Sky04
Registered User
- Jan 8, 2009
- 28,955
- 17,896
I don't think any of those opinions were terribly unique. Hell, some of them (Miller moved up, Gourde put with Point) were damn close to obvious to everyone but Coop.
I know why Coop did it, I think. Sometimes lines take awhile to gel, and he was giving them enough time to see if they could. They couldn't, and he (correctly) switched them up to some combinations with more proven chemistry. One thing I think Coop is trying to do though - and I notice it more with how Stralman is moved around - I think he's trying to get everyone used to playing with a variety of players, so they have *some* familiarity in case of an injury in the playoffs. You know you can put Kucherov anywhere and he'll score. Point can play with pretty much anyone too. But beyond that, getting the entire roster familiar with each other may save some growing pains in the postseason.
Just to note with Point and Gourde, they weren't split because they were playing bad, they were seperated because Stamkos and Kucherov were awful together. They should've gone back to it when Gourde went into a rut and Kucherov/Stamkos were back on their games. As good as Point/Kucherov are, Johnson-Point-Gourde were absolutely dominant last playoffs and the start of the season. Palat got way too long of a leash, stapled next to Stamkos and 1st unit PP time reminds me of last season when Killorn was on the first unit and went 40+ games without a PP point.
Johnson-Point-Gourde
Miller-Stamkos-Kucherov
is probably the best top-6 combination we get if they're on their games.