Angry Goose Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Should Lapierre be given an offensive role next season? We saw a bit of what Lapierre can do towards the end of last season. When he is playing 2nd and 3rd line minutes, he fore-checks aggressively, distributes the puck well to his teammates, and puts the puck on net. Strong north/south hockey is what Lapierre can do. And he has the sandpaper needed to do so. While I am not saying that Lapierre IS the top 6 forward the Canucks need, if given the chance he might turn out to be. He is strong, skates well, and has a good shot. He will work hard in the offensive zone much like Higgins does. Personally I would like to see the coaching staff give him a good look in this role next year. If it works out, this might give MG some room to tinker with the bottom 6 a bit more. I have a feeling that Kesler and Booth will ramp it up next year. A focused and motivated Lapierre might compliment the two well. Well,I guess only as long as Kesler and Lapierre keep their mouths shut and focus on playing hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Mind Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Personally I'd only want to see him in that role if there are injuries or we are in a slump. We need another legitimate top 6 forward still, and I wouldn't want the team to think they would be fine without getting some more offence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombastik der Teutone Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 3rd line with higgins and hansen...would be fine i guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucklehead44 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Sedin Sedin Burrows Booth (Playmaking Centre) Higgins Lapierre Kesler Hansen _____ Malhotra ______ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uber_pwnzor Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 He reminds me of Burrows, always hard working Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmylu1 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Sedin Sedin Burrows Booth (Playmaking Centre) Higgins Lapierre Kesler Hansen _____ Malhotra ______ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cs2016 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Kesler is paid too much to be a third line centre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBCanucks Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I like the idea of utilizing a Burrows-Kesler-Lapierre line on occasion simply because these three players are probably the most hated in the Western Conference. Utilizing them on a single line from time to time would drive the opposing teams nuts, though it is most definitely not a long-term solution. The 4th line falls apart without Lapierre at it's center. He is a lightning rod and with the right line mates (Volpatti, Weise) the 4th line can be given a slightly larger role and more minutes without detracting from the team's success. Our 4th line post-trade deadline and heading into the playoffs had the same problem that it had in the 2010-2011 season: little consistency, largely ineffective, and didn't allow the team to roll 4 lines. In the end it was a factor that contributed to the teams ineffectiveness in the long-run of the season. Moving into next season we need to establish a consistent 4th line, and either a 3rd line RW so we can move Higgins up to the 2nd or a 2nd line winger so we can keep the Higgins-Pahlsson/Malhotra-Hansen line together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownUndaCanuck Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 He is basically Burrows minus the years of experience playing with the Sedins. When given a top-6 role, Lapierre really shined on the 2nd line and even moreso with Henrik Sedin. Hopefully next season we can find a skilled yet gritty center to play on our 3rd line instead of Pahlsson, unless Pahlsson signs here cheaply and can score 30-40 points. Sedin - Sedin - Burrows Higgins - Kesler - Booth (all 3 players were scoring at a 25 goal pace, they deserve 2nd line minutes) Lapierre - Pahlsson - Hansen (Hansen has 20-goal potential, Lapierre can score 15 and Pahlsson should score 10) Bitz - Malhotra - Kassian (Bitz was our best 4th liner, very skilled and our best hitter, hopefully Kassian can move up) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 tradesies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Surfer Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Lap Dog is a good moniker for Maxim. He's willing to run (skate), to bark, to chase your tail, to bite it and whack it with his stick, to wag his tail and he's loyal to his pack!... And he keeps learning to do new tricks! And he's a pretty good hockey player. He's not my first choice for a 2knd line winger for Kes; but he reminds me of a bigger, just not as quick version of Burrows. He's willing to do anything, there is bite to his compete level & work rate, and he has a higher hockey IQ than skills. Like Burrows who now has those skills, I believe he would improve a ton by being put on the spot! Should Lapierre be given an offensive role next season? We saw a bit of what Lapierre can do towards the end of last season. When he is playing 2nd and 3rd line minutes, he fore-checks aggressively, distributes the puck well to his teammates, and puts the puck on net. Strong north/south hockey is what Lapierre can do. And he has the sandpaper needed to do so. While I am not saying that Lapierre IS the top 6 forward the Canucks need, if given the chance he might turn out to be. He is strong, skates well, and has a good shot. He will work hard in the offensive zone much like Higgins does. Personally I would like to see the coaching staff give him a good look in this role next year. If it works out, this might give MG some room to tinker with the bottom 6 a bit more. I have a feeling that Kesler and Booth will ramp it up next year. A focused and motivated Lapierre might compliment the two well. Well,I guess only as long as Kesler and Lapierre keep their mouths shut and focus on playing hockey. Last year we had a superbly consistent 4th line; Lapierre / Malhotra / Weise. We mucked it up bringing Kassian to be a 2knd line power forward only to find he was not capable yet of even being effective on the 4th. So as Lappy in particular & Manny started having to play up the line up we lost our depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theo5789 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I like his play and think he does have offensive abilities, but our team will simply not be deep enough if he is not on our 4th line. If we keep Pahlsson, then I would go as far as considering Lapierre as our 2nd pp centerman, but he should remain on the 4th and be in the top 6 if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Money Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Lapierre > Pahlsson/Malhotra He has proven he deserves the 3rd line center spot. Manny was a beast on faceoffs, so keeping him on the 4th line seems reasonable. If we want skill on the 4th, we should consider bringing up one of the 'lesser' young guns, like Sweatt. He would give us some skill and youthful energy, without ruining a guy with top-line potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kj29 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 THE BEAST LINE: BURROWS-KESLER-LAPIERRE this just couldn't get any better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimberWolf Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Ice time should be extended and limited based on how often he runs his mouth. If he would just shut up and play, he's got an underrated amount of skill on both ends of the ice and he hits a ton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwo Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Lappy is a boss. Most people have no clue how talented he really is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainJack Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Sedin Sedin Burrows Booth (Playmaking Centre) Higgins Lapierre Kesler Hansen _____ Malhotra ______ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanKeslord17 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Sedin Sedin Burrows Booth (Playmaking Centre) Higgins Lapierre Kesler Hansen _____ Malhotra ______ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesTW Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Kesler is paid too much to be a third line centre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesTW Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 THE BEAST LINE: BURROWS-KESLER-LAPIERRE this just couldn't get any better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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