Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix
I think Tkachuk would be much more valuable as the team's top winger on the top line, possibly as soon as next year. He's actually already more valuable than Gaudreau in my eyes. Backlund can't play L1 so something will need to be done. He's kind of wasted on the shut down line. Put him with Monahan and Hall on line 1 if possible. Build a 2L around Lindholm/Backlund/Mangiapane. I think tkachuk has 30-40g 40-55a potential but he probably won't realize it fully the way he is currently deployed.
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Tkachuk and Backlund are playing 18 minutes a game which is roughly what Gaudreau and Monahan play. I’d argue that these 2 are already this team’s #1 line right now.
They do something more important than any other line on the team right now and that’s to try to match up against other top lines, neutralize them, make them play defense while being productive at the same time. That’s the recipe for success for this team now and into the future. It’s also a big reason why the Flames won 50 games last season as the Tkachuk and Backlund pairing did their roles to perfection.