Is Hintz really the #1C?? How good is he?
Same question goes for Vehviläinen
Let's put it like this: If Hintz is healthy and has some games on his belt by the Boxing Day, he will most likely be one of our top-3 centermen. The other two will be Nättinen and Saarela. But given the depth, the line numberings are pretty much irrelevant.
I placed Hintz in a position where I feel a fully healthy Hintz looks most natural. But that's just my touch on it. The reality of our top-9 is more like this:
You have three good centres.
Hintz
Nättinen
Saarela
And you have six very good wingers.
Rantanen
Kapanen
Laine
Puljujärvi
Aho
Repo
Granted that the entire top-9 is healthy and available, you can take
any centre and
any two wingers and put them in a line together and that's an excellent unit (at least on paper) and would be the #1 line on almost any given year. Except this time 'round, we have three of them. Should really tell you all you need about the quality of offence this year.
That being said, it's up to Jalonen to find the best chemistry packages out of that nine, and even then, there are a handful of darkhorses like Lammikko and Tammela looking on in to grab a spot.
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What comes to goalies, Kähkönen and Vehviläinen are both solid and as far their numbers from the ongoing season show, both very, very even. It might be impossible to say before the games which one of them will break out as the go-to-guy. I expect Kähkönen to get the initial nod because of his seniority, but if one of 'em falters and another looks solid, it shouldn't be too difficult to turn the tables.
Some folks seem to have a hard-on on Vehviläinen after a rather solid U18 WC performance last spring, but said singular performance should really not be the divisive factor here. Even if it should have been enough for some organization to take a late-round flyer on him in the draft, especially given the status of some of the other netminding prospects who heard their names called. Someone will now end up paying the price with a higher-round pick next summer.
But as far as these games are concerned, we have two who are even and will just have to wait and see to determine which one pulls ahead. I personally consider Kähkönen the designated starter as of right now, but that is a very loose designation.