Speculation: Post Vanek Lineups

[JAVO16]

I'd put Moen on that shutdown line instead of Brière and Brière on that fourth line to give some offensive bite to the fourth line.

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

Pacioretty - Desharnais - Vanek
Galchenyuk - Eller - Gallagher
Moen - Plekanec - Gionta
Prust - Briere - White/Weise

When we're down a goal or two put Briere up with the Plekanec line.

 

[Smokey Thompson]

Pacioretty - Desharnais - Vanek
Galchenyuk - Eller - Gallagher
Moen - Plekanec - Gionta
Prust - Briere - White/Weise

When we're down a goal or two put Briere up with the Plekanec line.

This.

One exploitation line
One dominant possession line
One shutdown line
One energy line

The one decision for me comes down to Briere vs Weise. What we'd lose in skill we'd gain in size, speed, and energy. I really liked White-Weise as a duo on the 4th line.

 

[zzoo]

Pacioretty - Desharnais - Vanek
Galchenyuk - Eller - Gallagher
Moen - Plekanec - Gionta
Prust - Briere - White/Weise

When we're down a goal or two put Briere up with the Plekanec line.

I like this too, but few questions:
1. Is Vanek efficient on the RW ?
2. Is Prust better than Moen ? Is Prust better on the 3rd line with Plek ?
3. Can Bourque fit in on the 4th line, instead of Weise of White ?

 

[Bryson]

Vanek-Galchenyuk-Gallagher
Pacioretty-Desharnais-Eller
Moen-Pekanec-Gionta
Prust-Briere-Weise

This lineup is centered around unleashing the Vanek. Could easily be the best line this team has ever seen! Could also be the best thing to ever happen to Gallys development. Vanek is not only a scorer but a great passer. Needs to pay with people on the same level.

Eller with Patches and DD. Don't know if it will work but you need someone to get the puck for them and create space.

You want to force Plekanec into a shutdown role then give him our two best shutdown men.

2 dangerous scoring lines, a great shutdown line and an energy line that is an offensive threat.

 

[Habit11]

Why does the best center on the team get the worst set of wingers in some of these suggested lineups compared to Eller/DD?

 

[Bryson]

Why does the best center on the team get the worst set of wingers in some of these suggested lineups compared to Eller/DD?

Because Plecky's defense and work ethic are so above anyone else on the team that he will always be forced into a defensive role. Been like that his entire career. He would benefit greatly from someone that could share in the defensive workload but with DD being good at only offense, it really limits the teams options.

 

[Habit11]

Because Plecky's defense and work ethic are so above anyone else on the team that he will always be forced into a defensive role. Been like that his entire career. He would benefit greatly from someone that could share in the defensive workload but with DD being good at only offense, it really limits the teams options.

The team would benefit greatly if he had the two best wingers capable of pushing the puck away from the dzone and keeping it there against opposing top lines. And maybe outscoring opposing top lines. He's been buried in the Dzone fighting an uphill battle without one of the team's best wingers let alone two. It doesn't help the team outscore the opposition to have him be their best center and only able to help them tread water. This is how you end up with a .500 record since December 1. Other top two way centers like Toews, M. Richards, Bergeron, Datsyuk don't get handcuffed playing with 3rd liners like Plekanec has, and there is a reason for that. Plekanec may not be as good offensively compared to those guys, but he is compared to the Habs' other centers. Adding Vanek to his line improves it dramatically. Replace Gionta there because he is no longer who he was and the team will benefit, no doubt in my mind.

 

[Ginu]

A few things are set for me:

- Paciorety and Desharnais need to play together
- Galchenyuk and Gallagher are our best young players who bring it every shift
- Plekanec and Gionta need to be on our shut down line
- We need a fourth line to crash and bang

I give you my lineup:

Pacioretty - Desharnais - Briere
Vanek - Galchenyuk - Gallagher
Bourque / Eller - Plekanec - Gionta
Moen - White - Prust

Galchenyuk and Gallagher will jump at the opportunity to play with Vanek and show what they can do. Galchenyuk is the one guy I trust to be able to think fast enough to give Vanek the puck where and when he needs it.

