Linemates for McDavid

[LeafChief]

For years we've heard chatter about how hard it is to find linemates for Crosby. He thinks the game at an elite level and it's hard for some players to adapt.

Watching McDavid over last season and the WCOH, it seems that he has a very similar situation.

Edmonton went out and got Lucic to play on McDavid's wing (at least that's the way Lucic made it seem in all over his interviews).

Do you think Lucic is a smart enough player to be able to keep up with McDavid?

Obviously in theory, it should work. Lucic should open up a lot of room for McDavid. With that being said, can Lucic think the game at the level of McDavid? Will he be able to keep up?

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[When is the Parade]

McJesus doesn't need linemates. Wasn't that obvious from watching Team North America?

 

[Nalens Oga]

Have they ever tried RNH in the middle with McDavid on the wing? That might work really well tbh, RNH has the playmaking and 2-way ability to get McDavid the puck so McDavid can rush and shoot. Third member of the line should ideally be a physical winger who also has good playmaking and will help drive posession.

 

[LeafChief]

Have they ever tried RNH in the middle with McDavid on the wing? That might work really well tbh, RNH has the playmaking and 2-way ability to get McDavid the puck so McDavid can rush and shoot. Third member of the line should ideally be a physical winger who also has good playmaking and will help drive posession.

Can RNH play wing?

 

[Mr Positive]

actually Lucic is good because he's not the smartest player. McDavid did better with Maroon than Hall, and part of that imo is that Maroon is very predictable, and probably Lucic will be too. Eberle is also a good linemate because he's very reactive and looking to sneak into open spots

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

McD just needs someone to bank the puck off

 

[DJJones]

I don't really see why they would want to put Lucic with McDavid. Seems to slow.

 

[McDeepika]

Yakupov, Eberle, Maroon and Pouliot all looked great playing with McDavid last year. He isn't hard to play with at all. Give him the puck and either go to the net or the slot and you will get chances.

 

[Measles]

The only player McDavid didn't seem to have chemistry with is Hall. His other wingers last season were Yakupov, Maroon, Eberle and Pouliot and he clicked with all of them. On Team NA he clicked justed fine with Matthews, Gaudreau and Sheifele. Only Eichel seemed to not mesh well with him, but he didn't really play well with ANY of his linemates.

 

[lakai17]

The McDavid-Puljujarvi duo is going to be fire.

 

[La Bamba]

Eberle is quick enough mentally to play with McDavid. He has the hands, too. However, most Oiler fans see Pulujarvi taking the role of McDavid's RW in the future with his driving speed and size.

Lucic should also fit like a glove considering Maroon who is a similar but inferior player was basically a PPG with McDavid.

 

[McFlyingV]

I don't really see why they would want to put Lucic with McDavid. Seems to slow.

Because McDavid benefits the most from having big simple guys who can protect the puck down low, and don't need to touch the puck a lot. Thats why Patrick Maroon had the best stretch of his career with McDavid, and he isn't even half the skater that Lucic is (who isn't as slow as some people on here make him out to be). Its also why a guy like Scheifele who is great along the boards, but plays a simple game meshed so well with him.

I know we didn't see a lot of it in the World Cup because he was playing with so much speed on the team, but McDavid doesn't just always go full 100% speed wide around D. He does it a lot and sometimes skates it behind the net to set up zone possession, but he also slows the play down at times after he backs Dmen off with his speed. Did it numerous times last year and would hit a slower winger or Dman trailer.

IMO the ideal line mates for McDavid at this point (on the Oilers) are Lucic and Eberle, but I think Puljujarvi projects to be the much better fit over Eberle in the future due to his one-timer, speed, and size.

 

[JarvisFunk]

McJesus doesn't need linemates. Wasn't that obvious from watching Team North America?

If this is a dig at McDavid it's pretty ironic coming from a Gaudreau fan.

 

[LordNeverLose]

If I was Edmonton I'd throw Maroon and Yak on McDavid's wings. It seemed clear last year he does just fine without good linemates. Crosby's been the same way his whole career basically. And that way you can spread out scoring.

Maroon-McDavid-Yak
Lucic-RNH-Eberle
Pouliot-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi

 

[Raym11]

Mcdavid just needs stuff to bank passes/shots off of

 

[Minnesota]

Which Oiler is most like Chris Kunitz?

 

[Volica]

Only need a guy with a good shot: Eberle. And someone to physically create room: Lučić.

That's it.

 

[Cassano]

I don't really see why they would want to put Lucic with McDavid. Seems to slow.

Makes plenty of sense. Lucic probably opens up the ice for linemates more so than any other player in the league. McDavid with space is unstoppable.

 

[Kardi]

Haters are gonna disagree with Lucic and Yakupov but you know better

 

[CupofOil]

McDavid turned Maroon and Yak into PPG players albeit in fairly small sample sizes. Pouliot also played great with him as did Eberle. This is what makes McDavid special, that he makes everybody around him better.

The one type of player who doesn't mesh well with McDavid is a line driver who needs to dominate the puck. This is why Hall (again, small sample size though) and Eichel didn't mesh with him. I think Matthews worked well with McDavid because just like McDavid, he's capable of adapting his game in order to mesh with his linemates which is what makes him special as well.

Ultimately, McDavid works best with role players who differ to him as the predominant puck carrier and play their roles as support players, preferrably players who forecheck hard and drive to the net.

 

[ItchyScratchy77]

McJesus doesn't need linemates. Wasn't that obvious from watching Team North America?

Yup. Just wow. His speed up the middle of the ice is incredible. How many great chances did he create for Matthews alone?! He'll make any line mate look good.

 

[StupidGenius]

Lucic and Eberle figure to be an ideal pair of wingers for him. Lucic can protect the puck and create space for McDavid to do his thing from the trapezoid to the half boards, and Eberle, having the best hands on the team is ideal for receiving tap-ins and cleaning up rebounds on scrambles.

From watching McDavid, until he's able to improve his shot/selection a lot of good chances die in goal mouth scrambles both in Edmonton and at the WCoH.

 

[McShogun99]

Which Oiler is most like Chris Kunitz?

That would be Yakupov.

 

[Hynh]

They just need to go to the net, he'll find them

https://streamable.com/ffrj

 

[KCC]

actually Lucic is good because he's not the smartest player. McDavid did better with Maroon than Hall, and part of that imo is that Maroon is very predictable, and probably Lucic will be too. Eberle is also a good linemate because he's very reactive and looking to sneak into open spots

That's funny because I saw an interview earlier where an Oilers player (I forget who) said Lucic is a smart player. It was because it was day 1 of training camp so the media was asking them about different things. Never figured him to be much of a smart player either, but who knows. Maybe he is smarter than we think?

McDavid can play with anyone assuming he gets the puck and can use his speed. With Hall, he always wanted to carry the puck in which didn't help McDavid much I think.