Line Combos: Ideal Lines Vs. Projected Lines 2024/2025

[BluesReport25]

I wanted to start a thread to ask people what their ideal lineup is for next year as opposed to what they actually project the lineup to be. My ideal lineup would put young players in positions to succeed. Even if the team is worse, it would be more beneficial in the long run to develop our younger players. I also included extra lines to show some depth.

Ideal Lineup:

Bolduc - Thomas - Neighbours
Buch - Dvorsky - Kyrou
Saad - Schenn - Texier
Torpo - Faksa - Joseph
Walker - Sunny - Kap

Perunovich - Parayko
Leddy - Faulk
Krug - Kessel
Joseph - Tucker

Projected Lineup:

Buch - Thomas - Neighbours
Saad - Schenn - Kyrou
Joseph - Faksa - Texier
Torpo - Sunny - Kap
Bolduc - Dvorsky - Walker

Leddy - Parayko
Krug - Faulk
Joseph - Kessel
Perunovich - Tucker

Click to read more...

 

[HighNote]

I don't know if it would be beneficial to throw Dvorsky into the fire like that. If he's getting a look with the big club, he'll probably be centering the 3rd line. Perunovich is also gonna get caved in on the top pairing, and it's gonna bring Parayko down with him, so that's a no-go from me.

I'd go:

Neighbours - Thomas - Kyrou
Buchnevich - Schenn - Bolduc
Saad - Faksa - Texier
Joseph - Sunny - Toropchenko

Walker, Kapanen, Alexandrov

Leddy - Parayko
Krug - Faulk
Joseph - Kessel

Perunovich, Tucker

Cycle Peru and Joseph in and out, get Peru some PP time. Tucker can jump into the lineup if Kessel needs a break. Sunny and Faksa you can switch depending on how each of them look.

Schenn/Buch could switch if Schenn is a complete train wreck at center. Or he could move down to the 3rd line and Saad moves up.

 

[kimzey59]

I wanted to start a thread to ask people what their ideal lineup is for next year as opposed to what they actually project the lineup to be. My ideal lineup would put young players in positions to succeed. Even if the team is worse, it would be more beneficial in the long run to develop our younger players. I also included extra lines to show some depth.

Ideal Lineup:

Bolduc - Thomas - Neighbours
Buch - Dvorsky - Kyrou
Saad - Schenn - Texier
Torpo - Faksa - Joseph
Walker - Sunny - Kap

Perunovich - Parayko
Leddy - Faulk
Krug - Kessel
Joseph - Tucker

Projected Lineup:

Buch - Thomas - Neighbours
Saad - Schenn - Kyrou
Joseph - Faksa - Texier
Torpo - Sunny - Kap
Bolduc - Dvorsky - Walker

Leddy - Parayko
Krug - Faulk
Joseph - Kessel
Perunovich - Tucker

1- There is no scenario where pairing Perunovich with Parayko is "ideal".
In fact, I'd chalk that up as the absolute worst case scenario.

2- Army has basically already come out and said that Buch is the incumbent 2nd line center for next year. You can disagree with it all you want, it is still the projection.

3- Army has been very ambiguous about where Schenn fits in. When discussing the C position after the Faksa trade; he didn't mention Schenn until the very end and even then it was in the context of "he's an option" instead of guaranteeing him a spot. IMO Army's "ideal" centers are Thomas, Dvorsky/Buch, Faksa and Sunny.

My assumption is that Army prefers Schenn on the wing. He may play C as a short term fix(such as, until Sunny returns from IR), but it isn't the ideal scenario for him.

Projected lines:
Neighbours Thomas Kyrou
Saad Buch Schenn
Bolduc Faksa Texier
Toro Sunny Joseph
KK

Leddy Parayko
Perunovich Faulk
Krug Kessel
POJ
Tucker

Binny/Hofer

Ideal Lines:
Neighbours Thomas Kyrou
Buch Dvorsky Schenn
Bolduc Faksa Saad
Toro Sunny Joseph
Texier KK

Leddy Parayko
POJ Faulk
Krug Kessel
Perunovich

Binny/Hofer

I would not be at all surprised if Saad finds himself on the trade block pretty early in the season.

