After inspecting Calgary's potential top-six in the last post, it was clear that the group leaves something to be desired. I wonder if we will say the same about the bottom half of the forward unit.
Similar to the top-six, the Flames bottom-six lacks in sexiness but could prove to be an effective group. Of course, we can shift the names around, making a case for a few different bodies. However, the third and fourth forward lines likely look something like this:
Dillion Dube - Mikael Backlund - Tyler Pitlick Milan Lucic - Trevor Lewis - Brett Ritchie
Let's start with line three. Backlund and Dube are where they should be on the roster. Even though one could claim that Backlund technically could center line two instead of Monahan, he really is more of a 3C at this juncture of his career. With Coleman now on board, that places Dube on the third line, where he should be more comfortable and productive.
My only major issue with this combination of players is Pitlick. I really like the player and was happy to see the Flames acquire him. However, his production and skill-set screams more fourth line than third to me. With Pitlick on the third line, Calgary is relying on Backlund and Dube for point production. There are obviously worse scenarios the Flames could find themselves in, but one would imagine they'd like a little more scoring prowess from the RW.
The fourth line is a true Darryl Sutter line. They will be a hard-hitting group that is tough to play against. They are also on the older side. Ideally, it would be great if Pitlick could slide down to the fourth-line wing, leaving Ritchie as more of the 13th forward.
To me, that's what Brad Treliving needs to aim for during these quiet times of the offseason (among a few other tasks). Of course, it is much easier said than done, but the third line seems incomplete with Pitlick there. In a perfect situation, they could find a true second-line winger and place Coleman there. Yes, he could prove me wrong, but I'm going to stick with him being more of a thrid-liner than a second-liner.
Similar to the top-six, the bottom-six seems to be missing something for me. If you want to base it solely on the "Sutter fit," it totally works. However, I don't think this is a unit that can sustain a quality postseason run.
As I mentioned, it would be in Treliving's best interest to go after someone that could inhabit the top-six or at least be a middle-six kind of guy. That way, a trickle-down effect occurs, strengthen the rest of the lines.
Any way you slice it, the Flames still have some work to do.