Is there any reason that we can't break up 63 - 37? As much as they have been playing together for years, when your team is having trouble scoring you need to mix and match. This has been one of the criticisms of Claude for a while now.
And it's probably a fair one. Though I think we, as fans, only consider a tiny piece of the whole puzzle when we think about lines. For example, how does that change affect your PK combos? What about the PP? What about the last 3 minutes of a game? What about how you use lines? What about how other teams match up against you? Are there players you want to keep away from certain matchups?
Fwiw, I've been suggesting this for awhile...
63-46-42
51-37-88
39-27-72
59-28-20
I think spooner can replicate the playmaking and chemistry Marchand has with Pasta. It gives Krejci a dynamic offensive player who likes to shoot plus the heavy wing he likes to play with. Czarnik is suspect in the 3C hole but he has chemistry with Vatrano so maybe that line could work. I wish Beleskey could play center. I think if he just played a rugged, high energy defensive game between this two he'd help the D get it out and then 27 & 72 could do their thing.
But maybe they look at that and think it won't work. We'd be putting Spooner out against top lines. Or the bench would be chaotic coming out a PK because players from all 4 lines were used...
Here's a lineup they haven't tried, that I'd really like to see...
Marchand - Bergeron - Pasta
Beleskey - Krejci - Cehlarik
Spooner - Backes - Vatrano
Schaller - Moore - Nash
I know Sweeney/Langenbrunner feel Cehlarik isn't playing fast enough for the call up, but Krejci doesn't play fast either. Marchand/Pasta, Spooner/Czarnik/Vatrano all play fast, but Krejci is still looking for someone to cycle with (in the same way that Chara is looking for someone to go D2D with). Cehlarik has 8pts in his last 5 games. 4 goals, 4 assists +6. He's bigger, stronger and better defensively than Heinen and Czarnik and they've both been given multiple looks. Enough already. Kid could be a low rent Loui Eriksson and that might be what Krejci (and Beleskey) need right now.
Backes needs to rediscover his game. The best place for him to do that is at his natural center position. He'll need to figure out the Bruins system, sure.. but Julien should not baby/ insulate him any longer. He should be trusted to anchor a line on his own.
The season obviously will live or die based on his ability to find his game. Might as well make that as evident as possible. Challenge him and make it clear that he needs to do it.
Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak
Beleskey-Krejci-Vatrano
Moore-Backes-Hayes/Czarnik
Schaller-Spooner-Nash
Has there been a recent Bruins team where it was so hard to put together lines.
Centers playing wing. Wingers playing center. Lefties playing the right.
An elite No.1 line and a mish-mashed pile of question marks.
But if your going to put Backes at C, give him someone to play with. I'd keep him with Vatrano. Backes is a good playmaker and can find Vatrano in those soft spots.
And Ryan Spooner shouldn't see one more game at center in a Bruin uniform. Total defensive liability.
Vatrano is a defensive liability. Putting him with Backes while he's in this funk isn't a great idea in my opinion.
I would give Backes the defensive assignments. Make him responsible for being responsible and maybe hopefully the rest of his game will follow suit.
Moore gives him some veteran help if he doesn't remember how to take faceoffs or play center. Czarnik can provide speed or Hayes provides...ya.
As for Spooner, I tend to agree. But until he's traded, gotta put him where he might just might be able to be useful. Limited mins vs other team's 4th line and power play. That's how I'd use him.
Backes really pisses me off right now. Supposed to be this "leader", hard nosed physical player that goes to the dirty areas? I see none of that. I see a liability all over the ice who can't keep up and doesn't bring anything positive to the team. He talks a good game. Need to put his money, all 6 million worth, where his mouth is.
Your more down on Backes than I am, although his last 10 games haven't really been good outside of that one game against Pittsburgh.
Keep Vatrano with Backes, and give them Nash for the defensive role your proposing for Moore. Czarnik is just as big a liability defensively as Vatrano is, maybe even moreso.
I want all 4 centers to be strong defensively, this team can't afford any liabilities in the middle, not with the way the D is constructed. So Moore to the 4th in the middle.
I like Belesky with Krejci. I just don't know who to put on the other side. Spooner....Czarnik...Schaller......Hayes?
Marchand - Bergeron - Pastrnak
Belesky - Krejci - XXXX
Vatrano - Backes - Nash
XXXX - Moore - XXXX
I could live with that.
The main thing to me is trying to focus on the supposed strength of the roster, as it was (supposedly) meant to be.. Strength down the middle. Bergeron, Krejci, Backes, Moore.
I notice Spooner isn't on your roster at all. Hopefully moving him could fill in that spot on Krejci's right, which has been a black hole recently.
I would love to see the Bruins bring someone up from Providence to try out in those roles. Blidh did well in my opinion. Why can't other guys get a try? Surely they couldn't be any worse.
Agree totally.
Spooner would be somewhere. The RW spot alongside Krejci like you said is the most likely. I'm hesistant putting guys on their off-wing, they did it with Vatrano a couple weeks ago and you could see he really struggled on break-outs along the wall. But it could work. Spooner did see a bit of time late last season on the RW of 63 and 37.
I'm with you on giving a P-Bruin a try. We've seen Kuraly, Blidh, and Heinen. I'd like to give one of Debrusk or Cehlarik a cup of coffee like they did with Gryz a couple months back. It's worth a try, considering right now forwards 7 through 13 have generated all of 2 goals the past 10 games.
I think you`ll be seeing a few of the kids come up from Providence in the weeks coming as I`m expecting this team to be out of it enough to do so, I`m not nor have I been on board with calling up any of the prospects as I don`t think they could have or would have made a lick of difference, just too many holes to plug for one guy to have an impact
Agree, I more or less want to see some of these guys just to get a better feel for what they can bring next season, and if they are realistic options to graduate to Boston next October.
I'd say we'll a few guys up and down over the next 6-8 weeks as the Bruins fall out of the race, and perhaps you'll see a couple bodies sold for mid-draft picks.
it will be interesting to see how Cassidy handles the personnel, wonder if he knocks on DS`s door and asks for a few kids to come up now?
My opinion, removing CJ is essentially throwing the towel in on the season, might as well sell and start giving some kids a look
You would think so. That's the logical conclusion.
But my guess is they are delusional enough to think they are still in it and will go shopping for rental help at the deadline.