Linemates for McDavid
- Thread starter LeafChief
- Start date
That was such a nice pass. I always laugh when people say "Lucic is too slow".
Those people didn't see Maroon with McDavid and the points he was getting..
6ix
HitEmWit4LikeAustonM
- Nov 26, 2014
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Both of their weaknesses is finishing. McDavid needs someone who can finish on his wings.
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the4thlinegrinder
Registered User
Also it is untrue that finding wingers to play with McDavid is difficult. The only guy he didn't have great chemistry with last year was Hall. Maroon, Eberle, and Yak were all great with McDavid.
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Giggli G
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Jesse doesn't have a weakness in finishing, his shot is great and it's well documented. Laine's is just better.
Also, I agree McDavid can still work on his shot but as is he is a 30 goal scorer. I am hoping he can do what Crosby did and make himself an elite shooter down the line in his career.
His shot isn't even bad. He just doesn't use it enough. He's too smart a player not to eventually figure out that he's going to be better suited shooting more than he does now.
CantHaveTkachev
Legends
the reason Hall and McDavid didn't work IMO is because both like to carry the puck in the neutral zone
Lucic play a simple and effective game and should create space for him when cycling in the offensive zone and Eberle it the best finisher on the team
heck, if Lucic somehow doesn't work out, I like Pouliot's game with McDavid
Lucic play a simple and effective game and should create space for him when cycling in the offensive zone and Eberle it the best finisher on the team
heck, if Lucic somehow doesn't work out, I like Pouliot's game with McDavid
Lucic-McDavid-Yakupov is what I like the best. Could put Eberle in the RW spot but RNH+Yakupov don't mesh and Draisaitl+Yakupov won't be good enough defensively.
Would be fun to watch. But might want to "spread the love" across the other lines.
Both are "playdriver" type players. They both carry the puck in with speed. Might be a waste to put them both on the same line. Only one puck.
Give McDavid a "floater" type player: someone with a good release to who can remain invisible, drifting in and out of scoring areas until McDavid can set him up.
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If Pulju is playing in the NHL this year, he'll likely be on the 3rd line with Drai. Not many bottom 6s will be able to matchup with them.
FanOfSadTeam
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I think mostly because of his face. Chiarelli actually emphasized a lot about how smart Lucic is. Talked about how he's a real student of the game, reviews a lot of footage after games and of his opponents.
The Oilers are in a pretty good spot with McDavid and linemates.
If Lucic doesn't work out they have Pouliot, who was fantastic with McDavid. Or they have Maroon, who was fantastic with McDavid. On the right, if for some reason Eberle (who was fantastic with McDavid) doesn't work out, they have Yakupov who was fantastic with McDavid. If neither of them work out, they've also got Versteeg and Puljujarvi to try out. And if neither of them work out they've got Draisaitl who has experience playing right wing they could try.
There is no shortage of combinations of players of various type/skill to try with not only McDavid but with any of their top 3 centermen (McDavid, RNH, Draisaitl).
Chiarelli just needs to find a d-men to get them the puck on a consistent basis.
Pulju likes to share the puck and spread the offence. He doesn't play a puck hog game at all. He likes to support the D down low and be the first guy on the puck to start the transition.
I envision him and McDavid matching up perfectly. Connor will carry the puck through the neural zone while Pulju streaks towards the net alongside him. Pulju doesn't need to hold onto the puck to thrive on the ice. His game off the puck is just as good if not better. He provides constant puck support and demands possession when the ice opens up for him on the rush. He won't have to do the heavy lifting, that will be Connor's role. He will just need to keep up with McDavid and be prepared to receive passes as they skate down the ice.
PatriceBergeronFan
Registered User
izzy
go
McDavid and Eberle go together like peas and carrots so I don't expect that to change. Eberle has always been an opportunistic player who plays the game by putting himself in positions to score and having the hands to do it. With a player like McDavid who reads the ice well it's a natural fit. (also notable that Eberle worked really well with Crosby when they were both at the worlds too) Then you throw a guy like Lucic out there to be the muscle and create some space and win some battles and it should work, worked with Maroon who isn't half the player Lucic is, or Pouliot who can be a serviceable guy in that kind of situation. There's lots of options for McDavid to play with, skilled options too cause he and Yakupov were good together too.
