Line Combos: When McDavid comes back, what are the lines?

[Stoneman89]

If this was EA sports I would doubleshift McD.

DRY
Chiasson-McD-Haas
BSA
Khaira-McD-Cave
Granlund(designated PKer)

So, people were complaining earlier that Drai and McD were getting burnt out by playing too much, and now you're suggesting double shifting one of them? Yah, not EA Sports.

 

[Spawn]

I'm tempted to say he should play with Sheahan-Archibald. He's already used to sharing centre duties with Draisaitl. He and Sheahan can share them too.

 

[Stoneman89]

Call me crazy, but I wonder if they shove Khaira and Chiasson up with the Sacred One for a bit?

 

[Aerchon]

Call me crazy, but I wonder if they shove Khaira and Chiasson up with the Sacred One for a bit?

I like this idea.

Both have played better of late but are obviously not great. A goal or two would do wonders for their confidence.

 

[Messrules11]

Call me crazy, but I wonder if they shove Khaira and Chiasson up with the Sacred One for a bit?

What? Khaira is -21, has 9 points and you want him playing with McD? He has no ability to think ahead of the play. The only reason he’s been adequate on the pk is because the pk is taught, there’s an actual system in place and he doesn’t have to think for himself. Chaisson has been trash all year but you want to gift these guys minutes with the best player in the league? I said earlier that McD can’t come back from injury and be saddled with junk and these two guys are at the top of our junk pile.

 

[Stoneman89]

What? Khaira is -21, has 9 points and you want him playing with McD? He has no ability to think ahead of the play. The only reason he’s been adequate on the pk is because the pk is taught, there’s an actual system in place and he doesn’t have to think for himself. Chaisson has been trash all year but you want to gift these guys minutes with the best player in the league? I said earlier that McD can’t come back from injury and be saddled with junk and these two guys are at the top of our junk pile.

Hey, I never said forever, lol. But with the injuries we have, you are likely going to have both in the lineup until bodies start coming back. I'm not crazy about it either, but I hate to break up the Sheahan/Archie duo, and after that, there are not a lot of other options. At least with McDavid, you get them off a useless 4th line and possibly Connor can bounce a few off of them(he's proven he can do it already based on last year for Chiasson).

 

[guymez]

Call me crazy, but I wonder if they shove Khaira and Chiasson up with the Sacred One for a bit?

Replace Khaira with Haas. Its not ideal but should be okay until Kassian gets back.
At Haas can skate.

 

[Stoneman89]

Replace Khaira with Haas. Its not ideal but should be okay until Kassian gets back.
At Haas can skate.

That is another option for sure.

 

[Messrules11]

Hey, I never said forever, lol. But with the injuries we have, you are likely going to have both in the lineup until bodies start coming back. I'm not crazy about it either, but I hate to break up the Sheahan/Archie duo, and after that, there are not a lot of other options. At least with McDavid, you get them off a useless 4th line and possibly Connor can bounce a few off of them(he's proven he can do it already based on last year for Chiasson).

I realize there aren’t a lot of options but sticking those two with McD is terrible for McD and would legitimize every Leafs fan notion that we’re waisting McD. Nuge and Yamamoto look to be building something and we know what McDrai can do. If Nuge/Yamamoto can absorb another offensive threat say Neal or maybe Benson and Kass comes back to McDrai I like our chances a lot better than trying to bounce picks off Chaisson and Khaira. I know those guys won’t be back for a while but Khaira and Chaisson with McD would just make me sick.

 

[Captain Controversy]

McDavid + Haas + Kassian would be a neat trick

 

[Stoneman89]

I realize there aren’t a lot of options but sticking those two with McD is terrible for McD and would legitimize every Leafs fan notion that we’re waisting McD. Nuge and Yamamoto look to be building something and we know what McDrai can do. If Nuge/Yamamoto can absorb another offensive threat say Neal or maybe Benson and Kass comes back to McDrai I like our chances a lot better than trying to bounce picks off Chaisson and Khaira. I know those guys won’t be back for a while but Khaira and Chaisson with McD would just make me sick.

No way do you bust up or tinker with the present Drai line, not the way they're going now. We have little choice but to tinker with McDavid and options for him. If anyone in this league can carry a couple of slugs for a SHORT time, it would be him. Getting him back on the PP should generate lots of chances for him and provide points. Plus, it pulls the other teams best checkers off of Drai,or vice-versa.

 

[Messrules11]

No way do you bust up or tinker with the present Drai line, not the way they're going now. We have little choice but to tinker with McDavid and options for him. If anyone in this league can carry a couple of slugs for a SHORT time, it would be him. Getting him back on the PP should generate lots of chances for him and provide points. Plus, it pulls the other teams best checkers off of Drai,or vice-versa.

I see your point to a degree but we need 2 effective scoring lines. If Nuge and Yamamoto can still produce its win win, if not then I’d try another combination of the 4 until you’ve exhausted all options. Having said that you don’t give your captain and best player in the league junk for wingers, I don’t care how well your ‘2nd line’ is doing.

 

[Stoneman89]

I see your point to a degree but we need 2 effective scoring lines. If Nuge and Yamamoto can still produce its win win, if not then I’d try another combination of the 4 until you’ve exhausted all options. Having said that you don’t give your captain and best player in the league junk for wingers, I don’t care how well your ‘2nd line’ is doing.

I'm not sure what the options are though right now. If you keep the Drai line together, then that leaves this.

Gagner- love his compete, but small and not the fastest
Benson - pretty green right now to be playing big top line minutes
Haas - first year in the league, looks good at times, but again, how does he handle all those minutes?
Sheahan/Archie - I suppose you could yank Archie away, but these guys really play well together and give us the checking line we badly need
Russell/Cave - ah, no thanks.

Which leaves us with the aforementioned 2 players. Nothing is ideal, but really, we have such limited options for the next 3 games, nothing is going to look very good.

 

[Messrules11]

I'm not sure what the options are though right now. If you keep the Drai line together, then that leaves this.

Gagner- love his compete, but small and not the fastest
Benson - pretty green right now to be playing big top line minutes
Haas - first year in the league, looks good at times, but again, how does he handle all those minutes?
Sheahan/Archie - I suppose you could yank Archie away, but these guys really play well together and give us the checking line we badly need
Russell/Cave - ah, no thanks.

Which leaves us with the aforementioned 2 players. Nothing is ideal, but really, we have such limited options for the next 3 games, nothing is going to look very good.

It’s why I suggest breaking up the DRY line, we haven’t tried it yet, maybe Yam looks just as good with McD. Maybe Nuge rides shot gun with McD. If it doesn’t work out atleast it’s been tried. I wouldn’t break up Archie/Sheahan either, it’s been said by many that 2 man units are the most effective way to go about building lines, Gretzky/Kurri still come to mind.

 

[JordanGalhanth]

It’s why I suggest breaking up the DRY line, we haven’t tried it yet, maybe Yam looks just as good with McD. Maybe Nuge rides shot gun with McD. If it doesn’t work out atleast it’s been tried. I wouldn’t break up Archie/Sheahan either, it’s been said by many that 2 man units are the most effective way to go about building lines, Gretzky/Kurri still come to mind.

Honestly, I feel like the last 3-man line to take the NHL by storm would've been Ottawa's top line (Alfredsson, Spezza, Heatley) way back in 2005-06.