I would like to see
Perreault-Scheif-Laine, our best playmaker with our two best shooters.
Ehlers-Little-Wheeler, good head to head defensive line.
Connor-Copp-Armia, defensive line, speed on the wings is above average.
Matthias-Lowry-Lemieux, this is a very physical line, can play the 4th line grind extremely well. I think Lemieux is going to get favoured over Dano sooner or later in Maurice's books.
Hendricks, with Dano and Tanev competing for the last spot.
Carry the top line into the 1st PP, with Lowry in the kitchen, or Lemieux, Ehlers and Trouba on the point.
Wheeler refuses to be the net front presence that Ladd was in leadership, so I put him as the leader of the 2nd unit PP. with his linemates, Buff crashing and either Kulikov or Morrissey shooting accurately from the point. Enstrom in particular never sees another PP unit again, Buff does not get enough pucks to the net, does not backcheck hard enough to be the highest player in any formation, but is still a daunting force in the corners or inside the circles.
Defense
Morrissey- Trouba are the horses.
Enstrom-Myers get shutdown assignments.
Kulikov-Buff, poor Kulikov is going to have to be alert with Buff on the ice. This pair could see the most minutes, when the big man is rolling, or the least among our d if the buff is roaming out of control, and lazy in his habits.
PK
Matthias-Lowry
Armia-Coop
Wheeler-Little