Quote:
Originally Posted by Karl
No. 40-45 points will be a massive bonus but one he's only going to have any chance of getting if he's on the 1st line. But if he is a 1st line regular on this team, that's not likely going to be a good thing.
Anything above 25 points will be a nice bonus for Looch actually.
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Honestly I would love to see Lucic and Tkachuk on the same line and I think it's fair to say Tkachuk and Backlund can make a 2nd line look like a look like a 1b line. Just need Backlund to provide some proper offense to this season.
But seriously, Michael Frolik managed 34 points and was nearly invisible in the playoffs on a line with Tkachuk and Backlund (he did have injuries, yes he only played 65 games). Still the point remains, if we can get someone to click on that 2nd line, we can have a SOLID top 6 for next year.
And personally I think having Lucic with Tkachuk will allow Matt to open his game up more. Knowing he doesn't have to be a #### disturber, and be the "tough guy" at the same time could benefit him in the way Lucic allowed Bergeron to play his own game.
Patrice Bergeron averaged 22 PIM on a line with Lucic for 6 seasons. And the time after Lucic switching lines and leaving Boston, Bergeron is averaging 34 PIM. Not insane I know, but I'm just saying there is a pattern of Lucic allowing the player's around him to feel more comfortable on the ice. Check his stats on any team* Boston or LA with his linemates.
I did not like the Neal for Lucic trade originally, but honestly there was nothing Neal was going to provide for our top 6 that Lucic wouldn't. At worst he gets shuffled to the Bottom 6 and provides a mean, veteran presence for players like Mangiapane, Jankowski or Dube.
So if the guy breaks 30 points this year for me that's a win.
Also Lucic is an ironman. Neal and Lucic are both 31 years old. Lucic has missed 7 games (1 game suspension) in the last 6 seasons. Neal has missed 80 games in the same amount of time.
*Disregard the Oil