Detroit Red Wings to remove NHL veteran out of lineup in return of Jeff Petry

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry has been out of the lineup since early January when he was injured against the Columbus Blue Jackets; he underwent surgery with an expected timeline of 6-8 weeks.

In the meantime, rookie Albert Johansson has seamlessly made the leap from the Grand Rapids Griffins to the NHL.

But now that Petry is set to return to the ice, someone will need to come out of the lineup in his place. Right now, it looks like the odd man out could be Justin Holl, who has earned the wrath of Red Wings fans for his inconsistent play on the ice.

But thanks to an ailment to Erik Gustafsson, who is currently being evaluated by the team, Petry skated alongside Holl in Detroit's most recent practice.

Via Ansar Khan of MLive, these were Detroit's line combinations at practice on Thurday:

Rasmussen-Larkin-Raymond
DeBrincat-Kasper-Kane
Berggren-Compher-Tarasenko
Shine-Motte-Smith

Chiarot-Seider
Edvinsson-Johansson
Holl-Petry

Additionally, Petry won't be ready for Saturday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights, but could return soon after that.

Johansson has hardly resembled a young rookie, who can sometimes feel overwhelmed at playing in the world's top league. Following Petry's injury in early January, Johansson was re-called from the Grand Rapids Griffins and has staked a claim on a permanent lineup spot.