This to me is the start of the passing of the torch.

 

[Rosso Scuderia]

Pacioretty-DD-Gallagher
Galchenyuk-Eller-Vanek (I know some will say Eller doesn't deserve to play on the 2nd line but I think we are forgetting Eller can be a good player.. He needs help and who knows.. maybe Vanek can provide that help)
Briere-Plekanec-Gionta (Good checking line although undersized but still can manage some offense). Put Moen instead of Briere when needed.
Moen-White-Prust

 

[ECWHSWI]

Vanek-Galchenyuk-Gallagher
Pacioretty-Desharnais-Eller
Moen-Pekanec-Gionta
Prust-Briere-Weise

This lineup is centered around unleashing the Vanek. Could easily be the best line this team has ever seen! Could also be the best thing to ever happen to Gallys development. Vanek is not only a scorer but a great passer. Needs to pay with people on the same level.

Eller with Patches and DD. Don't know if it will work but you need someone to get the puck for them and create space.

You want to force Plekanec into a shutdown role then give him our two best shutdown men.

2 dangerous scoring lines, a great shutdown line and an energy line that is an offensive threat.

Eller has proven time and time again that he cannot play wing, even less on his off wing.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Pacioretty-DD-Gallagher
Galchenyuk-Eller-Vanek (I know some will say Eller doesn't deserve to play on the 2nd line but I think we are forgetting Eller can be a good player.. He needs help and who knows.. maybe Vanek can provide that help)
Briere-Plekanec-Gionta (Good checking line although undersized but still can manage some offense). Put Moen instead of Briere when needed.
Moen-White-Prust

3 small guys making a good checking line ? really ? how ?

 

[Rosso Scuderia]

3 small guys making a good checking line ? really ? how ?

Checking line is probably not the good words.. More like defensive line. Gio is not the offensive forward like he was known for.. I would even say the same for Plekanec but both are still very good defensively. Probably our 2 best defensive forwards. Maybe it's time to take them out of the top 6.. Especially Gionta.

 

[BobBobrovsky*]

3 small guys making a good checking line ? really ? how ?

It's a euphemism for any line that Gionta is put on because he's totally useless offensively. Poor 14, I feel bad for him.

 

[Bryson]

Eller has proven time and time again that he cannot play wing, even less on his off wing.

I was more interested in constructing a lineup that had a Vanek-Galchenyuk-Galagher playing together because it would be dyn-o-mite!

I know that Eller has failed at wing before but hypothetically Patches will be the one doing the scoring and that line just needs someone to battle for the puck which Eller is good at. Patches also tends to favor the right side so maybe they can switch sides. Also playing easy expoitation type minutes could do wonders for a slumping Eller and could be the spark he needs. Was my reasoning anyway although I fear this team has more issues than it's "lineup" starting with it's "system" so no amount of line juggling will solve anything until we go back to puck possession hockey.

 

[Bryson]

The team would benefit greatly if he had the two best wingers capable of pushing the puck away from the dzone and keeping it there against opposing top lines. And maybe outscoring opposing top lines. He's been buried in the Dzone fighting an uphill battle without one of the team's best wingers let alone two. It doesn't help the team outscore the opposition to have him be their best center and only able to help them tread water. This is how you end up with a .500 record since December 1. Other top two way centers like Toews, M. Richards, Bergeron, Datsyuk don't get handcuffed playing with 3rd liners like Plekanec has, and there is a reason for that. Plekanec may not be as good offensively compared to those guys, but he is compared to the Habs' other centers. Adding Vanek to his line improves it dramatically. Replace Gionta there because he is no longer who he was and the team will benefit, no doubt in my mind.

Oh I agree with you but it's like trying to put a puzzle together around the weakest links and right now DD is our weakest link so not only is Plekanec being handcuffed but Galchenyuk as well. We have the horses to go power for power and a norris and vezina caliber goalie to back us up for any occasional mistake. This anemic offense is going to get us out in the first round.

