Line Combos: Avs 2021 Lines

[Richard88]

Landeskog-Mackinnon-Rantanen
Saad-Kadri-Burakovsky
Nichushkin -Jost-Donskoi
O'Connor- Bellmare- Calvert

These are the ideal lines. They are clicking.

I never want to see Compher again. Use him to aquire a good #2 goalie.

Bednar got asked (by Evan I think?) if Compher was going to go straight back in when he's back. In his response Bednar basically hinted at the fact that Compher may need to wait a game or two before making the lineup again if guys in the lineup are playing well.

 

[Perratrooper]

With lines getting interesting and rookies getting called up I thought I’d bump this. Now that Ranta is up I could see:

9296
Bura-Kadri-Saad
Newhook-Jost-Nuke
Ranta-Compher-Donskoi

 

[Richard88]

With lines getting interesting and rookies getting called up I thought I’d bump this. Now that Ranta is up I could see:

9296
Bura-Kadri-Saad
Newhook-Jost-Nuke
Ranta-Compher-Donskoi

Bednar will want that 4th line to be filled with defensive players. The past month or two he preferred playing guys like Sherwood and O'Brien on the 4th line rather than skilled guys like Kaut, so I highly doubt he'd want to throw Ranta into that sort of a role.

 

[Perratrooper]

Bednar will want that 4th line to be filled with defensive players. The past month or two he preferred playing guys like Sherwood and O'Brien on the 4th line rather than skilled guys like Kaut, so I highly doubt he'd want to throw Ranta into that sort of a role.

Ranta brings that high energy crashing style he seems to like, which Kaut does not. That’s the difference in my opinion.

 

[Pokecheque]

Bednar will want that 4th line to be filled with defensive players. The past month or two he preferred playing guys like Sherwood and O'Brien on the 4th line rather than skilled guys like Kaut, so I highly doubt he'd want to throw Ranta into that sort of a role.

Um, on what planet are Sherwood and O'Brien considered "defensive" players? Sherwood is far and away the worst defensive player the Avs have had on their roster this year. It's not even close.

Yes, I'm sure Bednar wants defensive players but he also wants effective forecheckers and, well, players who don't suck. That 4th line at the moment is the epitome of mediocrity. They don't do anything particularly well, and the lack of actual play-drivers and/or high-energy guys is readily apparent. Ranta is precisely what they need, a big, fast guy with skill, but more importantly a guy with a real motor on him who'll get in there and really shake things up on the forecheck. Might even create some scoring chances, which hasn't happened AT ALL with Soderberg shuffling around doing nothing of note.

 

[JH21]

Um, on what planet are Sherwood and O'Brien considered "defensive" players? Sherwood is far and away the worst defensive player the Avs have had on their roster this year. It's not even close.

Yes, I'm sure Bednar wants defensive players but he also wants effective forecheckers and, well, players who don't suck. That 4th line at the moment is the epitome of mediocrity. They don't do anything particularly well, and the lack of actual play-drivers and/or high-energy guys is readily apparent. Ranta is precisely what they need, a big, fast guy with skill, but more importantly a guy with a real motor on him who'll get in there and really shake things up on the forecheck. Might even create some scoring chances, which hasn't happened AT ALL with Soderberg shuffling around doing nothing of note.

Am I missing something or do all the other playoff teams have 4th lines which aren't mediocre?

 

[sethro109]

I fully healthy team would be borderline unstoppable.

Landy - Mack - Rants
Saad - Kadri - Bura
Jost/Newhook - Jost/Newhook - Nuke
LoC - Calvert - Dong

Calvert played some C for the Jackets right?

Toews - Makar
G - EJ
Bo - Timmins/Graves

Gru
Franky

That team would have no weaknesses and be hell to get the puck from. Why can't we have nice things like that?

 

[shadow1]

Just guessing, but assuming Girard and Saad come back as expected, I could see the Game 1 line-up (vs Blues OR Wild) being...