 

[Beauterham]

Ok, sure.... Let's give this a shot
Projected:
Bolduc - Thomas - Neighbours
Saad - Buchnevich - Kyrou
Texier - Schenn - Joseph
Toropchenko - Faksa - Kapanen
Walker

Leddy - Parayko
Krug - Kessel
Perunovich - Faulk
Tucker, Joseph

Binnington
Hofer

Army mentioned he pencilled in Thomas, Buch and Schenn as center, although that still could very well change I've decided to build the line-up around that notion. Bolduc finished the season strong on the top-6 so will start the season in the same position. Sundqvist will start the season on IR.


Ideal:
Bolduc - Thomas - Neighbours
Schenn - Buchnevich - Kyrou
Texier - Dvorsky - Joseph
Toropchenko - Faksa - Sylvegård
Kapanen, Sundqvist

Leddy - Parayko
Joseph - Faulk
Perunovich - Kessel
Tucker

Binnington
Hofer

Still going with Buch as 2C. I prefer him on wing but he's probably the only suitable option at 2C untill Dvorsky is ready to put up top-6 minutes. Also still going with Bolduc, Neighbours on the top line, as @BluesReport25 said: you want to put young players in a spot to succeed. Dvorsky will start the season as C on the 3rd line which bumps Schenn back to wing. This makes Saad redundant and could be moved for a pick. On defense I don't want another season with both Perunovich and Krug in the line-up, so one has to go. Preferably that's Krug but more likely (due to Krug's contract) it's Perunovich. I don't like playing PO Joseph, but I prefer doing that to playing Tucker. Hopefully there is still a rostermove to be made. Dean starts in the AHL.

 

[Ranksu]

Krug - Faulk as pair If you wanna lose. Shitty midgets.

 

[LGB]

I'm not going project I'll just give what I'd like us to do.

Schenn - Thomas - Bolduc

This line played together at the end of last season and I thought was pretty good. Would be interesting to put Neighbours in place of Schenn, but don't think you can put him in place of Bolduc as I think his speed is important to give space for Thomas to operate.

Saad - Buchnevich - Kyrou

This line also played together at the end of last season and I think Buch playing center really improved our lineup as our 2nd line was a massive weakness most of the year. He does a good job of finding Kyrou or Saad with speed through the NZ who are both dangerous off the rush.

Neighbours - Dvorsky - Texier/Dean

I'll just assume Dvorsky is on the team because it's more fun that way. I like Dean and think if he has a really strong camp he could be our best option as the 9th forward in our top 9 and maybe even play center rather than Dvorsky. I think Dvorsky's current skill set will translate better immediately on the wing.

Joseph - Faksa - Toropchenko

Should be a solid defensive 4th line.

Leddy - Parayko

Obviously we've seen this pair a lot already. Skate well and can eat tough minutes.

Krug - Kessel

Played fairly well together at the end of last year. We were playing good hockey at the end of last season so I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel. I think having a guy who can move the puck with Kessel is good to take some pressure off him and hopefully we see some progression from him.

POJ/Perunovich - Faulk

If Perunovich comes in improved this season I actually think this could be a fairly effective pairing. If his flaws continue to hold him back hopefully POJ can be steady enough to be functional with Faulk.

 

[LGB]

I also like Saad - Thomas - Neighbours. I think you need to have some speed with Thomas which Saad provides here.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

Projected:
Saad-Thomas-Neighbours
Bolduc-Buchnevich-Kyrou
Texier-Schenn-Joseph
Toropchenko-Faksa-Kapanen/Sundqvist
Sunny/Kap, Walker

Ideal:
Neighbours-Thomas-Buch/Schenn
Bolduc-Schenn/Buch-Kyrou
Saad-Dvorsky-Joseph
Texier-Faksa-Toropchenko
Sundqvist, Kapanen

Worst Case: (outside of injuries obviously)
Neighbours-Thomas-Buch/Schenn
Saad-Schenn/Buch-Kyrou
Texier-Faksa-Joseph
Toropchenko-Sundqvist-Kapanen
Walker, MacEachern/Sylvegard


D-Core will be the same for all of them
Leddy-Parayko
Perunovich/Joseph-Faulk
Krug-Kessel



I don't like the idea of Bolduc getting 1st line minutes just yet, but I do think he should be in the top 6 if he is on the roster to start. Even though he's a good fit with Thomas stylistically, it just seems like too much pressure for him right now. I also think he'd be a damn good fit with Kyrou and one of Buch/Schenn. That could be a fun OZ start heavy 2nd line.

