So much of hockey’s success is centered around slotting. We’ve seen it so often — a player who looks great on a third pair gets an opportunity to move into the top four and it fails miserably. Or a forward puts up numbers in a limited role on the third or fourth line but can’t duplicate it against the tough competition that comes with the top line.



Sometimes it’s more subtle. Like, say, a defenseman who spent the majority of his career focused on a shutdown role no longer is deployed in that spot. He’s no longer playing to his strengths.



Jonathan Ericsson, you could argue, struggled with that before this season.



There might not be a more maligned Red Wings player than Ericsson. It’s partly because of his contract — he’s owed an average salary of $4.25 million per season through 2019-20. It’s partly because, when he messes up, it tends to be very visible, leading to a high-quality scoring chance on...