Opinion: It's Time To Demote Rickard Rakell From The Top Line

Three days after the Pittsburgh Penguins put together their best performance of the season against the Dallas Stars, they dropped an absolute dud against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

They had another slow start, allowing a goal less than a minute into the first period before rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov allowed a backbreaking goal with 4:18 left in the third period. The Penguins had rallied from two goals down to tie the game in the third before losing 5-3. 

There were a couple of positives to take from the game (like Sidney Crosby's performance), but there were also plenty of negatives, including Rickard Rakell's continued slow start.

Rakell has played in all seven games to start the year, but has only two points (all assists). To make matters worse, he hasn't come close to scoring and has been a net negative each time he's on the ice. He's not doing anything offensively or defensively, whether it's at 5v5 or on the power play. 

Rakell has notoriously been a slow starter throughout his career, but he's never looked this bad to start a season since becoming a Penguin. Because of this, it makes the most sense to move him further down the lineup and promote someone else to the top line.

For example, Nick Robertson scored his fourth goal of the season on Tuesday and has done most of his damage in a fourth-line role. He should get another crack on the top line with Crosby and Rust, especially since Crosby and Robertson showed at least a little bit of chemistry at the start of the year. 

You could move Rakell down to the third line to play with Ben Kindel, who's had a rotating cast of linemates at the start of the season. It'd be a fascinating fit, but it could jump-start Rakell since Kindel won't be afraid to let him rip the puck. 

The fourth line could then feature Elmer Soderblom with Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte. The staff needs to give Soderblom more looks, especially after he played so well against the Stars on Saturday. 

This would make the Penguins' lineup a bit more balanced, and it would still give Rakell a chance to rebound. He won't have to play almost 20 minutes a night like he's playing right now. 

Now, if Rakell's play doesn't rebound after a demotion, then the Penguins have a bigger problem on their hands. 

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