Line Combos: Poll 1 : HF Hawks Decides - Who Centers Kane?

[Styles]

I saw this on the Pens board and thought it would be a fun thing for us to do leading up to the potential start of the season. This will be the first of a series of polls to see what the majority comes up with for line combinations on opening night. I want to leave the polls up for a few days before deciding a winner and figure it will take about a month to go through the lines, pairings, and goalies. If I leave someone out in the polls just let me know and I will add them for you. Again this is what you want to see on opening night.

Results​

Forward Lines
Poll 2(%) - Poll 1(%) - Kane
Poll 5(%) - Poll 3(%) - Poll 4(%)
Poll 11(%) - Poll 10(%) - Poll 11(%)
Poll 12(%) - Poll 12(%) - Poll 12(%)

Pairings
Poll 6(%) - Poll 6(%)
Poll 7(%) - Poll 7(%)
Poll 8(%) - Poll 8(%)

Goalies
Poll 9(%)
Poll 9(%)



Feel free to mention anything else that you think should be included for this series. I'll do polls for PP units towards the end. I left the bottom 6 for the end so we might have news on camp rosters when those polls take place. The polls may evolve depending on discussion from you guys from my original template above.
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Past Threads:

Click to read more...

 

[Kurtosis]

A vote for Strome that isn’t Musto. 2020 truly is a mind boggling year.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

A vote for Strome that isn’t Musto. 2020 truly is a mind boggling year.

From the one person who has a worse bit than Musto.

 

[Kevin Musto]

Strome and Kane together makes the most sense to me.

They're both all-offense players so keep them together as a sheltered line. You don't want to split them up and then have two sheltered lines.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

Strome and Kane together makes the most sense to me.

They're both all-offense players so keep them together as a sheltered line. You don't want to split them up and then have two sheltered lines.

Thats a very good argument for putting them together, imo. It makes usage for the lineup as a whole easier.

I’d like to see Kane with Toews in a vacuum, but you do make a good point here.

 

[featherhawk]

Prefer it to be Toews however I think it will be Dach

Can't vote Strome cause he is not even signed...

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Strome and Kane together makes the most sense to me.

They're both all-offense players so keep them together as a sheltered line. You don't want to split them up and then have two sheltered lines.

I kind of agree here, but there's an argument to be made for all 3 guys.

I went Toews because it's at the time of his career where Toews should just sell out for offense and show what he can do in the opposing zone.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

I kind of agree here, but there's an argument to be made for all 3 guys.

I went Toews because it's at the time of his career where Toews should just sell out for offense and show what he can do in the opposing zone.

Last time Toews was given that opportunity, he put up the best offensive numbers of his career.

If you really want a two-way, puck possession line, it may be best to build it around Dach at this point. Even if you end up building a Dach line even remotely as dominant as Saad-Toews-Hossa was, it’s probably years and a major UFA signing away.

 

[CallMeShaft]

I'm starting to root for a Cat/Toews/Kane and Kubalik/Strome/Dach top 6.

Kane gets his right shot left winger. Strome and Dach split duties. Bottom lines are shutdown oriented, with Wallmark and Kampf as the bottom 6 centers.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

I'm starting to root for a Cat/Toews/Kane and Kubalik/Strome/Dach top 6.

Kane gets his right shot left winger. Strome and Dach split duties. Bottom lines are shutdown oriented, with Wallmark and Kampf as the bottom 6 centers.

Suter with the ‘Marks on the third line, fourth line the same as last year (unless Shaw comes back and takes Highmore’s spot).

Nylander is forced to beat someone for a roster spot.

 

[Mrfenn92]

Toews for me

 

[CallMeShaft]

Suter with the ‘Marks on the third line, fourth line the same as last year (unless Shaw comes back and takes Highmore’s spot).

Nylander is forced to beat someone for a roster spot.

Maybe Nylander will actually play like he gives a shit if he's stapled back on the 4th line. Worked for a couple weeks last year.

Cat Toews Kane
Kubalik Strome Dach
Janmark Wallmark Suter
Nylander Kampf Carpenter/Shaw

Not a terrible group. Like I said in my previous post, you use the bottom 2 lines as shutdown lines and give the top 2 lines the easier assignments. Wouldn't be terrible.

