Line Combos: Lines this morning
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let's not act like Plekanec lit it up with Pacioretty...
The coach's job is to find solutions, the offense has dried up...Plekanec and Pacioretty haven't been clicking lately. What's else is he supposed to do?
I get it's vogue to rag on Desharnais around here, i'm not his biggest fan either.
But truth is, both he and Desharnais aren't nearly productive enough for the amount of time they spend on the ice. Plekanec is the 2nd most used forward, by a fairly wide margin over the 3rd guy Desharnais.
This team needs more from Plekanec & Desharnais, this isn't about playing favorites.
The coach's job is to find solutions, the offense has dried up...Plekanec and Pacioretty haven't been clicking lately. What's else is he supposed to do?
I get it's vogue to rag on Desharnais around here, i'm not his biggest fan either.
But truth is, both he and Desharnais aren't nearly productive enough for the amount of time they spend on the ice. Plekanec is the 2nd most used forward, by a fairly wide margin over the 3rd guy Desharnais.
This team needs more from Plekanec & Desharnais, this isn't about playing favorites.
How does just replacing DD and Plekanec create two balanced lines instead of one? The structure of the top 6 is identical.
If MT wanted a balanced top 6, he can start by replacing Weise with Sekac and then go from there. Alternating Plekanec and DD still doesn't give the Canadiens two scoring lines. In fact, the Canadiens are pretty much back to the lines they started the season with, which were broken up because the Canadiens couldn't find two balanced scoring lines.
I agree. But to get some offense, MT is only willing to switch the RWer between the 4th and 3rd line, and the centres in the top 6. The structure of the trios remain the same over and over again.
Balanced scoring would have what you have + DD with Parenteau and Prust on the third.
Well Pacioretty and Desharnais have had success in the past...so not sure what you mean here
Either way, 2 weeks from now, the lines will probably look entirely different
IMO...whether or not Plekanec or Desharnais are centering the first line, it doesn't matter to me.
The best center on this team is Alex Galchenyuk
Ok...if not Weise? Then who? I find this whole fascination with Dale Weise on the 1st line hilarious. I mean, clearly, he's not a first line player. But who else do the Habs have that has size and can dig pucks out for Pacioretty and whoever is playing center with him?
Don't say Sekac, if you think Weise and his 3 points in 10 games is bad, I dare you to look up Sekac's numbers the last 10 games. He hasn't shown enough to earn a promotion.
I don't think MT minds the lack of production from Weise because he's at least consistent in his effort and he fills a specific role better than Sekac would at this point. I mean, I like the guy, he looks like he's going to be a solid player, but he's got 46 shots in 43 games (even less than Weise).
At this point in time...he doesn't belong on the 1st line
Markov4Captain
Registered User
Galchenyuk should have never been moved back to wing.
We are a healthy team and the head coach is icing the worst possible version of our roster. Add that to his $hitty system and that explains rather easily losses to Arizona and Buffalo.
We are a healthy team and the head coach is icing the worst possible version of our roster. Add that to his $hitty system and that explains rather easily losses to Arizona and Buffalo.
What do you mean don't say Sekac. Of course the answer is Sekac. First, comparing Weise's last 10 games to Sekac's isn't the same considering one plays with the team's two best forwards and the other is playing in the bottom 6. Second, DD got a promotion back to the top 6 after putting up 2 points in 10 games. If he warranted such a promotion, then so does Sekac, since it's clear that MT clearly doesn't link merit and promotion considering DD's promotion.
You're making no sense.
Pacs-DD-Gally
Galchy-Pleks-Sekac
Prust-Eller-PAP
That's what I'd like to see. Didn't a variation of this work pretty well earlier in the year?
Galchy-Pleks-Sekac
Prust-Eller-PAP
That's what I'd like to see. Didn't a variation of this work pretty well earlier in the year?
Hackett
BAKAMAN
There was a time when sekac looked like he could fill in that slot. But his game seems to have tailed off lately. He's not nearly as effective on the forcheck, and doesn't seem to be as assertive.
I don't think he's been the same guy since the all star break, maybe earlier.
Its too bad because at one point, the eller-sekac duo was my favorite, and the habs really do need more from them.
Again...what has Sekac shown to earn a promotion on the top line? He's not getting tons of chances, he struggles with putting pucks on nets. Yeah, he's great at controlling the puck on the perimeter but whether it's him or Weise, there's no much difference right now.
I'm sorry, I don't play favorites...is Sekac more talented than Weise? There's no question he is, but right now, there's nothing I've seen to show me that he's the solution to the problem at RW on the 1st line.
