Yesterday I talked about how I believe Eric Fehr should be the odd man out when the Penguins return to full strength. Today I’m going to put forward what line combinations the Penguins could go with when they have all of their forwards available.
There are going to be a few constants with how I construct my lines.
Matt Cullen is going to be the fourth line center. He is 40 years old and giving him an elevated role over an extended time is a good way to wear him down and reduce his effectiveness. At this stage he is a wonderful option for the Penguins on the fourth line. Sure you could spot him a few shifts here and there on one of the other lines, but I would not make it a common occurrence. It is asking a lot for him to play the minutes it takes to ride shotgun with Sid or Geno.
Chris Kunitz is a top six winger. His spatial awareness creates time and space for the big dogs. He is still an asset in driving play. He’s also producing at a top line rate this year with a points per 60 of 2.15 at even-strength. People who criticize his play and think he’s some kind of washed up scrub do not have any evidence to back up that claim. Kunitz actually compares very favorably to Patric Hornqvist.
Jake Guentzel is also a top six winger in my lineup construction. I’m not bumping him out of the mix. He isn’t going to negatively impact Crosby or Malkin. By placing him in this role you can now use Hagelin on the “third line… which spreads out the team’s speed and ability to create offense. That is the recipe for success for this team. There is nothing about Guentzel’s track record as a professional that says he can’t handle a support role with the best centers on the planet.
Patric Hornqvist will play with Sidney Crosby. It works and there is no need to re-invent the wheel.
The two line combinations I am going to provide are going to have some wiggle room with where you place some of the players. These players include Kessel, Sheary, Rust, Kuhnhackl, and Wilson.
The first setup is a non-HBK combination
Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist Kunitz-Malkin-Kessel Hagelin-Bonino-Sheary/Rust Kuhnhackl/Wilson-Cullen-Rust/Sheary
There is speed throughout this lineup. You have a strong top six. I believe in Guentzel’s ability and don’t really have any apprehensions about placing him in this role as I have stated. By doing so you can place other players in appropriate roles. I think Guentzel is a better bet in a top six role than either Sheary or Rust were last year and that worked out just fine. Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust are interchangeable on the right wing and you can slot them how you see fit on any given night. Tom Kuhnhackl and Scott Wilson will be battling for that final spot on the fourth line.
If you really wanted to you could flip and flop the Kunitz/Guentzel duo and place them on either of the top two lines. Kunitz plays well with both Crosby and Malkin so Guentzel can play with whoever he plays better with.
Here is an HBK option
Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist Kunitz-Malkin-Rust Hagelin-Bonino-Kessel Kuhnhackl/Wilson-Cullen-Sheary
Malkin loses Kessel and reunites with Bryan Rust to form the same line that the team won the Stanley Cup with last year. Again, I’m fine with using Sheary in place of Rust and vice versa if that is something the coach wants to do. Guentzel remains in the top six and HBK is alive and well. That fourth line should do just fine considering it will have at least one top six winger from the Cup run on it. This is a well-balanced lineup and all lines have the ability to generate offense at even-strength.
There is wild card that I haven’t discussed yet and that is Daniel Sprong. I have no idea if he fits into this at all, he might not. The chances are high that when he is healthy he will be sent back to junior hockey. If for some reason the team elects to keep him that would shake up how I would go about these lines. We’ll cross that bridge when the time comes.
These line combos do not include any potential trades which can’t be ruled out considering the Penguins have a general manager who is not shy in that department.
For now, you can see that the Penguins can ice a solid lineup without the services of Eric Fehr. They even have an extra forward in the likes of Tom Kuhnhackl or Scott Wilson. The forward position shouldn’t be an issue for this team as they attempt to defend their title. Mike Sullivan has options. The defense positions however… That’s a topic for another day.
Thanks for reading!