Player Discussion Drake Batherson (RW)

[Xspyrit]

Batherson is a pure skill/finesse player. He will need to play with skilled players to be efficient but not only pure skill guys, but guys that hustle and be strong on the puck as well. A bit like Bobby Ryan when he played with Turris and MacArthur.

Maybe this will work well :

Tkachuk-Norris-Batherson

That's why we need to draft 2 forwards so that top line could be something like :

Duclair/Perfetti-Byfield/Stutzle-Raymond/Duclair

 

[operasen]

Top 6 starting to take shape for the 21-22 season.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

The more top-end forwards the better. Not all of White, Brown, Formenton, Balcers, Norris, Abramov, Batherson will work out as we might hope. Some of those guys will round out the bottom-6. By adding Byfield/Stutzle + Rossi/Raymond we cement our chances of icing a very competitive top-6 for years to come.

 

[OD99]

I still feel Batherson hindered his performance by bulking up too much last offseason.

He was noticeably slower and as many have note, particularly his first step. He was never a burner but never seems slow and when he first hit the NHL last year I would almost use the word, "plodding".

Seem to recall a bit of a shot from his coach about too much Tim Horton's or something too? Hopefully he works on explosiveness and then all his skill can be on display. Great vision, great hands, great shot...all the tools if his skating can get him to the rights spots on time.

 

[Sweatred]

I still feel Batherson hindered his performance by bulking up too much last offseason.

He was noticeably slower and as many have note, particularly his first step. He was never a burner but never seems slow and when he first hit the NHL last year I would almost use the word, "plodding".

Seem to recall a bit of a shot from his coach about too much Tim Horton's or something too? Hopefully he works on explosiveness and then all his skill can be on display. Great vision, great hands, great shot...all the tools if his skating can get him to the rights spots on time.

The notion was that he was carrying bad weight (fat) not that he added too much muscle. Nutrition selection is a soft way to avoid fat shaming to discuss an athletes physique.

 

[Sweatred]

Batherson is a pure skill/finesse player. He will need to play with skilled players to be efficient but not only pure skill guys, but guys that hustle and be strong on the puck as well. A bit like Bobby Ryan when he played with Turris and MacArthur.

Maybe this will work well :

Tkachuk-Norris-Batherson

That's why we need to draft 2 forwards so that top line could be something like :

Duclair/Perfetti-Byfield/Stutzle-Raymond/Duclair

I agree with you. I think Batherson will emerge as a pass first winger who will need to play with someone skilled willing to shoot. Norris is probably our org’s best shooting center but I’m doubt the Sens break in two rookies on one line.

 

[Xspyrit]

I agree with you. I think Batherson will emerge as a pass first winger who will need to play with someone skilled willing to shoot. Norris is probably our org’s best shooting center but I’m doubt the Sens break in two rookies on one line.

If they're not willing to let young players play, then I have no idea what they're trying to do going into a full rebuild. Most of the line-up is going to be compromised with young players, that was always going to be the plan.

And concerning, "two rookies on one line", we even seen 3 rookies on a line before...

The "current" line-up has more experience than people think, next season,

Chabot will be in his 4th NHL season,
Tkachuk and White in their 3rd NHL seasons
Duclair, Boro (if back) and Tierney in their 7th NHL seasons
Connor Brown in his 5th NHL season
Zaitsev is his 5th NHL season (+ 7 in the KHL)
Reilly (went the NCAA route) in his 6th pro/NHL season

Batherson, Brannstrom, Logan Brown and Wolanin (went the NCAA route) in their 3rd pro/NHL seasons
Rudolf Balcers and Chlapik in their 4th pro/NHL seasons
Nick Paul in his 6th pro/NHL season
Norris and Formenton in their 2nd pro seasons
Zub will be 25 y/o and has played 5 seasons in the KHL
Hawryluk in his 5th pro/NHL season

This is the basic line-up (assuming all these guys are back), which could/should be improved (notably with one of the high end picks?), it's probably not DJ's line-up but how I would shape it up

Duclair-Brown-Batherson
Tkachuk-Norris-Balcers
Formenton-White-Brown
Paul-Tierney-Chlapik/Hawryluk

Chabot-Brannstrom
Wolanin-Zaitsev
Reilly/Borowiecki-Zub


Really, the only 2 really inexperienced guys are Norris (2nd line C, but could start in White's place and work his way up) and Formenton (3rd line LW). We're not trying to win the Cup, we're trying to progress and at some point, you have to "play the kids". Those 2 guys are not nobodies, they are pretty good prospects and probably a big part of the Sens future. Same with Brown, Brannstrom, Balcers and Batherson, "only" their 3rd pro season (4th for Balcers) but they already have NHL experience. At some point, they have to arrive or you go with the next call.

