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GranteedEV · 10-22-2021, 08:46 PM

- I think Tkachuk and Gaudreau on the same line is a dangerous combo, with Lindholm being the finisher, but I just feel Lindholm is slotted too high and his offense will dry up when checking gets tighter. I think Lindholm's better-suited to a 2C or a RW role personally.

- Coleman-Backlund-Pitlick are a tough minutes "2A" line but I don't know if Pitlick can really contribute enough offensively.

- I love Dube's dynamic speed and on paper he's well-suited to the center position. But he wasn't great in his lone stint so far. I'd give it some time, and experiment with his RW. Right now Mangiapane is head-and-shoulders better than his linemates which is concerning. Ritchie is definitely out of place here, but it'd be cool if we could sign Coronato in a sort of Cole Caufield situation and plop him here down the stretch.

Lucic fed Monahan on a breakaway last game, so I can imagine some sort of chemistry between these two. The main issue is that with Trevor Lewis at RW the ceiling for this line is pretty limited offensively. Even Ritchie is probably more skilled. I'm hopeful Monahan starts scoring. He's useful when he's scoring.

Personally I would like to see something like:

Gaudreau - Dube - Lindholm
Tkachuk - Backlund - Mangiapane
Lucic - Monahan - Coleman
Ritchie - Richardson - Pitlick (or.. something... it's the spare part 4th line and ideally we can add depth here since I don't know what to expect at Richardson's age. Or maybe Ruzicka gets another shot. I know Ritchie isn't a LW so this is all a jumble)

I know Dube isn't a "1C" talent but he has the speed and Lindholm has the faceoff, board, and two-way ability that it could work similar to the old Tampa Bay Triplets Line (Palat-Johnson-Kucherov)

Tkachuk- Backlund - Mangiapane is proven. The chemistry is there and the two-way play is there.

The 2B line with Monahan and Coleman IMO could work really well, but who knows.

Of course, assuming Dube is part of an Eichel package.. I'd rearrange this once more to:

Gaudreau - Eichel - Mangiapane
Tkachuk - Backlund - Lindholm

That would give Backlund a second option on D zone faceoffs and a first option on offensive zone faceoffs.

As far as the D pairings go, I liked the top 6 Sutter tossed out in Game 3:

Hanifin - Andersson
Kylington - Tanev
Valimaki - Gudbranson

What I didn't love on the other hand was how they were utilized in terms of zone starts. Tanev and Kylington should be getting a lot of defensive zone starts so they can transition the puck forward, and Hanifin and Andersson should be getting a lot of offensive zone starts so they can keep sustained O zone possession, as that's their strongest asset as a pair. Sutter just has no trust in Kylington so the biggest improvement is just for Sutter to lengthen Kylington's leash and start giving him more defensive zone responsibility, because this pair should be able to execute picturesque breakouts if given a chance.

As far as the third pair, Valimaki-Gudbranson is okay, and until they aren't, should be given the spot. Valimaki-Stone is okay too IMO. Zadorov needs to play markedly better, and I'm not sure we have a partner suited for him. Maybe Zadorov-Valimaki?

10-22-2021, 08:46 PM	#2
GranteedEV Franchise Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Calgary Exp:	- I think Tkachuk and Gaudreau on the same line is a dangerous combo, with Lindholm being the finisher, but I just feel Lindholm is slotted too high and his offense will dry up when checking gets tighter. I think Lindholm's better-suited to a 2C or a RW role personally. - Coleman-Backlund-Pitlick are a tough minutes "2A" line but I don't know if Pitlick can really contribute enough offensively. - I love Dube's dynamic speed and on paper he's well-suited to the center position. But he wasn't great in his lone stint so far. I'd give it some time, and experiment with his RW. Right now Mangiapane is head-and-shoulders better than his linemates which is concerning. Ritchie is definitely out of place here, but it'd be cool if we could sign Coronato in a sort of Cole Caufield situation and plop him here down the stretch. Lucic fed Monahan on a breakaway last game, so I can imagine some sort of chemistry between these two. The main issue is that with Trevor Lewis at RW the ceiling for this line is pretty limited offensively. Even Ritchie is probably more skilled. I'm hopeful Monahan starts scoring. He's useful when he's scoring. Personally I would like to see something like: Gaudreau - Dube - Lindholm Tkachuk - Backlund - Mangiapane Lucic - Monahan - Coleman Ritchie - Richardson - Pitlick (or.. something... it's the spare part 4th line and ideally we can add depth here since I don't know what to expect at Richardson's age. Or maybe Ruzicka gets another shot. I know Ritchie isn't a LW so this is all a jumble) I know Dube isn't a "1C" talent but he has the speed and Lindholm has the faceoff, board, and two-way ability that it could work similar to the old Tampa Bay Triplets Line (Palat-Johnson-Kucherov) Tkachuk- Backlund - Mangiapane is proven. The chemistry is there and the two-way play is there. The 2B line with Monahan and Coleman IMO could work really well, but who knows. Of course, assuming Dube is part of an Eichel package.. I'd rearrange this once more to: Gaudreau - Eichel - Mangiapane Tkachuk - Backlund - Lindholm That would give Backlund a second option on D zone faceoffs and a first option on offensive zone faceoffs. As far as the D pairings go, I liked the top 6 Sutter tossed out in Game 3: Hanifin - Andersson Kylington - Tanev Valimaki - Gudbranson What I didn't love on the other hand was how they were utilized in terms of zone starts. Tanev and Kylington should be getting a lot of defensive zone starts so they can transition the puck forward, and Hanifin and Andersson should be getting a lot of offensive zone starts so they can keep sustained O zone possession, as that's their strongest asset as a pair. Sutter just has no trust in Kylington so the biggest improvement is just for Sutter to lengthen Kylington's leash and start giving him more defensive zone responsibility, because this pair should be able to execute picturesque breakouts if given a chance. As far as the third pair, Valimaki-Gudbranson is okay, and until they aren't, should be given the spot. Valimaki-Stone is okay too IMO. Zadorov needs to play markedly better, and I'm not sure we have a partner suited for him. Maybe Zadorov-Valimaki? __________________ "May those who accept their fate find happiness. May those who defy it find glory." Last edited by GranteedEV; 10-22-2021 at 09:32 PM.