I don't think that's necessarily the case. Toffoli's groin was in a pretty bad shape by the time we reached the final. I would consider going back to Toffoli - Suzuki - Caufield. Not a strong forechecking presence on that line, but it's well suited for a more cerebral, puck-possession style. All three are able to make plays in the neutral zone to gain the blueline cleanly. All can set up, as well as finish plays.
Perhaps I'm not familiar enough with Hoffman's transition game, but I'm not sure what's the identity of this line. Doesn't seem skilled enough to play a puck-possession game, nor is it a north-south line. I'd pair Kotkaniemi and Anderson to achieve directness and add Hoffman for goal scoring.
Agreed. Ideally, we would acquire someone better than Evans and bump him down.
Agreed. I'm pretty excited to see what Perreault and Armia can do together. Any one of Evans, Paquette and Poehling could center this line. I think the best fit stylistically and skill-wise is Poehling. Could turn out to be one of our best lines.
It's really hard to figure out where Drouin fits in the lineup after Hoffman was added.
