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Line Combos: HFBoards Decides: Opening Lineup - Final Top 6 Left Winger (Part 1?)

Randy Butternubs

Randy Butternubs

Registered User
Mar 15, 2008
29,777
21,311
Morningside
Perron to play with Crosby and Hornqvist in one of the closest polls of all time.

Some assumptions, as of 8/24/2015:

  • Fehr will not start the season.
  • Scuderi is staying. So is Lovejoy.
  • Dumoulin would not survive waivers and will stay in the NHL.
  • Clendening, Erixson, and Andersen have a chance to pass through waivers and one will be the 6th or 7th defenseman.
  • Sundqvist has a chance to start in the NHL.
  • Fleury is the starting goalie.
  • Letang is on the first D pairing on the right side.
  • Maatta will play on the left side of whatever pairing he is on.
  • Bonino can play wing.

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

Onto the remaining top 6 left winger spot. Who gets penciled in with Malkin and Kessel? Kunitz, Plotnikov, Dupuis, Bennett, Sundqvist, or Bonino?

lightning_penguins_hockey_35800695.jpg


Voting for this one shall last for two days. Then, depending on results, I will take the top 2 or 3 results and do one final poll. If Bonino is not selected as the left winger, he will become the third line center.

Objections?

Current HFBoards Lineup:

Perron-Crosby-Hornqvist
XXX-Malkin-Kessel
XXX-XXX-XXX
XXX-XXX-XXX

XXX-Letang
XXX-XXX
XXX-XXX
XXX

Fleury
XXX

Should've done this during the Bylsma years and sent it to him.
Click to read more...
 
Shady Machine

Shady Machine

Registered User
Aug 6, 2010
36,704
8,141
I would start with Plotnikov. JR mentioned wanting to find a Russian player for Malkin and they believe Plots can be a top 6 winger. Let's give him a long look to start the year.
 
Jacob

Jacob

as seen on TV
Feb 27, 2002
49,506
25,111
I'd go based on who looks best there in camp and pre-season. I don't really think anybody should be pencilled in to that spot this early, unlike the other top-6 spots.

But for me it's between Plotnikov and Kunitz.
 
mikethelegacy

mikethelegacy

formerly mikelegacy
May 9, 2013
1,763
16
Pittsburgh, Pa
Plotnikov. Start him off there and see how he does. I really think we are bloating his actual worth, but we will have to see. I think Fehr could be a decent left flank for Malkin-Kessel at the end of the day, though.
 
PensBandwagonerNo272*

PensBandwagonerNo272*

Forgot About Sid
Sep 10, 2012
12,530
9
lmao I love that pick of Geno and Adams :laugh:

Go with Plotnikov. I can't see Kunitz having anything less than a bounce back season but give the kid a chance and see if the chemistry is there. I like Kunitz and Geno together in general but we have depth options now and Kunitz could give us a fantastic 3rd line with some of Bonino, Fehr, Bennett, Dupuis, etc.
 
BlindWillyMcHurt

BlindWillyMcHurt

ti kallisti
May 31, 2004
34,342
28,366
I won't completely discount the notion of Kunitz bouncing back, assuming that his issues the past two seasons have been primarily health and conditioning driven and he's taken steps to mitigate that this offseason. He would also have to revert back to his old buzzsaw ways in order to be the most effective on a line with Malkin and Kessel. But at 36 years old... that all seems a bit optimistic.

So I'm going to say Plotnikov is the best fit on paper. Though he's a complete unknown.

Maybe it's the eternal pessimist in me but I wouldn't be surprised to see Dupuis spend a decent amount of time on Malkin's LW this season, either. Or just the top six, in general. Despite what the team is saying about him being a third liner, now. I have doubts about this coach coming up with sensible line combinations based on a lot of what I saw last season.
 
Penguinator

Penguinator

Kesselator
Sep 17, 2014
3,999
2
Space
Kunitz must have some pride left & Duper... well, we all know his drive lvl is way up there.

If you put those two gramps on the 3rd line i don't think they'll be grumpy though with Bonino as a quality centre. As an added incentive Bonino might let them play with his dog...
 
billybudd

billybudd

Registered User
Feb 1, 2012
22,049
2,249
Knowing what I know now, I'd put Kunitz there to start and hope either Plot steals the job or Dupuis looks like aces. Or that Kunitz performance last year was a one off (I don't think it was, though).
 
Shady Machine

Shady Machine

Registered User
Aug 6, 2010
36,704
8,141
billybudd said:
Knowing what I know now, I'd put Kunitz there to start and hope either Plot steals the job or Dupuis looks like aces. Or that Kunitz performance last year was a one off (I don't think it was, though).
Click to expand...

That's reasonable. That said, if Dupes looks like aces, he needs to be with Sid and Kessel, which switches the top 6 wingers (I'm fine with that).
 
BlindWillyMcHurt

BlindWillyMcHurt

ti kallisti
May 31, 2004
34,342
28,366
Shady Machine said:
This is what we would like to see to start the season, not necessarily what we expect to happen.
Click to expand...

Plus, I mean... FWIW JR has said he sees Plotnikov as a top six player for the team, if I'm not mistaken. He also plays a similar game to what has been successful on Malkin's wing in the past... when the other wing is a skilled shooter. Disruptive, physical, not-totally-bereft of skill, etc. In the Feds/Malone mold, I suppose.

Obviously he hasn't even skated in one NHL game yet so it's probably asking too much. But I doubt the team would go out of their way to acquire him, sign him to a decent contract and talk him up as a top six option if they had no intentions of at least taking a hard look at him there.

All of this depends on camp and preseason performances, of course. But I figured that was one of those unstated givens as part of this entire discussion.
 
Shady Machine

Shady Machine

Registered User
Aug 6, 2010
36,704
8,141
BlindWillyMcHurt said:
Plus, I mean... FWIW JR has said he sees Plotnikov as a top six player for the team, if I'm not mistaken. He also plays a similar game to what has been successful on Malkin's wing in the past... when the other wing is a skilled shooter. Disruptive, physical, not-totally-bereft of skill, etc. In the Feds/Malone mold, I suppose.

Obviously he hasn't even skated in one NHL game yet so it's probably asking too much. But I doubt the team would go out of their way to acquire him, sign him to a decent contract and talk him up as a top six option if they had no intentions of at least taking a hard look at him there.

All of this depends on camp and preseason performances, of course. But I figured that was one of those unstated givens as part of this entire discussion.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I assumed he would at least get a look there. Obviously is he struggles to adapt to the NHL game, they will move him down the lineup, but there area a lot of signs pointing to him with Geno (or even Sid I suppose).
 
Black Label

Black Label

Registered User
Aug 6, 2009
3,209
13
Amsterdam
Plotnikov. I'd honestly give Sundqvist a shot there before I automatically gave the job to Kunitz if Plots doesn't work out.
 
PensandCaps

PensandCaps

Beddy Tlueger
May 22, 2015
27,648
18,022
Id put bonnio at winger when fehr comes back, but for now, BB, find out what he can do with crosby. Not malkin.
 
Fordy

Fordy

Registered User
May 28, 2008
26,814
2,969
>plots
>bennett
>bonino
>sundqvist

should all come before kunitz

oh well
 
tom_servo

tom_servo

Registered User
Sep 27, 2002
17,154
6,011
Pittsburgh
No way it won't be Kunitz to start the season. There's some rationale behind that anyway, but it'll probably last for too long.

I'll vote Kuntiz. Plotnikov should be eased in.
 
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