Should MacKinnon center one of Canada’s top two lines in Beijing?

[TheGoldenJet]

This year’s Hart Trophy finalist MacKinnon has been Canada’s second-highest scoring Center over the last three regular seasons. In the playoffs, he has been Canada’s best Center over that same timespan.

Do you move him to 3C/wing? Or do you keep him at Center in Canada’s top 6? It’s a great problem for Team Canada to have.

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[Wings4Life]

I voted yes. MacKinnon should center the second line.

When forming lines, it's good to start with the best two centers on the team and slot them in the top six at 1C and 2C, and then fill in the rest of the slots by building from there.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Mcdavid and Crosby should be the top 2 centers. Mackinnon can play on one of their wings.

 

[BannedFromCDC]

He should play RW on the top line with Huberdeau and McDavid.

 

[Isaac Nootin]

Step 1 - McDavid and Mac your #1 and #2 C's

Step 2 - Put together Crosby, Bergeron and Marchand

Step 3 - Profit

 

[Captain97]

No he is on McDavid Wing

 

[Empoleon8771]

I'd go:

XXXXX-McDavid-MacKinnon
Marchand-Crosby-Bergeron

I'm not sure who would fill the XXXX spot, but this is just a quick outline of what I'd do.

 

[filinski77]

I'd go:

XXXXX-McDavid-MacKinnon
Marchand-Crosby-Bergeron

I'm not sure who would fill the XXXX spot, but this is just a quick outline of what I'd do.

Agree with this. I'm sure most fans realize Mackinnon is a much better player than Crosby is at this point his career, but no chance you don't try out the Marchand/Crosby/Bergeron line considering how good their chemistry was. And there's also no way Crosby or Marchand belong on the 3rd line.

 

[Wings4Life]

Mcdavid and Crosby should be the top 2 centers. Mackinnon can play on one of their wings.

MacKinnon is a better center than Crosby though, and the gap is just getting wider next year. Why downgrade at the 2C position?

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

Crosby can be the 3C since he can shut down anyone (allegedly). Mack and McDavid should be the top line centres.

 

[amnesiac]

Barzal-McDavid-MacKinnon
Marchand-Crosby-Stone
Huberdeau-Point-Stamkos
Scheifele-ROR/Bergeron-Marner

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Agree with this. I'm sure most fans realize Mackinnon is a much better player than Crosby is at this point his career, but no chance you don't try out the Marchand/Crosby/Bergeron line considering how good their chemistry was. And there's also no way Crosby or Marchand belong on the 3rd line.

Bergeron will be 36 by the time the Olympics roll around, and has already lost a step from 2-3 years ago. I‘m Canadian and wouldn’t want him in my top 6.

 

[High five Tom]

Bergeron will be 36 by the time the Olympics roll around, and has already lost a step from 2-3 years ago. I‘m Canadian and wouldn’t want him in my top 6.

No he hasnt. 48 points in 54 games. 9 in 11 for the playoffs. Higher then his career average. So what step has he lost?

 

[Hockeyholic]

Danault should get serious consideration. His ability to shutdown opposing stars is off the charts.

 

[Hisch13r]

No. Put him on McDavid's wing and Sid centers the other line. Then Point and RoR as the other 2 centers

 

[garbageteam]

I voted yes. MacKinnon should center the second line.

When forming lines, it's good to start with the best two centers on the team and slot them in the top six at 1C and 2C, and then fill in the rest of the slots by building from there.

This. Build the forward group from the best centers first.

 

[GoldenKnight]

Step 1 - McDavid and Mac your #1 and #2 C's

Step 2 - Put together Crosby, Bergeron and Marchand

Step 3 - Profit

This is what Im thinking too. So basically a top 9 of:

XXX-McDavid-XXX
XXX-MacKinnon-XXX
Marchand-Crosby-Bergeron

Third line would feast on lesser matchups.

 

[Regal]

Team Canada doesn't have a top 6 and bottom 6. All 4 lines will get decent ice time. McDavid should run one line, MacKinnon another, Crosby another (with Marchand and Bergeron) and Couturier or ROR another. Whether MacKinnon is the "center" of his line will depend on linemates but I don't think you put McDavid-MacKinnon together unless the offense isn't working. Officially I suppose he'd be the 2nd line, but I mean the Toews line played the most in 2010 so who knows how things will shake out in a short tourney.

 

[biturbo19]

Yeah, sure i guess. I don't know that Canada has a real clear cut 1/2/3 sort of hierarchy as it stands right now. More just...3 guys who ought to be locks to center their own scoring line, and then presumably a 4th guy to center more of a "checking line" of sorts.

-There's no reason not to go back to the well with Crosby centering Marchand and Bergeron.

-McDavid is a guy who you probably want playing "center" offensively speaking, maximizing his opportunity to use speed in transition. But with another converted center on at least one wing, to share some of the heavy lifting, faceoffs, etc.

-MacKinnon is the other guy i think you want to keep in the middle where he can really maximize his speed in transition as a weapon. He's shown he can make things work on the wing as well, but it's hard to argue he's not one of the 3 best guys to have in the middle right now, and i think you want to keep him and McDavey on separate lines anyway, so they're not both fighting over who gets to go end-to-end rushing the puck. Give MacKinnon a playmaking winger like Huberdeau as a stand-in for Rantanen, and profit imo.


So yeah...i don't know if that qualifies as one of the "top two lines"...but for all intents and purposes, sure.

 

[dukeofjive]

Yes, crosby on line 1 and he gets line 2

 

[snipes]

1st like winger on McDavids line.

I absolutely cannot wait to see these two together on the big ice in transition.

The reality is though Canada goes wave after wave with their lines. Pretty much any line can get hot and be the “1st line” when you have a team as deep as Canada is up front.

 

[snipes]

Barzal-McDavid-MacKinnon
Marchand-Crosby-Stone
Huberdeau-Point-Stamkos
ROR-Bergeron-Marner/Scheifele

Fastest line in hockey history?

 

[CamPopplestone]

Agree with this. I'm sure most fans realize Mackinnon is a much better player than Crosby is at this point his career, but no chance you don't try out the Marchand/Crosby/Bergeron line considering how good their chemistry was. And there's also no way Crosby or Marchand belong on the 3rd line.

You can't really view a team Canada Olympic roster as having a third line. You're gonna roll the top three fairly evenly

 

[WarriorofTime]

McDavid/MacKinnon/Crosby will be the three Canadian Olympic centers (with a fourth line of grinder types) and the forward core will be built around how well other players complement those three.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Why would Canada waste MacKinnon the wing? Doesn't make sense. That's not as good a use of his skillset. He is a Center. Period.