Take a shot: Opening night lineup

[SnowblindNYR]

While everyone drools over Kreider's playoff performance, it pro-rates to just over 20 goals and under 40 points in a full NHL season. Lets hope he can keep himself motivated without the adrenaline of the playoffs, too. This came along with some spotty play in the defensive/neutral zones.

Hes got a lot to learn.

You wouldn't take 20 goals in his rookie season? Oh and that was in playoff competition, meaning tighter checking and better Ds.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

You wouldn't take 20 goals in his rookie season? Oh and that was in playoff competition, meaning tighter checking and better Ds.

If the rest of his game isn't up to par for 15-20 NHL mins a night? Then no.

 

[Samuel Culper III]

I agree that his p/pg pace in the playoffs is nothing to go wild over, but we have to keep in mind that scoring in the playoffs is more of a commodity, the games are tighter checking and for a rookie with absolutely no experience against NHL competition before to come in to that and produce at a decent clip suggests he should be able to handle top-six time during the regular season fairly well.

 

[CHGoalie27]

Stepan with his wings as Hags and Pyatt?

What a waste.

He'll at least have one or two of Kreider/Gabs, I sure hope so.

Not really, if Steps is good enough in your eyes for the first or second line, don't you think we'd be well off if he were our third line center..to match against another team's?

Also, Krieder is a LW and Gaborik is a RW...Steps very well could realistically end up with those two as Torts has a way of overlooking the value and role of Boyle. I see them as equally valuable really, certainly not a waste!

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Nash Richards Callahan
Kreider Boyle Gaborik
Hagelin Stepan Pyatt
Asham Halpern Rupp

Can you explain how Boyle is a 2nd line player and Stepan is a 3rd line player?

 

[Boruto]

Can you explain how Boyle is a 2nd line player and Stepan is a 3rd line player?

There's snowblind!

 

[Doctyl]

If we're splitting up the big 3, Nash should not be the odd one out. He's the type of player that benefits the most playing with a top line center. In our case, Brad Richards.

this and the sooner the 2 of them build chemistry the better for the next 6 years or however long we have nash

 

[Zil]

Not really, if Steps is good enough in your eyes for the first or second line, don't you think we'd be well off if he were our third line center..to match against another team's?

Also, Krieder is a LW and Gaborik is a RW...Steps very well could realistically end up with those two as Torts has a way of overlooking the value and role of Boyle. I see them as equally valuable really, certainly not a waste!

Boyle is not getting top six minutes. He's a checking center. You don't demote your obvious option for second line center to give him weaker matchups.

 

[Boruto]

Nash Richards Callahan
Kreider Stepan Gaborik
Hagelin Boyle Pyatt
Asham Halpern Rupp

 

[Nanaki]

Nash Richards Callahan
Kreider Stepan Gaborik
Hagelin Boyle Pyatt
Asham Halpern Rupp

This is exactly what I would choose.
We spread out the scoring while keeping defensive reliability.

 

[Boruto]

PP unit 1.

Nash-Stepan-Gaborik
Richards-Del Zotto

PP unit 2.

Kreider-Hagelin-Callahan
Staal-Stralman

We may have to spread the guys, really only left with Stralman and Callahan as PP worthy guys after the first five. That and we have less PK guys than least year too.

PK forward sets

Stepan-Callahan
Boyle-Hagelin
Halpern-???

Two solid lines of PP.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

There's snowblind!

What's that supposed to mean? What was so unreasonable about my question? Especially since you yourself put Stepan and Boyle in their proper positions?

 

[marciiauzii]

im thinking about why people want to go with NASH and Richards? Because they both ar so damn good? Looks like people are forgetting that Gabs with Richards never got anywhere.
Stepan should stay with Gabs and have Kreider in place of last years Anisimov.
I think Richards will go with Nash and Callahan/Hagelin, but my biggest thing with those two is that Richards and Nash both are players who love to play with the puck often too much, wont it hurt?

 

[Boruto]

What's that supposed to mean? What was so unreasonable about my question? Especially since you yourself put Stepan and Boyle in their proper positions?

Hahahaha. There's snowblind as in, there you are blessing us with your presence

It's not a "Oh there's snowblind with his typical backwards posts."

 

[Kershaw]

im thinking about why people want to go with NASH and Richards? Because they both ar so damn good? Looks like people are forgetting that Gabs with Richards never got anywhere.
Stepan should stay with Gabs and have Kreider in place of last years Anisimov.
I think Richards will go with Nash and Callahan/Hagelin, but my biggest thing with those two is that Richards and Nash both are players who love to play with the puck often too much, wont it hurt?

I don't think Rick Nash is a puck possession player. He is a great finisher and will use his tools to find openings to create prime-offensive scoring chances. Richards will hopefully do the distributing of the puck. And I agree that Hagelin with Richards and Nash is the ideal 1st line.

 

[Boruto]

im thinking about why people want to go with NASH and Richards? Because they both ar so damn good? Looks like people are forgetting that Gabs with Richards never got anywhere.
Stepan should stay with Gabs and have Kreider in place of last years Anisimov.
I think Richards will go with Nash and Callahan/Hagelin, but my biggest thing with those two is that Richards and Nash both are players who love to play with the puck often too much, wont it hurt?