I also never want to see Krug and Faulk put together again.

 

[simon IC]

Perunovich shouldn't be anywhere near the top line. (Or anywhere near the roster at all, if I had my way.) I especially don't want him paired with Parayko. We all saw how Parayko struggled when he had to carry Krug.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I'm kind of expecting 13F/8D

Neighbours-Thomas-Schenn
Saad-Buch-Kyrou
Tex-Faska-Joseph
Toro-Sunny-Kappy
Walker

Leddy-Parayko
POJ-Faulk
Krug-Kessel
Peru/Tucker

Bolduc, Dean, Dvorsky all start in the AHL. I would love to see them send Tucker down but I don't think they will try to pass him through waivers.

I'd definitely say it "looks" like an NHL team. I think there is another level that Tex can hit. Faska and Joseph are got Bottom of the lineup players. I'm going what the Pens fans are saying it's right and POJ can be better under a coach not banned Sullivan.

I think the AHL is going to be fun with Dvo, Dean, Bolduc, Buchinger, and Loof

 

[TK 421]

Armstrong made clear the plan at 2C is to use Buch as a steward at the position until an internal candidate emerges. This makes sense as a short term solution as it saves on having to venture into the UFA center market and clogging up the cap with more term at forward when the team has Dvorsky/Dean/Stenberg just around the corner on ELC's. Buch will slide back to being an excellent two way winger once his stewardship is over and the fastest way to make that happen is to plunk Dean and Dvorsky in Springfield and cut them loose there as emergent centers where they can make big improvements in their game in a relatively short amount of time while still playing a ton of minutes.

 

[kimzey59]

Something else to consider.
I know the "plan" is for Lindstein to return to Sweden next year. But with the way he's looked in his recent viewings, I'm not sure that we can completely write off the possibility that he comes to training camp and outright steals a spot. He was hands down the best player at prospect camp and he was a phenom at the WJC.
I'm just saying, it may not be as unrealistic as some people think. It's not like Perunvocih, POJ and Tucker are impossible to leap on the depth chart.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I just remembered, Alexandrov is still an RFA, so if they do send down Tucker, he will most likely be the 14th forward

 

[kimzey59]

I just remembered, Alexandrov is still an RFA, so if they do send down Tucker, he will most likely be the 14th forward

You're assuming he can beat the Dingo out of a spot.
Not sure I've seen that from him just yet.

 

[Beauterham]

Something else to consider.
I know the "plan" is for Lindstein to return to Sweden next year. But with the way he's looked in his recent viewings, I'm not sure that we can completely write off the possibility that he comes to training camp and outright steals a spot. He was hands down the best player at prospect camp and he was a phenom at the WJC.
I'm just saying, it may not be as unrealistic as some people think. It's not like Perunvocih, POJ and Tucker are impossible to leap on the depth chart.

I doubt Lindstein will even be at camp TBH. Last season none of our SHL-guys came to camp to give them a headstart in Sweden, I expect this season to be the same.

Furthermore, last season Lindstein mostly played on Brynas' 3rd pair in the swedish Allsvenskan. Eventhough I really like how he's grown since drafting him, I don't see him already making that jump to an NHL line-up already. Maybe next season if he grows into a steady top-4 D. in the SHL and has another good WJC.

 

[BlueDream]

I just remembered, Alexandrov is still an RFA, so if they do send down Tucker, he will most likely be the 14th forward

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Alexandrov traded or outright waived in camp. It’s interesting that he’s still unsigned. 1 or 2 years at 800K would surely get it done since he hasn’t done anything, so not sure what the hold up is. But I think he’s going to lose his spot this camp.

