Line Combos: What Line Combos Would You Like to See?

[roon]

Personally I would like to see Vanek stop being extremely lazy before moving him anywhere. Koivu and Coyle can atleast carry the defensive liability that is Vanek.

 

[J22*]

Shocked in a good way? or shocked like im out of my mind? lol

Not sure that this answers your questions, but have you ever seen a team with 3 PP units?

Personally I would like to see Vanek stop being extremely lazy before moving him anywhere. Koivu and Coyle can atleast carry the defensive liability that is Vanek.

Care to cite any examples? Because I can list at least a half dozen plays where Vanek is the guy in the right spot to save a sure goal. Vanek is not a great defensive player, and Vanek doesn't skate around at 100 MPH like Parise(not always a good thing) but Vanek has yet to be a defensive liability.

 

[roon]

Care to cite any examples? Because I can list at least a half dozen plays where Vanek is the guy in the right spot to save a sure goal. Vanek is not a great defensive player, and Vanek doesn't skate around at 100 MPH like Parise(not always a good thing) but Vanek has yet to be a defensive liability.

Seriously?
The guy is a turnover machine and I have yet to see him back check. The times he has "saved a goal" have been the times he coasted into position while the rest of his line does the work.

 

[borisbadenough]

Seriously?
The guy is a turnover machine and I have yet to see him back check. The times he has "saved a goal" have been the times he coasted into position while the rest of his line does the work.

Parise coughed the puck up four times in the d zone against Tampa, one in the middle of the ice, Pom lost the offensive zone three times with passes that did not connect. Coyle and the K lost the zones as often as TV. You should watch another player , you will feel better.

 

[nickschultzfan]

The desire to keep Zucker on the 4th line, because he theoretically gets better match-ups, resulting in more scoring, is a stretch. And even it were true, it cuts both-ways. Meaning, Fontaine would get that same benefit if he and Zucker were swapped, which is what should happen.

 

[Victorious Secret]

The desire to keep Zucker on the 4th line, because he theoretically gets better match-ups, resulting in more scoring, is a stretch. And even it were true, it cuts both-ways. Meaning, Fontaine would get that same benefit if he and Zucker were swapped, which is what should happen.

I suppose the theory is semi-proven when Fontaine also did well last year on those lines. However, I think Zucker has a much better chance of succeeding on those top lines than Fontaine.

 

[roon]

Parise coughed the puck up four times in the d zone against Tampa, one in the middle of the ice, Pom lost the offensive zone three times with passes that did not connect. Coyle and the K lost the zones as often as TV. You should watch another player , you will feel better.

All those players back check, and are therefore better than Vanek.

 

[57special]

I will vote for any candidate who campaigns hard to remove Poms from the PP point.

As I have mentioned before, our PP is actually very good except that we don't score any goals. We are superb at own zone and neutral zone regroups, entering and setting up, and our puck movement is quite good.

What we need is a person or two that is aggressive and actually wants to score goals. Spurgeon is like that, but you can only go so far as a Dman. Parise is aggressive, but more of a high end grinder. Koivu is MR. passive. I would like to see Nino develop into this role, but he never gets played on the PP.



I want a selfish, puck hogging, insufferably arrogant, doesn't know how to spell back check, European sports car driving, model dating, SNIPER!

This is what we are paying Vanek to be, but he seems to want to be Koivu 2.0.

I think Yeo should send a message by sticking Nino, Haula, Parise, Spurge, Dumba Out on our next PP.

 

[rynryn]

meh. i can totally see the logic of wanting Zucker playing more minutes--and really he should but I would really want them to come on the PP tbh. I think Yeo wants a jack of all trades guy on every line so that's why Fontaine is on the third instead of Zucker.

Hey, if Zucker continues to lead the team in goals from the fourth line, maybe more attention will get drawn to him and other guys will get a little more space on their lines!

 

[nickschultzfan]

Fontaine does nothing to justify his existence in the top-9.

 

[MN_Gopher]

Personally I would like to see Vanek stop being extremely lazy before moving him anywhere. Koivu and Coyle can atleast carry the defensive liability that is Vanek.

Wasn't it Vanek that swatted away two pucks in the COL series that were just left high in the circle. He is working hard/smart no just flying around.


Vanek if he is going to have success(high) needs like minded line mates. Or you will get what you have gotten. Him finding Spurgeon, once at the point for a Coyle tip then on a rush, he needs those types of guys around him.

If you want to sping it:

Both Vanek and Parise have 4 points in ther last 6 games.