In today's NHL, you don't wait until a guy is 25 y/o to discover if he can play. Unless you believe those guys should be in the AHL and are not that good, then we are in for a very long rebuild. Yes, we are going to get elite/high end prospects in the upcoming draft, but the team's success also depends on the guys already there, mainly Chabot, Tkachuk, Batherson, Norris, Brannstrom, Brown, etc and a few more guys among the remaining prospects (Pinto, JBD, Thomson...)

 

[JD1]

I agree with you. I think Batherson will emerge as a pass first winger who will need to play with someone skilled willing to shoot. Norris is probably our org’s best shooting center but I’m doubt the Sens break in two rookies on one line.

None of Batherson, Balcers or Brannstrom are rookies heading into next year. None of the 3 meet that definition.

 

[Micklebot]

None of Batherson, Balcers or Brannstrom are rookies heading into next year. None of the 3 meet that definition.

While that's true, i think the overall point that the coach will be reluctant to play two players yet to solidify themselves as full time nhl players on the the same line. It happens, like it did with Stone and Hoffman, but unless they show some real chemiatry or prove in camp thwy are responsible beyond their years, it may give the coach pause.

 

[JD1]

While that's true, i think the overall point that the coach will be reluctant to play two players yet to solidify themselves as full time nhl players on the the same line. It happens, like it did with Stone and Hoffman, but unless they show some real chemiatry or prove in camp thwy are responsible beyond their years, it may give the coach pause.

We're going to be a young team. There's no way around that. 2 rookies in Formenton and Norris. Plus the 3 and 5 picks.

I think the organization has been very patient in developing our young talent. Batherson Brown and Balcers all have between 100 and 200 games as pros under their belts and enough time in the show to know what it is about. To me this coming season is make or break time for all 3. They either are what the organization thinks they are or they're not.

And Formenton and Norris both have that first year pro under their belt and both might have a better case to be in ottawa than either brown or Balcers.

DJ may not have an option but to have a few of them together. Batherson Brown Balcers. The killer Bs. Book the name.

This team has so many young players that are close, there really won't be an option to bring them in one on a line, sheltered defensively. Our best lineup might well have 7 of 12 forwards 23 and under.

 

[Micklebot]

We're going to be a young team. There's no way around that. 2 rookies in Formenton and Norris. Plus the 3 and 5 picks.

I think the organization has been very patient in developing our young talent. Batherson Brown and Balcers all have between 100 and 200 games as pros under their belts and enough time in the show to know what it is about. To me this coming season is make or break time for all 3. They either are what the organization thinks they are or they're not.

And Formenton and Norris both have that first year pro under their belt and both might have a better case to be in ottawa than either brown or Balcers.

DJ may not have an option but to have a few of them together. Batherson Brown Balcers. The killer Bs. Book the name.

This team has so many young players that are close, there really won't be an option to bring them in one on a line, sheltered defensively. Our best lineup might well have 7 of 12 forwards 23 and under.

It's going to be tough for the coach for sure. We have 8 forwards that are pretty much trusted or vets, that leaves no wiggle room.

I personally don't have an issue with putting a pair of kinds on the same line if the situation is right, i just think it will be a factor for the coach. A kid like Formenton might have more rope then a guy like Brown just because of how they play. Who knows.

Should be fun to watch them grow.

 

[Sweatred]

If they're not willing to let young players play, then I have no idea what they're trying to do going into a full rebuild. Most of the line-up is going to be compromised with young players, that was always going to be the plan.

And concerning, "two rookies on one line", we even seen 3 rookies on a line before...

