Line-Up After the Trade Deadline

[Baggins]

Willie D. will rather take a bullet in the chest then bench Dorsett and Vey. The medicine hat boys will stay in the lineup just like Raymond and Rome did with AV.

Depth had something to do with it. Back then who do you replace Raymond or Rome with? Raymond was a healthy scratch a couple of times but was often moved down the lines and/or benched during games. Rome was our 6/7 d-man and only moved up from there due to injuries. Sadly he was a better option than Ballard who pretty much sucked his entire time here. He certainly wasn't the Coyotes Ballard version I remembered after his hip surgery.

I find both AV's and JB's choices all too often made far more sense than the "bias" theories here. Btw, Vey has been a healthy scratch a couple of times this season after poor games.

[OrrFour]

Sedin - Sedin - Kassian
Baertschi - Bonino - Vrbata
Mattias- Richardson- Burrows
Dorsett- Horvat - Hansen

extras: kenins, Vey, higgins

If all our forwards are healthy then these are the lines I'd like to see.

I'm hoping Sven hits the ground running in utica and forces us to bring him up.

He's our second best offensive left winger. A legit top six forward.

Get him in our lineup asap and give him some nhl experience with an offensive minded team.

Let's see what he can do. We need more offense from our second line!

Mattias is a below average center but a solid left winger.

Richardson is our best faceoff guy so he should center our checking line.

Burrows can switch with Kassian when necessary.

[c-a-n-u-c-k-s]

How would Mathias go with the Sedins? Kassian is pretty good with them but I wonder what matti would be like as he has a bit more jump, but lesser hands.

I would think Matthias is more valuable just doing exactly what he's doing, which is going great. He looks way better than I expected this year and if there's one Canuck who's going to drive & cut to the net for a scoring chance, who is it?

I don't think he needs the Sedins, but the team needs his drive to the net threat on another line, making the team less totally predictable offensively (see last year).

[Captain Aerosex]

Sedin-Sedin-Kassian

Higgins-Bonino-Vrbata

Kenins-Horvat-Hansen

Burrows-Matthias-Dorsett

(Richardson, Vey)

Edler-Tanev

Hamhuis-Weber

Sbisa-Stanton

(Biega, Clendening)

If certain guys cool down, not hard to move them around or put in Rich (zomg faceoff wins?), Vey...maybe even Baertschi.

[Mattrek]

Sedin - Sedin - Kassian

Baertschi - Bonino - Vrbata

Mattias- Richardson- Burrows

Dorsett- Horvat - Hansen

extras: kenins, Vey, higgins

If all our forwards are healthy then these are the lines I'd like to see.

I'm hoping Sven hits the ground running in utica and forces us to bring him up.

He's our second best offensive left winger. A legit top six forward.

Get him in our lineup asap and give him some nhl experience with an offensive minded team.

Let's see what he can do. We need more offense from our second line!

Mattias is a below average center but a solid left winger.

Richardson is our best faceoff guy so he should center our checking line.

Burrows can switch with Kassian when necessary.

Why in the hell would you scratch Kenins? He's on fire right now and knows how to hit, something sorrily lacking from this team.

[Amish Rake Fighter]

He certainly wasn't the Coyotes Ballard version I remembered after his hip surgery.

No kidding, him and Morris were one of the better pairings in the Conference back then. I kept waiting for him to return to that form but it never happened.

[JamesB]

Why in the hell would you scratch Kenins? He's on fire right now and knows how to hit, something sorrily lacking from this team.

Kenins leads the team in pts. per 60 minutes played (or pts. per minute or pts per 20 minutes or whatever). Admittedly it is a small sample, but not that small. It covers 14 games, which tells us something.

Also, he makes a lot of hits and plays a high energy games, and that is not affected by small sample issues. And he has great chemistry with Horvat. The line of of Horvat, Kenins, and Hansen must be the best "4th line" in the NHL. although calling them the 4th line does not make much sense as they have been playing 3rd minutes and in 3rd line situations.

In any case, no way Kenins goes to press box now. Maybe if he cools down.