Coyle is doubling up Nino in points right now.

Granny only has one more point than Koivu.

Carter has more assists than Granny and Koivu combined.

You can make a case for anyone at this point.


I would use patience more than anyting. Mixing and matching can work or it will be Jan and we will still be searching. 4-2 is right where we should be. Lets just take a step back and see the big picture.

 

[JRJRJRJRJR]

Really hard to touch the lines after yesterday's domination.

I love Zucker and hate seeing him get the short end of the stick...but I like that all four lines are a scoring threat right now. Still, we'd probably see more goals out of him (and the team) if he was in the top nine.

Right now I'd like to see:

Vanek-Granlund-Pommer
Parise-Koivu-Coyle
Zucker-Haula-Nino
Cooke-Brodziak-Fontaine

PP1:
Vanek-Granlund-Parise-Dumba-Suter

PP2:
Nino-Koivu-Zucker-Pommer-Spurgeon

THIS. Actually something that Yeo MIGHT try sometime. Almost the same what I wrote about the 5v5 lines. With my post I'm just trying to achieve perfection! If we have 3 lines doing something and Vanek - Koivu - Coyle doing everything more down tempo than any other line, its not working. Few switches MIGHT make "perfection" happen, but I'm just giving my opinion out there, and this is exactly what I was trying, to get a spark going with you guys

 

[JRJRJRJRJR]

My 2 cents on the lineup.
top 6
Parise is the only guy that is absolutely killing it right now. Pominville has had both great and bad moments but I would say he has been solid. Granlund hasn't been bad in any game yet but he hasn't been much more than a passenger on that line for the past few games. He needs to start taking the puck to the net again, and needs to look for his shot more. Vanek has been better than he gets credit for but has been too reluctant to shoot and has tried to force passes a little too much for my liking. Koivu is like Vanek, not as bad as this board claims but needs to be better. Coyle has looked good on that line.

IMO- the only changes that make any sense would be to flop Parise Vanek and/or maybe replace Coyle with Niederreiter or Zucker. As far as the Parise/Vanek situation, I don't think swapping them would make much of a difference. My guess is that Koivu's line would start scoring at the rate that Granlund's is now and vice versa. Maybe it gives you two first lines and the Wild are even better, but maybe you end up with two 2nd lines? Why change it when you're dominating teams right now? If the plan is to match Koivu's line against top lines and get scoring from the 3rd line then I would leave Coyle with them. Coyle is the better defender than Nino or Zucker and is better suited to be the "worker" on a line where Nino and Zucker are better suited to be the guy to drive offense on their lines.

Bottom 6
Nino has been good, needs to get stronger on his skates but I don't have any real complaints about his game. Haula hasn't been near the level he was at in the playoffs last year, but he hasn't been terrible either. Fontaine is what he is, a guy who can help out in just about any situation, but isn't going to be "the guy" on any line. 4th line has been about as good as you can ask out of a 4th line.

Possible changes in the bottom 6
Zucker would be better than Fontaine on the 3rd line, but is the upgrade worth killing any scoring from the 4th line? Brodziak could probably replace Carter without much if any fall off but why? The Brodziak needs to play crowd is baffling to me, what does he bring that Carter doesn't? Carter is faster(which has benefited Zucker's game) more physical and appears to be at least as good offensively and on the PK and faceoffs.

Defense
The D is unreal right now. Suter's minutes are actually down a little, Brodin is better than ever, and Spurgeon and Scandella have been absolutely amazing. Those 2 are better than the top pair on a handful of teams. The Kids look promising and even Ballard and Prosser have been better than you can reasonably expect from #7-8 dmen.

Wilson and Sydor have thrown out a bunch of different pairings and none have looked bad, I wouldn't change a thing.

I don't think Goaltending needs to be discussed.

Now, the big one, the PP
I don't think it has been that bad, but 0-20 is 0-20. My major problems with the current set up.
1. Pominville is not good on the point. There's no point in having Dumba on the roster if you're not going to give him big PP minutes.
2. You have the worst shooter of the 5(Koivu) in a shooters spot. Koivu can't score from where he is and other teams know this, and because of that it's difficult for him to get the puck to Vanek or the dman on the backside.
3. You have the worst passer of the 5(Parise) in a passers spot. Parise can't make the backdoor pass and can't or wont take the puck to the front of the net. Jamming it into the side of the net doesn't count.
4. You severely limit the talents of your two best goal scorers (Vanek, Parise) by having them play 4 feet apart from each other.