Like I said...I don't play favorites
Masuli
Registered User
bipolarhabfan
Registered User
We can do all the line combos we want. It does not mask the fact that this team's forward group is too uni-dimensional and lacks skill. Players such as Gallagher and Weiss on your top lines is not a recipe for playoff success. Deharnais is also not a great #1 centre to have. Unless Bergevin can get us a couple of players who can score, we will not get past the likes of Tampa this year.
We like to rag upon Vanek, but he was a huge help in propelling our offense to another level and still provided the team with 10 points in the playoffs. On an off year in Minnesota he has 31 points, which would put him in our top-five, only three points away from Galchenyuk.
The only help that I can see is from outside the organization. Aside from Scherbak, I see few players who can reach elite status on offense.
This is the lineup I wish we could ice
Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Gallagher
Sekac-Plekanec-Parenteau
Prust-Eller-Thomas
Bournival-Deharnais-Weiss
Still an ugly lineup.
We like to rag upon Vanek, but he was a huge help in propelling our offense to another level and still provided the team with 10 points in the playoffs. On an off year in Minnesota he has 31 points, which would put him in our top-five, only three points away from Galchenyuk.
The only help that I can see is from outside the organization. Aside from Scherbak, I see few players who can reach elite status on offense.
This is the lineup I wish we could ice
Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Gallagher
Sekac-Plekanec-Parenteau
Prust-Eller-Thomas
Bournival-Deharnais-Weiss
Still an ugly lineup.
My question is since when has promotion and merit ever gone hand in hand for MT?
The solution to the 1st line RW will never be Dale Weise. Ever. The solution to the first line RW might be Sekac, you'll never know until you try him there. Sekac might not be producing now, but there was no reason not to give him that promotion the moment PAP went down a while back. That promotion should have never gone to Weise in the first place. You're looking at the promotion from now, the promotion should have occurred a while back.
Even at that, MT has spoken about giving a player the opportunity to get out of their slumps by putting them in positions to succeed. All I need to do is point back to DD to see how merit and promotion has not gone hand in hand. Why weren't you up in arms when DD was given that promotion he didn't deserve last season when he had 1 point in 19 games? Or earlier in the season when he went 48 games without a 5 on 5 goal but still had his position secure. Or when Andrighetto came in and put up 3 points in 3 games and got demoted to the 4th line for doing so. Why does merit and promotion mean so much now when applied to Sekac?
When a team struggles to score goals, there is no reason not to try a struggling rookie with clear top 6 talent over a career bottom 6 player with limited offensive talent who isn't even producing well in that top 6 role to begin with. It's asinine. Your justification of keeping Weise in the top 6 is ridiculous man, he isn't even producing well in that role and the team struggles to score goals. Slump or not, Sekac should be put there for the simple fact that he has more talent, even more so when the team can't score.
As for you not playing favorites, I would agree with you if you didn't continuously trash Plekanec for the better part of 4 years now.
I get the idea of wanting Sekac on the 1st line...but it's just an idea, it's not based on anything we've seen.
I mean, other than Gallagher, Weise has been the most consistent play on RW this year. I also think the reason he's there is kind of an indication to the coach telling him that he wants/needs that type of player, but obviously a bit more talented, to complete that line.
For me, I'd leave Sekac on the 3rd line with Eller and give him spot duty on the PP...he still looks like a guy who is trying to figure out his way at this level. He does a lot of good things, great skater, great puck carrier. But he's shown that he lacks finish around the net and he also needs to learn how to get his shot off more quickly at this level.
Next year we can revisit with Sekac, but right now, he's not a better fit than Weise IMO
Smokey Thompson
Registered User
Max's possession stats have taken a HUGE hit since Weise has been on that line. He's an anchor similar to Crankshaft in that department. Max has gone from one of the top possession driving wingers in the game to average. The fact that he's been able to produce just shows how good he is. Essentially producing on a 2man line.
Weise does his job effectively, he's a strong forechecker, he chips the puck out on his wing, plays physical and chips in offense when he can. It's certainly not his fault that he's playing in a role he's not suited for. It's more of an indication of what this team lacks, than anything he does.
I mean come on...he's already surpassed his career high in points, he's a +10, gives an honest effort every night and has chipped in with some very important goals for the Habs in his time here.
Earned himself a demotion? How?
MT is an awfull coach, one of the worst... but the idea to put Eller on the 2nd line is even more ludicrous... the guy can't even create offence, let alone produce.
JLP
Refugee
- Aug 16, 2005
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But he said he wasn't comfortable, which I think is bs, I think it's Therrien who wasn't comfortable. Anyway he should have supported Galchenyuk in assuming the centre role, be patient, instead of just slotting his favourite feckless midget back at #1C it's ridiculous that we've come back to this.
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