Landeskog - MacKinnon - Rantanen
Saad - Jost - Donskoi
Kadri - Newhook - Burakovsky
Nichushkin - Bellemare - Compher
(Soderberg)

Soderberg hasn't made enough of an impact to justify playing over Newhook. And though I don't want to Bednar to break up the Nichushkin-Jost-Donskoi line, the alternative is Kadri, Newhook, or Saad on Line 4.

Toews - Girard
Graves - Makar
Nemeth - Timmins
(MacDonald)

I'd rather have MacDonald in the line-up over Timmins. But looking at the numbers, MacDonald has played 12 minutes or less in 6 of his last 10 games (including under-10 minutes twice). By comparison, Bednar's comfort with Timmins has grown exponentially, and he's been playing 16-18 minutes per night since the end of April.

I suspect whoever gets that 6th spot won't play a ton anyway; expecting 28+ mins per night for the big three, and heavy PK usage for Graves/Nemeth.

 

[Richard88]

Um, on what planet are Sherwood and O'Brien considered "defensive" players? Sherwood is far and away the worst defensive player the Avs have had on their roster this year. It's not even close.

Yes, I'm sure Bednar wants defensive players but he also wants effective forecheckers and, well, players who don't suck. That 4th line at the moment is the epitome of mediocrity. They don't do anything particularly well, and the lack of actual play-drivers and/or high-energy guys is readily apparent. Ranta is precisely what they need, a big, fast guy with skill, but more importantly a guy with a real motor on him who'll get in there and really shake things up on the forecheck. Might even create some scoring chances, which hasn't happened AT ALL with Soderberg shuffling around doing nothing of note.

As shown in the stats below, Sherwood is far and away the best possession player in the league...

Seriously though, I get your point. By "defensive" I meant guys who have energy and play a responsible game. Ranta could theoretically be a good fit on the 4th line due to his energy but he's not the highest IQ player. It would be fun to see him get a chance to see what we have in him before the playoffs.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Sherwood is good defensively, really physical and clearly has some decent offensive polish for a fourth liner as shown by his 10 goals and 16 points in 10 AHL games. I have zero issues with him being a fourth kine option on this team.

 

[Perratrooper]

I think our reliance on vets on the fourth line has lead to it becoming ineffective. That line needs a buzz saw and with Compher losing a step this year PEB and Yeti definitely don’t bring that. I could see at least one of them getting scratched in favor of a player who brings a more tenacious forecheck. We’ve seen them try a few different options in LOB, Sherwood and a cluster of other one shot guys. Ultimately it was exactly what LOC and Calvert brought. I think it’s now Ranta’s opportunity to take his shot at it.

Ranta-Compher-Donskoi is a decent 4th line, but I’m not sure if they provide enough defensively.

 

[Richard88]

I think our reliance on vets on the fourth line has lead to it becoming ineffective. That line needs a buzz saw and with Compher losing a step this year PEB and Yeti definitely don’t bring that. I could see at least one of them getting scratched in favor of a player who brings a more tenacious forecheck. We’ve seen them try a few different options in LOB, Sherwood and a cluster of other one shot guys. Ultimately it was exactly what LOC and Calvert brought. I think it’s now Ranta’s opportunity to take his shot at it.

Ranta-Compher-Donskoi is a decent 4th line, but I’m not sure if they provide enough defensively.

Any line with Compher at C is anything but "decent".

 

[Perratrooper]

Any line with Compher at C is anything but "decent".

While I tend to agree, I also believe he’s played better than PEB and Yeti in recent weeks.

 

[Richard88]

While I tend to agree, I also believe he’s played better than PEB and Yeti in recent weeks.

Yes, he has played better, but that's because he's been on the wing. Don't need to repeat the same mistake when we already know how it will turn out.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

So Newhook’s not going anywhere. Where does he fit in if everyone’s healthy? Does he take Donskoi’s spot? Do they use him as a skill guy on the fourth line?

 

[Hasbro]

So Newhook’s not going anywhere. Where does he fit in if everyone’s healthy? Does he take Donskoi’s spot? Do they use him as a skill guy on the fourth line?

I don’t care for it long term, but move Kadri to 3C.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

So Newhook’s not going anywhere. Where does he fit in if everyone’s healthy? Does he take Donskoi’s spot? Do they use him as a skill guy on the fourth line?

