These are my thoughts exactly, however I feel this is why Horvat should be the future 2nd line center and not the 1st line. Because BMo was a 2nd line player on the 1st line you can put Petterson and Boeser as legit first line players plus insert a 2nd liner. Could be Baertschi, could be a free agent or draftpick/prospect...doesn't matter. You then build that solid 2nd line with Horvat, Baertschi and whoever. You could put Baertschi on the 1st line but wouldn't want to break that Horvat chemistry up so just say a Baertschi type skill player.
This would be very much like the Sedin Line or West Coast Express line of old and R**n K****r (sorry for the language) anchoring the 2nd line. A one-two punch that spreads the talent out so that teams can't just focus their matchups on the 1st line.
XXXX Petterson Boeser
Baertschi Horvat XXXX
Give it 2-3 years (and possibly a few retained 4th round picks) and those two lines could be the framework of future success for this team. It's almost scary to say this but the light at the end of the tunnel might not be a train after all...
And this is fine if Pettersson can play center in the NHL, it’s been said in this forum that he’s playing wing now. In a perfect world yes having Pettersson and Horvat down the middle is ideal.