Line Combos: Therrien Puts Juggling Lessons into Practice

[BaseballCoach]

Reading the first pages GDT is embarassing given all the crapping on Therrien for his new lines.

I guess that's why he's the coach.

Total incompetence. Eight of the twelve forwards failed to score a goal, including a majority of the players on every single line.

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

You can count on me for rationality. I'm the only one here that has given Desharnais a chance all season, and although i don't think we can win a cup with him as a scoring centre, i knew, and know, that he's not useless.

You can see that he has chemistry with Pacioretty, it's obvious. they've just needed a guy on the other wing that works hard and that forces the defence to pay attention to him. Gallagher isn't Cole, but he offers a real threat that a guy like Briere couldn't do. With someone that disrupts the opposition as much that Gallagher does, it gives DD and Patches the time and space to make things happen.

I'm not completely sold that this means DD will suddenly turn his season around, but i think this is the first combination i've seen thus far where he has legit chance to succeed on a nightly basis.

Only problem here, well I guess it's not a problem per say, is that it takes the two best wingers we have for Desharnais to look useful. It was the same deal when he was playing with Cole and Pacioretty. But he's not our best center by any stretch. That means either those two wingers will be underplayed or Desharnais will be overplayed. In the meantime, we're looking for competent offensive wingers to play alongside Eller and Plekanec. If the team plans on staying with that strategy, they need to trade for an other scoring winger fast to balance the rest of the lineup. Bourque, Gionta and Briere don't look like players you'd want in your top-6 anymore.

 

[Monctonscout]

Only problem here, well I guess it's not a problem per say, is that it takes the two best wingers we have for Desharnais to look useful. It was the same deal when he was playing with Cole and Pacioretty. But he's not our best center by any stretch. That means either those two wingers will be underplayed or Desharnais will be overplayed. In the meantime, we're looking for competent offensive wingers to play alongside Eller and Plekanec. If the team plans on staying with that strategy, they need to trade for an other scoring winger fast to balance the rest of the lineup. Bourque, Gionta and Briere don't look like players you'd want in your top-6 anymore.

Maybe it's just a fluke but Pacioretty was doing nothing with Eller or Plekanec the last few weeks. It's not like they took a productive player off another line to get DD going.

 

[MasterDecoy]

the line to apologize the bibi starts here:

-----------

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

Maybe it's just a fluke but Pacioretty was doing nothing with Eller or Plekanec the last few weeks. It's not like they took a productive player off another line to get DD going.

I think that has more to do with Pacioretty playing sub-par hockey than anything else. He's clearly our best winger and he's usually the driving force behind his own goals. Plus let's not forget it's as much about Gallagher than Pacioretty. Our two clear cut best wingers, we could argue our only legit top-6 wingers, playing with our 3rd line C. Ideally we'd need an other winger of that caliber offensively to be able to have 3 solid scoring lines, but easier said than done of course.

 

[MontrealFans]

I think that has more to do with Pacioretty playing sub-par hockey than anything else. He's clearly our best winger and he's usually the driving force behind his own goals. Plus let's not forget it's as much about Gallagher than Pacioretty. Our two clear cut best wingers, we could argue our only legit top-6 wingers, playing with our 3rd line C. Ideally we'd need an other winger of that caliber offensively to be able to have 3 solid scoring lines, but easier said than done of course.

It's the hit it always happens if you hit patches or make him laugh with a goal that has no business going in its streak time

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

the line to apologize the bibi starts here:

-----------

I'll wait a few more games before crowning him. Minny clearly mailed it in here. They're a much better team than that. I'm still afraid these lines won't be nearly as effective on the road.

 

[MasterDecoy]

I'll wait a few more games before crowning him. Minny clearly mailed it in here. They're a much better team than that. I'm still afraid these lines won't be nearly as effective on the road.

it's not about crowning him anything, it's about certain posters manning up...

his line changes worked, big time. for now yes, but no line combo works for ever...

 

[De Montreal]

What can we expect when Bourque is back?

Prust back on the fourth line?