 

[ezcreepin]

Ideally, you'd see something like this happen, though this is assuming guys take massive steps and prove they should be on the team:

Neighbours-Thomas-Schenn
Bolduc-Buchnevich-Kyrou
Saad-Dvorsky-Texier
Joseph-Faksa-Toropchenko

extras: Sundqvist (injury), Kapanen, Walker

Leddy-Parayko
Lindstein-Faulk
Krug-Kessel

extras: Perunovich, POJ, Tucker

Binnington
Hofer

Again, this is assuming guys take a massive step and have earned their spot in the lineup. I have no idea if Lindstein will be at camp, but people seem to think he won't be, and I have no reason to doubt them at the moment. I'm assuming that Bolduc builds on an impressive showing at the end of last year and is slotted on the 2nd line with Buch and Kyrou since they had some chemistry last year (I think). He showed really good promise and even though he wasn't necessarily scoring, he was a positive impact player based on the eye test. Dvorsky I think could go either way. My belief is that he won't be rushed at all and if there is any inclination he needs to start in the AHL, then he will start there. He seems very determined though to make the team out of camp, so I think he will do his best to make that happen. I could see a world where he plays 12-15 games, gets sent down, then comes back up at the deadline to slot in at the 3rd line. It's hard to say right now how the bottom 6 shapes out, but it is full of really good depth players, so no issues there. Need the top 6 to figure itself out and then the defense pairings I think are set in stone already. Leddy works best with Parayko and vice versa, Krug played well with Kessel and that's it, and Faulk needs a bounce back year so pair him with anyone not named Krug.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Ideally, you'd see something like this happen, though this is assuming guys take massive steps and prove they should be on the team:

Neighbours-Thomas-Schenn
Bolduc-Buchnevich-Kyrou
Saad-Dvorsky-Texier
Joseph-Faksa-Toropchenko

extras: Sundqvist (injury), Kapanen, Walker

Leddy-Parayko
Lindstein-Faulk
Krug-Kessel

extras: Perunovich, POJ, Tucker

Binnington
Hofer

Again, this is assuming guys take a massive step and have earned their spot in the lineup. I have no idea if Lindstein will be at camp, but people seem to think he won't be, and I have no reason to doubt them at the moment. I'm assuming that Bolduc builds on an impressive showing at the end of last year and is slotted on the 2nd line with Buch and Kyrou since they had some chemistry last year (I think). He showed really good promise and even though he wasn't necessarily scoring, he was a positive impact player based on the eye test. Dvorsky I think could go either way. My belief is that he won't be rushed at all and if there is any inclination he needs to start in the AHL, then he will start there. He seems very determined though to make the team out of camp, so I think he will do his best to make that happen. I could see a world where he plays 12-15 games, gets sent down, then comes back up at the deadline to slot in at the 3rd line. It's hard to say right now how the bottom 6 shapes out, but it is full of really good depth players, so no issues there. Need the top 6 to figure itself out and then the defense pairings I think are set in stone already. Leddy works best with Parayko and vice versa, Krug played well with Kessel and that's it, and Faulk needs a bounce back year so pair him with anyone not named Krug.

Those combos look so much better than what we watched all of last season. Granted a lot of that is fantasizing about what Dvorsky and Lindstein could become this quickly, but regardless, it paints a much better picture for the depth of this team next season and beyond.

 

[Quaz]

Projected:
Neighbours - Thomas - Kyrou
Saad - Buch - Bolduc
Texier - Schenn - Joseph
Toro - Faksa - Sunny
Ex: Walker, Alexandro

Leddy - Parayko
POJ - Faulk
Krug - Kessel
Ex: Perunovich

Binny
Hofer

Ideal:
Buch - Thomas - Kyrou
Neighbours - Schenn - Dvorsky
Saad - Texier - Bolduc
Toro - Faksa - Sunny
Ex: Walker, Joseph

Leddy - Parayko
POJ - Faulk
Perunovich - Kessel
Ex: Tucker

Binny
Hofer

I had Schenn at 2nd line C, but Dvorsky could play their shifting Schenn to the wing. I was tempted to put Bolduc with Dvorsky and Neighbours and push Schenn down to center Saad and Texier.

 

[ezcreepin]

Those combos look so much better than what we watched all of last season. Granted a lot of that is fantasizing about what Dvorsky and Lindstein could become this quickly, but regardless, it paints a much better picture for the depth of this team next season and beyond.

