Line Combos: Fix our forward lines until Hopkins gets back

[thadd]

TSN saying that Hopkins might be out until November. Share your thoughts on what you would do about it.

I'm thinking that Hall should be moved to center.

Hemsky-Hall-Eberle -- Hall has played center before going pro, I don't think left wing playmaking duties will be a big deal for Hemsky. He gets to stick with Eberle, so some chemistry is there for sure.

If we do that we can keep the 2nd line as we had initially planned and it just gives a once thought to be 4th liner some extra minutes on the 3rd line RW for the next few months.

Anyone got any better ideas?

Click to read more...

 

[McPuritania]

Trade for Crosby, problem solved.

/thread.

 

[AlowlyMcOilersfan]

Hemsky-Hall-Yakupov
Perron-Gagner-Eberle


That second line isn't fast, but they can sure look pretty.

 

[nexttothemoon]

Eager-Acton-Abney
Hall-Arcobello-Brown
CHamilton-Ewanyk-Eberle
RHamilton-Gagner-Hemsky

Joensuu-Gordon


It's different. Opposing teams won't know what to think if it. Could be genius...

 

[AlowlyMcOilersfan]

Eager-Acton-Abney
Hall-Arcobello-Brown
CHamilton-Ewanyk-Eberle
RHamilton-Gagner-Hemsky

Joensuu-Gordon


It's different. Opposing teams won't know what to think if it. Could be genius...

Abney?

I mean, I can buy the rest of that line-up, but Abney...

 

[McGoMcD]

Hemsky-Hall-Yakupov
Perron-Gagner-Eberle


That second line isn't fast, but they can sure look pretty.

Don't see why not, maybe switch yaks and ebs though. would work better.

 

[guymez]

Hemsky-Hall-Yakupov
Perron-Gagner-Eberle


That second line isn't fast, but they can sure look pretty.

I like the idea of moving Hemsky up to the first line...he can play tough minutes. Yakupov on the other hand would get killed.

Switch Eberle and Yakupov and that might work just fine for a short while.

 

[molsonmuscle360]

Perron-Hall-Yakupov
Hemsky-Gagner-Eberle

 

[surshot*]

Without The Nuge

Eberle-Hall-Yakupov
Perron-Gagner-Hemsky
Smyth-Gordan-Jones
Joensuu-Lander-Brown
Eager-Acton

My thinking is Have Eberle bring his right shot to the left side with Yakupovs Left shot on the right side. Eberle likes to cheat to the left side anyways for a lot of his goals and on the pp anyways. All three players can change positions during a shift and maybe have some system that gets them to change to the conventential wing when on defense to insure a better breakout percentage When its safe to do so. I see Hall being the type of center thats just going to ram the puck up the middle or either wing then if there is no shot he well be looking to dish to a winger. Having two guys with wicked shots on their off wing would be ideal to dish to.

 

[guymez]

It surprises me how many people think Yakupov can play tough minutes on the top line. Apparently nobody noticed just how brutal Yakupov was in his own end.

Thats a disaster waiting to happen.

Not a chance Eakens does that.

 

[McDNicks17]

It surprises me how many people think Yakupov can play tough minutes on the top line. Apparently nobody noticed just how brutal Yakupov was in his own end.

Thats a disaster waiting to happen.

Not a chance Eakens does that.

Meh. He wasn't(and won't be) any worse than any of the other wingers in the top6.

 

[surshot*]

It surprises me how many people think Yakupov can play tough minutes on the top line. Apparently nobody noticed just how brutal Yakupov was in his own end.

Thats a disaster waiting to happen.

Not a chance Eakens does that.

Surprisingly enough he was brutal on the left side. Go figure once he was put on the right side he was far from brutal. I think it had something to do with playing a position he was not playing ever before. The coaching move was brutal to move him to the LW in his rookie season in the NHL. Don't ya think??? They basically set him up to look brutal.

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

It surprises me how many people think Yakupov can play tough minutes on the top line. Apparently nobody noticed just how brutal Yakupov was in his own end.

