Line Combos: CBJ Roster Discussion/Line Combos/Injury Report

[VT]

With how the team is currently playing, it's exciting to know that we'll soon essentially be gaining another entire 1B line of forwards, plus a solid 4th liner. I know people are wary to mess with chemistry, but getting Boone, Chinny, Monahan, and Danforth back can only be a positive IMO. I'd construct it like this:

Voronkov-Monahan-Marchenko
No notes, this one is obvious.

Jenner-Fantilli-Chinakov
I keep going back and forth between pairing Jenner with Sillinger, and Jenner with Fantilli, but honestly, I don't think you could go wrong with either pairing. Both Silly and Fantilli need help in the D-zone and Boone would provide that. Went with this grouping because I want to set up Fantilli for as much offensive success as possible as well.

JvR-Sillinger-Johnson
JvR and Johnson can work well together, LDBB likely gets sent back down to play top minutes when these guys come back. Which I think is fine. JvR is the weak spot in the top 9, would be cool to get an upgrade there then we'd have two pretty damn solid middle 6 lines.

ZAR-Danforth/Kuraly-Olivier
Kuraly has really been fighting it recently. To the point where I think put Danforth in his spot for the time being if we're actually going to try to compete.

Kuraly/Labanc as extras. Pyyhtia has been playing pretty well but I would like him to play top minutes in Cleveland and maybe he can be a more integral bottom 6 piece next year.

Johnson is a TOP talent, he wouldn't use his potential with this players. Also Chinakhov has excellent chemistry with Sillinger, they complement each other very well. And JvR... I really don't know where him. He is too slow.

 

[NotCommitted]

For a guy on a league minimum two-way deal, you take good play even if the guy only plays 40 or 50 games a year. It's still a big benefit to the team.

I'm guessing part of it is Blanks is getting better at defense? Maybe Wads didn't think he would get better.

He was always better than Boqvist. I saw that comparison, since both guys were injured a lot and let go by Wads, but Blanks was always a better player for us. Boqvist was obviously a guy to let go, who Jarmo gave an absurd contract. While letting Blanks go should have at least been debatable.

Based on play on ice + contract, letting Blanks go made no sense and I don't even remember him particularly struggling on defense, though the bar on that has been pretty low.

Boqvist I liked a bit more than maybe is entirely rational, it's not like he was all that special even when healthy, but I think I can see what Jarmo saw in him. He could've become a classic smart "eurostyle" defender who is sneakily good in most parts of the game. I honestly thought he'd take off in Florida, and to start the season they were even gonna put him on PP1 but he took a puck to the face after less than 5min TOI and it's been all downhill from there. I think he's been mostly healthy scratched lately.