So thinking about this today people were discussing who should play, who should be scratched, yadda yadda yadda. Bottom line is we are not going to be a team that has two top lines, a defensive/checking line that can chip in every so often and a 4th line with grinders, we simply don't have the top 6 talent to pull that off. Hence, we are what we are, a team with 3 second lines and a 4th line that is full of grinders. So where does that leave us? In a bit of a pickle. At the beginning of the year no one knew what we were getting in our free agents, our younger players, the guys coming off of injuries and the "guys who were returning" that were deserving of roster spots.
Now that we're a little bit into the season, the one guy that has thrown a wrench in all of this to me is Nystrom. He's played well enough to warrant 3rd line minutes or line 1C as we have it and in doing so, he's pushed one of the other wingers to either the 4th line, where they are not suited to play or to the bench. So the question begs is Nystrom sustainable on one of the top 3 lines or will his production come down and he's put on the 4th line? If he sustains, Spaling, Forsberg and Stalberg all appear to be guys on the bubble at this point. If he doesn't sustain then 2 of the 3 above will play and the other is waiting or playing on the 4th line. Only Spaling is a guy that could fill either role whereas the Berg's need to be in the top 9. So, let's take a look at the possibilities.
The top 9 forwards we have are:
Center: Fisher, Legwand, Cullen. At least that was easy.
Wings: Wilson/Hornqvist(Fisher)
Smith/Bourque(Cullen)
??(Legwand)
So who deserves the two spots with Legwand? Forsberg and Nystrom have gotten a bunch of time with him and that line does ok but doesn't seem like a great fit as Nystrom, while solid defensively doesn't keep up offensively with those two. Stalberg would be a likely candidate to take Nystrom's spot but Trotz doesn't seem to want to move him off of that line. So we sign a guy like Stalberg to hopefully come in and generate offense for us but has been displaced by a career 4th line energy guy. The Fisher and Cullen lines seem to be working pretty well so we need to figure out how to get the most out of the rest of the lineup and pair two guys with Legwand. I ultimately think having the Berg's with Legwand should work as Viktor and Legwand can stretch the ice which should give Filip more time and space which he has shown the ability to use.
So now if we do that, how do fill out the 4th line? Hendricks has been what he is, nothing horrible but nothing great either. Gaustad is slowly growing on me as his health has a direct correlation to his overall effectiveness and for now, he centers the 4th line. Nystrom should be on a wing and then you have one more spot. Spaling has shown he can play, has some speed and can generate some offense here and there. Clune is well, Clune. So who plays on the 4th line? My gut tells me it should be Gaustad, Nystrom and Spaling but knowing Trotz it will be Goose, Nystrom and Hendricks in time and if he wants more grit, he bumps Nystrom up and sits a guy who may need a night from the top 9 group of wingers.
To me, you have grit and PK'ers on the 4th line if you need them, you have your best 9 forwards on your top 3 lines giving you the chance to be effectively offensively and still playing an effective two game all the while having 2 guys on the bench in case of injury or lineup adjustments according to what teams we may be playing.
At this point, I think signing Hendricks was a mistake as far as production, salary and length of contract goes. He is redundant so I don't really see the need for him to be perfectly honest. Nystrom has been the biggest surprise. Cullen is coming around and working really well with Smith and Stalberg is too early to tell, especially coming off of a shoulder injury.
