Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
I get that and I'm aware that line isn't really producing much below last season's levels but as far as the eye test goes they haven't looked as good and I feel that Backlund and Tkachuk are being held back a little offensively as plays have been dying on Frolik's stick. It's evident if you keep the line together that you will get a 50,48,35 point season from the players but if you ever want more out of Backlund or Tkachuk you will have to upgrade the 35 point player on the line. I like Frolik and think he's a useful player but I'm not sure if he's ideally in your top 6.
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I think you have unrealistic expectations for 2nd line production. Backlund and Tkachuk are both among the top 100 forwards in production, which means theyr'e putting up points with the very best 2nd liners in the league. You really think it's realistic with this lineup to get even more out of our 2nd line? I honestly don't think it's likely. If we want to increase scoring, it needs to come from the bottom 6 and defense.
However, I'm not actually opposed to moving Frolik away from that line. I would simply do it for other reasons. I think moving him off the 3M line is likely to weaken that line, but since he's the weakest link offensively the impact would probably be smaller than if you'd move Tkachuk.
Our other lines could use help in the things Frolik is very good at, most specifically in defensive duties and getting the puck from our end to theirs. Plus I think Frolik is the kind of guy who can probably put up some points even with worse linemates. Mr. Consistent. Oh and he'd probably love playing with Jagr
So really then it mostly becomes a question of who to move up? I think there's basically four options:
- Bennett? Not a bad option. Maybe Tkachuks swagger would help Bennett. Bennett can also be pretty decent in his own end, even if his offense is just non-existent, so that line could still do a lot of defensive work. Maybe move Bennett to the other wing, it's the last thing we haven't tried.
- Jagr? Probably the best option offensively. However I'm worried that the line would become too slow as a whole. Also there's the question of how often is he going to be healthy.
- Versteeg? Probably the least favourite option, but if you look for guys in our roster who we know has the potential to be better, there's not a lot of other options. Versteeg can absolutely be better. Maybe Tkachuk and Backlund would bring the good Versteeg back.
- Mangiapane? Just throwing this out there, and it would be a bit of a wild card option, but if offense is really our primary concern, then Mangiapane I think is someone who should be given a shot, and while you're at it, give him a position to thrive.