The "current" line-up has more experience than people think, next season,

Chabot will be in his 4th NHL season,
Tkachuk and White in their 3rd NHL seasons
Duclair, Boro (if back) and Tierney in their 7th NHL seasons
Connor Brown in his 5th NHL season
Zaitsev is his 5th NHL season (+ 7 in the KHL)
Reilly (went the NCAA route) in his 6th pro/NHL season

Batherson, Brannstrom, Logan Brown and Wolanin (went the NCAA route) in their 3rd pro/NHL seasons
Rudolf Balcers and Chlapik in their 4th pro/NHL seasons
Nick Paul in his 6th pro/NHL season
Norris and Formenton in their 2nd pro seasons
Zub will be 25 y/o and has played 5 seasons in the KHL
Hawryluk in his 5th pro/NHL season

This is the basic line-up (assuming all these guys are back), which could/should be improved (notably with one of the high end picks?), it's probably not DJ's line-up but how I would shape it up

Duclair-Brown-Batherson
Tkachuk-Norris-Balcers
Formenton-White-Brown
Paul-Tierney-Chlapik/Hawryluk

Chabot-Brannstrom
Wolanin-Zaitsev
Reilly/Borowiecki-Zub


Really, the only 2 really inexperienced guys are Norris (2nd line C, but could start in White's place and work his way up) and Formenton (3rd line LW). We're not trying to win the Cup, we're trying to progress and at some point, you have to "play the kids". Those 2 guys are not nobodies, they are pretty good prospects and probably a big part of the Sens future. Same with Brown, Brannstrom, Balcers and Batherson, "only" their 3rd pro season (4th for Balcers) but they already have NHL experience. At some point, they have to arrive or you go with the next call.

In today's NHL, you don't wait until a guy is 25 y/o to discover if he can play. Unless you believe those guys should be in the AHL and are not that good, then we are in for a very long rebuild. Yes, we are going to get elite/high end prospects in the upcoming draft, but the team's success also depends on the guys already there, mainly Chabot, Tkachuk, Batherson, Norris, Brannstrom, Brown, etc and a few more guys among the remaining prospects (Pinto, JBD, Thomson...)

Thats a lot of verbiage .. isn’t Balcers a LW ? And Paul is better than Formenton and Balcers. Brown is going to play ahead of Balcers , Tierney will start as a 1-3C if he isn’t traded ... etc etc.

 

[Sweatred]

None of Batherson, Balcers or Brannstrom are rookies heading into next year. None of the 3 meet that definition.

I don’t really care about the “definition” ... they are young players yet to define themselves as NHL regulars.... mostly because hey failed in their in initial opportunities.

 

[JD1]

I don’t really care about the “definition” ... they are young players yet to define themselves as NHL regulars.... mostly because hey failed in their in initial opportunities.

That's a goal post shift

You said rookies on the same line

The guys i highlighted are not rookies, they are young NHLers. There's a difference

 

[Sweatred]

That's a goal post shift

You said rookies on the same line

The guys i highlighted are not rookies, they are young NHLers. There's a difference

Its not a goal post shift - if you need me to edit the post to say newbies, new nhl players, effective players , good players, strong players , top 12 players or any other description to represent a player that can’t play in the league I will. I think it’s obvious that Batherson , White, Norris , Brown, Brann, Formenton, Chaplik, etx are “breaking into the league” trying to figure things out.

 

[Xspyrit]

Thats a lot of verbiage .. isn’t Balcers a LW ? And Paul is better than Formenton and Balcers. Brown is going to play ahead of Balcers , Tierney will start as a 1-3C if he isn’t traded ... etc etc.

Then why the hell do you quote me? Of course my answers are going to be intelligible. It's a wide subject with a lot of details, sorry if my posts are well constructed and include a lot of info? I have indicated for you and everybody what pro experience every player has. It really doesn't take much time for me to come up with all this and also read small texts like this. Sorry if I am not able to post images instead.

So if what I am saying vs what you're saying is "verbiage", then we are clearly not on the same planet. Again, I'm not really interested in wasting my time with somebody who is going to provide that kind of answer. Don't be surprised if I just ignore going forward.

Yes Balcers is a LW but most wingers can play each side. He certainly did several times in his pro career. Until he proves he's bad on the other side, then he can play both wings (like Duclair, Connor Brown, etc)

Who cares if Paul is better than Formenton NOW? The point is the team (and I believe most fans too) hope that Alex is going to be better... Same with Balcers, or at least one of the 2. Nick Paul is a fine player but ideally you have him as a staple on your 4th line if you want to compete.

Of course, of course, etc. When we make FUTURE line-ups, the goal is not to portrait the actual situation. We already know what the actual stuation is, it's posted in every GDT duh. The goal is to show what you hope the situation will be going forward. If Tierney and Connor Brown are still among your best forwards in 2-3 years, then you can put the keys on the door and start it all over again.

