What to Expect from the Leafs 4th Line

[Boutette]

People forget that our team is likely to run up the score, and therefore opposition coaches will feel free to send out their plugs in third periods of 5-1 games or the like to take runs at our best players. So, it will be important instead to send out our 4th line, which will really be more of a 3rd line skill wise, to face those plugs and rack up the 8-10 minutes a game to ensure our stars aren't facing those late game cheap shots and potential injuries, and ensure they are fresh for the regular 3 games in four night the 82 game schedule will throw at them.

 

[MJ65]

If there was ever a time for Gauthier to cement his role on this team, it's now. This is the ideal situation for him.

It is Par Lindholm's job to lose

 

[MJ65]

If our options at C, don't pan out for the 4C, make a late season move....

Convince the Sedin's to sign for the balance of the season, and run a lineup of...

Hyman - Matthews - Nylander
Johnsson - Tavares - Marner
Marleau - Kadri - Kapanen
Sedin - Sedin - Brown

I appreciate, completely unrealistic... .but hard to imagine a better group of forwards.

And what you are going to give up for those Sedins for just a part of this season?

 

[Fogelhund]

And what you are going to give up for those Sedins for just a part of this season?

Give up? I'm not sure what you mean, they are UFA's.

 

[crump]

Sedins have retired.

"As we've said before, Vancouver has become home. This is our family's home. We plan to be part of this community long after we retire. Vancouver has given us so much and we've tried to give everything we have in return. That won't change."

There'd be a riot in Vancouver if they came out to the Leafs.

 

[MJ65]

Give up? I'm not sure what you mean, they are UFA's.

They are not going to sign with the Leafs - infact they are not going to sign any where else

 

[Fogelhund]

They are not going to sign with the Leafs - infact they are not going to sign any where else

I suppose that is why I qualified it at the end, by saying it was completely unrealistic. Your sentence still doesn't make sense.

 

[weems]

At some point Kapanen is going to need to be given a decent look with quality linemates. We already know what we have in Brown. What harm is it to give Kapanen a look with more talented players and if he doesnt do well just go back to the original setup of Brown on the 3rd line and Kapanen on the 4th but if it works it probaly gives you a higher ceiling compared to Brown.

We need to find out what we have in the kid and playing on a 4th line, playing 12 minutes a night with marginal players isnt going to tell us much.

 

[MJ65]

I suppose that is why I qualified it at the end, by saying it was completely unrealistic. Your sentence still doesn't make sense.

Okay fine - sorry

 

[hector morrison]

At some point Kapanen is going to need to be given a decent look with quality linemates. We already know what we have in Brown. What harm is it to give Kapanen a look with more talented players and if he doesnt do well just go back to the original setup of Brown on the 3rd line and Kapanen on the 4th but if it works it probaly gives you a higher ceiling compared to Brown.

We need to find out what we have in the kid and playing on a 4th line, playing 12 minutes a night with marginal players isnt going to tell us much.

Kappy has shown plenty,he is a speed demon with some skill... he is not a 4th line player in the traditional sense. I would have him play with JT and Marner !

 

[DopeyFish]

This is what you need, Komarov at his best is the kind of guy that discombobulates an opposing team. Kadri rattles them pretty well. Grundy could end up useful.

 

[LeafingTheWay]

Marleau - Matthews - Nylander
Hyman - Tavares - Marner
Johnsson - Kadri - Kapanen
Ennis - Shore (UFA) - Brown

 

[IPS]

Kappy has shown plenty,he is a speed demon with some skill... he is not a 4th line player in the traditional sense. I would have him play with JT and Marner !

A short look with the top-6 definitely wouldn't hurt anything but I doubt it ever gets tried. There's a lot of Leafs wingers in the system I'd love to see tried in the top-6.

 

[PromisedLand]

My expectations from the 4th line this season:

Even strength:

- Do not take dumb penalties
- Do not be on ice for goals against
- Play in the offensive zone as much as spossible


Special Teams

- Be good on PK


Is it too much to ask?

 

[namttebih]

I'd love to see:

Hyman Kadri Brown
Grundstrom Lindholm Kap

What an annoying bottom 6 with tons of skill.

Edit: I'd also love it if Kadri seriously learned to PK

 

[wired14]

I see Trevor Moore getting a shot with 4th line duties. Good two way player, good speed, and most importantly can kill penalties effectively.

He was great with the Marlies this past season.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

4th line ?

I think Nylander will play well.

 

[ZEBROA]

4th line ?

I think Nylander will play well.

Nylander and Marner can battle the fanbattle and alternating as RW and C. Grundy as LW. Swedes are mosty late bloomers so that fixes the agediff. Game on!

 

[The Iceman]

I agree with this as well. If he doesn't make the team this camp, he's as good as gone in a trade some place. There is no reason he shouldn't be ready by now. 1st Round pick, that was picked because of his defensive game, Big center, with hopes that his offensive side would mature. If he cant at least break into our lineup as a defensively responsible 4th line center, that can kill penalties and throw his body around. Then get rid of him. Time to move on.

And I don't see him getting through waivers. Montreal would grab him in a second.

 

[BodaciousBeefBazooka]

To score and defend. Obvious choice for a professional sport?

 

[613Leafer]

Top C in the Faceoff in the SHL last year.
Fourth in SHL scoring
Fourth in SHL +-
Played on the PK effectively.

We'll have to see how he looks in the NHL.

Don't forget how good guys like Kontiola, Wallin, etc were in the SHL/KHL and then neither were able to stick in the NHL when they came over to the Leafs.

 

[SprDaVE]

It's really about the impact and efficiency they will have with the minutes they will get. I don't think anyone will expect them to dominate or anything but it can't be what Martin and Moore provided.

 

[ACC1224]

Hopefully the 4th line sees around 5 minutes a game.

 

[pheasant]

The Toronto Maple Leafs fourth line may not get the fanfare of other lines. The entire group won’t get the fanfare all year that John Tavares has had already. The Maple Leafs fourth line probably isn’t even going to see much ice time this season. But it’s going to be one of the more interesting topics this season in Leaf Nation. If only because who exactly is going to play on the line may change from week to week.

What To Expect From The Toronto Maple Leafs Fourth Line - Last Word on Hockey

This article was terrible.

It was like someone just slowly reading the depth chart. You provided nothing the average fan doesn't already know, you had no interesting take or angle, and committed to almost no personal opinion. How you could write so much but say nothing is beyond me.

Not to mention the writing style was less than 2nd rate. You used the word "but" over 20 times, yet you used "however," "yet," and "on the other hand" a total of once. It came off with an amateur and unsure tone.

At least your spelling and grammar were correct. That puts this article above most of what I read from lastwordonhockey.

 

[LastWordArmy]

This article was terrible.

It was like someone just slowly reading the depth chart. You provided nothing the average fan doesn't already know, you had no interesting take or angle, and committed to almost no personal opinion. How you could write so much but say nothing is beyond me.

Not to mention the writing style was less than 2nd rate. You used the word "but" over 20 times, yet you used "however," "yet," and "on the other hand" a total of once. It came off with an amateur and unsure tone.

At least your spelling and grammar were correct. That puts this article above most of what I read from lastwordonhockey.

Thanks for your comments.