Canucks 2024-2025 Line Combinations and Roster Discussion

[logan5]

Joshua - Heinen - Garland

Heinen can play center and he is a much better offensive player than Blueger. It would be very potent 3rd line - all 3 realistically capable of scoring 20 goals.

 

[Sexy Necksy Garland]

Joshua - Heinen - Garland

Heinen can play center and he is a much better offensive player than Blueger. It would be very potent 3rd line - all 3 realistically capable of scoring 20 goals.

Heinen ain't playing centre here.

 

[Kryten]

isn’t that exactly what we did last year?

It was not, no.

 

[logan5]

Heinen ain't playing centre here.

Why is that?

 

[bossram]

Joshua - Heinen - Garland

Heinen can play center and he is a much better offensive player than Blueger. It would be very potent 3rd line - all 3 realistically capable of scoring 20 goals.

He really doesn't play center.

Heinen is a perfect 3rd wheel linemate to other, more offensively inclined players. He'll be excellent beside Petey or Miller and that is largely where he should play.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Why is that?

Because he's not very good at it? His face off record alone is abysmal. That's fine though because he hasn't played center in years. He's almost guaranteed to be in the top six as a winger.

Heinen - Miller - Boeser
Hoglander - Pettersson - Debrusk
Joshua - Blueger - Garland
Sprong - Suter - Sherwoord
PDG, Aman

Hughes - Hronek
Soucy - Myers
Forbort - Desharnais
Juulsen

Demko

Seems the most likely start, with Demko the only unknown at this point.

 

[TruGr1t]

Because he's not very good at it? His face off record alone is abysmal. That's fine though because he hasn't played center in years. He's almost guaranteed to be in the top six as a winger.

Heinen - Miller - Boeser
Hoglander - Pettersson - Debrusk
Joshua - Blueger - Garland
Sprong - Suter - Sherwoord
PDG, Aman

Hughes - Hronek
Soucy - Myers
Forbort - Desharnais
Juulsen

Demko

Seems the most likely start, with Demko the only unknown at this point.

I agree on the forwards, but I'm interested to see what pairings they play around with on the defense during camp. I don't think it's set yet. Sprong/Hoglander and Suter/Blueger could easily swap spots in camp as well. Everything else is pretty set at forward.

 

[Nick Lang]

Why is that?

He's not a center, that's why. Tried to play him there in 2016 when he was drafted, winger ever since. His face-off record alone should teach you all you need to know.

 

[EpochLink]

The good thing about going into this season, forward depth. We got it, we can interchange players.

 

[logan5]

He's not a center, that's why. Tried to play him there in 2016 when he was drafted, winger ever since. His face-off record alone should teach you all you need to know.

Fair enough Don’t know much about the player. I thought I heard Allvin or somebody say he could play all 3 forward positions.

 

[VanillaCoke]

Sprong is going to get every opportunity to take Hogs spot in the top six, and also pp2 time.

Heinen likely rides with Miller and brockstar, with sherwood getting some chances in top6 and pp2 also

 

[Nick Lang]

Fair enough Don’t know much about the player. I thought I heard Allvin or somebody say he could play all 3 forward positions.

I mean technically he has experience from a long long time ago but it's more of just something you say to explain he's versatile imo. Only taken a handful of face-offs in his career. No way he's displacing Blueger, Suter, or even Aman, at Center which requires a high level of experience and competency to make the proper reads defensively. He was brought in to play wing.

 

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

It would be interesting to see

DeBrusk - Pettersson - Garland
Joshua - Miller - Boeser
Heinen - Blueger - Sherwood
Hoglander - Suter - Sprong

and you could try swapping Garland and Boeser.

I'm guessing that their projected lineup right now for the start of the season is

DeBrusk - Pettersson - [Sprong/Hoglander/Heinen]
[Hoglander/Heinen] - Miller - Boeser
Joshua - Blueger - Garland
Sherwood - Suter - [Sprong/Heinen]

Assuming that Tocchet keeps Miller - Boeser and Joshua - Blueger - Garland married, and that the plan is to keep DeBrusk - Pettersson together and make it work, the other spots are up for grabs. Sprong will get a shot as the Kuzmenko replacement. Hoglander has to assert himself and impress Tocchet out of the gate to keep his spot in the top 6. Heinen, Suter and Sherwood allow for some flexibility.