John Jaeckel: You make the lineup

First

If Saad and Panik (or healing time or better conditioning) can rejuvenate Toews, top line should be ok.

If a left wing can be found to do 20+30=50 or similar, second line should be ok.

But that bottom-six - only Wingels (twice) and Tootoo (once, in 2020) of the 8 you mentioned have ever been on a team that won a playoff series.

In fact, only 11 of the 23 you mention have been on a series winnng team.

I know experience isn't everything - and you don't win a series until you do - and at least now they have experience of PLAYING in the tournament - so if....

Nice to have you back JJ.
I mostly agree but I see Schmaltz as the 3rd line center with Hartman and Jurco while Kero slides to 4th line with Wingles and Bouma.The big question mark is 2nd line LW... again. I wouldn't be surprised to see Fortin or Hayden get a crack at it. But by the start of the 2nd period of game 1 I can see the Q blender on high speed...

I will go:
Saad/Toews/Panik
Schmaltz/AA/Kane
Sharp/Kero/Hartman
Bouma/Dauphin/Wingels

Keith/Murphy
Kempny/Seabrook
Forsling/Rutta

Crawford/Forsberg
Bench players: Rosy and Tootoo. 22 man roster for now with Hoss on LTIR

What about a second line of AA/Schmaltz/ Kane?

JJ - once again nicely done! I especially love this bit on Rosi (huge Terminator fan and this imagery together with your long time Rosi metaphor of the 3 wheeled shopping cart is simply awesome writing):

Yes, Rozy. Like a malevolent cyborg/Jewel shopping cart, emerging battered, limping and frayed from truck crashes and a vat of molten steel, he maintains a vise-like grip on NHL life with the Hawks.

Hoping for some kind of breakout camp performance like TVRs a few years ago where you just have to put the guy in the lineup.

Can't wait to find out the "new angle" you teased at the end of this blog! Keep on keeping on with making the most boring part of the hockey summer interesting! (THANK YOU!)

Perfect blog for your commenters - if I had a dime for every line pairing analysis by a comment . . .

Just don't forget the blender

John Jaeckel: You make the lineup
- John Jaeckel

Great blog as always JJ. Can't wait to see what is in store for tomorrows blog. I would like to see the lines something like:

Saad Toew Panik
AA Schmaltz Kane
Sharp Kero Hartman
Player X Dauphin Wingles

Player X can be a number of guys like Hayden, Bouma, Hino, Tootoo

I think the 4th line is going to bring a lot of grit, speed and determination. This has been lacking since the 2015 team.

Keith Murphy
Seabrook Kempney
Forsling Rutta

Wow.....no cup for us anytime soon

Going to go off the board a little bit. They really need to get more balance and back to rolling 4 lines. That's when they've been successful.

So;

Saad - Toews - Panik
Hayden - Schmaltz - Kane
Sharp - AA - Hartman
Wingels - Kero - Dauphin

Keith - Murphy
Kempny - Seabs
Forsling, Ruuta, Rozy, and one guy who will surprise everyone that steps up.


Yes, Hayden will need to step up, but their will be options later if he doesn't. Trade after Hossa's LTIR, Fortin, Knott, or Debrincat after half or more of the season in Rockford.

I like the 3rd and 4th lines scoring(3rd), puck possession(4th), abilities. Something that was really missing last year.

Obviously for this to happen, 2LW needs someone to step up. But they need to have more balance.

I'd like to see a third line like this:
Sharp - Schmaltz - Hartman

And a fourth line without Bouma like this - think it would be hard to play against:
Wingels - Kero/Dauphin - Hayden

Big issue with the above is the hole at 2LW. Sigh. Maybe that's where we get a breakout at camp? Fortin or DeBrinkat maybe? Or one of the guys we've never considered or PTO/ATO? Someone like TVR invited to camp who just works his way into a regular gig? (Fingers crossed)

I think for now it looks like this;

Saad/Toews/Panic
Fortin(Jurco)/AA/Kane
Sharp/Smaltz/Hartman
Wingels/Dauphin/Bouma

Keith/Murphy
Kempny/Seabs
Forsling/Rutta

Q will move Sharp up more than I would like, but I think he has to get most of his minutes on L3 or there is not enough balance.
If Fortin can have a Panic-like season, good things may happen. That is a big ask however.
Hopefully any adds coming from a Hossa IR move move the youngsters down a spot or a league.

Going to go off the board a little bit. They really need to get more balance and back to rolling 4 lines. That's when they've been successful.

So;

Saad - Toews - Panik
Hayden - Schmaltz - Kane
Sharp - AA - Hartman
Wingels - Kero - Dauphin

Keith - Murphy
Kempny - Seabs
Forsling, Ruuta, Rozy, and one guy who will surprise everyone that steps up.


Yes, Hayden will need to step up, but their will be options later if he doesn't. Trade after Hossa's LTIR, Fortin, Knott, or Debrincat after half or more of the season in Rockford.

I like the 3rd and 4th lines scoring(3rd), puck possession(4th), abilities. Something that was really missing last year.

Obviously for this to happen, 2LW needs someone to step up. But they need to have more balance.
- vabeachbear

Like the idea of your line 2 with a big body on the left wing and Schmaltz stepping up at C. But worried about 2 big IFs there:

1) Hayden - huge jump to NHL 2LW playing with Kane who will command the best defensive pairing on most nights and he is a natural C who shoots R. Do we know if he can play the off wing?

