Line Combos: HFBoards Decides: Opening Lineup - Bottom D Pairing (Vote for 2)

[Randy Butternubs]

It's looking like Cullen is going to win the 4th line center position. Back to polls about defense.

Some assumptions, as of 9/7/2015:

• Fehr will not start the season.
• Scuderi is staying. So is Lovejoy.
• Dumoulin would not survive waivers and will stay in the NHL.
• 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.
• Neither Gonchar or Sestito will be signed.

I will add more assumptions as the HFBoards lineup is decided. You don't like these assumptions? Too bad.

This poll is slightly different. Pick the two players who you feel should be on the bottom pairing. I'm fairly confident on what the results will be.

Voting for this one shall last for two days (perhaps even one day). The player who gets the least amount of votes will be the 7th defenseman.

Objections?

Current HFBoards Lineup:

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

Maatta-Letang
Pouliot-Cole
XXX-XXX
XXX

Fleury
XXX

Click to read more...

 

[Asuna]

Dumo/Erixon

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Dumo/Erixon

I wish it were that easy.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I really don't like Dumoulin-Lovejoy as a pair. I just don't think there's enough puck moving ability between those 2, as in I don't think Dumoulin is a good enough puck mover to make up for Lovejoy's lack of puck moving. That's one reason why I wanted to go with Pouliot-Lovejoy and Dumoulin-Cole if we weren't going to split up Maatta-Letang.

I mean, in this poll, it's so easily Dumoulin-Lovejoy. I just don't like that pair at all. I'd much rather see Dumoulin-Letang, Maatta-Cole and Pouliot-Lovejoy as our 3 D pairs than what was voted on in here.

 

[Asuna]

I wish it were that easy.

Yes. If only.

 

[cygnus47]

I really don't like Dumoulin-Lovejoy as a pair. I just don't think there's enough puck moving ability between those 2, as in I don't think Dumoulin is a good enough puck mover to make up for Lovejoy's lack of puck moving. That's one reason why I wanted to go with Pouliot-Lovejoy and Dumoulin-Cole if we weren't going to split up Maatta-Letang.

I mean, in this poll, it's so easily Dumoulin-Lovejoy. I just don't like that pair at all. I'd much rather see Dumoulin-Letang, Maatta-Cole and Pouliot-Lovejoy as our 3 D pairs than what was voted on in here.

Dumoulin is a fantastic passer and has improved his skating a lot. As a bottom pairing guy, lovejoy will do great too. I'd be a lot more concerned about Pouliot and Cole in the top 4 than these two on the bottom pairing.

 

[Mike Lange Version 2]

Dumo/Erixon

I wish.

If Lovejoy can channel his aggressiveness from Anaheim (100% due to him playing with Fowler), he'd be fine as a #4. I have no issue with him here on the bottom pairing.

Loving that no one voted for Scuderi as of right now

 

[TNT87]

The player who gets the least amount of votes will be the 7th defenseman.

Scuderi should be the 17th defenseman on the team.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

Dumoulin is a fantastic passer and has improved his skating a lot. As a bottom pairing guy, lovejoy will do great too. I'd be a lot more concerned about Pouliot and Cole in the top 4 than these two on the bottom pairing.

Exactly. DP on the 2nd pair is the problem in these polls, his defensive game is not ready for those assignments or minutes.

 

[Nakawick]

no love for scuds,.. shocked.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Exactly. DP on the 2nd pair is the problem in these polls, his defensive game is not ready for those assignments or minutes.

I definitely wanted Dumoulin on the second pair with Cole. But that's not what ended up winning the poll.

So far Fordy, PensPlz, and Ruufus don't understand how the voting works. And Agalloch1986 is a troll.

 

[WickedWrister]

Well looks like we found Scuderi's Hfboards account... Agalloch1986

 

[SprootsMasterFlex]

Scuderi is a trainwreck in MJ's system.

 

[GFF]

Scuderi is a trainwreck in the NHL.

corrected that for you.

 

[plaidchuck]

Scuderi is a trainwreck in MJ's system.

Tell that to MJ who played him 80.games.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Dumoulin is a fantastic passer and has improved his skating a lot. As a bottom pairing guy, lovejoy will do great too. I'd be a lot more concerned about Pouliot and Cole in the top 4 than these two on the bottom pairing.

I didn't mean that as in Dumoulin isn't a good puck mover (because he is), I just think it makes more sense to put our best bottom-4 puck mover (Pouliot) with our worst one (Lovejoy). I don't think putting our 3rd and 4th best puck movers of our bottom-4 together on the bottom pair is a smart idea. Is it that big of a deal? Not really, but I think it would be smarter to spread out the puck moving ability.

There's also questions about Pouliot's defensive ability and whether or not it's top-4 ready, I'd just feel a lot more comfortable with Dumoulin-Cole and Pouliot-Lovejoy.