Traded away Lupul and Knuble to save room. I do not know what it would take to get Meszaros but if that wasn't enough we could have just thrown in draft picks. Meszaros is a cheap option for at least next season. With the freed up cap space we went out and signed Liles from Colorado.
Don't get me wrong, I like both Lupul and Knuble. But Lupul will be getting a decent sized raise next season and Knuble just looked too slow to keep up with the other playoff teams this year.
What do you guys think about this line up? Keep in mind that I am medicined up pretty well right now and I am not all there so don't be too ruff on me
Meszaros is a cheap option for 'at least' next season.
22 year-old first round draft pick who is a Restricted Free Agent.
And just "thrown in" draft picks we do not have. Nevermind the fact that to get him we'd be "throwing in" multiple first round picks.
Wrong.
J-M Liles. You know, a team like Colorado, who is clearly on the downturn, can't find a way to keep him? You don't see that as a red flag? How about the fact that he is a disaster in his own zone. He's probably a cut above, and younger than Modry, but almost the exact same player.
Wrong.
Also, there's a reason you don't see lines being bandied about and that's because its an exercise made in vain considering that line tend to be changed up about every week.
J-M Liles. You know, a team like Colorado, who is clearly on the downturn, can't find a way to keep him? You don't see that as a red flag? How about the fact that he is a disaster in his own zone. He's probably a cut above, and younger than Modry, but almost the exact same player.
well you might have to give up some defense to get some offense.
since meszaros isnt an option and theres no chance of getting a young stud defenseman in a trade.....who else is out there besides liles we can get this offseason?
ur lines suck btw....carter on the top line is interesting but it doesnt make sense for carter gagne to be on a line tho. its too early for line predictions when we have no idea whos gonna be traded.
well you might have to give up some defense to get some offense.
since meszaros isnt an option and theres no chance of getting a young stud defenseman in a trade.....who else is out there besides liles we can get this offseason?
ur lines suck btw....carter on the top line is interesting but it doesnt make sense for carter gagne to be on a line tho. its too early for line predictions when we have no idea whos gonna be traded.
I just see that top line having a ton of offensive potential. Its never too early to post line predictions for hockey fans. I know we don't know who will be on the team yet, but for me it is fun.
well you might have to give up some defense to get some offense.
since meszaros isnt an option and theres no chance of getting a young stud defenseman in a trade.....who else is out there besides liles we can get this offseason?
ur lines suck btw....carter on the top line is interesting but it doesnt make sense for carter gagne to be on a line tho. its too early for line predictions when we have no idea whos gonna be traded.
Hainsey is an UFA suddenly looking much more affordable with Suter's new contract. Kalinin is a very affordable UFA, though I'm not sure if Buffalo intends to re-sign him. Nashville has a few good, young RFAs who might be poachable without giving up too much or available in a trade. Koistinen comes to mind as my preferred choice from them, but Klein wouldn't be terrible, nor would a few more of their guys.
Honestly, I'd much prefer the Flyers target one of these "lesser" guys than the top ones.
Thoreson as 3rd center? No thank you. Infact, has he evan played an center in the NHL?
Thoreson played some center for us some during the season. I really didn't care for him as the 3rd center either, just wanted to throw some lines together to get a thread started on this because I was more interested in seeing the thoughts of other people on here.
I'd like to see:
Lupul-Richards-Umberger (proven combo)
Gagne-Briere-Knuble (Briere taking Foppa's spot on the line)
Hartnell-Carter-Upshall (Plenty of size, speed and grit)
Thoresen-Dowd-Downie (The remaining scrappers)
Pairings:
Timonen-Coburn
Hainsey-Hatcher
Parent-Brad Stuart
__________________
Danny Duberstein is good at two things ...