I would cautiously use the word better. Maybe better in the sense that we are finally getting to see these prospects develop and play meaningful games for themselves, but they could struggle to be offensively productive which would surely hurt our chances at the playoffs (not concerned about that really). If my assumptions are correct about these guys sans Lindstein, then we will be in a really good position for the year following or 2026-27. My hope is that Bolduc can be a nuisance while putting up 35ish points, Texier can be a 30 point player or better, Joseph can establish himself here as a posssible 2nd line option and score 35-45 points, and the biggest wildcard would be that Dvorsky makes the team out of camp and finds his game quickly.

I think if he comes in and looks like Bolduc did last year, he can find his stride after 20 games or so and then we'll really start to see the offense blossom. My upper ceiling for production from him is like 50 points (and that's if he is just dominant off the start), but realistically I think if he stays with the team and scores somewhere around 30 points and is responsible defensively, then that is a massive win for him and this team. If he's used on the powerplay as a trigger guy on the right faceoff dot, I think we could see higher point totals, but I'm not sure he'll get that leash just yet. Right now, I'm cautiously optimistic about his chances starting with the club.

 

[MissouriMook]

I'm kind of surprised that no one has dipped their toes into water of projecting how the power play units will be set up. To me, one of the most intriguing questions of how the roster will shape up is, if guys like Dvorsky and/or Bolduc make the opening night roster, do they get an opportunity on one of the PP units or just eased in with ES shifts? One or both, I believe, could provide a solid shooting option for either unit when in the lineup. This is one particular area where I am interested to see if there are any philosophical differences between Berube, interim Bannister, and full-time Bannister.

 

[TK 421]

We'll get Lindstein and Stenberg for '25-'26 training camp, I think they come over together for prospect camp then make plans to come back for training camp. This upcoming season will be their last in Europe before the Blues take direct control of their development and I think they'd both be making the Blues roster right out of camp in '25.

 

[BlueSeal]

Krug - Faulk as pair If you wanna lose. Shitty midgets.

Krug-Faulk is the pairing you use when going dead on offense, like if you say crash the net, EVERYONE crashes the damn net. Both players instantly become assist magnets and magically churn points. Outside of that, Faulk is the stronger Dman so I can see trying to shelter Krug like this, but in a situation like this, I'd rather Krug sat on the bench, and we ran someone else with Faulk.

 

[Celtic Note]

We'll get Lindstein and Stenberg for '25-'26 training camp, I think they come over together for prospect camp then make plans to come back for training camp. This upcoming season will be their last in Europe before the Blues take direct control of their development and I think they'd both be making the Blues roster right out of camp in '25.

I hope that doesn’t happen. Don’t get me wrong, I would enjoy seeing them both as soon as possible. However, breaking in two rookies into the blueline in the same year seems like asking for a rough time, especially if there are any expectations from the front office/coaches that we should be trying to be as competitive as possible.

But I am not sure that will happen. Lindstein was drafted before Jiricek, didn’t lose most of a year of development and had just had a fantastic development year. I would assume he is ahead in his NHL timeline.

 

[BluesReport25]

I must have missed where Army said they want to play Buch at center. Does anyone have a link for that? If Buch is playing center that almost assures that Dvorsky doesn't make the team. The good news is it means Bolduc will likely be in the top 6 which would be great to see.

Updated Projected Lineup:

Bolduc - Thomas - Neighbours
Saad - Buch - Kyrou
Texier - Schenn - Joseph
Torpo - Faksa - Kap/Sunny
Walker, Dvorsky, Alexandrov

Leddy - Parayko
POJ - Faulk
Krug - Kessel
Tucker - Perunovich

I think the top line could get a short look before adding a vet like Schenn or Joseph over Bolduc. They were great at the end of the season and I would rather play Bolduc with Thomas over Kyrou, who is usually better on a separate line. Kyrou was at his best on this 2nd line last year, maybe he can keep it going this year. Bottom 6 has a lot of energy and is relaible. On defense, no real surprises. I bet they rotate POJ, Tucker, and Perunovich until one of those 3 fully establishes themself. Below are my powerplay projections as someone suggested that too.

Powerplay Projections:

Neighbours
Thomas - Buch - Kyrou
Krug

Schenn
Texier - Saad - Bolduc
Faulk

I'm not really a fan of either of these units to be honest. I would rather Bolduc be in Kyrous spot on the top unit and have Perunovich over Krug. Adding Dvorsky to one of these units would greatly help too as he has a lethal shot from the right circle.