I mean, it's captain obvious stuff. To me, your post is a perfect example of what verbiage really is. You can disagree all you want, like I said, different planet.

And by the way, I saw in other threads that you still didn't over Colin White's salary? lol how many pandemics will it take? First world problems.

 

[Sweatred]

Then why the hell do you quote me? Of course my answers are going to be intelligible. It's a wide subject with a lot of details, sorry if my posts are well constructed and include a lot of info? I have indicated for you and everybody what pro experience every player has. It really doesn't take much time for me to come up with all this and also read small texts like this. Sorry if I am not able to post images instead.

So if what I am saying vs what you're saying is "verbiage", then we are clearly not on the same planet. Again, I'm not really interested in wasting my time with somebody who is going to provide that kind of answer. Don't be surprised if I just ignore going forward.

Yes Balcers is a LW but most wingers can play each side. He certainly did several times in his pro career. Until he proves he's bad on the other side, then he can play both wings (like Duclair, Connor Brown, etc)

Who cares if Paul is better than Formenton NOW? The point is the team (and I believe most fans too) hope that Alex is going to be better... Same with Balcers, or at least one of the 2. Nick Paul is a fine player but ideally you have him as a staple on your 4th line if you want to compete.

Of course, of course, etc. When we make FUTURE line-ups, the goal is not to portrait the actual situation. We already know what the actual stuation is, it's posted in every GDT duh. The goal is to show what you hope the situation will be going forward. If Tierney and Connor Brown are still among your best forwards in 2-3 years, then you can put the keys on the door and start it all over again.

I mean, it's captain obvious stuff. To me, your post is a perfect example of what verbiage really is. You can disagree all you want, like I said, different planet.

And by the way, I saw in other threads that you still didn't over Colin White's salary? lol how many pandemics will it take? First world problems.

Sorry- your the one who has Balcers as a RW , Paul relegated by a bunch of guys he has outplayed for 3 years, and CT as a 12/13 forward on the 4th line ... you can call me out all you want if coach rolls them out that way .... and yes .. $4.75 for Colin White is still bad resource allocation. Only decent play from White will make his $4.75 a good contact ... it has nothin to do with pandemics.

 

[Xspyrit]

Sorry- your the one who has Balcers as a RW , Paul relegated by a bunch of guys he has outplayed for 3 years, and CT as a 12/13 forward on the 4th line ... you can call me out all you want if coach rolls them out that way .... and yes .. $4.75 for Colin White is still bad resource allocation. Only decent play from White will make his $4.75 a good contact ... it has nothin to do with pandemics.

Ok I'm continuing if you are talking about these things.

You're right, ideally I should have Balcers on LW but let's just switch it up as Duclair can also play RW. It was just a honest "mistake" as I am hockey rusty with hockey being on pause for more than 3 months now.

Then what do you think of this?

Tkachuk-Brown-Batherson
Formenton-Norris-Duclair
Balcers-White-Brown
Paul-Tierney-Chlapik/Hawryluk


I'm not talking right out of the gate as some of the young guys will have to prove themselves but this depth chart is the GOAL. Like I said, if Paul, Tierney and Connor Brown continue to have prominent roles other than a short period of time (maybe for the entire upcoming seasonbut after that...), then we have a major problem. If Brown/Norris/White can't prove to be better than Tierney, if Batherson/Duclair aren't better offensively than Brown, if Tkachuk, Formenton and/or Balcers aren't better than Nick freaking Paul, then we should be really worried about this rebuild.

But let's not forget that we might insert 2 high end forwards from the top-5 of this draft... What I posted was the situation going forward but without those new acquisitions. A lot of things will change, it was just to give a rough idea, nothing scientifically exact in this.

Regarding Colin White, he easily outplayed his salary in his rookie season, he didn't in his sophomore season, nothing more than this. He is a young player and will have a chance to rebound. If he can't live up to his contract for let's say another 2 years, then it will probably be taken are of. This is the reality of pro sports and repeating ad nauseam doesn't change anything

 

[Sweatred]

Ok I'm continuing if you are talking about these things.

You're right, ideally I should have Balcers on LW but let's just switch it up as Duclair can also play RW. It was just a honest "mistake" as I am hockey rusty with hockey being on pause for more than 3 months now.

Then what do you think of this?

