[moon]

Originally Posted by 868904

The Leafs have Mclaren and Orr in the lineup regularly on the 4th line.
The Canucks have Kassian and Sestito (although Kassian is a better player than normal goons).
Avalanche have Bordeleau and Mcleod who play regularly.
Boston only has Thornton as a regular but that's only because they have team toughness everywhere else.
Montreal has Prust, Moen, and Parros playing regularly.
Chicago has Bollig and Brookbank as regulars.

For me guys like Kassian, McLeod, Thornton, Prust, Moen, Bollig are all the types of guys we should have playing because they are not goons, they are tough guys who can play a legit 10 minutes a night. Even Orr and Mclaren are better players than McGrattan and Jackman.

All the other teams have at least one goon type guy, and the Flames have gone many nights where McGrattan was the only "goon" to dress. I think it's really overblown on this board how much ice the goons get.

And really, the past Dallas game has been the only game where the Flames have been bullied around this year. All the games prior to this, no one really wanted to mess with the Flames because of the deterrents. The Leafs thought they would but McGrattan and SOB set their tough guys straight.

I guess bullied isn't the right word but SJ and St. Louis certainly physically dominated the Flames and I haven't seen a team come in and look timid or afraid to hit anyone on the Flames at all this year. Not sure how the TO tough guys were "straightened out" by McGrattan and SOB but having seen enough of Orr and Mclaren they aren't going to change their game because of a fear of fighting anyone.

At the end of the day, Lines 1 to 3 have to produce for this team to win. The 4th line isn't going to make the difference between winning and losing.

The 4th line certainly can be the difference between winning and losing a game but agree the top 3 lines are most important. I just don't see the point on wasting the 4th line on 2 players that add zero to the team when we have a glut on forwards here and in Abbotsford that need playing time. Why not reduce the need for the top 3 lines to be so great by adding a 4th line that provides value to the team?