Speculation: Line Combinations

[TheDebater]

Jimmytimtim might have been moved to and kept on wing because defense isn't his thing I think they should hold off on that number 1 center spot.

We allowed 7 goals last game, how much worse can it get? Stützle is already learning things the hard way with this team, and being on the wing has not shielded him from goals against, and his +/- is already one of the worst on the team, so if we are being logical, does it make a difference at this point if he plays wing or center?

Might as well start grooming him for the position during a lost season as opposed to trying to force him into it next season or the year after when the team has hopefully improved by then.

 

[TheDebater]

Tkachuk-Brown-Dadonov
Stutzle-Norris-Batherson
Paul-White-Brown
Dzingel-Tierney-Watson


..


This should have happened a long time ago. Not sure why Paul is not a center yet. He is good on face-offs, he is strong as an ox, he can skate well for his size, he has a good shot, he can make plays and he doesn't sacrifice defense for offense, he's one of our best defensive forwards already. I'd have him at center over Stepan easily and even over Tierney

Yes it's because he plays on a line with White but Colin has struggled on the dot this year so Paul has started to take more faceoffs. The 3 games vs Leafs :

NHL Stats

In your suggested line-up, you have Paul on the wing, but you clearly want him at center. Is that the line-up you want or the lineup you think Smith could try?

What would you actually like to see long term?

 

[supsens]

We allowed 7 goals last game, how much worse can it get? Stützle is already learning things the hard way with this team, and being on the wing has not shielded him from goals against, and his +/- is already one of the worst on the team, so if we are being logical, does it make a difference at this point if he plays wing or center?

Might as well start grooming him for the position during a lost season as opposed to trying to force him into it next season or the year after when the team has hopefully improved by then.

Why not just throw him in net? He is a great young player. there is no need to play him heads up against the top centers in the division. He wouldn't get to touch the puck.
As good as he has been so far he is not really putting up first line star type numbers let him develop

 

[Xspyrit]

In your suggested line-up, you have Paul on the wing, but you clearly want him at center. Is that the line-up you want or the lineup you think Smith could try?

What would you actually like to see long term?

The answer to your question is already in there, paragraph 3 : "Paul can take face-offs, they can both play Center" and at the end of the post "because he plays on a line with White"

I don't control what the coach does, if he keeps them together then I don't absolutely want him at Center. If it is to remove Stepan from the lineup, then go Paul at Center right away.


Anyway, I wouldn't bet on DJ Smith trying that lineup, it's what I want and would make the most sense to optimize everybody. If the "to-be-determined line" (TBD) doesn't work, then move on from the Logan Brown experiment but the goal IN A REBUILDING season (or decade?) is to answer these questions. Could Logan Brown be a piece or not? How do they know that at this very moment? Did it look like they knew about Zub for example? Dorion also traded a 2nd for 6.5 AAV Derek Stepan in the current NHL market. I wouldn't trust ANY of their decisions.

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

End of the year lineup:

Tkachuk-Norris-Dzingel
Paul-White-Dadonov
Formenton-Stutzle-Batherson
Abramov-Pinto-C.Brown

Chabot-Zaitsev
Braanstrom-Zub
Wolanin-JBD

 

[GCK]

I’d love to see
Tkachuk/ Norris / Batherson they looke good early

Paul / White / Daddy. Solid line that has chemistry

Formenton / Stuetzle / Dzingel. This could get ugly but it would be the fastest line in the league if the could ever get the puck

 

[Micklebot]

Why not just throw him in net? He is a great young player. there is no need to play him heads up against the top centers in the division. He wouldn't get to touch the puck.
As good as he has been so far he is not really putting up first line star type numbers let him develop

I mean, this seems obvious, but he was drafted as a center/LW, so playing him in one of his two natural positions seems logical.

not sure why you think a false equivalence of playing him in a position that he does play is equivalent to wanting to play him in one of his natural positions is a good argument against playing him at center, but here we are...

 

[Icelevel]

Why not just throw him in net? He is a great young player. there is no need to play him heads up against the top centers in the division. He wouldn't get to touch the puck.
As good as he has been so far he is not really putting up first line star type numbers let him develop

This is part of the problem with management and coaching staff here. They are under estimating some of our younger players.
Also trying to fit them in to our slow system. We have some fast players in the organization, the system should be adapted to make the most of that. (Would force getting rid of guys like Stepan Tierney and anisimov as well)

 

[cudi]

Coburn back in? He's rested at least so should have his legs lol. Lets hope Chabot is just getting more rest and can go tomorrow. Not lookin good, though



edit: apparently the game is tomorrow lol. I always assume we play Saturday

 

[BondraTime]

Coburn back in? He's rested at least so should have his legs lol. Lets hope Chabot is just getting more rest and can go tonight. Not lookin good, though

Coburn needs rockets on his skates to keep up

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Ahem what is this coburn business lmfao

 

[supsens]

This is part of the problem with management and coaching staff here. They are under estimating some of our younger players.
Also trying to fit them in to our slow system. We have some fast players in the organization, the system should be adapted to make the most of that. (Would force getting rid of guys like Stepan Tierney and anisimov as well)

Nah fans just overestimate what these guys are as rookies, it happens with every team. Once the player is ready he gets moved up and the fans are like “see told you” but the reality is they do need the time to grow into that role

 

[Icelevel]

Nah fans just overestimate what these guys are as rookies, it happens with every team. Once the player is ready he gets moved up and the fans are like “see told you” but the reality is they do need the time to grow into that role

Every case/player is different. Stutzle is special. We’re not talking about Davidsson here.

