I agree that this is a benefit, but I also think it can't be understated that it also gives matchup problems to opposing teams. If you have Monahan and Gaudreau together for a game it makes the pairings easy to match up. If they split up halfway, one of them or the 3M line is getting significant 3rd pairing opposition, which I think has been helping Johnny immensely so far this season.
I don't disagree. But I also think it's a double edged sword. It gives a matchup problem for the opposing team, but they likely have a chemistry established line vs what we send out. Our lines need to figure out on the fly what they have with one another, then play to those strengths. Our group is fine tuning playing with all sorts of different lines as well as the new puck moving goalie system Gully has invented. I'm also further interested to see what the systems looks like when Lack plays, but that's another thing to fine tune and learn against other NHL teams. On paper we should have a slow start. But with a bit of puck luck, it's been a fantastical couple runs of chaos IMO. I haven't had this much fun since Bob's cardiac kids run. But unlike that group, a heck of a lot of confusing stuff has been seen on ice as well.
A coach probably looks at a line of JG - Stajan - Brouwer and gets confused whether to send a 4th line against them (shredded to pieces) or a a middle 6+ line against them. Our line either matches the talent thrown at it or flounders. A smart coach looks at that disjointed line and sends his best to see if he can shred that line to pieces which I think we've seen so far.
I guess it's just pros and cons, eh? But IMO it also means the group (knowing one another deeper by playing on lines with one another) is closer and can play off each other in ways that other teams can only imagine later in the season due to them doing this "blender exercise" or whatever you want to call it. Once they master it though, it'll be like different settings we can tweak mid game. Some coaches don't do enough to tweak, IMO Gully does too much to tweak. But Gully knows when to abandon or mod a tweak (ie: last season simplifying after the Ottawa game to get the team to buy in) and since he has a good point padding right now, I say let him experiment and see if he can find some more interesting line combos to deploy.