Forward lines

[Monahammer]

I think we are due for a little forward line shuffle. They're working ok, but I personally think that Kerins deserves a real shot at centre and we have nothing to lose in shuffling to accommodate that chance right now.

I am suggesting we really give him a chance though, also elevating Pelletier at the same time:

Huberdeau-Kerins-Coronato
Pelletier-Backlund-Coleman
Sharangovich-Kadri-Kuzmenko
Lomberg-Rooney-Pospisil

[stemit14]

Those look pretty good to mix things up. But I doubt we see much change after a win. Would be really interested in the lines when Zary is healthy. Would love to see Coronato and Zary on a line together.

Pelletier-Zary-Coronato
Huberdeau-Kadri-Posposil
Kuzmenko-Backlund-Coleman
Stromgren-Rooney-Lomberg

Would like a complete revamp of the 4th line. Would be fine with Stromgren or Klapka coming up. A different center would probably help but I don’t know what options they have for 4th line centers in the AHL or through the waiver wire.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Those look pretty good to mix things up. But I doubt we see much change after a win. Would be really interested in the lines when Zary is healthy. Would love to see Coronato and Zary on a line together.

Pelletier-Zary-Coronato
Huberdeau-Kadri-Posposil
Kuzmenko-Backlund-Coleman
Stromgren-Rooney-Lomberg

Would like a complete revamp of the 4th line. Would be fine with Stromgren or Klapka coming up. A different center would probably help but I don’t know what options they have for 4th line centers in the AHL or through the waiver wire.

This is exactly why I want them to give Kerins a good shot at centre sooner rather than later. Kid has 4 pts in 4 games, +4 and looks like he fits well. Maybe we have a real diamond in the rough here. We should let him get a little dirty and see what we have before Zary comes back in! Then, no one will be tempted to send him back down just yet. IMO more time up for him may be best at this point.
Ideally, we can maybe bump Rooney out of the lineup when zary comes back. That, or alternate Zary on someone's wing, splitting some of the centre role and allowing Zary to unleash more creativity.

[robertsfanatic]

i don't think Kerins needs to rushed into playing centre right now - he has been contributing enough to stay with the big club for a while.

once he establishes himself as an everyday player for a little longer then start worrying about position.

[TheIronMaiden]

I don't think Kerins should be pulling top assignments on forward yet.
The metric is whether or not they can Defend against Mackinnon.

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by robertsfanatic

i don't think Kerins needs to rushed into playing centre right now - he has been contributing enough to stay with the big club for a while.

once he establishes himself as an everyday player for a little longer then start worrying about position.

Fully agree with this. The Flames have been very good under Conroy and Huska about not throwing anyone to the deep end too fast.

[Jiri Hrdina]

There's a lot going well with the lines right now, so there is risk in a shake-up without a strong rationale for what you are trying to accomplish with it.
I would not touch the Backlund line including because of how good Coronato has been on it. And you can't put Kuzy on that line.

It may be OK to give Kerins a chance at centre, but you have to factor in the defensive responsibilities he has to take on. Which is hard and could stifle is offense. I'd rather to continue to understand how good he can be as an offensive producer, rather than trying to turn him into a two-way pivot suddenly.

Huberdeau's resurgence times with being with Kadri.

So I think the Kadri and the Backlund lines you need to keep in tact. Any optimization happens within the other two.

[Bingo]

Kerins has been a good story, but it's four games.

Lets let things just progress naturally without a promotion to #1 C at the NHL level after 48 minutes of hockey.

[GioforPM]

Kadri and Huberdeau are pretty in synch at the moment, and I doubt kerins is ready for the minutes that accompany playing with Huberdeau.

If I'm tempted by anything, it's putting Coronato with Kadri and Huberdeau, though that is putting all of the scoring lately into one line.

[Groot]

I'm mixing things up even further. Kerins is a perfect candidate to learn C on Backlunds wing. Pospisil is on a 24 point pace and I don't know if he should he higher than a 4th liner.

Hubderdeau - Sharangovich - Coronato
Pelletier - Kadri - Kuzmenko
Kerins - Backlund - Coleman
Lomberg - Rooney - Pospisil

When Zary returns, slot him on Kadri's RW. They had chemistry together before and Zary can learn the C position from him.

Huberdeau - Sharangovich - Coronato
Pelletier - Kadri - Zary
Kerins - Backlund - Coleman
Lomberg - Rooney - Pospisil

[Bleeding Red]

Karins has looked good over 4 games, but aren't there a couple other factors at play:


- The Flames are off most of this week with the 4 nations on the horizon. Does he get more game action in the AHL?
- Does Conroy/coaches/Karins want to have him play in the AHL All Star Game?
- Do they want to look at another prospect before TDL?
- When is Zary back?

