I totally disagree on your Voronkov assessment. The line as a whole ge eats the most offensive chances and Voronkov had the most SOG. Now if all you want is to se this line score off the rush and not play any cycle game, then by all means take him off. But that’s not a winning formula.
Voronkov and KJ can cycle and both help Fantilli diversify his game by forcing more controlled OZone play. Of course with Monahan on the top line, the cycle game is SOP and why Monahan with 10-86 was such a dominant 5 on 5 line.
Agree that Voronkov is not the issue. I think Voronkov and KJ would be fine together. But
Fantilli as the C just isn't a good fit for those two - YET, but it's coming!
Agree that Marchenko-Monahan-Voronkov line was and will be dominant - Monahan's cycle game and overall approach is less frenetic (though still all-out) and thus suits Voronkov's game much better than Fantilli's frenzied game, whether there is a conditioning issue with Voronkov or not.
Fantilli skates the game fast almost all the time. I want him to play fast, and keep the energy level while at the same time learning how to better control the pace of his game. Kind of like a change of pace move by a shooting guard in basketball - Fantill just takes it hard to the net at every opportunity. His frenzied style creates more chances off the rush, but it does not lend itself to puck possession - and thus doesn't match up with Voronkov's game. KJ can keep up with the Fantilli frenzy most of the time, but KJ's game is better-suited to a game in which pace is varied, sometimes fast, oftentimes slower, so that KJ's skill in reading the ice and finding the open area with a pass can be amplified.
Fantilli will get there. He's a young colt still. It's a hard skill to learn - how to play FAST and HARD, yet under control. He looks and plays like he wants to just run through and over every defender. That doesn't happen often enough at the NHL level. I still want him to do that some, but to best utilize linemates, he needs to do it less and find the seams that exist for highly-skilled players. I don't want him to slow down his energy, or be "just like Monahan...." or anyone else. He will find it, he's making strides with that, just not all the way there.
