[Cali Panthers Fan]

So from what I gather, these are the players remaining at camp:

Forwards:
Huberdeau-Lindholm-Toffoli
Mangiapane-Kadri-Dube
Coleman-Backlund-???
Lucic-Rooney-Lewis
Extras: Zohorna, Ruzicka, Ritchie
Injured: Feuk

This is about how I drew it up before pre-season began, but still no better clarity on who will be in the top 9. I see it as a platoon situation because all three extra guys have question marks. Ruzicka in particular needs to be pushed to maintain his pace of play, so having continuing competition for that job is good for him. Perhaps he blossoms because of it.

However, the other options appear to be Rooney with Ruzicka or Lewis as 4th line center, Zohorna, or Ritchie. You may even see Lewis elevated to that line with one of the extras on the 4th line. Basically, it's still wide open and there are a lot of options to put there, but none of them great.

On the other hand, even though they need to work on finishing plays, I love the line of Bread-Kadri-Dube. They are quick and feisty, and are going to make life hell for the opposition. Give them some time to gel and they'll put up some good numbers.

Defense:
Tanev-Weegar
Hanifin-Andersson
Zadorov-???
Extras: Stone (PTO), Valimaki, Meloche, Mackey
Leave: Kylington

To me, this is still very much in the air. The top two pairings are set and look good. Zadorov is a lock as well, but who to play with him? If you're asking me, Valimaki just isn't ready, so he's going to go down, but I imagine they're waiting to the last second to try and sneak him through waivers.

Meloche vs. Mackey is a wash to me because I have trouble finding anything to separate the two from each other. Both are big, stay at home guys who are about the same age and experience level, although Meloche has played in the pros a little longer. The righty advantage of Meloche might give him the inside edge, but I'm far from convinced.

There there's Stone, who blasts away on a nightly basis, but let's be honest, he has some trouble with NHL speed at this point. I think if he's a #7, it's fine, but if he's playing every night it's going to be a problem.

This is all moot once Kylington returns as he will almost assuredly be back in the starting lineup every night, but who knows when that will be. For now, let the debate rage on.

Goalies:
Markstrom, Vladar

No argument from me. Both played very well in the pre-season, especially Vladar who looks ready to take another step in his game. Wolf needs lots of AHL seasoning. Patience.