Quote:
Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper
It almost begs the question, should Ward think about replacing Lindholm with another player? I know he’s probably the Flames’ most effective penalty killing center, but does the reward of playing Lindholm on the PK, detract too much at even strength because he’s not playing enough 5 on 5.
That’s the question. In my opinion, I’d like to see Ward and co find a better grouping of players on the PK that doesn’t involve the top 6 forwards. If they can find a respectable replacement, then Lindholm will receive more minutes and that should improve the team’s overall 5 on 5 play.
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That'd be nice, but you need great players on the PK to have a good PK, and limiting the effectiveness of the other team's PP is just as important as scoring goals (which Lindholm also does).
For perspective, Bergeron and Marchand are both in the top forwards on the PK in Boston, Kopitar is the top PK guy in LA, Couturier in PHI, O'Reilly in St. Louis, etc.
The reason why Lindholm is as great as he is (and in my opinion, our best player) is that he's excellent in both ends of the ice in any situation. He's a true two-way forward and potential emerging as an elite one at that based on his defensive performance while still contributing heavy offense. It would be foolish to make moves to utilize his defensive ability less, as that's just as important as his offensive contributions.
The answer to "should Ward look at replacing Lindholm with another player" is no.