Line Combos: Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson

[disgruntleddave]

Kadri will break in to the offensive Zone. Clarkson will own the ice down low. Lupul will own the sideboards, with Kadri supporting up high and Clarkson supporting down low. Both Kadri and Lupul will do well finding open ice around the slot, with Clarkson being the guy on the tip of the crease, screening the goalie and putting in garbage goals.

I really think the line will work well.

 

[Durkin67]

3rd line is one of the better ones too if we get Raymond

Not convinced re Raymond. Too much of a waterbug for my liking. Love the speed and secondary scoring but I like my 3rd liners to be a little more hostile...

 

[AvroArrow]

I just wanted to see what everyone thinks about the most likely second line:

Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson

I am personally really excited for this.

All three of these players can be really physical and put up points.

This line will be a brutal to play against for most teams.

That only makes sense. Kessel can play well with anyone, he played like a superstar with both Lupul and JVR. That would give us 2 strong scoring lines.

JVR - Bozak - Kessel
Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson

Then we still got Kulemin and Bolland in the bottom 6 who can move up in case of injury or if we need to move the lines around. Pretty pumped to see what Kadri/Clarkson can do together

 

[DIrwin]

I know this is unrelated but am I the only one who remembers how productive bozie kessel and kulie played together? I know it was Kessels first year but I remember them being dynamite but maybe that's just me

 

[LEAFSIN4]

Honestly, unless Clarkson parks his ass in front of the net and stays there, he is going to be noticeably behind the other two. He is not fast or agile like Kadri or Lupul and might even bring the other two down if he starts trying to do too much (something he got infamy for in NJ after his 30 goal season). I mean i hope im wrong, but just the kind of player he is limits his usefulness to that line.

All he'll need to do is get the puck to the net.

 

[Face Of Bear]

Seemed to keep up with Elias and Zajac just fine. Didn't look out of place with Parise and Henrique either.

I think he'll help Kadri out tremendously. Seemed like the young man enjoyed playing with the protection of Orr. Clarkson can offer the same protection, while also being able to tap a couple of goals in and contribute offensively.

If you read any post Devils fans had to say about Clarkson.... you'd know he struggled when he started to play in the top 6. They all say he played much better on the 3rd line.

Clarkson isnt going to be "helping" anyone out. It's others that will be helping him out by shooting pucks off his ass and into the net

 

[Asif16*]

What i love more about this line is the fact that not only is this line skilled, but is very strong and gritty line as well.

When was the last time we had a nasty/skilled line like this? We all know what clarkson can do. Kadri can def play with an edge, and can get under opponents skin. Throws big hits here and there. Lupul is a guy who plays with an edge here and there. Dude tends to trashtalk a lot. And he woudnt mind dropping the gloves with a player of his calibre or above (see subban).

We have two tough gritty lines going into the season if carlyle plays mcalren with orr in the fourth line. Excited

 

[cup67]

If you read any post Devils fans had to say about Clarkson.... you'd know he struggled when he started to play in the top 6. They all say he played much better on the 3rd line.

Clarkson isnt going to be "helping" anyone out. It's others that will be helping him out by shooting pucks off his ass and into the net

he didn't play with kadri and lupul, that's why

 

[RealisticLeaf55]

he didn't play with kadri and lupul, that's why

I have to agree. All Clarkson needs to do is screen the goalie and jump on Lupul's rebounds from Kadri's passes

 

[tooncesmeow]

Honestly, unless Clarkson parks his ass in front of the net and stays there, he is going to be noticeably behind the other two. He is not fast or agile like Kadri or Lupul and might even bring the other two down if he starts trying to do too much (something he got infamy for in NJ after his 30 goal season). I mean i hope im wrong, but just the kind of player he is limits his usefulness to that line.

Hahaha. Clarkson did so well mainly because he was the go-to-guy on his line. Take a gander at the shot totals for last season:

This guy is going to chuck shots at the net over and over until you can't take it anymore. Lowest point total out of the Top 10 for Shots and Jeff Skinner who ties him for points, did it in 21 less shots. The next with 24 or lower? Burrows, who took 140 shots.

 

[A1LeafNation]

At times the Lupul Kadri Kulemin line was our #1 line last year.

Lupul Kadri and Clarkson will be just as good as the JVR Bozak and Kessel line.

Teams are going to have absolute headaches dealing with those two lines and a nightmare to get by the Kulemin McClemment Bolland line.