 

[Brightwing]

I picked Dach because I feel young players benefit from playing with Kane as he tends to adopt them and also because there is no excuse for Dach not to shoot with Kane feeding him passes.

However, I also think there's a good case for Dach to play with Kubalik as they have good chemistry.

So, if we want Dach to work on finishing this year, put him with Kane. If we want him focused more on playmaking, Kubalik. Obviously, I'm speaking broadly. I don't mean Dach never makes a play with Kane.

 

[Kevin Musto]

I picked Dach because I feel young players benefit from playing with Kane as he tends to adopt them and also because there is no excuse for Dach not to shoot with Kane feeding him passes.

However, I also think there's a good case for Dach to play with Kubalik as they have good chemistry.

So, if we want Dach to work on finishing this year, put him with Kane. If we want him focused more on playmaking, Kubalik. Obviously, I'm speaking broadly. I don't mean Dach never makes a play with Kane.

Will playing Dach with Kane help his finishing?

We saw last year when they played together that Dach would differ to Kane instead of shooting even when he had a good look.

 

[coolhand]

I say Dach, though I thought Kane and Strome had some chemistry, I like Dach going to the net better than Strome and he plays better defense getting the puck back.

 

[Pertti]

Toews for me. Old farts playing together(TK).

Cat-Strome
Kubalik-Dach

 

[Brightwing]

Will playing Dach with Kane help his finishing?

We saw last year when they played together that Dach would differ to Kane instead of shooting even when he had a good look.

I feel like that's the kind of issue that will be brought to his attention and fixed relatively quickly.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

Toews for me. Old farts playing together(TK).

Cat-Strome
Kubalik-Dach

If Colliton could balance the ice time well, I wouldn’t mind this alignment one bit.

I think you could argue that all three of these pairs make up a potentially solid base for a legit top-6 scoring line

 

[Rick C137]

I picked Dach because I feel young players benefit from playing with Kane as he tends to adopt them and also because there is no excuse for Dach not to shoot with Kane feeding him passes.

However, I also think there's a good case for Dach to play with Kubalik as they have good chemistry.

So, if we want Dach to work on finishing this year, put him with Kane. If we want him focused more on playmaking, Kubalik. Obviously, I'm speaking broadly. I don't mean Dach never makes a play with Kane.

I tend to believe the opposite of younger players playing with Kane. Kane has such star power that I bet kids are still a bit star struck being in the same room as him. I think younger guys are too often looking to get the puck right back to 88 rather than take the shot. Personally I’d rather guys develop their game away from Kane first (which I think Dach has). Plus you get the added benefit of getting your younger guys away from all the best defenders in the nhl that a Kane matchup would draw.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

I tend to believe the opposite of younger players playing with Kane. Kane has such star power that I bet kids are still a bit star struck being in the same room as him. I think younger guys are too often looking to get the puck right back to 88 rather than take the shot. Personally I’d rather guys develop their game away from Kane first (which I think Dach has). Plus you get the added benefit of getting your younger guys away from all the best defenders in the nhl that a Kane matchup would draw.

I think this is a huge set of arguments in favor of playing Toews with Kane.

Aside from the potential for increased offense from both T & K, there’s the idea that all the younger guys may actually develop better away from Kane and away from the hardest matchups.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Why move Dach to wing if Hawks want him at C long term...Its going to be a development year so put him at C and avoid making a short term decision to optimize Strome's output when he's potentially not in their long term plans.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

Why move Dach to wing if Hawks want him at C long term...Its going to be a development year so put him at C and avoid making a short term decision to optimize Strome's output when he's potentially not in their long term plans.

Who said he should be at wing?

 

[CallMeShaft]

Why move Dach to wing if Hawks want him at C long term...Its going to be a development year so put him at C and avoid making a short term decision to optimize Strome's output when he's potentially not in their long term plans.

I said split duties, similar to what Edmonton used to do with McDavid and Drai.

That's different than being a winger.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Who said he should be at wing?

Seeing lineups with him at wing...

 

[Toews2Bickell]

I said split duties, similar to what Edmonton used to do with McDavid and Drai.

That's different than being a winger.

possibility, colliton has shown more willingness to put strome at wing vs dach...cant recall dach playing any wing last year