Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
This.
Ward wants to roll 4 lines, and he wants to continue to use the Backlund line in a defensive role.
BUT you can't have Backlund facing the other teams top 6 if his wingers are Bennett and Lucic.
Putting Mangiapane there gives the team more flexibility and balance for how they can utilize the lineup and opens up Gaudreau/Monahan for easier matchups too.
Gaudreau+Monahan have done a good job proping up Simon and he's been a good fit there.
Tkachuk+Lindholm need to prove that they can do the same now and that they can still be just as dominant with Leivo on their wing.
That allows Mangiapane to drop to the Backlund line and suddenly you have a really strong possession line there again.
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Exactly right. Also, I think that people tend to badly under-rate Backlund's offensive ability, which the team really needs. He is still one of the Flames's top-five scoring forwards, and giving him someone to play with who can also score and with whom he has chemistry will take advantage of Backlund's offensive gifts.