Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
Well, no, some people who think Backlund could be the 4th line centre are thinking about the line deployments differently than you do. Assuming that the 4th line has to be filled with tweeners that play under 10 minutes a night doesn’t really jive with the reality of good teams with depth.
Go look at Dallas. Nobody who played more than 7 games played less than 10 minutes even strength. And only one of those guys played less than 11:30. Virtually every regular forward on that team played nearly 12 minutes or more at even strength. Dallas is a much better team currently with better high end talent, and you’re pretending it’s impossible for the Flames to find a spot for a young player and that there’s a “log jam”? lol.
Conroy has 11 top 12 guys, maybe. He does not have 11 top 9 guys. No playoff contender is looking at this team and marvelling at the top 9 depth.
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The stars do have a more balanced distribution of ice, but of the 5 bottom forwards in ice time per minute...Bourque is the only one that has potential.
Blackwell - 32 years old career 4th liner
Faksa - 31 years old 3rd/4th liner
Steel - 27 years old 4th liner
Back - 25 years old, 3rd/4th liner
Dadonov - 36 years old nearly a decade removed from big minutes.
The stars might trust the 4th line more than we do, but they put players in that role that have accepted that this is who they are and the role they need to play to stay in the league.
Backlund was just under 19 mins a game last year. 17:07 is the lowest he has had since 2012. He is not dropping 8 minutes a game and playing the Colin Blackwell 4th line role.