#67 Max Pacioretty - #24 Phillip Danault - #11 Brendan Gallagher
#62 Artturi Lehkonen - #27 Alex Galchenyuk - #92 Jonathan Drouin
#41 Paul Byron - #14 Tomas Plekanec - #83 Ales Hemsky
#54 Charles Hudon - #17 Torrey Mitchell - #65 Andrew Shaw
#25 Jacob De La Rose - #37 Andreas Martinsen
Jakub Jerabek - #6 Shea Weber
#22 Karl Alzner - #26 Jeff Petry
#21 David Schlemko - #8 Jordie Benn
#88 Brandon Davidson
#31 Carey Price - #35 Al Montoya
#22 Chris Terry - #13 Peter Holland - #17 Nikita Scherbak
#11 Daniel Carr - #32 Byron Froese - #25 Michael McCarron
Jeremiah Addison - #24 Daniel Audette - Antoine Waked
#29 Niki Petti - #38 Markus Eisenschmid - #37 Jérémy Grégoire
#34 David Broll - Thomas Ebbing
#42 Matt Taormina - #2 Zach Redmond
#45 Joe Morrow - #14 Brett Lernout
Simon Bourque - #8 Noah Juulsen
Stefan Leblanc
#35 Charlie Lindgren - #31 Zach Fucale
#67 Max Pacioretty - #24 Phillip Danault - #11 Brendan Gallagher
#62 Artturi Lehkonen - #27 Alex Galchenyuk - #92 Jonathan Drouin
#41 Paul Byron - #14 Tomas Plekanec - #83 Ales Hemsky
#54 Charles Hudon - #17 Torrey Mitchell - #65 Andrew Shaw
#25 Jacob De La Rose - #37 Andreas Martinsen
Jakub Jerabek - #6 Shea Weber
#22 Karl Alzner - #26 Jeff Petry
#21 David Schlemko - #8 Jordie Benn
#88 Brandon Davidson
#31 Carey Price - #35 Al Montoya
#22 Chris Terry - #13 Peter Holland - #17 Nikita Scherbak
#11 Daniel Carr - #32 Byron Froese - #25 Michael McCarron
Jeremiah Addison - #24 Daniel Audette - Antoine Waked
#29 Niki Petti - #38 Markus Eisenschmid - #37 Jérémy Grégoire
#34 David Broll - Thomas Ebbing
#42 Matt Taormina - #2 Zach Redmond
#45 Joe Morrow - #14 Brett Lernout
Simon Bourque - #8 Noah Juulsen
Stefan Leblanc
#35 Charlie Lindgren - #31 Zach Fucale
Best AHL line-up in many years? Looks solid. You don't have Reway back?
Only because it's not guaranteed he'll be back this year. I really hope he will be.
Switch:
Danault and Galchenyuk
Morrow and Davidson
Flip wings - Lehkonen with Drouin
Going back with the Pacioretty - Galchenyuk - Gallagher line, if the roster remains intact, isn't a bad idea at all.
If that happens, switching wings for Lehkonen and Drouin is, indeed, the best way to get Lehkonen to score more off of Drouin's feeds.
Morrow will likely have the favour of Julien over Davidson, IMO, mainly because he is better known by the coach and might also have more upside.
While I don't think that they will have a line of Drouin - Danault - Lehkonen, I think that this line wouldn't be half bad. Drouin would have less pressure than playing on a line with either Pacioretty (the team's top scorer) or Galchenyuk, another defensively weak forward with a dire need to have a bounce-back season.
Also, the speed on a line that has Drouin, Danault and Lehkonen would be extremely hard to counter. Two defensively solid forwards (who can also play Offense) in Danault and Lehkonen would also allow Drouin a lot more latitude in exploiting his Offensive vision.
There are definitely options for Julien, but the Montreal market isn't very patient, unfortunately.
A bounce-back season from both Galchenyuk and Gallagher can make this team a very strong offensive team, in the end. The addition of another top-6C would push us a notch higher, IMO, but Plekanec's 6M salary as a 4th line C would be a huge problem.
Let's keep our fingers and toes crossed.
