Line Combos: Build a lineup poll #10: 4LW

[Monk]

The Alex Wennberg Appreciation version of the lineup poll:

So here is the (not) much-discussed lineup poll. Instead of Torts' slot machine line generator, we'll be voting for each spot on the roster, building each line one spot at a time. We started with 1LW, and will work our way through the forward lines and on to D pairs and starter and backup goalies.

This poll includes every forward reasonably expected to be available to the team whenever the season should start.

Vote for your choice for 4th line LW, and the winner will be slotted there and removed from subsequent polls. Sure, there are some nuances such a process doesn't allow for - there will be times when you can't vote for who you'd like at a spot because they've already been slotted somewhere else, or there's a combo you like that gets nixed along the way. You can alter, or not, your subsequent voting accordingly.

Here's to the continuation of an intriguing demonstration of consensual decision-making.

Forward lines
Alexandre Texier - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Nick Foligno - Max Domi - Cam Atkinson
Boone Jenner - Mikko Koivu - Emil Bemstrom
4LW - 4C - 4RW

Click to read more...

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Y’all WANT to play a 20 year old rookie on the 4th line with no special teams time? Talk about stunting his offensive growth.

Foudy should only make the team if he outplays enough people to get a top 9 role. He shouldn’t see the fourth line unless it’s on a call up. Cleveland is much better for him

 

[Viqsi]

Y’all WANT to play a 20 year old rookie on the 4th line with no special teams time? Talk about stunting his offensive growth.

Foudy should only make the team if he outplays enough people to get a top 9 role. He shouldn’t see the fourth line unless it’s on a call up. Cleveland is much better for him

Personally, I want him to see more NHL time in some form, especially since we're unclear as to how the AHL is going to operate.

 

[JacketsDavid]

I hope the old days of playin the 4th line 3-4 minutes a night (plus time on the PK) is over.
Back in those days you will have a bunch of unserviceable NHL players (a guy like Jody Shelley) who had a specialty.

That being said I think Foudy gets my vote here. The 4th line doesn't have to be a bunch of grinders. Hopefully if Foudy starts here he can force his way up to the top 6 at some point.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Y’all WANT to play a 20 year old rookie on the 4th line with no special teams time? Talk about stunting his offensive growth.

But who are his linemates?

Can we apply major's notion of an "offensive" and a "defensive" line as the bottom six?

Can we get him some special teams time?

Will there be an AHL season?

Are valid questions at this point, but what I think you're seeing, at least in part, is one of the imperfections of building a lineup this way.

 

[Monk]

Y’all WANT to play a 20 year old rookie on the 4th line with no special teams time? Talk about stunting his offensive growth.

Foudy should only make the team if he outplays enough people to get a top 9 role. He shouldn’t see the fourth line unless it’s on a call up. Cleveland is much better for him

I'm not confident that a single poster here would actually construct the 3rd line as-voted or the 4th line that's about to happen. It's a crowded bottom 6 and some pretty good players are going to get squeezed out.

 

[MoeBartoli]

I'm not confident that a single poster here would actually construct the 3rd line as-voted or the 4th line that's about to happen. It's a crowded bottom 6 and some pretty good players are going to get squeezed out.

I think you’re right about the voting. Assuming no new top 6 LW additions, I’m fine with a Foudy-Koivu/Nash-Bemstrom 3rd and Boone-Koivu/Nash-Robinson 4th with each juggling 12-13 minutes per night with each situationally getting slightly more or less. Slightly more 3rd if O needed, more 4th if D needed.

I am curious to see Stenlund this year; I want to see if he’s got can be an NHLer.

BTW, I didn’t vote in this poll but will be voting for Nash and Robinson in the next two rounds.

 

[majormajor]

I hope the old days of playin the 4th line 3-4 minutes a night (plus time on the PK) is over.
Back in those days you will have a bunch of unserviceable NHL players (a guy like Jody Shelley) who had a specialty.

That being said I think Foudy gets my vote here. The 4th line doesn't have to be a bunch of grinders. Hopefully if Foudy starts here he can force his way up to the top 6 at some point.

Oh those days are definitely over.

Among all of the league's forwards to play 50 games last year, there were only a dozen under ten minutes TOI/GP and none under 8:36. Eric Robinson was the lowest on the Jackets and he clocked in at 10:57. Nash and Bemstrom had the same EV TOI but added another minute on special teams.