Thats a disaster waiting to happen.

Not a chance Eakens does that.

He did fine the last few games against top competition, although it is a small sample size.

 

[Mr Forever]

It surprises me how many people think Yakupov can play tough minutes on the top line. Apparently nobody noticed just how brutal Yakupov was in his own end.

Thats a disaster waiting to happen.

Not a chance Eakens does that.

He's gunna have to learn eventually.

 

[thadd]

It's my belief that Yak isn't ready for first line minutes. He needs to clean up his 2-way play before he gets that much ice time.

I also don't see Eberle getting moved to the left wing. I think you'd be crazy to break up Hall or Eberle and you've already got Hall getting used to playing center... I don't see the point in putting Eberle through that same experience.

Hemsky is a player who's coming out of his prime and fully developed. I'd rather Eberle not get shifted around if we don't have to while he's still developing. One could agrue that Hall is better as a winger but I can't see Eberle being nearly as effective at center as Hall and our team needs to make a serious attempt at making the playoffs this year.

 

[thadd]

He's gunna have to learn eventually.

Not in his second season playing first line minutes on a team hoping to make the playoffs.

 

[Mr Forever]

Hall-Belov-Yakupov
Perron-Gagner-LaBarbera
Moroz-Roy-Hemsky
Musil-Gordon-Lander
Brown

 

[6 God]

I say let Hall play the wing. Let him flourish where he's best and then make Team Canada.

The experience of making that team will ultimately be invaluable to him as a young player.

 

[Nash]

I honestly think that MacT is taking pressure away from an early return from RNH. All signs point to him being closer to a return than not. I'd still like to see them take more than necessary time to bring him back. I'd like to see him fully healed. He is one of my favorite young players in the league.

If you haven't seen me post this before, he had 22 points in 25 games, when the Oilers had a capable third line centre playing. That is phenomenal for a guy who was playing injured last year. I still maintain that RNH has a future 90+ point season in his future.

 

[nexttothemoon]

Abney?

I mean, I can buy the rest of that line-up, but Abney...

I went alphabetically by positions. Who knows... Abney could be ready for breakout. I think some of Krueger's combos last season had just as much reasoning behind them so I may be onto something.

 

[Spawn]

Perron-Hall-Hemsky - Tougher minutes
Eberle-Gagner-Yakupov - Softer mintes

Although to be honest I think that A) we are more likely to see Yakupov switched back to the left side than any of our other left wingers (simply because of the way he shoots, and even though he is clearly more effective both offensively and defensively on the right) and B) We are more likely to see Gordon spot top 6 duties than Hall moving to center.

We will see, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Eakins decide he would rather go with a veteran actual center for the 2nd line than trying Hall there.

 

[surshot*]

Could give arco a shot in the top six until Nuge is ready.

 

[surshot*]

Or Lander to see if he can hang with the boys.

 

[skorf]

Hall/Gagner/Yakupov
-(I think that will be a line once Nuge is back... let them play together now and keep Hall on the wing where he's most comfortable)

Perron/Gordon/Hemsky
-(another line that I could see sticking together, they get big minutes as our "shutdown" line)

Hamilton/Arcobello/Eberle
-(I think once Nuge gets back, that a line will be Hamilton/Nuge/Eberle, Eakins loves Hamilton and he'll be given every chance to succeed... so until Nuge is back, I think they just slot Arcobello into his spot and have this be the 3rd line instead of the 1st or 2nd)

Joensuu/Lander/Jones
-again our 4th line once the year starts

I think once Nuge is healthy, our lines will be
Hall/Gagner/Yak
Hamilton/Nuge/Eberle
Perron/Gordon/Hemsky
Joensuu/Lander/Jones
-so they just have Arcobello fill in until Nuge is healthy, we get a chance to evaluate him as a potential player in the future, and our other 3 lines can start to build some chemistry together.

 

[McDNicks17]

Ryan Hamilton playing with RNH and Eberle?

Is Eakins taking a page out of Pat Quinn's playbook? haha