My solution
Suter QB's, Dumba triggers and floats to the backdoor. Vanek net front, Koivu down low and Granlund on the wall. Granlund probably isn't much of an improvement shooting wise, but I want his vision and ability to make the seam passes out there. Koivu is better at getting the puck to the front of the net (either passing or carrying) from down low than Parise is. Still leaves Parise and plenty of talent for a 2nd unit as well.

Granlund is far away from a "passenger". He just always gets the 3rd assist or manages to be the Selke-Granny by making goals happen in the other end by defending like a champ

 

[Jarick]

Proposed lines:

Zucker-Granlund-Pominville
Parise-Koivu-Coyle
Vanek-Brodziak-Nino
Cooke-Carter-Fontaine


Koivu's line is going up against top scorers, so there is no reason Vanek should be anywhere near that line. These guys should get the crucial D zone starts. Parise can do everything on the ice including play defense and drive possession. Let him carry Koivu for a while.

Zucker is clearly underutilized on the fourth line. He should be playing with Granlund and Pominville, who I really like together. Yeah if we had another Parise that would be great, but Zucker is a poor man's Parise with a better shot. This line is going to face the top defenders every night.

Vanek has been awful. Get him on the third line away from good hockey players on the other team. He's becoming Heatley 2.0. Drop his ice time. Brodziak is unfortunately the next best center on the team with Haula out. Nino can play RW I don't care what Yeo says.

Fourth line is pretty much the leftovers, who seem to be leading the team in points practically.

 

[WILDTATE10]

latest lineup thought

Parise Granlund Zucker
Vanek Haula Pominville
Nino Koivu Coyle
Cooke Carter Fontaine

Any news on Haula? I hate to suggest it because I like Coyle better at Wing but, if Haula is out for a bit of time put Coyle between Vanek and Pominville.

Really like the thought of Parise and Zucker together.

 

[Jarick]

I'm struggling because I know Yeo will make the dumbest line change possible, I just can't figure out what that would be.

Option #1 - Carter at third line C

"I thought our lines did a great job so far this year and I'm not going to hold one bad period against them. With Haulzy out of the lineup, this opens the door for Brodzy to come back in. I don't want to break up the chemistry in the top six."

Parise-Granlund-Pominville
Vanek-Koivu-Coyle
Nino-Carter-Fontaine
Cooke-Brodziak-Zucker

Option #2 - Brodziak at third line C

"I thought our lines did a great job so far this year and I'm not going to hold one bad period against them. With Haulzy out of the lineup, this opens the door for Brodzy to come back in. I don't want to break up the chemistry in the top six or the fourth line, so Brodzy will slot in for Haulzy."

Parise-Granlund-Pominville
Vanek-Koivu-Coyle
Nino-Carter-Fontaine
Cooke-Brodziak-Zucker

Option #3 - Coyle at third line C

"Charlie's a great option to have at center, Fonzy showed some chemistry with Koivu and is playing really well, Zucker has had some big moments so he gets a chance to move up the lineup."

Parise-Granlund-Pominville
Vanek-Koivu-Fontaine
Nino-Coyle-Zucker
Cooke-Brodziak-Carter

I think I'm going with option #2.

 

[JRJRJRJRJR]

latest lineup thought

Parise Granlund Zucker
Vanek Haula Pominville
Nino Koivu Coyle
Cooke Carter Fontaine

Any news on Haula? I hate to suggest it because I like Coyle better at Wing but, if Haula is out for a bit of time put Coyle between Vanek and Pominville.

Really like the thought of Parise and Zucker together.

This I kinda like, dont like Haula ahead of Koivu tho. But that first line gets me thinking about if we even need to get Vanek going

And by the way... NOT A BAD GAME UNTIL NOW.

 

[JRJRJRJRJR]

I'm struggling because I know Yeo will make the dumbest line change possible, I just can't figure out what that would be.

Option #1 - Carter at third line C

"I thought our lines did a great job so far this year and I'm not going to hold one bad period against them. With Haulzy out of the lineup, this opens the door for Brodzy to come back in. I don't want to break up the chemistry in the top six."

Parise-Granlund-Pominville
Vanek-Koivu-Coyle
Nino-Carter-Fontaine
Cooke-Brodziak-Zucker

Option #2 - Brodziak at third line C

"I thought our lines did a great job so far this year and I'm not going to hold one bad period against them. With Haulzy out of the lineup, this opens the door for Brodzy to come back in. I don't want to break up the chemistry in the top six or the fourth line, so Brodzy will slot in for Haulzy."