2) Schmaltz- would also be a huge step up for him to center Kane with the other team's top D pairing every night unless Q can get them out of it with last change)

Would be great if the above worked out!

I'm sticking with your theory Jj, that the kiddies need to play in the kiddie league until they've been properly seasoned. That said, perhaps Baun and the like get a more serious look than say, debrincat. Ya know, unless somebody makes it impossible to send them down. Ya.

Radovan Bondra!!!

*First line - what JJ said.

*Second line - AA, Kane, and I think Jurco gets first crack at the job. With SB talking him up as much as he did, and the fact that most of the goals he has actually scored have come in dirty areas, I think he is a reasonable complement on that line.

*Third line - Sharp, Schmaltz, Hartman. Especially now, Sharp is going to need to play with a great set-up man. Hartman can make some space for himself and others.

*Fourth - Kero, Wingels, and I can't decide between Hayden and Bouma.... and I don't want to.

Saad - Toews - Hartman
Sharp - AA - Kane
Wingels - Schmaltz - Panik
Bouma - Kero - Dauphin/Jurco

Or

Saad - Toews - Panik
Hartman - AA - Kane
Sharp - Schmaltz - Jurco
Bouma - Kero/Dauphin - Wingels

_____

Keith - Murphy
Kempny/Forsling - Seabrook
Forsling/Kempny - Rutta/Roszival
_____


I could see Panik, Hartman, AND Schmaltz getting looks at 1RW. Really hoping StanBo isn't done with the defense or center depth...

*First line - what JJ said.

*Second line - AA, Kane, and I think Jurco gets first crack at the job. With SB talking him up as much as he did, and the fact that most of the goals he has actually scored have come in dirty areas, I think he is a reasonable complement on that line.

*Third line - Sharp, Schmaltz, Hartman. Especially now, Sharp is going to need to play with a great set-up man. Hartman can make some space for himself and others.

*Fourth - Kero, Wingels, and I can't decide between Hayden and Bouma.... and I don't want to.
- Chunk

Sharp - Schmaltz - Hartman makes a ton of sense to me - like the angle of wily veteran Sharp helping to shape this line and especially Schmaltz as C!

I know I'd really prefer for it to be Hayden on that line's wing. LBR's numbers show that Bouma is a posession sieve.

Wow.....no cup for us anytime soon
- Hawkster

With some experimentation and patience, I think there's enough talent in the forward group to cobble an effective lineup together. I'm much less optimistic about that defense- seems to be an ugly combo of old and inexperienced.

The 3rd and 4th line will be some mix of players not used on the 1st and 2nd lines, so that could be any of dozens of combinations ... and probably will be over the course of the season.

The consensus for 1st line is Saad-Toews-Panik which probably means Q does something else, but let's assume that's the 1st line.

That leaves the 2nd line. Kane will be the RW - that we know. AA will most likely be the center unless he's traded. The LW is up for grabs and that's the wild card that will ripple affect the 3rd and 4th lines. Candidates for the 2LW spot listed (IMO) in order of probability: Sharp, Schmaltz, Player-X (not yet on the roster), Fortin, DeBrincat, Jurco.

Where does Vinny shake out in this? What Sunday morning team at Johnny's does he wind up with? Where is his 1st job in the business/ blue collar world going to be?

Sharp - Schmaltz - Hartman makes a ton of sense to me - like the angle of wily veteran Sharp helping to shape this line and especially Schmaltz as C!

I know I'd really prefer for it to be Hayden on that line's wing. LBR's numbers show that Bouma is a posession sieve.
- Marlowe

If his hip and head really are ok, he still has a really good shot.

One name I forgot, Dauphin. The more I watch of him the more I like. I can definitely see him pushing Kero to a wing on the fourth and playing with Wingels. I think Hayden needs at least half a year in Rockford getting a lot of minutes. Get his total game together and come in like a beast.

Fun exercise. Even more fun, and more important, is what is the line chart on April 1st. No way to answer that today but the line chart on Oct 1st will have a lot of say in how good that line chart is on April 1st. Meaning will guys/kids get the minutes needed early to help late...... We know Kempny didn't last year as an example. Need just enough wins for the 8th seed while getting minutes for guys who will be useful on April 21st. And need as few minutes as needed to keep a Sharp useful come April.

Another thing, it's the hard cap era. I'd ask anyone to look over as many line charts as you choose and show me a true top 6 from last year. In this hard cap era there are very very very few. Notice the NSH and PIT line charts (and PIT's defense, are you kidding me!?!?!?). Pick a team and click lines. https://leftwinglock.com/line-combinations/

And after looking at say WSH, WPG top 6 one wonders how in the hell didn't they end up in the Finals. Great players, elite top 6 but just names on a piece of paper. Who fits and where regardless of how it looks to your eye is where a Q or Sullivan makes a difference.

Loved the terminator reference there JJ

It's all far from a sure thing. Almost as if there NEEDS to be another move for a top/middle 6 LW/C.

I´m not going to explain or defend this but my crystal ball says this is the roster for opening night:

Saad-Toews-Hartman
Knott-Schmaltz-Kane
Sharp-Anisimov-Panik
Jurco-Kero-Wingels
Dauphin, Bouma

Keith-Murphy
Forsling-Seabrook
Kempny-Rutta
Rozsival

Crawford
Forsberg