Line Combos: Can Rantanen or Landeskog really play center?

[Steerpike]

After Kadri got hurt, there was a lot of speculation on how to run our second line. Lehk Rants Bura? Landy Rants Bura? But really, there's only one game (game 4 of the WCF) in which Rantanen's main linemate wasn't JT Compher. Like it or not ... JT Compher was our #2C when Kadri was out.

I'm a big Rantanen fan, and so hope that if he spent the offseason and season preparing for that role he could be good in it, but I'm a bit skeptical. Rantanen is just so good in deep and along the wall.

While Landeskog is great on draws... that doesn't make him a center.

When I played I was a stone handed defensive D so I still have a pretty vague understanding of the defensive offensive breakout trap forecheck responsibilities of a center vs a winger. But Rantenen and Landeskog just read as natural wingers.

Click to read more...

 

[LOFIN]

Yes

 

[John Mandalorian]

Nevermind law school and the bar exam! As far as I'm concerned, if someone pays you to be a lawyer, you're a lawyer!

(paraphrasing Arthur Spooner)

 

[Bonzai12]

sure

 

[ANewHope]

I’ve never understood why they never gave Rants a legitimate shot as a C. Can he? Probably not but giving him a full off-season/training camp/legitimate 20-30 game shot where you let him struggle with it would be worth it. He won’t be so bad that you miss the playoffs or anything and if he figures it out? Would be massive. It’s not like MacKinnon early on didn’t need Landeskog insulting him at C.

Run a line with Rants at C and pair him with Nuke/Newhook assuming no moves are made for a top 6 winger. Stick Lehky with the top line and your top 6 is potentially solved for a few years if it works out.

Didn’t Rantanen play C in the AHL for abit? While he hasn’t looked great at the NHL level doing it it’s looked far from impossible.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

No. I get a kick out of some of the lineups penciling them in as 2Cs for next year.


They're both wingers. Sure they can jump in and take a faceoff, and in Mikko's case he can play center for a game or two if they really need him too.


But they're both wingers who play most effectively from the Wing. No sense trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

 

[Balthazar]

Bednar prefers JTC at 2C than either of them so no.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I think it's the third option. Joe will try to fix the 2C either via trade or FA. Failing that, Bednar will probably go with JTC to start the season and when he struggles and becomes a problem, he'll have to move pieces around until Joe can swing a trade mid-season or at the deadline. I would hope Kadri is included in the first option and a high priority if a mutually beneficial contract can be structured. But I would blame Nazem for chasing the huge payday he could get either. He's deserved this opportunity and quite frankly set himself up just about as good as a player possibly could for entering UFA.

 

[Gruyeriev]

Not really. Mikko in a pinch for a few games is okay but not much more than that.

 

[LOFIN]

Not really. Mikko in a pinch for a few games is okay but not much more than that.

I think it would be a good idea to give him an extended look at that position. But I doubt that would happen because Bednar always seems to eventually just put JTC there rather than go with Mikko. So if we are not re-signing Kadri or getting anyone to replace him, I've got a bad feeling JTC is our new #2C...

 

[shadow1]

Rantanen played a decent chunk there in the regular season with strong results:

Record	GP	G	A	P	+/-	FO	FO%
13-1-2	16	8	15	23	+15	187	50.8%

Obviously I hope Colorado finds a 2C this summer. But if they can't find anyone good, it's better to use a Mikko/JTC/Landeskog/Newhook hybrid until someone becomes available later in the season.

Beats the heck out of overpaying for some random schmo to be the 2C.

 

[flyfysher]

Nevermind law school and the bar exam! As far as I'm concerned, if someone pays you to be a lawyer, you're a lawyer!

(paraphrasing Arthur Spooner)

Malpractice suit incoming!

 

[Puckstop40]

Landeskog is good on the dot. Over 50% win percentage since he started taking them regularly. Strong two way game to boot.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Yes rantanen can play centre. Give him more games as a center.

 

[Richard Doll]

Question isn't if they can play center, they both can, question should be if they can play center with the same degree of skill that they do wing.

If Rant could carry his same skill to the center position, we have our 1-B center, Sakic/Forsberg like, but I am not sure he can transition his skill set to be as dominating at center.