Parise-Granlund-Pominville
Vanek-Koivu-Coyle
Nino-Carter-Fontaine
Cooke-Brodziak-Zucker

Option #3 - Coyle at third line C

"Charlie's a great option to have at center, Fonzy showed some chemistry with Koivu and is playing really well, Zucker has had some big moments so he gets a chance to move up the lineup."

Parise-Granlund-Pominville
Vanek-Koivu-Fontaine
Nino-Coyle-Zucker
Cooke-Brodziak-Carter

I think I'm going with option #2.

Im going with option C right here, highscoring top9, and a 4th line build to crush and agitate.

 

[kfan22]

Parise-Granlund-Zucker
Vanek-Koivu-Pomminville
Nino-Coyle-Fontaine
Cooke-Brodziak-Carter

I am assuming Haula may be out a bit. I also Had Koivu 3rd line center but we know that wont happen .

See if Pominville can spark Vanek thats why I dropped him to the 2nd line

 

[Hottubber]

Question about Granlund - I picked him in my pool cause I thought he was centering the first line. He only has 3 points - Whats going on with him? Is he still on the top line, just not getting points?

Thanks

 

[Jarick]

Question about Granlund - I picked him in my pool cause I thought he was centering the first line. He only has 3 points - Whats going on with him? Is he still on the top line, just not getting points?

Thanks

He's barely on the PP anymore. Our coach plays favorites.

 

[Swervin81]

Question about Granlund - I picked him in my pool cause I thought he was centering the first line. He only has 3 points - Whats going on with him? Is he still on the top line, just not getting points?

Thanks

Technically he's the #1C, but his line doesn't seem to be deployed as often as the Koivu line, and even moreso with his unit on the PP. The Koivu line gets top PP minutes. Why? Well, the best I can come up with is because #Yeolo.

 

[Victorious Secret]

Technically he's the #1C, but his line doesn't seem to be deployed as often as the Koivu line, and even moreso with his unit on the PP. The Koivu line gets top PP minutes. Why? Well, the best I can come up with is because #Yeolo.

PPG line actually gets much more 5v5 time. Koivu just surpassed Granlund in PK and PP by a loooooooong shot. That's where the differences come in.

Undoubtedly we should get Granlund more PP time. Yeo is embarrassing right now.

 

[Gaps]

Proposed lines:

Zucker-Granlund-Pominville
Parise-Koivu-Coyle
Vanek-Brodziak-Nino
Cooke-Carter-Fontaine


Koivu's line is going up against top scorers, so there is no reason Vanek should be anywhere near that line. These guys should get the crucial D zone starts. Parise can do everything on the ice including play defense and drive possession. Let him carry Koivu for a while.

Zucker is clearly underutilized on the fourth line. He should be playing with Granlund and Pominville, who I really like together. Yeah if we had another Parise that would be great, but Zucker is a poor man's Parise with a better shot. This line is going to face the top defenders every night.

Vanek has been awful. Get him on the third line away from good hockey players on the other team. He's becoming Heatley 2.0. Drop his ice time. Brodziak is unfortunately the next best center on the team with Haula out. Nino can play RW I don't care what Yeo says.

Fourth line is pretty much the leftovers, who seem to be leading the team in points practically.

I agree on all accounts except dropping Vanek to play with Brodz. You do that and try to forget about signing him only if all else fails first. We're only 7 games into the season, there are still options to be tried and I'd like to see him get his ~30 goals.

Vanek actually looks like he's trying to play some D, more so than with his former teams. It's not doing much good in either end, though, but I assume Yeo's had a little talk with him.

Why is there a giveaway/takeaway stat on #nhl gamesheets. I count 6 blatant gives by 1 #mnwild fwd last night on PP's/3rd pd. Charged with 0

https://twitter.com/Russostrib/status/527112740448780288

The player in question was Vanek.

 

[melinko]

I agree on all accounts except dropping Vanek to play with Brodz. You do that and try to forget about signing him only if all else fails first. We're only 7 games into the season, there are still options to be tried and I'd like to see him get his ~30 goals.

Vanek actually looks like he's trying to play some D, more so than with his former teams. It's not doing much good in either end, though, but I assume Yeo's had a little talk with him.



https://twitter.com/Russostrib/status/527112740448780288

The player in question was Vanek.

Vanek has been making some "Pouliot" passes. Passes to wide open spots that would be nice if someone is there, but no one is ever there.