Landy - MacK - Rants
Kadri - Hook - Burakovsky
Nuke - Jost - Saad
Compher - Bellemare - Donskoi

 

[Richard88]

I don’t care for it long term, but move Kadri to 3C.

Jost as 4C and Newhook as 3C? Jost doesn't deserve a demotion but if he's not producing offensively him and Bellemare are a bit redundant.

Landeskog --- Mackinnon --- Rantanen
Burakovsky ----- Kadri ------- Saad
Nichuskin ----- Newhook ---- Donskoi
Soderberg -------- Jost ------- Compher
(Bellemare, Calvert, O'Connor)

Or just swap Bellemare and Soderberg to have those PK faceoffs.

 

[Perratrooper]

Jost as 4C and Newhook as 3C? Jost doesn't deserve a demotion but if he's not producing offensively him and Bellemare are a bit redundant.

Landeskog --- Mackinnon --- Rantanen
Burakovsky ----- Kadri ------- Saad
Nichuskin ----- Newhook ---- Donskoi
Soderberg -------- Jost ------- Compher
(Bellemare, Calvert, O'Connor)

Or just swap Bellemare and Soderberg to have those PK faceoffs.

Might be the way to go minus Yeti. I think Jost would be an extremely strong 4C for us and Newhook appears to provide a bit more offensive punch.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Would the Avs have promoted Newhook if the 2nd line (ie Kadri) wasn't struggling so much?

Its kind of amusing to see so many lines that demoted Newhook to the third line when Kadri's recent scoring is connected to playing on a line with Newhook.

 

[Hasbro]

Jost as 4C and Newhook as 3C? Jost doesn't deserve a demotion but if he's not producing offensively him and Bellemare are a bit redundant.

Landeskog --- Mackinnon --- Rantanen
Burakovsky ----- Kadri ------- Saad
Nichuskin ----- Newhook ---- Donskoi
Soderberg -------- Jost ------- Compher
(Bellemare, Calvert, O'Connor)

Or just swap Bellemare and Soderberg to have those PK faceoffs.

And it’s the playoffs. Rentals typically reduce minutes of regulars.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Would the Avs have promoted Newhook if the 2nd line (ie Kadri) wasn't struggling so much?

Its kind of amusing to see so many lines that demoted Newhook to the third line when Kadri's recent scoring is connected to playing on a line with Newhook.

I dunno but Newhook has made the most of this opportunity. He’s earned a spot as a permanent Av going forward.

 

[Perratrooper]

I dunno but Newhook has made the most of this opportunity. He’s earned a spot as a permanent Av going forward.

Yeah my thoughts too, obviously playoffs is a different beast, but that VGK game is about as close as a regular season game gets to playoff tempo and Newhook held his own and had points on both goals. Obviously if he starts to get abused in playoffs he might be taken out, but as of now he seems to be a lock.

I wonder if we see something like:
9296
Bura-Kadri-Donskoi
Newy-Jost-Nuke
Saad-PEB-Compher

when Saad first comes back. Provides a prettt damn good 4th line that pretty much can do it all.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Yeah my thoughts too, obviously playoffs is a different beast, but that VGK game is about as close as a regular season game gets to playoff tempo and Newhook held his own and had points on both goals. Obviously if he starts to get abused in playoffs he might be taken out, but as of now he seems to be a lock.

I wonder if we see something like:
9296
Bura-Kadri-Donskoi
Newy-Jost-Nuke
Saad-PEB-Compher

when Saad first comes back. Provides a prettt damn good 4th line that pretty much can do it all.

Oh yeah perhaps he’s taken out of the lineup and scratched when fully healthy. I’m just saying his days in the AHL are officially over.

 

[JH21]

Saad and Mack are back for game 1. That means Calvert is the only regular out and he probably won't be back at all.

Landeskog- Mackinnon- Rantanen
Saad- Jost- Burakovsky
Nichushkin- Kadri- Donskoi
Newhook- Bellmare- Compher
Soderberg