I seem to remember when the Seguin-Hall debate was going on that Hall himself said that he preferred to play center and though he was best there.
I'd still like to see it. A lot of people badmouth Hall's hockey IQ but I actually think it's quite high, Hall at C would solve a lot of problems for the Oilers.
He said literally last week he prefers to play wing and thinks he's best there. I might go with that over a quote that's three years old.
I seem to remember when the Seguin-Hall debate was going on that Hall himself said that he preferred to play center and though he was best there.
I'd still like to see it. A lot of people badmouth Hall's hockey IQ but I actually think it's quite high, Hall at C would solve a lot of problems for the Oilers.
Do you have a link that supports this, because Hall is saying the complete opposite now.
Do you have a link that supports this, because Hall is saying the complete opposite now.
He said it before he even played his first NHL game, however as the other posted stated, I'd go with the quote from last week over then one from 3 years go.
I see a lot of merit in it myself. I don't think Halls talents mix that great with Eberle and Hopkins ( I think all those two guys need is a big power forechecker that creates a bit of havoc and can get into somebody's grill that takes runs at them). Those two play a cycling cerebral game down low and both of them can operate in a phone booth. Halls game is speed and dashes up the ice. What Hall needs more than anything is a D with a great breakout pass.
I think Hall is better on the wing but I also think he is a better option with our current roster at centre for a second line than Ganger is.
I wish they would have tried Hall at centre on the farm just to see what he can do, give him some experience in case we wanted to try it up here.
I doubt they do it now though. And I doubt Ganger is the answer. Once again the Oilers are looking for that big two way centre. Good luck with that. lol
I look at our roster now and I can't help but think how much easier it would be to mix and match, plug and play our roster would be with Seguin instead of Hall. We may have taken the better player. Our team may have been better with Seguin.
For the sake of balancing scoring, and giving MPS a decent shot to show the Oil what he can do (especially after what I thought was a strong outing last came, particularly in the opening frame), I would love to see Krueger roll with these lines tonight.
OP you are wrong about Hall playing centre in the OHL. He played 3 or 4 games in his rookie year and then was moved to wing. The last time he playe centre I believe was when he was in the GTHL.
So you are asking him to play a position he hasn't played at in a long time (except for a game against SJ in the NHL...was that game his rookie yr or 2nd?)
Is it just me or does Eberle score a lot of his goals on the left side? Maybe he could move to left wing since we're kind of lacking in that position. Just a thought
Smyth, Horcoff, Gagner, Hemsky, Paajarvi, and Belanger can all put up more offense then we have seen over the last season or two. Having Hall, RNH, and Eberle on the same line seems redundant, since they all handle the puck so well most of the time. They should be broken up at ES, and perhaps played together on the PP.
I'd do this:
Smyth - RNH - Yakupov
Yakupov has the best shot on the team. Kurri-like canon that RNH can feed pucks into. Smyth might also flourish here. He was good playing with the kids at the beginning of last year.
Hall - Horcoff - Hemsky
Hemsky is going offside and looks awkward with Yakupov. They're just confusing each other out there. Hemsky's hard to play with, but looks the best with Hall or RNH. You can also run this line out against the other team's scorers and let Hall dish out some punishment (which he's doing more and more of). The kid is a beast and should be developing that part of his game, not playing on a strictly puck possession, play-making line. I'd love to see him light up Baertschi or Backlund come Saturday night.
Hartikainen - Gagner - Eberle
Eberle makes everybody better, and Gagner is no exception. Gags has the skills to work with Eberle, and they can really throw the puck around when they're both going. Hartikainen is playing his ass off right now, and can cause some havoc down low. Who do you check on this team? All 3 lines are dangerous.
Paajarvi - Belanger - Petrell/Eberle
Give Eberle some regular shifts on this line to see if he can get Belanger going in the offensive end. The guy has been a consistent 40pt player until he got here, so they need to give him some better linemates than the Hordichucks and Petrells. Maybe the guy has lost this part of his game, but I think linemates have been the main issue. He creates lots of possessions when he's on the ice, so having some more offensive pop playing alongside him should work.
Moving Hall to center is something they should consider in future as well. I agree with the OP. He definitely has the tools for it. Paajarvi should also be tried there for that matter.
Last edited by Red Deer Rebel: 01-24-2013 at 06:56 PM.
Reason: typo
I have no idea how the line combinations should work.