I'd like to see:
Lupul-Richards-Umberger (proven combo)
Gagne-Briere-Knuble (Briere taking Foppa's spot on the line)
Hartnell-Carter-Upshall (Plenty of size, speed and grit)
Thoresen-Dowd-Downie (The remaining scrappers)
Pairings:
Timonen-Coburn
Hainsey-Hatcher
Parent-Brad Stuart
If we don't have Briere centering our #1 line then our signing of him last year was one of the worst moves ever in sports. If we plan on him being a wing we could have gotten a much better one for the 6+ mil we paid for Danny. We don't have enough top end "ELITE" talent to just run 2 scoring lines out there, we NEED to roll 3 scoring lines every night and get balanced scoring thoughout the lineup. We are toast if we don't.
Who cares if Carter is labled in the media as the "3rd line center"??? We roll all 3 top centers out there for about the same amount of ice time. Who's going to center the 2nd unit PP if Carter is now the #1 center??? Thor??? Are you kidding me??? Carter and Richards generally don't get as much 5v5 ice time as Briere but that's also because they both play on the PK too. Do you serioulsy want to roll out just 2 scoring lines and then, with the added 5v5 ice time, have Carter and Richards logging between 26-30 mins a night every night??? They will break down.
No, I think roling out Briere as the #1 center and giving Carter and Richards slightly less 5v5 time and utilizing them on the PK makes the best use of ALL our assets. It's much harder for teams to shut down 3 legit scoring lines than it is just 2 legit scoring lines.
I just see that top line having a ton of offensive potential. Its never too early to post line predictions for hockey fans. I know we don't know who will be on the team yet, but for me it is fun.
its cool.....i think they looked bad bec you got rid of lupul and knuble and i saw thor, umberger, and upshall and thought to myself that that line had no chance of scoring and a nightmare on defense. carter cant be on a line with briere bec they both need the puck to be their most effective. try and make ur lines but keep lupul, knuble, and add giroux. i feel like there might not be that many trades unless they are strapped. i didnt mean to come off rude, bad day....have fun with ur line predictions
Knuble plays 4th line yet gets 1sy PP and some PK time- stay fresh all year and fill in for injuries. Downie develops with Richards, the one guy who could calm him. What is labeled as our "3rd" line could end up being our most explosive offensively
XXXX- whatever defenseman we get
This team was built on the idea of rolling three solid scoring lines and for good reason. We will still have the depth next year to do it better than most, it'll still be tough for any team to defend against. As much as I like toying with the idea of Briere at wing he was brought in specifically to center Gagne and I don't see a reason to mess with that. As much as I like Lupul, Umberger and the others that have been on his Briere's wing none have the scoring potential and solid D Gagne provides, the +/- everyone is concerned about will get better by default. It also gives a clear cut line other teams will have to set their checkers against, freeing up Carter a bit and letting Richards prey on the defensive lapses of the snipers around the league. That doesn't even take into account the nightmare coaches will have keeping their 3rd pairing Dmen away from trouble. If Homer can manage to solidify the defense like we know he will we'll be right in the mix again, with the potential to beat anyone. To me, keeping these guys together throughout the year will be key:
Gagne/Briere
Richards/Lupul
Carter/Giroux
The others will be interchangeable depending on who we're playing and what the line needs at the time. No worries.
This team was built on the idea of rolling three solid scoring lines and for good reason. We will still have the depth next year to do it better than most, it'll still be tough for any team to defend against. As much as I like toying with the idea of Briere at wing he was brought in specifically to center Gagne and I don't see a reason to mess with that. As much as I like Lupul, Umberger and the others that have been on his Briere's wing none have the scoring potential and solid D Gagne provides, the +/- everyone is concerned about will get better by default. It also gives a clear cut line other teams will have to set their checkers against, freeing up Carter a bit and letting Richards prey on the defensive lapses of the snipers around the league. That doesn't even take into account the nightmare coaches will have keeping their 3rd pairing Dmen away from trouble. If Homer can manage to solidify the defense like we know he will we'll be right in the mix again, with the potential to beat anyone. To me, keeping these guys together throughout the year will be key:
Gagne/Briere
Richards/Lupul
Carter/Giroux
The others will be interchangeable depending on who we're playing and what the line needs at the time. No worries.
I think those combos all have great chemistry. I had them in my lines.
