Fully Healthy Who Sits? Where do you play Kane

[Messrules11]

Playoff Kane is very different from regular season Kane. You play him in the top6 come Game 1.

Agreed. If Kane isn’t top 6 the only guy throwing a hit is McD and that’s just stupid

 

[Stoneman89]

Agreed. If Kane isn’t top 6 the only guy throwing a hit is McD and that’s just stupid

For a guy as big as Desharnais is, how mean he looks, and how limited his skill set is, I have to admit I would like a little more in the physical violence department from him. Okay, a lot more.

Nurse too, but without the stupidity.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Yeah that's my take as well.

Truth be told, that "go to the net and good things will happen" mentality works better as a McWinger than Nuge does. And although Hyman super works well there, I don't think Kane would be out of place next to McRico (trademarking that!). More good news: RNH has a long history of also working well with Drai.

I think the starting duos for the top 6 are...

Henrique-McDavid-______
RNH-Drai-_______

... And you see which pair Kane and Hyman click better with. Though we all know at the first sign of trouble, they're going to go to McDrai.



As for the bottom 6. Yes Holloway-McLeod-Perry has looked good, but so has Foegele-McLeod-Perry whenever they're together. Those 3 will be the starting combo. That leaves the 4th line. Janmark and Brown are locks, so whom do you like most to round out the forwards:

• The gritty, but limited Carrick?
• The smart, but undersized Ryan?
• Or the high-energy rookie?

The heart says Ryan, but I feel like he's starting to show his age. I really want to say Holloway, but I think Carrick will be the game 1 options.


Personally though, I wouldn't mind specializing each line in the bottom 6:
McLeod is your best defensive bottom 6 centre? Great, then play him with Janmark and Brown and get a trustworthy defensive line.
Perry's an amazing pest and can drive the offence, while Holloway and Foegele bring a ton of energy? Sounds like a fantastic energy line to me.

Janmark-McLeod-Brown
Foegele-Holloway-Perry

I do like Foegele Mcleod Perry. Definitely has enough speed. Maybe in that case they go

Henrique McDavid Hyman
Nuge Drai Kane

 

[fancy dan]

you gotta play henrique with 97

 

[Da McBomb]

Agreed. If Kane isn’t top 6 the only guy throwing a hit is McD and that’s just stupid

Crowd goes nuts over hits in the playoffs and the team can gain alot of momentum from his physicality even if he's not scoring. But he has been producing lately as well. I think come playoffs, we will benefit from Evander CrosscheckSpleen Kane. If he doesn't pan out in the first couple of games and we're losing, then you consider moving him down the lineup.

 

[Shanahanigans]

I'm probably in the minority here but every one of those players adds something we need except for Henrique. I know he has 6 goals but his 23% shooting percentage will normalize eventually.

Edit: To clarify, I recognize that Henrique is a better player than Holloway at this point, but I think Holloway's speed and tenacity in the bottom 6 gives us more than moving Henrique around the middle 6.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Holloway was winning battles all over the ice. His compete level was high. He provides much needed speed to a slow line up and surely he can make this playoff roster over someone.

This is why the thread was started

That’s great it was still 1 game against a lineup of scrubs.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Like a few guys, Ryan sometimes, Carrick sometimes, Perry if he needs it, Holloway probably, Stetcher for sure.

So like a few guys.

 

[Stoneman89]

That’s great it was still 1 game against a lineup of scrubs.

Exactly. I'm not taking anything from that game.

 

[bone]

The best answer is on the third line with McLeod and Perry to create a veteran identity line that will crash, bang, agitate and score goals. Dylan Holloway should be an option on the 4th line should size/speed/physicality be an issue there, but not on the third. The Sharks game was fun, but against actual NHL competition he was a primary culprit on rush goals against two games in a row. He is not prepared to play any sort of key role in the playoffs yet, especially for a team like ours that struggles with rush defense and puck management in the neutral zone.

Was listening to Got Yer Back this afternoon and it was near the point of banging my head against the wall. "Evander Kane HAS to be in the top 6!" Why? I wish one person could explain why. If he's the scoring element on a disruptive 3rd line that is more valuable by far than him being a tag along in the top 6.