 

[Tucker316*]

briere doesnt fit on this team at all.

bourque should not be included on any lines.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Checking line is probably not the good words.. More like defensive line. Gio is not the offensive forward like he was known for.. I would even say the same for Plekanec but both are still very good defensively. Probably our 2 best defensive forwards. Maybe it's time to take them out of the top 6.. Especially Gionta.

better pray we dont face Boston or Pitsburgh in the PO if we ever make it as with no skilled wingers, Plekanec will spend all it's time in the defensive zone and watch opponent score goals.

(f you think I'm wrong, watch the tapes of the last few Habs games, no reason to think it will be different in the PO)

considering every forward you have in your top 6 sucks defensively, dont think it's a great idea...

 

[TT1]

another alternative could be:

pacioretty dd gallagher
vanek eller galchenyuk
moen plekanec gionta
prust briere white
weise parros

i wanna see how eller responds when hes put in a position to succeed

 

[ECWHSWI]

given the lineup some of you are posting, it's realy funny to see you complaining about MT in other threads.

 

[Natey]

Pacioretty - Desharnais - Vanek
I would put Vanek on Eller's line, but I think playing on his off wing, he should play on a line where he may be able to get some opportunities. Not to mention, if a Galchenyuk-Eller-Vanek line messed up, Eller will get benched (stupidly) and he won't have a line.

Galchenyuk - Eller - Gallagher
Solid second scoring line that Eller bring's some reliability to defensively. I'd rather Eller knew how to play wing, so he could play with Plekanec, but he's proven that he's not the best on the wing. This line should bring energy and secondary scoring.

Briere - Plekanec - Gionta
I don't have numbers, but I feel like this was the most dangerous Pleks' line has looked offensively this year. Moen can replace Briere late in tight games.

Moen - White - Prust
Moen has been better than Prust this year, but Prust brings heart. I'd like Wiese's speed on this line, but you can't have everything. A Bournival - White - Wiese line would probably be awesome too, I think this line would be solid heading into playoffs.

 

[Dagistitsyn]

I find it funny that everyone is saying Briere doesn't fit on this team when he has only 2 less goals than Gio with way less ice time and brutal / inconsistent lines. For a team struggling SO hard to find offense.. Briere is 100x more creative with the puck, Gionta single handily kills almost every play he is involved in.

 

[couris]

Why does the best center on the team get the worst set of wingers in some of these suggested lineups compared to Eller/DD?

Because DD is much better offensively.

 

[Milhouse40]

Going into the playoff, i keep thinking this would be the best line-up possible if chemistry can be build


Pacioretty - Plekanec - Gionta
STRONG 2-way line...not a shutdown line like these days but a REAL 2-way line
In the PO, that's the line you can send out against Crosby's line and shut him down
while taking care of business offensively. The one line you're not scared to put on the ice
for 21-23 minutes.

Vanek - Eller - Gallagher
Vanek is very skills offensively, but hardly hit and he's not really a defensive player, that's why Eller is there, to take care of some defense so that Pac-Plek get their chances offensively, something that can't be done with any other cente.Gallagher and Eller ALWAYS worked well together also

Galchenyuk - Desharnais - XXXXX (Bournival)
What are these guys? OFFENSIVE WEAPON.
Now that we have 2 top line able to take care of business defensively, we can have an offensive weapon. I would transform my "grinding" 3rd line into a very dangerous weapon.
Getting lots of very good ice-time. No defensive missions.

XXXXX = Bournival, Briere, Bourque, Weise, Prust...let's find some chemistry. Bournival sound good for his size, speed, work ethic, defensive skills and offensive skills.

Fourth line: We have the goods to create many good 4th line.

PP#1 :
Galchenyuk - Desharnais - Vanek

PP#2:
Pacioretty - Plekanec - Gallagher

 

[go_habs_go]

Thomas Vanek - Alex Galchenyuk - Brendan Gallagher
Max Pacioretty - David Desharnais - Daniel Briere
Brandon Prust - Tomas Plekanec - Brian Gionta
Michael Bournival - Lars Eller - Travis Moen