Tkachuk-Brown-Batherson
Formenton-Norris-Duclair
Balcers-White-Brown
Paul-Tierney-Chlapik/Hawryluk


I'm not talking right out of the gate as some of the young guys will have to prove themselves but this depth chart is the GOAL. Like I said, if Paul, Tierney and Connor Brown continue to have prominent roles other than a short period of time (maybe for the entire upcoming seasonbut after that...), then we have a major problem. If Brown/Norris/White can't prove to be better than Tierney, if Batherson/Duclair aren't better offensively than Brown, if Tkachuk, Formenton and/or Balcers aren't better than Nick freaking Paul, then we should be really worried about this rebuild.

But let's not forget that we might insert 2 high end forwards from the top-5 of this draft... What I posted was the situation going forward but without those new acquisitions. A lot of things will change, it was just to give a rough idea, nothing scientifically exact in this.

Regarding Colin White, he easily outplayed his salary in his rookie season, he didn't in his sophomore season, nothing more than this. He is a young player and will have a chance to rebound. If he can't live up to his contract for let's say another 2 years, then it will probably be taken are of. This is the reality of pro sports and repeating ad nauseam doesn't change anything

Ok, I’m to pass on the White part. I don’t mind the lines but I think from the coaches view Tierney, Paul, and Brown are the strongest returning players. They are going to get ice time until players like Form and Bath take it from them. I don’t think Tierney will be here much longer then 3/4 of a season and maybe Brown21 takes over at that time.

to start the season ...

1. CBrown May be the teams 1-2 RW, he prob will be with ice time.
2. Paul will play ahead of Formenton (if he makes the team)
3. Tierney will be the teams 1C. Wether he plays a traditional 1C roll roll with Brady and Duclair or he plays a 3C roll anchoring a shut down line with Paul and CBrown for example remains to be seen. But he is the teams best Center until Norris (or Brown) takes it from him. I think CT will be asked to carry a rookie LW/RW in an offensive roll.

 

[Cosmix]

We're going to be a young team. There's no way around that. 2 rookies in Formenton and Norris. Plus the 3 and 5 picks.

I think the organization has been very patient in developing our young talent. Batherson Brown and Balcers all have between 100 and 200 games as pros under their belts and enough time in the show to know what it is about. To me this coming season is make or break time for all 3. They either are what the organization thinks they are or they're not.

And Formenton and Norris both have that first year pro under their belt and both might have a better case to be in ottawa than either brown or Balcers.

DJ may not have an option but to have a few of them together. Batherson Brown Balcers. The killer Bs. Book the name.

This team has so many young players that are close, there really won't be an option to bring them in one on a line, sheltered defensively. Our best lineup might well have 7 of 12 forwards 23 and under.

I do not think that the #3 and #5 picks will play for the Senators next season. They will need another year or possibly two before they can compete at the NHL level with men.

 

[Xspyrit]

I don’t mind the lines but I think from the coaches view Tierney, Paul, and Brown are the strongest returning players. They are going to get ice time until players like Form and Bath take it from them. I don’t think Tierney will be here much longer then 3/4 of a season and maybe Brown21 takes over at that time.

to start the season ...

1. CBrown May be the teams 1-2 RW, he prob will be with ice time.
2. Paul will play ahead of Formenton (if he makes the team)
3. Tierney will be the teams 1C. Wether he plays a traditional 1C roll roll with Brady and Duclair or he plays a 3C roll anchoring a shut down line with Paul and CBrown for example remains to be seen. But he is the teams best Center until Norris (or Brown) takes it from him. I think CT will be asked to carry a rookie LW/RW in an offensive roll.

When I post a line-up (and when the vast majority of people do), it's not to say what the coach will do. Like I told you in a previous post, the ACTUAL/REAL LINE-UPS are posted in every GDT. We already know who the coach uses or not... You can also go to any stats page to see TOI/GP, PP TOI/GP, PK TOI/GP, etc, etc, etc. That is NOT where I am going with this.

