That 4th line is just freaking gross, Sunqvist didn't show nearly enough to be penciled in for much of anything other then AHL depth. Any lineup with him in it but Thomas or Fabbri not is a bad lineup.
If the league let us run 5 lines next year, Sunny wouldn't be in my top 15. Just, no.
Sundqvist is admittedly an offensive blackhole; but he's big, physical and decent on the PK.
JMO but I think that gives him an edge on a lot of the guys being penciled in by some people.
And frankly; I don't want Thomas to be anywhere near a 4th line role. He doesn't have the body for it. If Thomas isn't playing in the top 9, send him back to Jrs so he can bulk up for another year(it didn't hurt Petro any).
Same thing for Kyrou and to a lesser extent Fabbri( I can see using Fabbri and Maroon as a 2nd line/4th line platoon; but Fabbri needs to be sheltered from defensive situations). IF you aren't going to use them as scorers; send them to the minors to continue getting their bodies NHL ready.
An NHL 4th line has a role to play. They have to be able to get the top 9 adequate rest, and that means at minimum they have to be defensively sound enough to log solid minutes(and ideally capable of doing time on a PK unit). Throwing untested rookies, fringe "skill" guys and recovering top 9 players onto one unit in the hopes that they provide some offense isn't the makeup of a good 4th line. That kind of line will be a massive defensive liability and won't be trusted nearly enough to get the top 9 off the ice. Unless you're OK with 5 or 6 forwards averaging 20+ minutes a night(which I am absolutely not in favor of), you need the 4th line to be capable logging some time( at least 10-13 minutes on a regular basis).
Of the actual candidates for the 4th line C spot; Sundqvist is leading the pack IMO.
Thomas is far too untested and doesn't play anything remotely resembling a grinders style of game.
Barbashev isn't good defensively and his drive is in question.
Nolan is every bit as much an offensive blackhole, and he is terrible at FO's.
I'm not convinced either of Stevens or Musil is NHL ready.
Sundqvist is admittedly terrible on offense: but I don't question his drive, defensive play or ability to be a PK specialist. I would certainly prefer a better option(maybe Sanford makes the switch to C and can handle the spot); but right now I think he's the most trustworthy player for the spot.