Bernard-Docker Is Gone. The Blue Line Problem Isn't.

Detroit waived Jacob Bernard-Docker on Saturday, a quiet move that confirms what the depth chart has been saying for a while. He was the second defenseman on the roster. Now he isn't.

The gap behind Moritz Seider was already the most obvious structural problem on this team, and it hasn't been addressed in any meaningful way. Justin Faulk is listed third on the depth chart, which means Detroit is essentially running Seider and hoping. The front office has made clear it wants to keep Simon Edvinsson in the fold long-term and has no interest in moving him — that's the plan, as far as any plan exists — but extensions take time and Edvinsson isn't the answer to what's missing right now anyway.

Three days ago I noted the DeBrincat signing was good news wrapped around an unresolved problem. Waiving your second defenseman three days later is a funny way to argue otherwise. The offense has its anchor. The blue line still doesn't.