Y’all WANT to play a 20 year old rookie on the 4th line with no special teams time? Talk about stunting his offensive growth.

Foudy should only make the team if he outplays enough people to get a top 9 role. He shouldn’t see the fourth line unless it’s on a call up. Cleveland is much better for him

I'm not sure if we'll have a "top 9" v "4th line" distinction this year. With the other bottom six line centered around Koivu, it's likely that both bottom six lines are around 12 minutes EV TOI. That's where Koivu was last year. And 12 minutes for Foudy a is fine start. Watching him in the playoffs it was clear that he had trouble keeping his energy up against the bigger NHLers, and he had some shifts where his motor was gone. He's not ready for a ton of minutes at this level, so an easy minutes offensive role is ideal for him to start. I think it might be even better for him if he was playing easier competition in Cleveland, but as far as NHL jobs go it is probably better for him to be in the 11-13 minutes range and not the 13-15 minutes range.

I'm not confident that a single poster here would actually construct the 3rd line as-voted or the 4th line that's about to happen. It's a crowded bottom 6 and some pretty good players are going to get squeezed out.

I think you’re right about the voting. Assuming no new top 6 LW additions, I’m fine with a Foudy-Koivu/Nash-Bemstrom 3rd and Boone-Koivu/Nash-Robinson 4th with each juggling 12-13 minutes per night with each situationally getting slightly more or less. Slightly more 3rd if O needed, more 4th if D needed.

I am curious to see Stenlund this year; I want to see if he’s got can be an NHLer.

BTW, I didn’t vote in this poll but will be voting for Nash and Robinson in the next two rounds.

Case in point, no Grigorenko!

I'm not sure where to put him either, we don't know him yet. But he might be better than all of these players.

 

[Byrral]

Look at this team the voters are building!!!

Sure the lines won't be like this. And yes the defensive system, the goalies and their overall hard work will make them competitive. But the offensive side of the ice looks like it's gonna be a struggle and scoring is going to be a challenge again. And these are the players on the current roster (maybe Gus gets healthy by the end of the year). You can move them around to any line you want but they are still the same players.

I would be super hard on Jarmo for this current roster but I do like some of the pieces that are here and I am encouraged by what should be the progression of some current players and the influx of a few new young players over the next several years that will go a long way in helping to balance this team out in a really good way (assuming they can get them here).

But the way the current roster is constructed it will be fight all the way to 56 games (or whatever it is) just to make the playoffs.

 

[majormajor]

But the way the current roster is constructed it will be fight all the way to 56 games (or whatever it is) just to make the playoffs.

I think that's a fair assessment, just for perspective I'd say there are about 7 teams that won't have to fight and claw their way in.

Last year there were just 7 teams that finished more than 5 points ahead of what would have been the playoff cutoff. A few bad bounces and you're out.

 

[MoeBartoli]

Case in point, no Grigorenko!

I'm not sure where to put him either, we don't know him yet. But he might be better than all of these players.

Yeah, I didn’t in, use him because I just don’t know anything about him. I should have added him in with Stenlund.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Personally, I want him to see more NHL time in some form, especially since we're unclear as to how the AHL is going to operate.

This is a fair counter point, one I didn't think of and should have. I can understand this way of thinking.

But who are his linemates?

Can we apply major's notion of an "offensive" and a "defensive" line as the bottom six?

Can we get him some special teams time?

Will there be an AHL season?

Are valid questions at this point, but what I think you're seeing, at least in part, is one of the imperfections of building a lineup this way.

I don't see Foudy getting PP time over Foligno, PLD, Texier, Bjorkstrand, Atkinson, and Domi. Meaning he would have to compete with Grigorenko, Koivu, Bemstrom, Jenner for time. I would think he's last on this list, especially considering part of the reason why Koivu and Grigorenko were brought in here was for their PP ability, and Bemstrom has been groomed for the role since he's been with us.

As far as PK, more possibility here than PP. He'd have to earn time behind Foligno, Jenner, Atkinson, Koivu (?. For faceoffs), Nash. More of a possibility here than PP IMO.

As far as fourth line linemates, I'm fairly certain we'll vote that he'll be beside Nash and one of Robinson and Grigorenko. If its Robinson, it'll be a big high paced forechecking line with some offensive punch. If its Grigorenko, its basically a slower paced offensive fourth line.

 

[DarkandStormy]

Welp, I guess 4RW is going to be very interesting.