 

[supsens]

Every case/player is different. Stutzle is special. We’re not talking about Davidsson here.

He is not going to be able to play heads up against Mathews Mcdavid JT Dra and all the rest. He would get destroyed.
He isn’t that special

 

[MrGuyPerson]

He is not going to be able to play heads up against Mathews Mcdavid JT Dra and all the rest. He would get destroyed.
He isn’t that special

Do you mean this year or longterm? Didn't he already steal the puck from Mcdavid and transition the puck in the other direction pretty quick after? Didn't he also lineup against Matthews line a few times in the Monday night game? Didn't he literally skate laps around Marner, Matthews, and Rielly in OT? Like are you saying he just isn't capable of being the same caliber? Or is not right now? Given how much room his game has for growth at this early stage, I have seen nothing to draw that conclusion long term.

 

[supsens]

Do you mean this year or longterm? Didn't he already steal the puck from Mcdavid and transition the puck in the other direction pretty quick after? Didn't he also lineup against Matthews line a few times in the Monday night game? Didn't he literally skate laps around Marner, Matthews, and Rielly in OT? Like are you saying he just isn't capable of being the same caliber? Or is not right now? Given how much room his game has for growth at this early stage, I have seen nothing to draw that conclusion long term.

Im saying right now. It takes time. Marner took a year and a half to get there Mathews they gave 3 years of building. Stealing the puck from Mcdavid and being held responsible for everything Mcdavid does are not the same thing.
Mathews scored 40 goals his first year and needed time, Jimmy is on like a 45 point pace...

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I'd like to see them call Formenton up. I would also like to see them call Grieg up for a few games just to see.

 

[saskriders]

I'd like to see them call Formenton up. I would also like to see them call Grieg up for a few games just to see.

Have any of Tkachuk, Dzingel, or Formenton played right wing? I would be interested in a top 6 of say:

Tkachuk-Jimmy-Dzingel
Formenton-Norris-Batherson

 

[Clayonator]

With Stepan out:

Tkachuk-Norris-Dadanov

Stutzle-White-Batherson

Paul-Tierney-C.Brown

Haley-Peca-Watson


Chabot-Zub

Reilly-Zaitsev

Brannstrom-Gudbranson

 

[DJB]

Tkachuk - Norris - Daddy
Dzingel - Stützle - Batherson
Paul - White - C Brown
Peca - Tierney - Watson

If Logan can cut it as a top 6 player that would be sweet

Tkachuk - Norris - Daddy
Stützle - Logan - Batherson
Paul - White - Dzingel
Watson - Tierney - C Brown

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Paul-Brown-Dadonov
Stutzle-White-Batherson
Tkachuk-Norris-Dzingel
Watson-Tierney-Brown

Throw Brown with our best goal scorer and someone he’s already had excellent chemistry with/hard worker.

 

[aragorn]

After the trade deadline:
.....LW...............C.............RW......
Tkachuk - Norris - C. Brown
Stutzle - L. Brown - Batherson
Paul - White - Dadonov
Formenton - Tierny - Watson

.....LD............RD.......
Chabot - Zaitsev
Wolanin - Zub
Brannstrom - J. Brown

Murray - Hogberg/Daccord

 

[TheNewEra]

After the trade deadline:
.....LW...............C.............RW......
Tkachuk - Norris - C. Brown
Stutzle - L. Brown - Batherson
Paul - White - Dadonov
Formenton - Tierny - Watson

.....LD............RD.......
Chabot - Zaitsev
Wolanin - Zub
Brannstrom - J. Brown

Murray - Hogberg/Daccord

i like most of this lineup tbh, i think tierney is gone at the deadline but if not as a 4th line center he is fine

i would try swapping formenton and c.brown if formenton can play on the offwing to give that line more speed. Plus I think C.Brown and watson would work together well

also please no more J.Brown, if we dont have to take a contract back at the deadline i rather we give anyone in Belleville a chance and if not pick someone off waivers, sign someone i dont care. The biggest thing for this team has been growing confidence and we dont need our defense to take a hit to reduce the stability. Even though Gudbransson has been meh he is still better than J. Brown

 

[aragorn]

i like most of this lineup tbh, i think tierney is gone at the deadline but if not as a 4th line center he is fine

i would try swapping formenton and c.brown if formenton can play on the offwing to give that line more speed. Plus I think C.Brown and watson would work together well

also please no more J.Brown, if we dont have to take a contract back at the deadline i rather we give anyone in Belleville a chance and if not pick someone off waivers, sign someone i dont care. The biggest thing for this team has been growing confidence and we dont need our defense to take a hit to reduce the stability. Even though Gudbransson has been meh he is still better than J. Brown

Both Tierny & J. Brown have contracts for next season & given the way they are playing I'm not sure anyone would take either of them with that extra yr on their contracts which is why I think they will still be here after the trade deadline. I'd love to get rid of both too, but it will be difficult with the extra yr.

Of course, that means Ottawa has at least two UFAs next yr to trade at next season's trade deadline along with hopefully another one or two players that don't fit a future team. Just like I doubt they will be able to move Dadonov until he is in the last yr of his contract unless he all of a sudden becomes a scoring machine, but then we won't to trade him if he does. Same for Zaitsev, I doubt anyone takes him until his last yr.

 

[TheDebater]

With Stepan, Anisimov out, Dzingel and L. Brown in:

Stützle- White- Batherson
Tkachuk- Norris- C. Brown
Dzingel- L. Brown- Dadonov
Paul- Tierney- Watson

Maybe switch Dzingel and Paul if Logan struggles defensively.