of good value to be up there and watch a few games.

“It might just be little, subtle things, too. Pick that up and put it in the back of your mind and hopefully implement that.”

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