[Nuckin Kingsly]

OK, the trade deadline has passed with no moves that affect the current playing roster.

Also, many players are close to being healthy. Corrado is healthy (and in Utica), and Tanev, Edler, Richardson, and Burrows all appear close.

I am going to assume that Miller and Bieksa remain out for a while. (Yes, Bieksa is skating but, with a hand injury, why not?)

So what does the line-up look like with those guys back. (I realize there have been many line-up posts, but after the trade deadline is a natural time to take stock.)

This is my line-up:

Sedin, Sedin, Burrows

Matthias, Bonino, Vrbata

Kenins, Horvat, Hansen

Higgins, Richardson, Dorsett

Edler, Tanev

Hammer, Weber (?)

Sbisa, Clendenning (?)

Extras: Kassian, Vey, Stanton

Comments:

1. Let's call the Horvat line the third line. On the basis of minutes played, points scored, role (a lot of shutdown time) it obviously is. And it would be crazy to break it up.

2. I don't see a spot for Kassian or Vey. Both have been decent lately, although, frankly, Kassian was not good defensively last night against St. Louis. But he is trying and was credited with 4 hits (I think).

3. Willie will play Sbisa ahead of Stanton. Kind of ironic given that Stanton has the best plus/minus on the team (+12) and Sbisa has the worst (-8). That stat is of course misleading in this case as Stanton almost never plays against the other teams' top forwards, but Sbisa has earned his negative +/-. He still makes me nervous every time he touches the puck in his own end although I admit his physical play does help the team. I would prefer to have Stanton playing instead, but Willie is very patient with Sbisa. Possibly Weber or Clendenning comes out and Stanton stays in.

4. It seems weird to have Weber in the top 4, but he has played well, especially with Hamhuis. And Hammer has been great with Edler and Tanev out. Hammer has, in my view, held the D together.

5. The team can of course carry extra players beyond the 23 man limit now, so we might see other guys slotting in.

Ya are you serious? Its embarrassing reading some of the posts. How do you bench kass with the way he's been playing... cause of one not great game again?? Doesn't make sense.. and no I Def do not agree that Weber has played well. He is a turnover machine and is nothing mire than a 7th dman. He had a good game last game, but I hold my breath anytime he is on the ice. But my lineup go's as follows

Sedin - Sedin - Kassian

Matthias - Bonino - Vrbata

Higgins - Richardson - burrows

Kennins - Horvat - Hansen

Dorsett switches with kennins or Hansen.. id like him in the lineup full time a..but wow we are deep.. good problem to have, and id have him in every playoff game.

Vey switches with richy every here and there.

Elder - tanev

Hamhuis - Sbisa

Stanton - bieksa

[Nuckin Kingsly]

Kenins leads the team in pts. per 60 minutes played (or pts. per minute or pts per 20 minutes or whatever). Admittedly it is a small sample, but not that small. It covers 14 games, which tells us something.

Also, he makes a lot of hits and plays a high energy games, and that is not affected by small sample issues. And he has great chemistry with Horvat. The line of of Horvat, Kenins, and Hansen must be the best "4th line" in the NHL. although calling them the 4th line does not make much sense as they have been playing 3rd minutes and in 3rd line situations.

In any case, no way Kenins goes to press box now. Maybe if he cools down.

While I agree that Ronny has be beauty since he came up. I have a feeling he will be in the presser when we are healthy. I doubt Dorsett or Hansen will get benched for him.. judging by what I've seen from willy d. Who knows tho? I am just ecstatic with the way the kids played for us

[tvars]

While I agree that Ronny has be beauty since he came up. I have a feeling he will be in the presser when we are healthy. I doubt Dorsett or Hansen will get benched for him.. judging by what I've seen from willy d. Who knows tho? I am just ecstatic with the way the kids played for us

I certainly hope they dont put him in the press box, he has been a spark plug, and his chemistry with horvat is astounding. Plus he like to bully Chara, which makes him a hero in my books

[Angry Goose]

Sedin Sedin Burrows/kass

Higgins Bonino Vrbata

Dorsett Matthais Kassian/burrows

Hansen Bo Kenins

Richardson (only because he's probably a step behind due to injury)/Vey

[Canada Hockey Place]

If 100% healthy,

Sedin Sedin Vrbata

Matthias Bonino Kassian

Higgins Richardson Burrows

Dorsett Horvat Hansen

(Vey=13th.)

