All Purpose Trade / Roster Building Thread VI - We have goalies, but can they stay healthy?

[Svechhammer]

Oh, that's a good point. Should we bring him directly here so that he can learn Carolina speak? Carolina speak and Chicago speak are barely mutually intelligible.

Chicagoans think Chelsea Dagger is an actual good song.

Nobody should be subject to that

 

[To Be Determined]

Oh, that's a good point. Should we bring him directly here so that he can learn Carolina speak? Carolina speak and Chicago speak are barely mutually intelligible.

15 or so years ago i had a boss who had moved to clayton from chicago. there were a couple guys in the group that he legit couldn't understand without asking them to repeat themselves for the first few months.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

We moved from DC to NC when I was 11, and just before we moved down we took a drive around to learn the area. We got a little lost between Wendell and Zebulon, and my Dad stopped at a gas station to ask a highway patrolman for directions. He literally did not understand the answer, at all, and as we drove away my Mom said "I think he said something about... a lizard?"

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

Can you get good Swedish meatballs anywhere in Raleigh?

 

[Chrispy]

If we get Kotkaniemi, I think we should try this to see how it clicks:

Aho, Kotkaniemi, Turbo
Svech, Tro, Nachos
Nino, Staal, Fast
Marty, Stephan, Lorentz

I would give this a go to see how he can play center between to guys that click together. Given him the best chance to succeed. I'd do this the entire preseason and the first several games of the regular to see if it can work. We know the other guys can play well together, so if it needs to change pretty early, so be it. But give it a chance to help our top six and help his growth in the role we want him to play. Putting him as a wing on Staal's line or the fourth line is safe, but also doesn't give him the tools to grow.

I have no expectation that this will happen.

I've been thinking about this, and I think I'd prefer to swap Trocheck and Kotkaniemi in this lineup. Gives the top line a better defensive style, gives a lefty and righty to take faceoffs on the top 2 lines, and gives Kotkaniemi better matchups with a pair of great young wings.

 

[To Be Determined]

We moved from DC to NC when I was 11, and just before we moved down we took a drive around to learn the area. We got a little lost between Wendell and Zebulon, and my Dad stopped at a gas station to ask a highway patrolman for directions. He literally did not understand the answer, at all, and as we drove away my Mom said "I think he said something about... a lizard?"

your first experience with Lizard Lick!

 

[Svechhammer]

I've been thinking about this, and I think I'd prefer to swap Trocheck and Kotkaniemi in this lineup. Gives the top line a better defensive style, gives a lefty and righty to take faceoffs on the top line, and gives Kotkaniemi better matchups with a pair of great young wings.

Yeah I agree with this. I wouldn't trust KK on the first line until he proves himself. I even hesitate to put him on the 2nd line, but that's probably where he needs to be.

One interesting nugget about this idea is that it puts 4 players who can effectively play center or wing on the first 2 lines in Aho, Trocheck, Necas, and KK. That gives us a ton of ability to play a bit of positionless hockey to make things really difficult on the opposition.

 

[Chrispy]

Yeah I agree with this. I wouldn't trust KK on the first line until he proves himself. I even hesitate to put him on the 2nd line, but that's probably where he needs to be.

One interesting nugget about this idea is that it puts 4 players who can effectively play center or wing on the first 2 lines in Aho, Trocheck, Necas, and KK. That gives us a ton of ability to play a bit of positionless hockey to make things really difficult on the opposition.

You can consider it the 2nd line but Staal will be taking the toughest matchups and I assume they consider the 4th line with Stepan improved from last year.

The “2nd” line I describe gets the most favorable matchups on the team. Hard to find a better opportunity for Kotkaniemi to succeed.

 

[MinJaBen]

I've been thinking about this, and I think I'd prefer to swap Trocheck and Kotkaniemi in this lineup. Gives the top line a better defensive style, gives a lefty and righty to take faceoffs on the top 2 lines, and gives Kotkaniemi better matchups with a pair of great young wings.

That certainly is an option as well. That said, the second line you've constructed is going to be substantially weaker defensively. As I understand KK's strengths and weaknesses, he is a pretty good defensive centerman right now considering his age, it is his offense that is not developing at what you would hope for 3rd overall pick. Putting him between Aho and TT who have great offensive chemistry and are also good defensively would allow him to work on the offensive side of his game and not be the linchpin of the defensive responsibilities of that line as both Aho and TT will make the right decisions for themselves most of the time. If KK is with Svech and Nachos, that is less sure to me. Both Svech and Nachos are good defensively for their age, but playing with them would mean KK would have to be more focused on his defensive game because they just aren't as sure things as Aho and TT. I like Tro between Svech and Necas more for that reason, plus they have more experience playing together from last year. Other than the PP, I don't think Tro and Aho have much time together at this point. Given the total of the changes we've made from last year to this year, I'd try to keep some things as steady as possible.

 

[spockBokk]

Svechnikov-Aho-Necas
Kotkaniemi-Trocheck-Teravainen
Niederreiter-Staal-Fast
Martinook-Stepan-Lorentz

That’s how I’d line them up if Habs don’t match.

 

[Highway29]

Svechnikov-Aho-Necas
Kotkaniemi-Trocheck-Teravainen
Niederreiter-Staal-Fast
Martinook-Stepan-Lorentz

That’s how I’d line them up if Habs don’t match.

I agree with this one. My first choice too.

 

[raynman]

Svechnikov-Aho-Necas
Kotkaniemi-Trocheck-Teravainen
Niederreiter-Staal-Fast
Martinook-Stepan-Lorentz

That’s how I’d line them up if Habs don’t match.

I would like this very much.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Svechnikov-Aho-Necas
Kotkaniemi-Trocheck-Teravainen
Niederreiter-Staal-Fast
Martinook-Stepan-Lorentz

That’s how I’d line them up if Habs don’t match.

4th line aside (I know doesn't matter too much but....), I'm on board (Stepan appears to be washed up). I'd like to see Drury or another young guy on that that line this year.

 

[MinJaBen]

Svechnikov-Aho-Necas
Kotkaniemi-Trocheck-Teravainen
Niederreiter-Staal-Fast
Martinook-Stepan-Lorentz

That’s how I’d line them up if Habs don’t match.

The first line looks nice, but Rod has never played Aho with both Svech and Necas at the same time. I can't see him starting that suddenly.

 

[AD Skinner]

I seem to remember, though I could easily be tripping, teravainen having some chemistry with trocheck when he first came back from injury. Of course teravainen may just have chemistry with everyone