Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
Lucic-Ryan-Gaudreau looked better to me than Gaudreau-Monahan-Backlund has.
I gotta agree with those who believe Backlund ideally shouldn't be on our top two lines. He'd make an ideal 3rd line two way centre.
I've long argued that Gaudreau has to play with a power forward for him to be successful. IMO that means he has to play with one of Lucic, Tkachuk or Lindholm since those are the only guys who play hard enough on the puck to make up for Gaudreau's softness.
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Agreed with the powerforward sentiment, but I would expand that to include anyone who can get in on the forecheck and dig out pucks. I've been baffled the last few games when Backlund would just dump in the puck... is he really expecting Johnny or Monahan to go in and get the puck out?
I would add Mangipane to your list of players who would look good next to Johnny. He's got that tenacity and compete that is lacking on that line. With the way he's been playing, he's definitely deserved it.