Edler Tanev

Hamhuis Bieksa

Sbisa Weber

(Stanton=7th)

Miller

Lack

Kenins, Markstrom, Biega re-assigned to Utica. + Clendening. + Conacher. + Baertschi. Go Utica.

[Bure fan]

I was actually expecting a couple maniacs to have a Sedin-Sedin-Baertschi line in a post haha

[FlyLow_]

Kenins has been one of the best players on the team since coming up, yet everyone is taking him out of the line-up? That would be really dumb, especially since the 4th lines being proposed have been tried and were horrible.

Sedins-Burrows/Vrbata

Mathias-

Kenins-Horvat-Hansen

The rest of the spots are up for grabs. There has been no chemistry or sustained success from any of the remaining spots since early in the season, meaning everything is up for grabs in the middle six. Kassian can't play against top lines in the playoffs and I expect Baertschi has a good shot of stealing a spot on the 2nd line. He's NHL ready and has a skill set that's been desperately lacking on the 2nd line all season.

This offseason I'd like to see us trade Bonino, Vey and a pick for a ROR calibre center.

[Maniwaki Canuck]

Probably reversion to the seniority system for the rest of this year. I hope not, particularly for Kenins' sake, but so far that's how WD rolls. For next year, it will clearly be different. Unless we get rid of some of our big-ticket vets (Miller, Bieksa, Hamhuis, Burrows) over the summer, we're going to be hard pressed to re-sign Tanev and Matthais, who may command a 2 million raise each (not saying I agree, only that they can probably command it). Then there's Dorsett and Richardson, who deserve raises too, whether they re-sign with us or go somewhere else. Bottom line: we have to get rid of 2-3 proven players over the summer, whether it's by trade or letting UFAs walk.

[Mattrek]

Kenins leads the team in pts. per 60 minutes played (or pts. per minute or pts per 20 minutes or whatever). Admittedly it is a small sample, but not that small. It covers 14 games, which tells us something.

Also, he makes a lot of hits and plays a high energy games, and that is not affected by small sample issues. And he has great chemistry with Horvat. The line of of Horvat, Kenins, and Hansen must be the best "4th line" in the NHL. although calling them the 4th line does not make much sense as they have been playing 3rd minutes and in 3rd line situations.

In any case, no way Kenins goes to press box now. Maybe if he cools down.

Exactly. I could even make the case for them being the 2nd line with how they play and the points they rack up for the team.

[sinphase]

Well tonight's game against the Sharks showed that Vey deserves to sit when Richardson and Burrows comes back.

[OrrFour]

Why in the hell would you scratch Kenins? He's on fire right now and knows how to hit, something sorrily lacking from this team.

kenins has been fantastic.

I'm essentially replacing him with Baer which is dreaming I know.

But I'm dreaming that he lights up the A and forces them to bring him up!

We need his speed, skill, vision. We need his offensenive abilily

Sedin - Sedin - Kassian

Baertschi - Bonino - Vrbata

Mattias- Richardson- Burrows

Dorsett- Horvat - Hansen

extras: kenins, Vey, higgins

[Team Bagues]

How would Mathias go with the Sedins? Kassian is pretty good with them but I wonder what matti would be like as he has a bit more jump, but lesser hands.

I've seen some pretty sick hands on Matthias this year. The in-tight roof job against Pittsburgh comes to mind.

As for with the Sedins I think we need his speed and size on another line to balance things out. Matthias also seems to play best when at center; not sure what he's like on the draws, although we're already bottom of the league in that regard, so it likely wouldn't change things that much.

[Seven pounds soft]

Burrows-Sedin-Vrbata

Sedin-Horvat-Kassian

Mattias-Bonino-Vey

Higgins- Richardson-Hansen

Kennins has to be sent down when everyone's healthy in my opinion.