 

[TanguaySauce]

Landeskog is good on the dot. Over 50% win percentage since he started taking them regularly. Strong two way game to boot.

Agree. I trust 92 to take the draw, but right after I need him to play wing for the whole shift

 

[MarkT]

I still think we could work a system where Landy takes the draws and plays center defensively (like he usually does when he plays with Nate) and someone else plays center offensively. The ideal would probably be him and Rantanen in that scenario. Nate might not like that, but if we can replace Kadri internally with a Landeskog/Rantanen combination, then we can probably afford to spend some money on another top 6 winger for Nate.

Personally I'd love to recreate the Landeskog-Rantanen-Nichushkin line as our "second" line, then go Lehkonen - MacKinnon - New Winger for the "first" line.

The beauty of this solution is if/when Newhook or even Myers is ready to be the 2C, you just reform the big line and give Newy Lehkonen and Nichushkin as wingers to insulate him.

 

[Vakarte]

Rantanen played a decent chunk there in the regular season with strong results:

Record	GP	G	A	P	+/-	FO	FO%
13-1-2	16	8	15	23	+15	187	50.8%

Obviously I hope Colorado finds a 2C this summer. But if they can't find anyone good, it's better to use a Mikko/JTC/Landeskog/Newhook hybrid until someone becomes available later in the season.

Beats the heck out of overpaying for some random schmo to be the 2C.

Where you get those numbers from?

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

They're both the best faceoff players we have... They're both defensively responsible.... Rants actually showed it over a decent chunk of games. Why not?

MacK is good enough to carry a new line next year if need be. Maybe promote Newhook up there if needed.

 

[shadow1]

Where you get those numbers from?

Had to pull them myself sadly. Fortunately I work from home, so I got paid for it.

My sample was:

11/13 vs SJS*
11/17 @ VAN*
11/19 @ SEA*
11/22 vs OTT*
11/24 vs ANA*
11/26 @ DAL*
11/27 vs NSH*
12/4 @ OTT^
12/10 vs DET^
12/12 vs FLA^
12/14 vs NYR
1/28 @ CHI*
1/30 vs BUF*
2/1 vs ARI*
2/10 vs TB*
2/23 @ DET*

* = No MacKinnon
^ = No Kadri

I erroneously included one game I shouldn't have, so thanks for making me check my work. Rantanen's numbers with that game removed:

Record	GP	G	A	P	+/-	FO	FO%
12-1-2	15	7	15	22	+16	180	51.1%

It's also worth noting that Kadri missed a lot of time at the end of the season, but to my recollection Compher filled in as the 2C for Kadri (with a third line of Newhook-Sturm-NAK).

Ratanen did take a lot of face-offs around that time (7-9 per game usually), but that was because Landeskog was also out, so he was taking the favorable side face-offs while playing with MacKinnon.

 

[dahrougem2]

No, it can't happen.

I think we saw why during the playoffs when Kadri went down. Bednar turned to Compher against the Oilers before turning to Mikko, and even with JTC struggling against Tampa still didn't make the switch. Then Naz returned and was playing centre. Mikko just happened to be taking draws when on with Kadri.

I think you're taking a lot of Mikko's strengths away if you play him at centre versus the wing. Ditto Landeskog.

Obviously it would solve a huge need for us if one of them moved to 2C but it isn't going to happen.

 

[Belgican]

No, it can't happen.

I think we saw why during the playoffs when Kadri went down. Bednar turned to Compher against the Oilers before turning to Mikko, and even with JTC struggling against Tampa still didn't make the switch. Then Naz returned and was playing centre. Mikko just happened to be taking draws when on with Kadri.

I think you're taking a lot of Mikko's strengths away if you play him at centre versus the wing. Ditto Landeskog.

Obviously it would solve a huge need for us if one of them moved to 2C but it isn't going to happen.

Yes I agree, if Mikko was the answer, we would have seen him there during the playoffs. I can’t see the Avs starting the season with JTC as our 2C though, I’m confident that Sakic will find a solution there.

Kadri is now a fan favorite and should be expected back. Gering Kadri and Nuke back and Lekhonen for some years is the best way to keep the Avs competive and among SC favorites for the next 3 years.