This team was built on the idea of rolling three solid scoring lines and for good reason. We will still have the depth next year to do it better than most, it'll still be tough for any team to defend against. As much as I like toying with the idea of Briere at wing he was brought in specifically to center Gagne and I don't see a reason to mess with that. As much as I like Lupul, Umberger and the others that have been on his Briere's wing none have the scoring potential and solid D Gagne provides, the +/- everyone is concerned about will get better by default. It also gives a clear cut line other teams will have to set their checkers against, freeing up Carter a bit and letting Richards prey on the defensive lapses of the snipers around the league. That doesn't even take into account the nightmare coaches will have keeping their 3rd pairing Dmen away from trouble. If Homer can manage to solidify the defense like we know he will we'll be right in the mix again, with the potential to beat anyone. To me, keeping these guys together throughout the year will be key:
Gagne/Briere
Richards/Lupul
Carter/Giroux
The others will be interchangeable depending on who we're playing and what the line needs at the time. No worries.
I like the idea of using paired players and interchangable parts as well. we saw this last year, with the emergence of lupul/richards and prospal/briere (to a lesser extent gagne/briere).
i'll bite on this anyways (i don't have anything better to do).
hatcher retires, umberger is gone for RFA comp.
hartnell-richards-lupul
gagne-briere-giroux
upshall-carter-knuble
cote/thor/downie/vet walk on
kimmo/coby
parent/UFA--i want hainsey, but who the hell knows
jones/kukkonen
biron/nitty
there's a lot of other ideas rattling aroud in my brain. the one line i want, no questions asked, is hartnell-richards-lupul. after that, i can argue for a whole lot of other combinations. i like giroux as a winger for carter, but i thought carts was most effective in a cycle game with knuble and upshall last year, especially late. i think downie could also serve as a replacement for knuble in that position, and maximize his playmaking skills (he's a pretty good passer).
also, in previous attempts at this, i've gotten flamed for putting giroux on a line w/ briere and gagne (sentiments were that giroux didn't deserve first line minutes, or they'd get bullied around, or whatever). i feel, if the shoe fits, wear it. briere was most effective playing a run and gun style in buffalo, where his line was comprised of similar players to gagne and giroux. allowing them to free wheel as a trio could maximize briere's skills and serve to justify the money we put out for him. in addition, the idea that giroux should earn his tier on the first line is flawed (this isn't even our first line really...). if in camp, he exhibits the chemistry with danny and simon, he's got that spot. are you going to bury him on the roster b/c he hasn't paid his dues yet? i doubt it.
...as its been stated, its too early though...
Last edited by 27roenick97: 06-17-2008 at 11:06 PM.
there's a lot of other ideas rattling aroud in my brain. the one line i want, no questions asked, is hartnell-richards-lupul. after that, i can argue for a whole lot of other combinations. i like giroux as a winger for carter, but i thought carts was most effective in a cycle game with knuble and upshall last year, especially late. i think downie could also serve as a replacement for knuble in that position, and maximize his playmaking skills (he's a pretty good passer).
Thats part of the genius of what Homer's put together to me. I like Hartnell, Upshall, Downie, Umberger or Knuble on ANY of those lines. It's clear the man has a plan, it all comes down to who gets moved for a Dman. This summer may not be as eventful as last years but I'm just as excited about what happens. Too bad it took such a horrible season for me to appreciate hockey in July the way I do now.
Knuble plays 4th line yet gets 1sy PP and some PK time- stay fresh all year and fill in for injuries. Downie develops with Richards, the one guy who could calm him. What is labeled as our "3rd" line could end up being our most explosive offensively
XXXX- whatever defenseman we get
They could always ask Eminger to play in the Top 4, but I want a more veteran-ish guy to help Parent out. Now this might not be possible because of the cap, but if it can be, it should be done.
Last edited by Ghost of Downie*: 06-21-2008 at 12:02 AM.
They could always ask Eminger to play in the Top 4, but I want a more veteran-ish guy to help Parent out. Now this might now be possibly because of the cap, but if it can be, it should be done.
not bad. i want parent and timonen to be a pair tho