But Gagner should be a winger. He doesn't have the physical presence to win a puck battle, or RNH ability to get the puck turned over with smart positioning/poke checks.
Hall and Yak should be playing together. They have speed to burn, amazing skill, and I bet any pylon would get 30 assists playing with them. Some Defense would be nice out of that Pylon though.
MPS, and Hartikainnen should play together.
I have no idea how that lineup would look like, but those are things I feel are affecting the dynamic on this team.
Jones and Smyth are not top 6 players. You got to go with what works, at least to start. It's 2 games into the ****ing year and we haven't even let these guys click on the big club yet. It's not time to panic and jerk guys around.
The frustrating thing is seeing Yakupov on the LW when he's clearly better on the right. Obviously when a coach asks him if he's comfortable playing on the left, he's not going to voluntarily say "no" when he's trying to make the team and do good by the coaches and his teammates. Another frustrating thing is I'd like to see Yakupov play with RNH, first and foremost. Don't know if Yak's ready for top line duties though.
Anyways, the roster is what it is - unbalanced. Something will eventually have to give and either Hemsky or one the big four will have to be dealt IMO. Sad but true.
In the meantime, if things don't work after a few games:
Jones and Smyth are not top 6 players. You got to go with what works, at least to start. It's 2 games into the ****ing year and we haven't even let these guys click on the big club yet. It's not time to panic and jerk guys around.
The frustrating thing is seeing Yakupov on the LW when he's clearly better on the right. Obviously when a coach asks him if he's comfortable playing on the left, he's not going to voluntarily say "no" when he's trying to make the team and do good by the coaches and his teammates. Another frustrating thing is I'd like to see Yakupov play with RNH, first and foremost. Don't know if Yak's ready for top line duties though.
Anyways, the roster is what it is - unbalanced. Something will eventually have to give and either Hemsky or one the big four will have to be dealt IMO. Sad but true.
In the meantime, if things don't work after a few games:
when Jones comes back, he can fill in for Hordi. And as soon as Eager is back, he needs to be in the line up as well. At least the team has depth.
You made fun of me putting jones on the second line, then put hartikainen there instead. Hate to break it to you but jones is a much better choice for the top six. Anyway, you did exactly what I said not too and focused on the random lines I thought up.
You made fun of me putting jones on the second line, then put hartikainen there instead. Hate to break it to you but jones is a much better choice for the top six. Anyway, you did exactly what I said not too and focused on the random lines I thought up.
Alright I apologize, but I stated I would wait a few games until I made changes, if I made changes, if the guys were struggling. We still don't how things could shake out. I think Hartikainen is a much better fit than Jones as he's a bigger body who can actually play in his own zone as well as win battles in corners regularly. Not to mention he's unafraid of heavy physical contact. He should be on the PP as well. What can I say, I'm a fan. I think Jones is strictly a 3rd/4th line guy... hes got decent speed and can play on a checking line or energy line to keep the play moving forward... I don't know, despite his goal scoring I've never been a real big fan.
Gagner wouldn't have scored that OT goal as a C. He was RNH's winger.
He was also involved on the called-back RNH goal as a WINGER.
I've been a huge critic of Gagner since his sophomore season. I greatly dislike him as a C, but I think he's a legitimate option as a winger on our top line.
Hall and Yak should be together. They're great on 4x4 together. Constant pressure, and can gain the zone easily with speed.
Hall's winning all his draws tonight and the TSN commentators, including ex-nhler Ferraro seem to think Hall could be a great centerman.
They have also talked tonight about how Dallas has converted Benn from wing to Center due to the importance of that position.
A good forward is a good forward. And Center is the most important forward position. Move Hall to Center, Gagner can thrive on the wing when our other centers come back.
With 4 injured centers, I'd be all for Hall playing a few games at center. Long term, I still think you keep him on the wing, especially if that's where he himself feels more comfortable.
Nobody's saying he can't play center, or that he wouldn't be a good one. He's a hell of a hockey player. He'd probably be one of our better defensemen too. It doesn't mean he's our answer on D either.
__________________
If you are offended by this post, it's probably because you're ugly.
In the short term, the Oilers not only should play Hall at centre, but HAVE to play him at centre. Once RNH and Belanger are back, put him back on the wing.
Normally I would be against Hall playing center, but right now is the perfect time to try him out at center since we don't have anyone else to fill the role.
