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Originally Posted by Manhattanboy
How about not living up to expectations? True and that's the problem. So we may be stuck with just better than your average second line. Hopefully they find some magic...
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Maybe it's your expectations that are off? Not all "second lines" are of the same quality or construction. Most are pure scoring lines, while the Backlund line is a hybrid scoring line that doubles as an elite shut-down line. One of the things that makes them as effective as they are is that they play a lot and have the puck a lot. Moving Backlund off this line essentially reduces his minutes and thus, also his effectiveness.
Yeah, the second line could be even better with the addition of another top-six forward, and that is accomplished by swapping out Frolik—not by trading away the Flames's second-best centre.