[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Fan69

would I like a franchise center? sure I would. However I am also a realist. a number one center is not the end game of a championship or the oilers, Toronto and Buffalo and Boston would just have been trading cups the last few years.

With the exception of that weird Ryan O'Rielly year, the Cup has gone to a team with a bonafide 1C (or two!)

Braden Point x2
Evgeni Kuznetsov + Niklas Backstrom
Sidney Crosby + Evgeni Malkin x3
Jonathan Toews x 3
Anze Kopitar x 2
David Krejci + Patrice Bergeron
Pavel Datsyuk + Henrick Zetterberg
Ryan Getlzaf + Andy McDonald

Is Elias Lindholm a #1 Centre? IMO no. Not because the production or defensive value isn't there, but because the transition game isn't there, and he's highly dependant on getting feeds from his winger. Stopping the Gaudreau line is as simple as stopping Gaudreau. That's fine if they're your second line playing against the other team's scoring lines and second pairs, but not so much if they're your best line and the opponent can gameplan for it by throwing their five best shutdown skaters after them.

In my mind depth wins championships and depth at all positions. I believe that we finally have that depth and that pipeline and this is the first year we are really seeing it.

Depth absolutely plays a part in winning championships, especially at 5-on-5.

But so does skill and playmaking through the middle of the ice against the other team's best players, because sometimes in the playoffs it's as simple as playing a tight checking neutral zone game. You need to gain the zone on the other team's Pietrangelo or Hedman with speed, vision, possession, creativity, and numbers. And fundamentally, it can't be a winger like Gaudreau doing it every single time because of how that play starts on the breakout, with the winger more stationary along the boards. You need the centre to take the pressure off of Gaudreau. Then, if the centre wants to drop it back to Gaudreau, awesome.

People have been pointing to the "Islanders Model" of structure and depth... and yet... the Islanders have Matthew Barzal as a 1C who is dynamic with the puck.

Further, we're a team using Trevor Lewis and Brett Ritchie as our 3/4 RWs. Is this really amazing depth, or is it average at best?

From a number of posters on this site and others are just convinced that without a number one center this team is going strong on Mediocre.

Maybe this year we make a run. And then next year? When Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Mangiapane, and Kylington are due for automatic raises? Then suddenly you have to trade away that vaunted depth.

Some have put forward that having Monahan on the fourth line is a waste. I say get him a good partner and its actually a luxury.(hoping Walker and him have some chemistry.)

Monahan having 0 5v5 points, 49.72% xGF is a waste of 6.3M of cap room... are you really suggesting this is effective? Or if you're saying it's Trevor Lewis' fault... then there goes your depth argument.