Almost all Stanley Cup Champions have a third line that is an impact line. Kane gives that line an opportunity to be impact, I don't see anyone else who does.

Really that's just Rishaug beating that drum with Strud's and Brown just giving up on it now and letting him have his thing.

Rishaug also thinks it makes sense to keep Holloway in the top 9 though, so.

 

[bone]

Not sure Holloway slapping around one of the worst lineups I have ever seen convinces me he should play higher in the lineup than Kane.

His speed is refreshing though.

I've been trying to beat this drum on Twitter as well. Holloway has looked better in his return, but really, it has been two games where he looked good in games the team won by a combined score of 14-3. In the other two games that were one goal losses, he was at least partially responsible for a goal against in both.

It makes no sense to be kicking out any veteran out of the top 9 to push Holloway for playoff minutes based on what we've seen to date. Now if one of them looks like dog shit two or three games in a row and Edmonton is behind in a series, maybe you throw him in to inject some life, but he's not starting Game 1. Particularly since the 4 guys rotating through the 4th line have also been doing a good job of limiting offense against them for the last 10 games or so and all four of them kill penalties.

My favorite today was someone saying maybe it makes sense to send Foegele to the fourth line to push Holloway up the lineup. Sure lets send a veteran who has scored 20 goals (well 19 is close to 20) while being generally reliable defensively to the 4th line and throw his minutes at a player with 90 career NHL games and 8 career NHL goals. If this was year 1 of the team in the playoffs, sure use it as development for him, but this is possibly our 2nd best last chance to make a real run so no way unless someone really struggles. Ultimately, he'll get Foegele's minutes next year, and that will be great timing.

 

[syz]

If Kane is in the top 6 he has to be with McDavid tbh. Drai and Kane on the same line is basically like giving the other team a PP whenever they're in our zone. Henrique by comparison should be able to cover for Drai a bit.

 

[guymez]

Holloway was winning battles all over the ice. His compete level was high. He provides much needed speed to a slow line up and surely he can make this playoff roster over someone.

This is why the thread was started

Holloway has good speed and a high compete level.
The problem is he is very poor defensively. That was quite evident in this recent call up.

The other problem is who sits out to allow Holloway (who doesnt PK) to play?

 

[harpoon]

Kane is 4th in team goals I believe, he’s built for playoff hockey. Sit Ryan and Janmark. Holloway has 4 less points than Ryan or Janmark in half as many games. Carrick is a center who can atleast hit and intimidate. Seems pretty easy to me.

Exactly. Hmmm … should we scratch the toughest guy on the team and fourth leading goal scorer for the playoffs? Uhhh … no.

OP is terrible.

 

[oobga]

Good version of Kane you put him top line for sure. Hopefully he is back to 100% and ready to beat teams down.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

Known:

- Henrique is too slow to play center (meaning McLeod should probably do it)
- McDavid should play with Hyman
- Draisaitl needs speed on his wings, Perry needs speed on his line
- RNH is in the top 6
- McDrai should be separated
- McDrai, RNH, Hyman, Kane, Perry, Henrique, McLeod, Perry, and Foegele should all be in the lineup
- Need at least one of Janmark or Brown in the lineup for the PK, if not both

That gives you a template of:

_____ - McDavid - Hyman
_____ - Draisaitl - Foegele
_____ - McLeod - ______

Find spots for: RNH, Kane, Perry, Henrique

Add three of: Janmark, Brown, Holloway, Carrick, Ryan

So based on that, I would go with the following

Henrique - McDavid - Hyman
RNH - Draisaitl - Foegele
Kane - McLeod - Perry
Janmark - Holloway - Brown

With Carrick or Ryan subbing in for Holloway if he struggles. Who slots in on the fourth line may depend on who the Oilers play round 1.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Henrique-McDavid-Hyman
Kane-Draisaitl-RNH
Holloway-McLeod-Perry
Janmark-Carrick-Foegele

RNH hasn't played much RW, but he's smart enough to adapt. I'd also consider switching Henrique and Holloway depending on who we are playing in the playoffs.

