Line Combos: HFBoards Decides: Opening Lineup - Backup Goalie

[Randy Butternubs]

The 4th line center has been claimed by Cullen.

Scuderi got destroyed in the last poll. Dumoulin and Lovejoy round out the bottom pair.

Some assumptions, as of 9/11/2015:

• Fehr will not start the season.
• Sundqvist, Rust, and Wilson have a slim chance to start in the NHL in a bottom 6 role. Rust and Wilson are not centers, though.
• Fleury is the starting goalie.
• Dupuis can play any forward position. He will also not be the 13th forward.
• Neither Gonchar or Sestito will be signed.

I will add more assumptions as the HFBoards lineup is decided.

For this poll, vote for who you think should be the backup to MAF this season. I'm fairly confident on what the results will be.

Voting for this one shall last for two days (perhaps even one day).

Objections?

Current HFBoards Lineup:

Perron-Crosby-Hornqvist
Plotnikov-Malkin-Kessel
Kunitz-Bonino-Bennett
XXX-Cullen-XXX

Maatta-Letang
Pouliot-Cole
Dumoulin-Lovejoy
Scuderi

Fleury
XXX

Click to read more...

 

[Empoleon8771]

Zatkoff obviously. The last 2 4th line spots should be interesting though, one will be Dupuis obviously but I'm curious to see who will claim the other. I think it should be Wilson, but I know Sundqvist is loved (and overrated) here.

Either way, I'm pretty sure HF completely botched the entire lineup and we will never once see this lineup

 

[Shady Machine]

Sundqvist is overrated? Do you think Wilson is a better player?

I'm fine with Wilson over Sundqvist, but that's only if coaches want Sundqvist to play tons of minutes at center in the AHL.

 

[GFF]

Got to be Zat. Can always call up Murray to play no1 if MAF goes down long term but Murray needs starter minutes in AHL. Zat is a good as he is going to get so he will warm the pine just perfectly!

 

[Speaking Moistly]

Zatkoff is pretty much guaranteed, but I'm really curious about how Murray would look in an NHL game. So if Zatkoff really sucks or they've secured a playoff spot I'd want to see Murray in a game.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Sundqvist is overrated? Do you think Wilson is a better player?

I'm fine with Wilson over Sundqvist, but that's only if coaches want Sundqvist to play tons of minutes at center in the AHL.

You really don't think Sundqvist is overrated here or in general by the Pens fanbase? He's a guy that a lot of Pens fans were willing to give the 3C spot before he even played a game in NA. I don't know if Wilson is a better player (and neither does 99% of this site), but I do know Wilson has a lot more experience in NA styled hockey than Sundqvist does.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Sundqvist has probably gotten a tad overrated. That's to be expected from a team/fanbase that has more or less nothing as far as promising forwards go in the system and haven't for years. But I think people's rationale for wanting to see the 3C spot go to him last season was sound. He had just come off an outstanding preseason and camp and everyone could see the writing on the wall with Sutter (or should have). I don't think anyone wanted it handed to him... but eased on while starting in, like... a fourth line role wouldn't have been that crazy. Teams do it all the time with success.

But sending him back to Sweden for more PT in a highly competitive league (where he bested his numbers from the prior year with 10 less games) was also a good move. As for his experience and pedigree... he legitimately has them both over just about any forward prospect on this team. Even Sprong, in some ways. He wasn't coming from juniors... he was coming from a professional men's league that is well known to play a style that generally translates well to NA.

Sundqvist is only overrated because expectations have maybe gotten a little high. But everything I've seen of him indicates that he's an NHL player and likely ready sooner rather than later. Guys like Wilson certainly can't say the same. Though I'm not writing them off by any stretch.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

I didn't think about this before, but I should probably just include Dupuis as one of the 4th line wingers. Shouldn't I? Cause I highly doubt he'd be the 13th forward.

The last two polls will be the final 4th line position and the 13th forward.

 

[Mike Lange Version 2]

I'm the one who voted for Murray. I think he deserves a shot, but don't mind Zatkoff at all in the spot.

 

[Jacob]

Murray barely played starter minutes last year so sitting on the bench for 85% of the season is not in his best interests. If he has another good AHL season he can be the backup next year.

 

[tom_servo]

Zatkoff is fine for our purposes. Also, Dupuis probably has just as good of a chance ending up on the top line as he does the 4th/press box.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Hopefully, the answer this season will be BOTH Zatkoff and Murray. When the backup goaltender is NOT playing, Zatkoff should be sitting on the stool at the end of the bench. When the backup goaltender IS scheduled to play, hopefully they send down Zatkoff and call up Murray. They can do it one game prior, so that Murray can get acclimated, but if that's not logistically possible then that's OK too.

This system worked well for the Capitals last season, so I think we should try it. Last year, Justin Peters would do most of the sitting behind Braden Holtby, but then when the backup was required the Caps often called up Phillipp Grubauer for the start.

It makes the most sense to me. Murray gets a ton of experience and playing time and gets a great sense of the difference between the NHL and AHL. Zatkoff may have to go through waivers every time we do this, unless we keep a roster spot vacant for such a transaction. I don't think anybody would claim Zatkoff unless an NHL goalie goes down somewhere around the league. In such a case, maybe you don't waive Zatkoff that particular time.

Anyway, I think it's time to get creative here. I'd like to see Murray finish 2015-16 with about 12 NHL starts and 40+ AHL stars. That would be great for his development. And he'd still be Calder eligible in 2016-17.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

If you vote Murray I'll smack ya.

Very pleased at the restraint thus far, though.

I don't care if he gets some time in the NHL or not, but he has to play 50+ games this year.

 

[Al Smith]

I still think they'll pick up someone before the season starts. Murray isn't ready and if the org was OK with Zatkoff, they wouldn't have gone out and gotten Greiss last year.

 

[plaidchuck]

They can't afford to pay a backup 1mm again. So might as well stick with zatkoff.

How Greiss got 1.5mm for two years with the islanders boggles my mind considering his horrendous performance last season. Is Halak injured or something?

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Greiss was a steal last year, but obviously didn't work out as planned (which makes the contract he got from the Islanders a little weird). Zatkoff is capable of starting ~15 games and not killing us, which is all we really can afford right now. Paying a premium at back-up is something cap ceiling teams just can't afford to do....hopefully that will aid in Murray's eventual progression into the NHL as he'll be a cheap option out of the gate.

 

[Jacob]

Leighton is still a UFA? nhlnumbers.com says he is. I imagine he'd take a league-minimum two-way deal, and I'd prefer him over Zatkoff though the difference may not be that huge.