Follow @SMaloughney Much to my pleasant surprise, Rattie has continued to click with McDavid and RNH and so far has been not only a solid complimentary player but has looked strong on his own merits. There should be no doubt in Oilers fans minds that the top line will be strong all season and fulfill it’s role in outscoring the opposition.
The second line is going to be another story.
Call it the Oilers curse… call it not having the ability to ice a competent lineup…. Since McDavid has entered the league the Oilers have struggled to ice even two solid scoring lines. #97 produces at such a torrid rate it almost makes up for it but for this team to take the next step they need to kick-start line Numero 2.
Leon Draisaitl has not looked engaged yet. In 2 games he has managed a single assist. To compare, last season Draisaitl went 3-3-6 in 5 pre-season games. McDavid is no longer his most common linemate, that reward has fallen to Milan Lucic.
The team has tried to spin Lucic in as many different ways as they can. “He’s lost 6lbs this season, he looks faster, he is happier to be at the rink.… Right now Lucic is not showing that he belongs in the top 6 and the continued attempts to push a square block into a triangle hole is going to hurt this team out of the gate.
Running three scoring lines is the sexy new thing in the NHL but you have to walk before you can run. The Oilers should consolidate their scoring into two lines first and move pieces around as the season progresses.
Here are a couple different scenarios on how to run the forward lines.
OPTION 1
RNH-McDavid-Rattie Rieder-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi Lucic-Strome-Yamamoto Khaira-Brodziak-Kassian
A Lucic and Strome duo proved to be solid within a decent sample size from last season. In 216 minutes of 5 on 5 the pair had a positive 51.97 CF%. Lucic had issues scoring no matter who he played with last season but when paired with Strome the puck was at least moving in the right direction.
One thing I hate about having Lucic and Rieder as Draisaitl’s wingers is the lack of a right shot. While Rieder can play either side it reduces the different lanes that Draisaitl can dish to. Puljujarvi not only has a strong shot but he has shown this pre-season how much more confident he has become going into the tough areas to retrieve the puck. This should be a strong possession line.
OPTION B RNH-McDavid-Rattie Rieder-Draisaitl-Yamamoto Lucic-Strome-Puljujarvi Khaira-Brodziak-Kassian
A near identical setup with the exception of Puljujarvi and Yamamoto switched. In this scenario Yamamoto serves more as the puck carrier with Draisaitl being put in the position of being the trigger man, similar to his role with McDavid. The Draisaitl-Yamamoto duo did not do much in the last game but I would be willing to give them more time together.
OPTION THREE
RNH-McDavid-Rattie Yamamoto-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi Lucic-Strome-Rieder Khaira-Brodziak-Kassian
Load up the young guns. A couple games ago McLellan put Yamamoto on the LW and I wonder if it was to test if he could serve this role in the top 6. The potential for chaos could be enough for McLellan to shy away from this but I firmly believe this is the Oilers best option to maximize their scoring over two lines. This gives the Oilers a huge boost in speed in the top 6 and gives Draisaitl linemates who can handle the play.
This third line with Strome between Lucic and Rieder should also serve as a strong possession group and should chip in solid if unspectacular numbers at 5 on 5.
It's time to stop focusing on the 6 million dollar price tag that Lucic comes with. If he provides the most for the team playing less minutes on a third line than that is where he should play.
The remaining pre-season games will focus on preparing the team for the regular season and finding out where the best chemistry comes from. McLellan needs to be less stubborn in this case and give other options a chance.
Thanks for reading.