 

[tiger_80]

Its a good question but I don’t have the answers.

I personally like Holloways speed in the bottom 6.

For all the line blending we did, maybe we should of tried Janmark as a 4C more. Holloway should probably be in the lineup over Carrick/Ryan but then we don’t have a center.

Team has a bottom 6 problem though. Guys go there and fade away. Having guys like Kane or Foegele on the third line should really make this teams depth better but in reality, it doesn’t seem to happen.

Probably Holloway comes out. But it's a good problem to have. For once this club has legitimate depth at forward.

 

[Seanaconda]

Cycle a day off to rest guys so everyone feels good and why not

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I think Evander Kane gets first dibs on 1LW with McDavid. Guy has the team's fourth most goals scored, 24 goals (only 2 PP) and is 6th in league hits with 250. Heavy, hard and nasty game which are also valuable assets when the NHL game changes to playoff hockey. He's earned first-up consideration. His game is also trending up.

This team's strength is McDavid and incredible versatility of quality centre/wing options that can move around the chessboard based on opponent and in-game situations with Draisaitl, Nugent Hopkins, Henrique, McLeod, and end of roster guys, Ryan and Carrick. We've seen a lot of the Stack Line with McWinger Draisaitl and imagine more to come as a break in case of emergency option especially with improved quality depth and utility behind it.

Holloway is an X-Factor to me. May not start game 1 but he's a player type with size, speed, and physical inclination who might get ice-time if someone falters. Carrick maybe a slight edge over Ryan with some size and bite but those two could alternate.

Kane - McDavid - Hyman
Nuge - Draisaitl - Foegele
McLeod - Henrique - Holloway
Janmark - Carrick - Perry

 

[Broberg Speed]

Probably Holloway comes out. But it's a good problem to have. For once this club has legitimate depth at forward.

I hope Vegas isn't healthy, even if they have everyone available, I hope none of them are 100%.

 

[syz]

I think Evander Kane gets first dibs on 1LW with McDavid. Guy has the team's fourth most goals scored, 24 goals (only 2 PP) and is 6th in league hits with 250. Heavy, hard and nasty game which are also valuable assets when the NHL game changes to playoff hockey. He's earned first-up consideration. His game is also trending up.

This team's strength is McDavid and incredible versatility of quality centre/wing options that can move around the chessboard based on opponent and in-game situations with Draisaitl, Nugent Hopkins, Henrique, McLeod, and end of roster guys, Ryan and Carrick. We've seen a lot of the Stack Line with McWinger Draisaitl and imagine more to come as a break in case of emergency option especially with improved quality depth and utility behind it.

Holloway is an X-Factor to me. May not start game 1 but he's a player type with size, speed, and physical inclination who might get ice-time if someone falters. Carrick maybe a slight edge over Ryan with some size and bite but those two could alternate.

Kane - McDavid - Hyman
Nuge - Draisaitl - Foegele
McLeod - Henrique - Holloway
Janmark - Carrick - Perry

If Holloway is in I'm keeping him with Perry.

Also still think Henrique needs to be a top 6 winger on this team to have an impact. Conversely I don't think Foegele needs to be in the top 6 at all and haven't all year.

 

[Rpenny]

Doesn't matter. Vegas has the Hawks tonight and ducks on Thursday. We're getting the Knights in the first round. They are healthy and rolling. We might win one game.

 

[Draiskull]

For me we need to give Draisaitl wingers that best suit him even if it's Hyman.
McDavid will carry a line no matter the wingers.
Bottom 6ers don't really matter. Hopefully they can stay on the right side of +/- in playoffs while providing physicality and effective PKing

 

[Mr Positive]

Doesn't matter. Vegas has the Hawks tonight and ducks on Thursday. We're getting the Knights in the first round. They are healthy and rolling. We might win one game.

Vegas gets far too much credit. They won the cup, but they got to play the 8th seed in the East, and the Oilers had an awful D system that isn't there anymore.

Plus they get a pass for sub par regular season because of their shenanigans. Sure, they are a good team but lets not go nuts there. Their top players are an aging core

Dallas seems like the true obstacle this year.