#67 Max Pacioretty - #24 Phillip Danault - #11 Brendan Gallagher
#62 Artturi Lehkonen - #27 Alex Galchenyuk - #92 Jonathan Drouin
#41 Paul Byron - #14 Tomas Plekanec - #83 Ales Hemsky
#54 Charles Hudon - #17 Torrey Mitchell - #65 Andrew Shaw
#25 Jacob De La Rose - #37 Andreas Martinsen
Jakub Jerabek - #6 Shea Weber
#22 Karl Alzner - #26 Jeff Petry
#21 David Schlemko - #8 Jordie Benn
#88 Brandon Davidson
#31 Carey Price - #35 Al Montoya
If Danault can continue to progress (50pt, solid two-way play) and Galchenyuk gets thrown into center with a sink or swim "you're playing there the whole year" type mentality, and doesn't sink, I actually really like our forward lines. Our defense, although not the greatest puck-moving super mobile bunch, should protect Price and limit us to the under 3 goals a game.
Still wish we were able to keep Radulov, he'd add just another weapon on the wing, allowing us to stretch out the offense, but overall, I'm optimistic.
If we can fit the new C in our $9M cap space.
They have 8,187,023M in cap space with this roster,
Pac Galchenyuk Drouin
Lehkonen Danault Gallagher
Byron Pleks Hemsky
DLR Mitchell Shaw
Hudon Martinsen
Alzner Weber
Schlemko Petry
Jerabek Benn
Davidson
Price
Montoya
I don't know if it's been posted yet but regarding Reway:
194 lbs for a 5'9" guy is big. I hope he's ready for training camp!
If we can fit the new C in our $9M cap space, Plekanec as 4th line C is not a huge problem, since his contract expires in June which will allow Price's increase for next year to be absorbed. In fact, teams might even come calling for Pleks before the deadline for rental purposes.
It will allow Danualt to center Byron and Shaw, while Pleks gets Hemsky and Hudon. Of course, if we have to move Gally, Byron or Shaw to get a 2C, we can adjust the wingers. Lots of options when you have cap space.
Lehkonen Galchenyuk Drouin
Pacioretty Danault Gallagher
Byron Plekanec Hemsky
delaRose Mitchell Shaw
Hudon Holland McCarron
Carr Martinsen Scherbak
Markov Weber
Alzner Petry
Schlemko Benn
Davidson Juulsen
Jerabek Lernout
Lehkonen and Gallagher had good chemistry during the playoffs. I'd try to piggy back on that in the coming season.
Pacioretty - Danault - Drouin
Lehkonen - Galchenyuk - Gallagher
Byron - Plekanec - Hemsky
Hudon - Mitchell - Shaw
DLR
And if Galchenyuk is a disaster at centre:
Pacioretty - Danault - Drouin
Lehkonen - Plekanec - Galchenyuk
Byron - Shaw - Gallagher
Hudon - Mitchell - Hemsky
DLR
I don't see Galchenyuk being a disaster at C.
In the 46 games before Kopitar took his knee out, Galchenyuk had 45 points playing mostly with Max and Gally, and was a +9.
I'd LOVE to have them back together, then play Drouin with Lehkonen and have Danault anchor the line with good D on top of great speed.
Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Gallagher was a thing for only ~10 games...
6 games to start this year and 4 games to end last season.
It was Andrighetto and Byron who completed that duo.
If for part of the time, Andrighetto subbed in for injured Gallagher, and he still succeeded at C, I still see Galchenyuk as a viable center, especially since he has now signed his contract and the GM doesn't have to devalue him anymore
While I don't think that they will have a line of Drouin - Danault - Lehkonen, I think that this line wouldn't be half bad. Drouin would have less pressure than playing on a line with either Pacioretty (the team's top scorer) or Galchenyuk, another defensively weak forward with a dire need to have a bounce-back season.
Also, the speed on a line that has Drouin, Danault and Lehkonen would be extremely hard to counter. Two defensively solid forwards (who can also play Offense) in Danault and Lehkonen would also allow Drouin a lot more latitude in exploiting his Offensive vision.