Except for the last 2 months of the regular season and much of the playoffs and had there not been any major personnel changes in our top-six (e.g. Nash), they would probably be playing together for as many seasons as they're kept together on the same team.

 

[Boruto]

I don't think Rick Nash is a puck possession player. He is a great finisher and will use his tools to find openings to create prime-offensive scoring chances. Richards will hopefully do the distributing of the puck. And I agree that Hagelin with Richards and Nash is the ideal 1st line.

If that works out well, either Kreider or Callahan will be third lining which could work in a totally different direction.

Thankfully for all of us on this thread, Torts won't fail us in actualizing some of the hypothetical and laying to rest any doubts or curiosity.

 

[The Gloaming]

Without putting the players in their proper forward positions, there are 479001600 ways the forwards can be arranged.

Torts will most definitely try most of them sometime.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

im thinking about why people want to go with NASH and Richards? Because they both ar so damn good? Looks like people are forgetting that Gabs with Richards never got anywhere.
Stepan should stay with Gabs and have Kreider in place of last years Anisimov.
I think Richards will go with Nash and Callahan/Hagelin, but my biggest thing with those two is that Richards and Nash both are players who love to play with the puck often too much, wont it hurt?

Did you just end up watching November and miss March and on? Gabby with Stepan stopped working by December and Gabby and Richards was pretty damn good till Gabby got hurt.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Hahahaha. There's snowblind as in, there you are blessing us with your presence

It's not a "Oh there's snowblind with his typical backwards posts."

Well in that case carry on.

 

[BR19MG10]

Pat Leonard wrote a article about a month ago saying with the exception of Sauer, everyone will be ready to go...as for lines I'd like a Hags-BR-Gabby line but I doubt that so here is what I think:

Nash-Richards-Cally
Hags-Stepan-Gabby
Kreider-Boyle-Pyatt
Asham-Halpern-Rupp
McD-Girardi
Staal-MDZ
Stralman-Eminger/Bickel/Gilroy
Hank
Biron
2013 stanley cup champs

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

I agree that his p/pg pace in the playoffs is nothing to go wild over, but we have to keep in mind that scoring in the playoffs is more of a commodity, the games are tighter checking and for a rookie with absolutely no experience against NHL competition before to come in to that and produce at a decent clip suggests he should be able to handle top-six time during the regular season fairly well.

I don't think it proves anything. While I'm sure teams were generally aware of Kreider's play in college and WJC, they didn't have a whole lot of details--especially on how Tortorella would play him. Now, they have lots more information and will be better able to figure out how to play against him. If anything it's going to be harder.

 

[frankthefrowner]

Without putting the players in their proper forward positions, there are 479001600 ways the forwards can be arranged.

Torts will most definitely try most of them sometime.

Ha totally forgot Torts' tendency to juggle the lines constantly. Although i will say he was rather consitant in the playoffs.

 

[Samuel Culper III]

I don't think it proves anything. While I'm sure teams were generally aware of Kreider's play in college and WJC, they didn't have a whole lot of details--especially on how Tortorella would play him. Now, they have lots more information and will be better able to figure out how to play against him. If anything it's going to be harder.

I doubt the book is out on Kreider just because of the playoffs and I have a hard time believing competition over the next couple of months is going to be anywhere near as intense or tight checking as the playoff games Kreider played in were (late games of a 7 game round 1, 7 game round 2 with long overtimes, 6 game round 3 against our biggest rivals). I never said it proved anything, but I think it will be easier to find time and space in the beginning of the regular season than it was for him coming in fresh in the playoffs. People are getting all sour on Kreider because he hasn't torn up the AHL on a pretty bad Whale team but he clearly thrives when playing with high calibre linemates and his size and speed make it almost impossible for him not to be a threat on a line with guys like Richards and Nash. We'll wait and see. I'm not nearly as high on Kreider as some people are (regarding where his ceiling is, IMO) but I do think he'll be a solid top-six contributor for us and do so fairly well out of the gate, a few bumps in the road not withstanding.

 

[broadwayblue]

I doubt the book is out on Kreider just because of the playoffs and I have a hard time believing competition over the next couple of months is going to be anywhere near as intense or tight checking as the playoff games Kreider played in were (late games of a 7 game round 1, 7 game round 2 with long overtimes, 6 game round 3 against our biggest rivals). I never said it proved anything, but I think it will be easier to find time and space in the beginning of the regular season than it was for him coming in fresh in the playoffs. People are getting all sour on Kreider because he hasn't torn up the AHL on a pretty bad Whale team but he clearly thrives when playing with high calibre linemates and his size and speed make it almost impossible for him not to be a threat on a line with guys like Richards and Nash. We'll wait and see. I'm not nearly as high on Kreider as some people are (regarding where his ceiling is, IMO) but I do think he'll be a solid top-six contributor for us and do so fairly well out of the gate, a few bumps in the road not withstanding.

Indeed. If anything he'll have more time and space now that he won't be playing in playoff conditions. That's a whole different level of intensity...not to mention generally better talent.