The Top-6 (and to me in the end, it's the guys with the most TOI/GP, particularly EV+PP TOI/GP) last year was :

Brady Tkachuk
Connor Brown
JG Pageau
Anthony Duclair
Colin White
Chris Tierney
(Nick Paul just behind)

Pageau is gone, like you said Tierney should be traded before he needs a raise so you have Tkachuk, Brown, Duclair and White left... Batherson, Norris and Logan Brown will be given every opportunity to be offensive forwards (and we need them to start establishing themselves) so ideally before the season ends, it looks more like this :

Tkachuk - Brown/Norris - Batherson
Duclair - Brown/Norris - Brown

Connor Brown is a fine player, very useful all over the ice, but he is not a pure top-6 forward. He was able to post good numbers last year because his motor never stops and he got a lot of ice-time. A bit like Tierney the last 2 years. NHL players are all good at hockey, Most of them will be at least decent if you give them the opportunity, like Tyler Ennis last year as well, or Brian Gibbons in a short period of time the year before. That being said, the best for Connor Brown would be to have him in the bottom-6 (you also need a strong bot-6). One of the two top-5 picks will probably be in the line-up, so hopefully he figures out the NHL fast enough and by the end of the year, he is already among the best 6 forwards, which is not a crazy feat on the Sens at the moment.

There's also other candidates like Formenton, Balcers and even Abramov who will want to prove themselves so maybe one of these guys surprise and become worthy of a spot, pushing other guys down the lineup. I would also mention Chlapik but at this point, I don't think he has higher upside than bottom-6 and Shane Pinto who is still a bit young and hasn't turned pro (but he could still "arrive" faster than expected). Oh and there's the infamous Colin White who could rebound but IMO ideally, he's your 3rd line Center.

So yes of course, in the meantime, veterans (like Tierney, Brown and even Paul) will be played ahead of the young guys, but if some of Batherson, Norris, Brown, top-5 pick, Formenton etc can't beat them out for a higher spot eventually, we are in serious trouble.

Tkachuk and Duclair are the only "established" (but still a bit unproven) top-6 forwards at the moment, we'll need more by the end of the year. Tierney and Brown can hold their own in the meantime but we'll need more if we want to compete again.

I do not think that the #3 and #5 picks will play for the Senators next season. They will need another year or possibly two before they can compete at the NHL level with men.

History says otherwise though. Look at the last few drafts, the top of the draft guys have all started to play in the NHL in the following year or in their +2 draft year.

NHL and WHA Draft History at Hockeydb.com

And this upcoming draft is stronger than usual, expect a lot of the top-10 picks to be NHL players by the 2nd year.

 

[OD99]

The notion was that he was carrying bad weight (fat) not that he added too much muscle. Nutrition selection is a soft way to avoid fat shaming to discuss an athletes physique.

I believe they both contributed to his slower foot speed. Obviously the Timmies comment was a shot at his fitness, wasn't that obvious?

Getting too much muscle, particularly upper body can slow you down. Many players in the NHL have completely changed their training and physique over the last few years in order to get quicker (and less bulky). It's one thing to get strong, another to get strong and remain quick.

 

[OD99]

1. CBrown May be the teams 1-2 RW, he prob will be with ice time.
2. Paul will play ahead of Formenton (if he makes the team)
3. Tierney will be the teams 1C. Wether he plays a traditional 1C roll roll with Brady and Duclair or he plays a 3C roll anchoring a shut down line with Paul and CBrown for example remains to be seen. But he is the teams best Center until Norris (or Brown) takes it from him. I think CT will be asked to carry a rookie LW/RW in an offensive roll.

I agree with all of this except not as convinced that Paul will play ahead of Formenton. I have been a Paul fan for a couple of years and think he has endured some of the worst luck (mostly timing of injuries) of any of our players and it really hindered him from carving out his NHL spot.

That said Formenton seems like a very responsible player and his speed and aggressiveness may allow him to play up the lineup a little bit. I could see Forms on 3rd line and Paul still be relegated to 4th line. It's at least a consideration from my perspective.

 

[Micklebot]

2. Paul will play ahead of Formenton (if he makes the team)

I think Formenton has the better skillset to play up the roster. Paul may block him from bottom 6 grinding roles until he gets more experience but he could fit in on a more offensively inclined line in a way Paul cannot

 

[Sweatred]

I think Formenton has the better skillset to play up the roster. Paul may block him from bottom 6 grinding roles until he gets more experience but he could fit in on a more offensively inclined line in a way Paul cannot

Lots of “coulds” and possibilities. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Form played up and down the lineup. My main point was that Paul is a regular on this team. Form may not even make the team. I wouldn’t discount the growth and experience that Paul has over Form although I certainly hope that Form is the better player in the near future.

I think it possible Paul could support someone like Byfield during his 10 game stint.

Paul Byfield CBrown type line to support the rookie assuming he can’t carry 1-3C.