Line Combos: What sey you?

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Dupuis wouldn't have been a top six winger on any Cup contending team that hadn't completely ****ed up their top six situation with regard to wingers. Period. We are in the unique and unfortunate situation of having done so poorly by Sid and Geno that they've had to make due with vastly inferior players on their wings for most of their careers.

He was moderately successful as a top six winger, but that's because he played alongside the best centers in the world. It's not a knock, it's a reality.

Sorry if you take it personally, it's not a defamatory argument. It's simply stating that just because a guy works hard and isn't a disaster defensively doesn't make him an effective top six winger when his hands, shot, passing and creativity are nowhere to be found.

As for Kunitz, he's absolute garbage on skates and has been for a while. People are only really taking note recently because his production matched his effectiveness as a hockey player last season.

Agree to disagree I suppose. /shrug

 

[Penguinator]

"isn't a disaster defensively"???

C'mon...

Not only is Duper NOT a D liability, he's actually pretty good at it.

 

[Waffle Fries]

Energy, speed and defensive play are great attributes for a bottom-6 forward.

 

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"isn't a disaster defensively"???

C'mon...

Not only is Duper NOT a D liability, he's actually pretty good at it.

This is my point. I didn't use the absolute correct phrasing while addressing the guy, so now it's a slight.

Relax. I don't hate Dupuis. I don't think he's anything less than a very good, defense-first, speedy bottom six player. That's not me flaming the guy. There is nothing wrong with that. Not everyone is cut out to be an effective top six, scoring line winger. He is not.

Good lord.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Energy, speed and defensive play are great attributes for a bottom-6 forward.

Being with Sid also boosted his confidence with the puck, mind you he's not the greatest with the puck, but he's a lot better with it than he was as a bottom 6 grinder for the Wild, Thrashers, and the Rangers. Dupuis in the bottom 6 is perfect, I just hope the team realizes that and keeps him there, but an occasional shift with Sid isn't going to throw me into a thread creating rant frenzy like it might for a lot of people here.

I think for the most part we will see Perron, Hornqvist and Kessel doing the heavy lifting as the big 3 top 6 wingers with an opportunity for Plotnikov and Bennett to step up and for Kunitz to be a 3rd cog and not be so heavily relied on as the talented winger when it's him and Dupuis flanking Crosby, Kunitz played 2-3mins less a game is a benefit to the team and I am not in a rush to dump the guy just yet, at the deadline when Plots and Beau are definitely top 6 caliber, yes, but to start the year, it doesn't hurt us.

I also like Kessel with Sid, Perron and Horny with Geno.