 

[PuckMagi]

I'd like to see this:

Lupul - Kadri - Kessel
JVR - Bolland - Clarkson
Kulemin - Bozak - Raymond/McClemment
Orr/D'Amigo - McClemment/Colborne - McLaren/Biggs

Gardiner - Phaneuf
Rielly - Franson
Ranger - Gunner

Reimer
Bernier

line 1: skill scoring line (one of the best lines in the league)
line 2: probably score a lot of garbage goals. good shots. goes to the net. tough to play against.
line 3: shutdown line with some speed and debth scoring.
line 4: checking line/big line/fighting line

first d pairing: our two best defenders. gardiner can move the puck, phaneuf can shut down. gardiner can get the puck to phaneuf on his offwing for one timers.
second pairing: probably our 3rd and 4th best defenders. i think that frason will play well with rielly, just like he did with gardiner and i think it will be good for rielly to have a skilled and responisble partner like franson.
third pairing: still a very solid pairing. can be relied on in tough situations.

goalie: start with rimer, but give bernier a chance to play his fair share of games. go with the hotter goalie.

 

[The_Chosen_One]

Why stack that line with centermen? no likey...

Could work. Someone like Bolland will be able to open up a lot of space. It'd resemble the Bergeron line.

To me,
JvR-Kadri-Kessel
Lupul-Colborne-Clarkson
Kulemin-Bolland-(D'Amigo?)

looks better than
JvR-Bozak-Kessel
Lupul-Kadri-Clarkson
Kulemin-Bolland-Colborne/D'Amigo

Shouldnt have signed Bozak, all I'm saying. Dont like JoCo on the wall, hes too big needs more ice and freedom. And yes, I am the only person that thinks JoCo is actually ready for that kind of duty, disagree all you want, cause I know you all will, but I firmly believe he is.

I think Colborne has a lot of promise. He was viewed promising in Boston and now that his two-way game has improved, I could see him fitting here. He will likely not be displacing Bozak initially, but if he breaks out, it's quite possible..

The Colborne-Lupul pair was regularly used during the playoffs. I can see Carlyle trying it out in the regular season as well. The upcoming season is going to be very interesting indeed.

 

[Chandrashekhar Limit]

Putting Colborne in the top 6 has got to be a joke. This guy hasn't even gotten a permanent spot on the 3rd line yet, and he is supposed to play ahead of Bozak?

Lets keep our expectations in check here. It would be a huge step up for him if he can earn a permanent spot on the 3rd line given the talent we have in camp.

 

[7even]

At times the Lupul Kadri Kulemin line was our #1 line last year.

Lupul Kadri and Clarkson will be just as good as the JVR Bozak and Kessel line.

Teams are going to have absolute headaches dealing with those two lines and a nightmare to get by the Kulemin McClemment Bolland line.

I'm not as optimistic about you. Kadri's talented but green as hell, Clarkson is a massive question mark with regards to how well his scoring touch will translate in a defined top 6 role, and well, okay Lupul's pretty good. But I'll take a legit superstar in Kessel, a guy on pace for 30 goals and much better than Clarkson in front of the net in JvR, and Tyler "Soup Can" Bozak errday.

 

[samwitch]

Fairly safe to say that the top 6 is set? Some combination of those 6. Interesting to see how the bottom 6 plays out with guys like Raymond, Colborne, D'Amigo, Ashton and some others competing for wing spots. I think Kuli, Bolland and McClement would make a really good shut down line, but I'm really not too sure what to expect. I just want to see how everything plays out, damn it!

JVR - Bozak - Kessel
Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson
Kulemin - Bolland - McClement
D'Amigo - Colborne - Orr
McLaren


JVR - Bozak - Kessel
Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson
Kulemin - Bolland - Raymond
Colborne - McClement - Orr
McLaren

 

[Larry Hoover]

I think this is the perfect line in the offensive zone. Lupul and Kadri have proven chemistry and playing with a guy like Clarkson who's willing to go into the corners hard, has that physical presence and is good in front of the net is key.

I saw someone say that Clarkson is slow compared to the other 2 "speedsters", are you serious? Kadri and Lupul don't play a speed game, they play a smart quick game. Neither of them are particularly fast players. Clarkson will open up space and surely gives Kadri a secondary option on that line. I think it's a great line offesnively.

My biggest concern with that line is in the defensive zone. Not a single forward there is above average in the defensive zone. That can be a major concern but all Lupul & Kadri are two of our better possession players and Clarkson battling could keep the puck out of our own zone.

This will be our #1 option for offensive zone faceoffs, defensive zone faceoffs not so much.

