Blue Jackets' Brandon Saad: Dropped to fourth line in practice Friday

Saad skated on a line with Sam Gagner and Scott Hartnell during Friday's practice, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

Analysis:

Injuries to checking line forwards Lukas Sedlak (lower body) and Matt Calvert (oblique) have caused coach John Tortorella to shuffle things up, and at least at even strength, Saad seems to have drawn the short straw. He'll still keep his spot on the second power play unit, though, and had been heating up before the Blue Jackets' bye week, scoring three points (one goal, two assists) with a plus-5 rating and 11 shots on goal in his last four games. Don't assume the new assignment will have a big impact on his fantasy value while it lasts.