Tyler Durden
Registered User
- Sep 18, 2009
- 2,600
- 61
What do you think the lineups on offence and defence will look like on opening night? Do you think Kovalev or Svatos will make the team?
Currently suspended due to non-hockey injury. He probably will be back in a few weeks though.No Gudbransson?
Svatos will not make the team, I'm 99% positive Kovalev will though, if we don't make any transactions or pick up any other players on waivers, I would have to assume line-up will look like this.
Fleischmann - Weiss - Versteeg
Huberdeau - Mueller - Kovalev
Upshall -Matthias - Kopecky
Skille - Smithson - Parros
Campbell - Kuba
Weaver (if he isn't hurt) - Jovo?
Strachan - Petrovic / Ellerby
What do you think the lineups on offence and defence will look like on opening night? Do you think Kovalev or Svatos will make the team?
I see zero reason to move Kovalev away from a scoring line.
You make no use of Kovalev when you do that. Might as well void his contract and tell him to leave if you don't want him on a scoring line.
I expect Huberdeau to see more time with more players though.
What's the status of Versteeg? Maybe we should make an injury thread.
if healthy i really expect the lines to be more like this
flash-weiss-steeger
huby-ferris mueller-ak27
bergy-goc-upshall
matthias-smithson-kopecky
campbell-kuba
weaver-kuli
guddy-jovo
extras parros, skille, stratchan
I think the 2nd line will stay together only that Huberdeau will move into center. IMO he played center last night many times in game situations. He was the lowest of the forwards of that line and stayed down the middle. Mueller was the one who forecheck on that line all night. Hubs took 2 faceoffs last night and won both. I think with time we could see Mueller and Hubs change spots.
if healthy i really expect the lines to be more like this
flash-weiss-steeger
huby-ferris mueller-ak27
bergy-goc-upshall
matthias-smithson-kopecky
campbell-kuba
weaver-kuli
guddy-jovo
extras parros, skille, stratchan
Best thing is Tallon keeps extra guys around so guys don't get complacent. If you don't play well there is a guy waiting to replace you. Glad Viner lets him do it used to be they kept a bare minimum and only brought a guy up if a regular got hurt.
Despite how they looked last night, I expect Goc to center Huberdeau and Mueller as the season progresses.
Kovalev will either move down a line or perhaps Dineen shakes things up and puts him on the Weiss line so he can stay with more talented guys.
All in all, I don't think the Huberdeau-Mueller-Kovalev line sticks because Mueller is not really a center and Tallon/Santos have demonstrated that they value faceoffs/puck control since they've been here.
Personally, I think a Huberdeau-Goc-Mueller line has the potential to be really dangerous. Two skilled wingers with an intelligent center who's responsible defensively, and does a little of everything well.
I think Parros stays in over Smithson if everyone ever gets healthy. Big reason Partis signed is so he can play, and we'll see plenty of substitutions for rest, etc.
As good as he was last night, Kovalev isn't going to play like that every night and he's going to need nights off. I doubt he sticks on Weiss' line. If he continues to play like he did last night though, you could be right but I doubt that. Like I said, streaky player who doesn't always go 100%.