Not sure about line combos but adding Sprong with no subtractions puts them at like 16 NHL caliber forwards of varying degrees
Petey
Miller
Boeser
DeBrusk
Hoglander
Garland
Joshua
Bleuger
Heinen
Sherwood
Suter
Podkolzin
PDG
Aman
Sprong
Karlsson
Obviously some of these guys will be in the AHL anyway but still
I think this is overstating it a bit, but there is a valid question in there about who actually makes the cut here. It's also not like Sprong is on a contract that guarantees him a roster spot. Could just as easily bury him if (or when) Tocchet decides he wants nothing to do with him.
But it's a problem. Karlsson is a non-factor. So that whittles it down to 15. From there, you can probably slip Aman through waivers easily enough. He's a zero offense 4th liner who isn't particularly special at anything. Nobody is claiming him out of camp when they've got their own guys to look at in house.
So maybe that's how they get to 14F and just carry 7D, which would be entirely reasonable, when they've got a decent collection of potential call-up options on the back end, and a guy like Friedman also probably clears in the muck coming out of camp.
But that leaves them fairly thin on natural NHL capable Centers with just 4 and no extras hiding on the wing. Not a good position to be in at a critical position if a guy gets banged up short-term on a road trip or whatever. You
need flexibility to shuffle things and compensate down the middle.
Maybe it's PDG that they try to send down. He's cleared a dozen times before and as a journeyman utility player with no standout skills at his age, there's a good chance he'd clear again. But he's seemed like a real favourite of Tocchet's for his work rate, dependability, PK ability, versatility, etc. and seems like a bit of a "depth glue guy" in the room insomuch as that's a thing. Including the fact he's a guy who seems to willingly accept whatever role he's given, including "Press Box Popcorn Eater" on any given night. And it really does take away another PK option and defensively responsible guy, which has been the default "when in doubt" roster selection with Tocchet for the most part.
There's no way they'd just waive Podkolzin and absolutely guaranteed lose him for nothing. Everyone else is pretty "safe". So to me, that puts Sprong right as much on the bubble as PDG/Aman...where he's giving up so much defensively, and in PK utility...it's hard to offset.
Especially since Sprong is a lot like Hoglander as a weird "bottom-6 scoring tweener". Unless they're just going to go wild with the whole, "4 third lines" schtick, or to rock a "baby scoring line" as their 4th. Hoggy-Suter-Sprong 4th line, screw it.
Debrusk- Miller - Boeser
Hoglander - Ep40 - Sprong
Garland - Bleuger - Joshua
Heinen - Suter - Sherwood
That would be fun, lets load it up
Personally, i don't think it would be very fun at all for Pettersson to do that to him. After languishing with scrubs most of last year and then ostensibly going out to try to find some better talent for him to play with...to saddle him with a pair of weak to horrendous defensive players he has to carry, who are both basically 4th line scoring wingers. One of whom has repeatedly demonstrated negative chemistry with him. The other late summer barely above minimum sort of "bargain bin" flyer.
My heart would hurt so much for poor Petey if after their whole offseason rearranging...they did
that to the guy.
. I would sooner take a bet that he plays less than 50 games on a Tocchet coached team than hit those numbers or stick in the top 6. If Sprong is sticking in Vancouver’s top 6 I don’t think their cup aspirations are very legitimate. He’s been a depth player on every roster he’s played on and not many of those teams were very good.