I don't think he has quite "made the team/NHL". I wouldn't move him around too much.

[Kipper_3434]

That Sharangovich - Kadri- Kuzmenko line. All shooters with no play maker, seems like a terrible 5v5 line.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Kipper_3434

That Sharangovich - Kadri- Kuzmenko line. All shooters with no play maker, seems like a terrible 5v5 line.

I also think Kadri and Kuzmenko don’t fit very well. I know they’ve had stretches together but they seem to both want the puck on their sticks for long periods and may get frustrated when the other guy is getting them the puck when they want it.

[gvitaly]

Now that Kuzmenko scored I would be curious to try:
Huberdeau - Kadri - Kuzmenko
Coleman - Backlund - Coronato
Pelletier - Sharangovich - Kerins
Lomberg - Pospisil - Hunt/Stromgren

If the Huberdeau line clicks and Kuzmenko gets hot it can be a huge boost for the Flames. I like Pospisil with Huberdeau, but we need to find a way to get both Sharangovich and Kuzmenko going offensively.

I don't want to see Rooney or Duehr in the lineup, because neither has brought anything to the table for the last 8-10 games.

[Enoch Root]

Kerins at #1 is crazy. But trying him at #3 C might be alright.

And I am 100% on board with putting Pospisil on the 4th line.

Huberdeau - Kadri - Coroneri
Pelletier - Backlund - Coleman
Sharangovich - Kerins - Kuzmenko
Lomberg - <replacement> - Pospisil

[prizefighterinferno]

The only line I really want to nuke is the fourth line and Rooney is the main culprit. If this was a team OK with being terrible I wouldn't care about his inclusion in the lineup but they are trying to be decent, so he absolutely needs to go. Doesn't kill well, doesn't win draws, doesn't make plays, gets outscored in a big way 5 on 5.

Personally, I would try:

Huberdeau-Kadri-Kuzmenko/Pelletier
Coleman-Backlund-Coronato
Kerins-Sharangovich-Pelletier/Kuzmenko
Lomberg-Pospisil-Honzek

I had trouble figuring out who to play on the fourth line honestly as some of the guys in the A who might be deserving of a call-up are probably not guys you want playing 4th line/PK minutes in the NHL. That said, I liked Honzek's speed and forechecking ability prior to his injury at the beginning of the year and he kills penalties so I used him here.

[stemit14]

Been discussions on a few threads about the lines once Zary comes back. I’ve posted this another thread but I would like to see something like this:

Huberdeau-Kadri-Farabee
Klapka-Zary-Coronato
Posposil-Frost-Sharangovich
Lomberg-Backlund-Coleman

I’ve seen a few people suggest moving Zary back to wing but I really don’t want that. He has looked so good at centre and he was continuing to generate offence from that position - even more offence IMO. And it’s common for young centres that are shifted back to the wing to struggle to ever get back to being an centre - they often end up staying as wingers. I think it capsule stifle the development of Zary as a centre if he’s shifted back to wing.

Like others, I think Coronato is ready to play with some players with better scoring touch. Love Backlund and Coleman but they just can’t score off the rush very well. Coronato generates great chances off the rush that fizzle out when Coleman and Backlund get the puck. I think it would be great to see Zary and Coronato complement each other’s games. This is essentially loading up a line with the two players that generate the most chances (at least before Zary went down with injury they were). I also like the idea of Klapka getting some chances to crash and bang for them and he has shown some nice skill as well. There is also the added benefit of Coronato and Zary being able to share the faceoffs as Coronato has looked pretty good in that area lately.

Another huge benefit of this layout (and arguably the most important) is that it replaces the 4th line. The current fourth line has been brutal in so many metrics and constantly gets hemmed in. I think it’s a real struggle for a team like the flames to have such a weak 4th line. It’s one thing for a highly skilled team with elite scorers at the top of the rosters to have a weak 4th line but the flames are team that depends on depth throughout the lineup and playing strong at both ends of the ice. The current 4th line does not do that. Making Backlund + Coleman the core of the new “fourth line” negates that weakness. Coleman and Backlund would still be playing significant minutes on special teams so I don’t think their role would get diminished. Teams are welcome to try and match up their top lines against Backlund and Coleman.

This lineup also makes it so the flames don’t really have a “weak” line. Every one of these lines have solid two-way players on it that can hold their own against skilled players from other teams. There would be less reason to shorten the bench in 3rd periods.

