Quote:
Originally Posted by flyer6
Gagne - Briere - Hartnell
Downie- Richards - Lupul
Upshall - Carter - Giroux
Cote - Metro - Asham
which I personally would love to see
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I would want Hartnell and Lupul switched here, downie richie hartnell worked so good last year when they were togethere[/QUOTE]
I would LOVE to see Hartnell/Richie/Downie together, but this is assuming Knuble is moved or on the 4th line.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobbyClarkeFan16
I'll try my luck at the lines:
Gagne - Richards - Lupul
Hartnell - Briere - Giroux
Upshall - Carter - Knuble
Cote - Metropolit - Asham
Defense:
Coburn - Vaananen
Timonen - Eminger
Jones - Parent
Kukkonen
I have Downie going back to the AHL to address his skating deficiencies. Once his skating is up to par, he'll be back on the big roster. I also like Gagne on the wing with Richards and Lupul. Lupul proved he can be a banger and Gagne won't have to worry about getting run over. He's also got a playmaker in Richards and Gagne can be used in a more offensive role and not really have to worry about being the defensive conscience on the line.
I love the 2nd line. I'm not a fan of Hartnell, but having him on that line with Giroux and Briere is going to be a lot of fun. I think Giroux really compliments Briere and Hartnell is going to score a ton of garbage goals as a result of the two. Giroux is probably the fastest skater on the line and his defensive presence will allow Briere the room to be creative and not have to worry about missing defensive assignments.
The 3rd line is an interesting mix. You've got Carter and Upshall who are two burners and you've got Knuble, the veteran who's beginning to slow down. He's exactly what Carter and Upshall need because they're so quick to force the play that now, they'll force the play to come to them. I think slowing the game down a bit is what Carter and Upshall need to become better players.
The fourth line is a line that might just surprise people. Cote has really improved his overall game. He'll never be a big producer, but he isn't a liability on the ice. Metropolit is a versatile forward and Asham is a true energy player that can also chuck the knuckles. I don't expect this line to be an offensive line, but I think we can get a good solid 10 minutes a night from this line.
As for the defense, I think Stevens and company start the experiment of splitting up Timonen and Coburn so that they can help get others up to speed. As well, in the case of Coburn, he'll be given more of an opportunity to contribute offensive with Vaananen looking after the defensive side of things. As for Timonen, he becomes a mentor to Eminger, who never had a mentor in Washington. I think Eminger really blossoms and benefits from this. Finally, we find a way to work Parent into the lineup and Kukkonen is our 7th defenseman. As for Hatcher, he's gone no matter what.
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I like your forward lines a lot actually. I think Gagne Richards Lupul would be great together, assuming Hartnell is more consistent offensively and Grioux is fully ready for the NHL to play with someone like Briere than it might just work. Upshall/Carter/Knuble was excellent last year and I think Downie could move into that Knuble spot eventually. 4th line is fine, I dont care so much about that anyway.
I dont know if I really like your defense though. I am fine with splitting up Timonen/Coburn, you can always just pair them up at the end of games when needed, however, a couple issues.
1) Timonen likes to play the other side, that was one of the reason's he and Smith did not work out very well. Not sure I want Eminger paired with Timonen cause you want Timonen out there against the other team's best players. Unfortunatley, Jones returning screws up what I would like to do but here is a what I am thinking.
If you keep Coburn/Timonen together
Coburn Timonen
Vaananen Eminger
Parent Jones
Kukkonen
If Eminger show he isnt better than Jones, they can always be switched.
What I would really like to see is:
Vaananen Timonen
Coburn Parent
Kukkonen Eminger
Parent/Vaananen can be switched if necessary but I see Coburn/Parent as our shut down pair in the next couple years.