Pacioretty - Desharnais - Gallagher
Bourque - Plekanec - Gionta
Galchenyuk - Eller - Brière
Moen - Prust - Bournival
White

?

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

What can we expect when Bourque is back?

Prust back on the fourth line?

Pacioretty - Desharnais - Gallagher
Bourque - Plekanec - Gionta
Galchenyuk - Eller - Brière
Moen - Prust - Bournival
White

?

Bournival has no business on a 4th line. I'd put Bourque there. Tell him to crash and bang until he gets a pulse back.

 

[Markowicz]

Only problem here, well I guess it's not a problem per say, is that it takes the two best wingers we have for Desharnais to look useful. It was the same deal when he was playing with Cole and Pacioretty. But he's not our best center by any stretch. That means either those two wingers will be underplayed or Desharnais will be overplayed. In the meantime, we're looking for competent offensive wingers to play alongside Eller and Plekanec. If the team plans on staying with that strategy, they need to trade for an other scoring winger fast to balance the rest of the lineup. Bourque, Gionta and Briere don't look like players you'd want in your top-6 anymore.

To me the answer is simple: Michael Bournival. Put him on either the Eller or Plex line, and you instantly have a difference maker. Prust should be on the 4th line. Bourque should practically be benched given the effort he's shown of late. But we all knew that guy has the tendency to disappear for stretches of games i guess.

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

To me the answer is simple: Michael Bournival. Put him on either the Eller or Plex line, and you instantly have a difference maker. Prust should be on the 4th line. Bourque should practically be benched given the effort he's shown of late. But we all knew that guy has the tendency to disappear for stretches of games i guess.

I really like Bournival and think he's part of the future, but I wouldn't count on him, nor Galchenyuk for that matter, to share the responsability of having to drive the offense on this team, not so soon in their careers. They can certainly do their part, and having Bournival on the 4th line right now is a true injustice, but we need more. I hate to say it, but we need an other Michael Ryder at this point.

 

[Markowicz]

I really like Bournival and think he's part of the future, but I wouldn't count on him, nor Galchenyuk for that matter, to share the responsability of having to drive the offense on this team, not so soon in their careers. They can certainly do their part, and having Bournival on the 4th line right now is a true injustice, but we need more. I hate to say it, but we need an other Michael Ryder at this point.

Ryder can't be counted on to drive an offense, he's too streaky, like Bourque. We need a steady eddie type guy, someone who you know what you're getting, but has more offense than say a guy like Prust. Like a Clarke Macarthur type player. Or Kris Versteeg maybe. They're not big guys, and they don't cost that much (compared to Ryder lets say) and you can definitely say they dont coast.

I'd look in our organization to find a player like that. It's too bad that Christian Thomas is as small as he is, because he see him being a sparkplug type player who can really shoot the puck.

 

[Tom Terrific]

Bournival has no business on a 4th line. I'd put Bourque there. Tell him to crash and bang until he gets a pulse back.

I agree that Bournival should not be on a 4th line. He has been one player who can spark others...this seems wasted on a 4th line.

So I wish the lines would look like this:

Galchenyuk - Eller - Gallagher
Pacioretty - Desharnais - Bournival
Prust - Plekanec - Briere
Moen - White - Parros

You'll note that these lines don't include Gionta or Bourque, that is because I wish they would be traded away for some future picks or prospects....If Hall Gill can fetch the habs a 2nd round pick I'm sure Gionta and Bourque can do the same. I feel Bourque, Gionta, Birere, Desharnais and Moen are like dead weight to this team. Some have size but don't use it (Moen/Bourque), others such as DD, Gio, Briere are just part of an offense that has TOO MANY smaller players.

The habs can't seem win to win the important puck battles, which is killing their momentum. If the habs current forward prospects depth looked as good as their defense prospects depth Briere would not have been signed, certain players such as Bourque, Moen, Gionta and DD could be gone too....

The habs only need 1 or 2 pieces away from being an explosive team.

 

[JLP]

Bournival has no business on a 4th line. I'd put Bourque there. Tell him to crash and bang until he gets a pulse back.

Bourque and Briere are soft and have concussion issues. Not the guys I'd put on the crash-and-bang line.