[flamesgod]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Been discussions on a few threads about the lines once Zary comes back. I’ve posted this another thread but I would like to see something like this:

Huberdeau-Kadri-Farabee
Klapka-Zary-Coronato
Posposil-Frost-Sharangovich
Lomberg-Backlund-Coleman

I’ve seen a few people suggest moving Zary back to wing but I really don’t want that. He has looked so good at centre and he was continuing to generate offence from that position - even more offence IMO. And it’s common for young centres that are shifted back to the wing to struggle to ever get back to being an centre - they often end up staying as wingers. I think it capsule stifle the development of Zary as a centre if he’s shifted back to wing.

Like others, I think Coronato is ready to play with some players with better scoring touch. Love Backlund and Coleman but they just can’t score off the rush very well. Coronato generates great chances off the rush that fizzle out when Coleman and Backlund get the puck. I think it would be great to see Zary and Coronato complement each other’s games. This is essentially loading up a line with the two players that generate the most chances (at least before Zary went down with injury they were). I also like the idea of Klapka getting some chances to crash and bang for them and he has shown some nice skill as well. There is also the added benefit of Coronato and Zary being able to share the faceoffs as Coronato has looked pretty good in that area lately.

Another huge benefit of this layout (and arguably the most important) is that it replaces the 4th line. The current fourth line has been brutal in so many metrics and constantly gets hemmed in. I think it’s a real struggle for a team like the flames to have such a weak 4th line. It’s one thing for a highly skilled team with elite scorers at the top of the rosters to have a weak 4th line but the flames are team that depends on depth throughout the lineup and playing strong at both ends of the ice. The current 4th line does not do that. Making Backlund + Coleman the core of the new “fourth line” negates that weakness. Coleman and Backlund would still be playing significant minutes on special teams so I don’t think their role would get diminished. Teams are welcome to try and match up their top lines against Backlund and Coleman.

This lineup also makes it so the flames don’t really have a “weak” line. Every one of these lines have solid two-way players on it that can hold their own against skilled players from other teams. There would be less reason to shorten the bench in 3rd periods.

I like your Centre placement, but I don’t like Klapka up that high in the lineup. Sounds crazy, but I think we need an upgrade on the wing. That and a D man.
When Zary is back:

Huberdeau Kadri Coronato
Sharangovich Zary Farabee
Pospisil Frost Coleman
Lomberg Backlund Klapka

Would be nice if we could add another top 6 winger to this lineup. Gives us more punch and also would give Frost a little more skill to work with.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by flamesgod

I like your Centre placement, but I don’t like Klapka up that high in the lineup. Sounds crazy, but I think we need an upgrade on the wing. That and a D man.
When Zary is back:

Huberdeau Kadri Coronato
Sharangovich Zary Farabee
Pospisil Frost Coleman
Lomberg Backlund Klapka

Would be nice if we could add another top 6 winger to this lineup. Gives us more punch and also would give Frost a little more skill to work with.

You might be right about Klapka. He would have to show more of what we saw against Buffalo.

I know it seems like Coronato should work with Huberdeau (a skilled shooter with a skilled playmaker) but I’m not so sure Coronato is the best fit with Kadri. Kadri tends to hold onto pucks a lot and wants to be the puck carrier - which is fine when playing with guys like Huberdeau/Posposil/Farabee because they aren’t known for that. Coronato seems to play better when he gets to carry the puck and setup plays with his speed. I think he might struggle to be as effective on a line with Kadri. Could be wrong though as they have not given them much time together.

I would like to Zary with Coronato because I think they are two of the most talented players on the team and I think they could really fit together. They look good when on the powerplay together.

[flamesgod]

Originally Posted by stemit14

You might be right about Klapka. He would have to show more of what we saw against Buffalo.

I know it seems like Coronato should work with Huberdeau (a skilled shooter with a skilled playmaker) but I’m not so sure Coronato is the best fit with Kadri. Kadri tends to hold onto pucks a lot and wants to be the puck carrier - which is fine when playing with guys like Huberdeau/Posposil/Farabee because they aren’t known for that. Coronato seems to play better when he gets to carry the puck and setup plays with his speed. I think he might struggle to be as effective on a line with Kadri. Could be wrong though as they have not given them much time together.

I would like to Zary with Coronato because I think they are two of the most talented players on the team and I think they could really fit together. They look good when on the powerplay together.

You might be right about that. However, Coronato’s game has really progressed. I’d actually love to see Frost between Huberdeau and Coronato, but I’m pretty sure that won’t happen anytime soon. Huberdeau is kind of the equalizer for me, because he sees the lanes so well. Coronato would get pucks on his stick in good shooting positions. It’s something I think Huska should look at anyway.