Can we Emulate the WCE?

[Ugli Fruit]

Saw the thread about comparing Kass and Jensen to Bert and Nazzy, so I got to thinking, and concluded the team could potentially find out.

The WCE, composed of Bert, Nazzy and Bmo, was arguably the best forward line in its day. They were all 3 highly skilled players who complimented each other favorably. A recipe for success, the Canucks haven't had to do this thanks to aliens Henrik and Daniel Sedin. However,with the future beckoning, what can the Canucks do to recreate this past success?

Currently on the roster, the team has some similar players to Bertuzzi, Naslund and Morrison. Though obviously not quite as skilled, the chemistry should be arguably the same, and so should the competition. My suggestion is this:

The team utilizes Jensen as the sniper. This role is best suited to Jensen as it plays to his strengths the most (positioning, shooting, finishing). It also places the least amount of defensive accountability which will help the kid focus on his offensive game. Though it might seem unjustified to give him a "free pass" defensively, one should note that in today's world, all hockey players will still backcheck to some degree.

The team utilitizes Brad Richardson as the centerman. Like Bmo, Richardson is a small but intelligent winger with good vision and playmaking skills. Very calm and rational, Richardson could be a good anchor for an otherwise young line and help to mentor Jensen also. Because Richardson is a steady, consistent player, Jensen will likely have an easy time finding chemistry with him. I considered replacing him with Santorelli, however I feel Richardson is a more cerebral, pass-first player, which I think benefits Jensen and Kassian more than Santo (a quick and agile "power forward" - see below).

Lastly, the team utilizes Zack Kassian as the power forward. While that sounds rather crude, the power forward has many implicit responsibilities, such as being able to carry the puck into the offensive zone, creating space with or without the puck, and causing havoc in front of the net. Kassian does these things all fairly well, and has some playmaking and goalscoring abilities as well. He could both help create space for his linemates (who can't really do it own their own) as well as set up/pot a few goals here and there.

Furthermore, this line combo opens up another opportunity for David Booth, who had plenty of chemistry and success playing with Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins in his first year, affectionately dubbed the AMEX line by the fans. The roster could look like this with no changes this off season.

D. Sedin - H. Sedin - A. Burrows

D. Booth - R. Kesler - C. Higgins

N. Jensen - B. Richardson - Z. Kassian

T. Sestito - M. Santorelli - J. Hansen

This team has so much depth when everyone is healthy. A team with this sort of depth would allow the coach to roll the lines. I personally would have no qualms about seeing a 4th line with Santo, Hansen and Sestito on it for more than 5 minutes a game. Anyone else looking forward to this offseason?

[Karlsson`s Flo]

*Sees other thread*

Responds with new thread*

[elvis15]

No. Richardson as a BMo 2.0? Santorelli to the 4th?

*Sees other thread*

Responds with new thread*

No kidding, eh?