I think our lines should be the following if we don't sign Raymond:

JVR - Bozak - Kessel
Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson
McClement - Bolland - Kulemin
D'Amigo - Colborne - Orr/McLaren

I think our lines should be the following if we do sign Raymond:

JVR - Bozak - Kessel
Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson
Raymond - Bolland - Kulemin
McClement - Colborne - Orr/McLaren

The only difference is Raymond on the 3rd line for McClement, D'Amigo is replaced by McClement.

 

[Cpt Maple Leaf]

I still maintain that this should be our top six:

Lupul - Kadri - Kessel
Van Riemsdyk - Bozak - Clarkson

Come at me, bro.

Not enough grit on 1st line, not enough finesse on the 2nd like this imho. Gotta kinda balance it out a little more, complement each others strengths...

 

[Cpt Maple Leaf]

I think this is the perfect line in the offensive zone. Lupul and Kadri have proven chemistry and playing with a guy like Clarkson who's willing to go into the corners hard, has that physical presence and is good in front of the net is key.

I saw someone say that Clarkson is slow compared to the other 2 "speedsters", are you serious? Kadri and Lupul don't play a speed game, they play a smart quick game. Neither of them are particularly fast players. Clarkson will open up space and surely gives Kadri a secondary option on that line. I think it's a great line offesnively.

My biggest concern with that line is in the defensive zone. Not a single forward there is above average in the defensive zone. That can be a major concern but all Lupul & Kadri are two of our better possession players and Clarkson battling could keep the puck out of our own zone.

This will be our #1 option for offensive zone faceoffs, defensive zone faceoffs not so much.

I think our lines should be the following if we don't sign Raymond:

JVR - Bozak - Kessel
Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson
McClement - Bolland - Kulemin
D'Amigo - Colborne - Orr/McLaren

I think our lines should be the following if we do sign Raymond:

JVR - Bozak - Kessel
Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson
Raymond - Bolland - Kulemin
McClement - Colborne - Orr/McLaren

The only difference is Raymond on the 3rd line for McClement, D'Amigo is replaced by McClement.

Nailed it.

 

[Egoclapper]

JVR-Kadri-Kessel
Kulemin-Bozak-Lupul
Colborne-Bolland-Clarkson
McLaren-McClement-Orr

 

[Sergei Berezin]

I'll be straight.

It's near impossible to tell what combination of 3 people will play well together on the ice.


I mean, I don't think many on this board thought putting Lupul on Kessel's LW would produce any significant results. How many thought MacA - Grabovski - Kulemin would be a good line?

It's just hard for me to read anyone who knows that Clarkson will hold back the other two on this line or that Clarkson is definitely the perfect compliment for the other two.

 

[RealisticLeaf55]

Part of the issue I am noticing is that everyone is worried that Clarkson won't be able to handle top 6 scoring minutes. With Kulemin still on our team our lines our interchangeable which gives us a major advantage at line matching and finding the appropriate scenarios on when and how to play both Kulemin and Clarkie. In regards to scoring, we are in an excellent position and we are heading into this season with great goaltending and coaching as well. Our only concern at this point is how will the defense play.

 

[Diatomic]

Any lineup with bozak not as the #1C is a good lineup

 

[Confucius]

I'd like to see this:

Lupul - Kadri - Kessel
JVR - Bolland - Clarkson
Kulemin - Bozak - Raymond/McClemment
Orr/D'Amigo - McClemment/Colborne - McLaren/Biggs

Gardiner - Phaneuf
Rielly - Franson
Ranger - Gunner

Reimer
Bernier

line 1: skill scoring line (one of the best lines in the league)
line 2: probably score a lot of garbage goals. good shots. goes to the net. tough to play against.
line 3: shutdown line with some speed and debth scoring.
line 4: checking line/big line/fighting line

first d pairing: our two best defenders. gardiner can move the puck, phaneuf can shut down. gardiner can get the puck to phaneuf on his offwing for one timers.
second pairing: probably our 3rd and 4th best defenders. i think that frason will play well with rielly, just like he did with gardiner and i think it will be good for rielly to have a skilled and responisble partner like franson.
third pairing: still a very solid pairing. can be relied on in tough situations.

goalie: start with rimer, but give bernier a chance to play his fair share of games. go with the hotter goalie.

I like Bozak as the third line center, however Nonis would look pretty bad having a 3rd liner make 4.2 million per year for the next 4 years.

 

[MarryMarner]

JVR - Bozak - Kessel
Lupul - Kadri - Kulemin
Raymond - Bolland - Clarkson
Colborne - McClement - Orr
McLaren

Gunnarsson - Phaneuf
Gardiner - Franson
Fraser - Ranger
Liles

Bernier
Reimer