[Rumour/Speculation] Hudler/Canucks

[aGENT]

1 minute ago, timberz21 said:

I would love that line-up.  I've been lobbying for a while for Eriksson not to play with the Sedins to balance the scoring.

 

Baer playing with two veteran like Eriksson and Sutter is a way of sheltering him and still giving him significant role/minutes.  That line is a great mix with Sutter a shooter, defensive player; Eriksson great all-around player; and Baer a playmaker.

 

Unfortunately I don't think that's going to happen

Agreed, other than hopefully that last sentence is incorrect  

[Canuck Surfer]

22 hours ago, VIC_CITY said:

This is the 2nd time I've heard someone on CDC mentioning management's supposed intention of playing Baertschi on the 4th line and I really don't understand it. He was forth in goals on our team last year and is trending upwards. I know 4th lines aren't what they used to be and may be used in more of a developmental role these days but we're not talking about Virtanen or Gaunce, we're talking about a guy that has played 138 career regular season games and just turned the corner as an NHL caliber player. So to me, this makes just about as much sense as playing Horvat with Dorsett, which is apparently a 'thing' as well. Neither make any sense to me though.

* This 4th line does have to come also with the disclaimer that Willie, even famously and to his detriment sometimes, rolls four lines?

 

And also has to be taken in the context of line construction. Inclusive their characterization & deployment.  For starters, both Horvat and Sutter are "characterised" as defensive forwards. At least first anyways. Whereas Malkin is an offensive first guy to overstate. And Horvat & Sutter will and should be on lines you expect to do heavy lifting in our end. Against the big lines from other teams such as Seguin / Benn, Getzlaf / Perry etc.  Hey, even Willie pretty clearly suggested that Baer actually did a pretty admirable job defensively last year?  There were also comments that implied playing with Bo was not ideal for Baer. Further implying that because Bo was being deployed so heavily in defensive situations, it was limiting Baertschi's offense? If we have, and its been suggested in this thread, two heavy lifting lines? Maybe a 4th line can be rolled out almost exclusively routinely in offensive situations & against weak competition...

 

A Baertschi Granlund Virtanen does actually have a ton of skill, size and speed to be a predatory 4th line?

 

We'll have to see? In the past we have had characterised lines who's role was exclusively heavy lifting. See Malhotra. I personally like at least one line like this. And it may be that Willie does as well > hence him removing Baer from Bo's line to create offensive situations for him? But we've also had Kesler lines take on the heavy match ups. For example in 2009-2010. But still scored a ton with Samuelsson and Raymond.  Who had 50 points each that year & Kess over 70. Similarly Bergeron to this day takes on match ups and scores readily. As do Toews and Kopitar. 

 

A key point is that we have yet really define our lines, other than the Sedin's, with Willie. Maybe that's also because we also wanted that "Big Scoring Winger" that was banded about so much. We did not / do not currently have all the components. A big guy who scores but also wins the hard board battles, fore checks & evens out size match ups. To make a Sutter line, our second line presumably, a two way line which is also serious scoring threat as well as a defensive line... 

 

Baertschi, FWIW, could still be ultimately the third guy on such a line. And Jake was obviously drafted hoping he would be that big scoring winger ultimately.  We probably just have to wait as these guys develop some more!