Things are obviously going to shift around as the season progresses and sorting this works out best via a bunch of trial and error in real games not sitting at a desk. And I trust Coach Paul Maurice will find stuff that works.
But for fun, let's take our shot at building forward line combinations with 2011-12. With a bunch of new pieces veterans added (Alexei Ponikarovsky, Anthony Stewart, Tim Brent) and a handful of rookies trying to earn a full-time slot this year (Zac Dalpe, Zach Boychuk, Drayson Bowman, etc.), the combinations are endless.
My try goes like this:
1: Alexei Ponikarovksy / Eric Staal / Zac Dalpe
The first line needs to score. And it needs to play a lot of minutes against the other team's top 2 lines. So this line is much more of a hope than a safe bet. Ponikarovsky does have top line scoring potential (and past performance even), but he is coming off a poor 2010-11 at least partly due to injury. And plugging Zac Dalpe into this slot might just be asking too much. But here is what I like - Ponikarovsky does have size but still enough skating ability to hang with Staal and turn 1-on-1s in into 2-on-1s on a turnover or 2-on-2s into a 3-on-2 off the rush with finishing skills. And Dalpe brings speed and youth. I guess in the end my primary reason for liking this line is that I absolutely loved what I saw from my 2nd line in real games last year and would love to keep them together.
I think more likely what happens is that Ponikarovsky gets an audition with Staal (possibly on the right side) and then Coach Maurice needs to pluck more offense from the 2nd line to make this line stronger.
2: Jeff Skinner / Tuomo Ruutu / Jussi Jokinen
This line was just flat out good down the stretch last season. Skinner and Ruutu matched effort, determination and peskiness to be a nightmare on the forecheck and winning loose pucks, and Jussi Jokinen masterfully played the role of heady situation reader to gather those pucks and very quickly sort out how to turn it into a scoring chance before the opponent recovered to play defense again. Again, I think it likely that Maurice needs to poach either Skinner or Jokinen to play with Staal, but I expect Ruutu will hang in this center slot unless absolutely nothing else works, and Maurice is forced to try to use Ruutu as the banging RW (i.e. Erik Cole) on Staal's wing.
3: Drayson Bowman or Jiri Tlusty / Brandon Sutter / Anthony Stewart
I like Anthony Stewart's upside as much as anyone. I get the thoughts that as a big right wing who can skate, he could be the closest thing the Canes have to being an Erik Cole replacement. But I take his history into account. He was drafted to be that big, scoring 1st line right wing now quite some time ago. He struggled in his development early and still has just not gotten there which is why he was let go this summer and available on the cheap. But along the way, especially in the 2010-11 season Stewart developed into a pretty solid checking line RW who is good defensively and kicked in a decent amount of offense for 3rd line defense-first responsibilities. I would rather see the Canes start Stewart in a comfortable role where success is easily within reach and is not subjected to the pressure to be that 1st line scorer again. Then once he gets comfortable and the confidence builds you go from there. In addition, he is a great fit for Sutter's line. Sutter is gritty but maybe a bit undersized at center especially against big lines. And at least from his linemates last year (spent the most time probably with Tlusty, Dwyer, Bowman) they are also average to slightly below average in size. So I say you plug Stewart in to add some size, tell him to focus on defense in this role and count the offense as a bonus. For left wing, both Tlusty and Bowman proved better than I would have expected defensively in this role last season, but neither really thrived offensively which is okay for the role. I would look to 1 of them to again win this spot early in the season if guys like Ponikarovsky and Dalpe can stick on the higher lines. Dwyer is also an option but maybe a better fit on the right side of the 4th line.
4: Chad Larose / Tim Brent / Patrick Dwyer
With Brent plus either Dwyer or Larose you get 1 of your 2 penalty kill units that is mostly rested and ready to go with only 4th line ice time. And as noted above, Tlusty and Bowman both proved defensively responsible on a checking line last year, so either could also fit here if the roster thins a bit from an injury or 2.
My 4 lines leave Zach Boychuk, either Jiri Tlusty or Drayson Bowman and Jerome Samson on the outside looking in. I would view Tlusty or Bowman as being a #13 or ready for fast recall from Charlotte. Samson also proved capable as a 4th-liner last season, so he could also be on the Charlotte to Raleigh shuttle bus if the team needs depth. I think Zach Boychuk is competing for the spots that I gave to Bowman and Dalpe. What I have seen/read suggests that he slots about where I have him (in Charlotte to start the year), but he is only a 1 great training camp away from seizing someone else's spot.
Your turn...Do you vault Stewart straight to Staal's line? Can Ponikarovsky refind his scoring touch or does he fall to the 3rd or 4th line with spot power play time? How/where does Larose find his way into the top 9? Though I have him starting on the 4th line, he has always managed to battle his way into the top 9 so far, so thinking he will do so again this year makes some sense. Which of the kids (Dalpe, Bowman, Boychuk) wins a prize spot on 1 of the top 2 lines?
What say you Canes fans? What do your lines look like?
Go Canes!
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