Our 3rd and 4th lines

[brett 1,029]

i wouldnt mind seeing flip with eaves too

williams flip eaves/miller/leino

[TheOwl 77]

The Dats/Homer/Bertuzzi line should stay intact for the rest of the year if it keeps playing well. The one thing I dislike about Babcock is his constant line juggling. The chemistry within the lines is hugely important.

[Williams29fan 6]

What does the cap look like once everybody is healthy again? With May, Abs, Miller etc...

[e_prime 1,936]

Cap space isn't so much the problem... it's the roster limitations that will be the problem.

[Broken 16 381]

Zetterberg Datsyuk Holmstrom

Franzen Filppula Bertuzzi

Is a much better top six than

Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Bertuzzi

Franzen-Zetterberg-Cleary

Period. We have too much depth to NOT put Filppula in the top 6.

Sorry. You don't just scrunch your 6 best players into the top two lines and call it good.

[pockets 9]

i agree bert is finally clicking with someone you cant move him and then wait another 30+ games for them to click

the Franz-Z-Cleary line can be pretty damn good

Flip with J-Will and Leino (if Leino can get it going) would make us that much harder to play and if Leino sucks just stick miller out there so he can go dig the corners for Flip and J-Will

Draper Helm and Eaves have shown they play well together

you could also but Eaves with Willy and Flip which might add a bit more offense then miller

[Reds4Life 51]

How is Filppula a 2nd line player? He has yet to crack 50 points (edit: 40 points is his max), has very bad finishing ability and is not gifted offensively at all. He is great 3rd liner, but below average 2nd liner.

Edited January 5, 2010 by Reds4Life

[Finnish Wing 110]

How is Filppula a 2nd line player? He has yet to crack 50 points (edit: 40 points is his max), has very bad finishing ability and is not gifted offensively at all. He is great 3rd liner, but below average 2nd liner.

How is Cleary a 2nd line player then? Or Bertuzzi?

I lol'd.

[topshelf14 1]

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Eaves

Franzen-Filppula-Bertuzzi

Cleary-Helm-Williams

Maltby-Draper-Holmstrom

I wanna see a "Best Friends Forever" line!!!

B.F.F.

Edited January 5, 2010 by topshelf14

[Reds4Life 51]

How is Cleary a 2nd line player then? Or Bertuzzi?

I lol'd.

I never said they are, besides they are wingers and we do not have better players to fill top6 roles. Filppula is 3rd best center on the team and he isn't very good offensive player. At least Bertuzzi can score and Cleary creates some space.

Edited January 5, 2010 by Reds4Life

[Guest blueadams]

I think it's pretty probable that babcock gets his go-to line from last year's playoffs back together:

Franzen-Zetterberg-Cleary

Then I think it's also pretty probable that he keeps his current best line together. Realistically, they could be better (in the playoffs!) than Homer-Pav-Hossa:

Bertuzzi-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

The third and fourth lines are a little trickier to figure out. Filppula and Williams are going to be on the third line, we know that, but who is going to be the third guy!? Draper-Helm-Eaves have played so so well together, it would be a real shame to break them up. So, once Filpulla gets back to centering that third line, and Helm is centering that 4th line, let's give Abby a shot at being an enforcer at Flip's side on the third line. If they really, really want to send him down (please don't), let's give Miller a shot there. Leino played pretty well with these two at the beginning of the year...but I am just sick of him right now. Those two deserve to get a shot before he does.

Abdelkader/Miller/Leino-Filppula-Williams

Sadly, Maltby is the odd man out here. He's actually improved from last season to this one. But he's just not better for us out there than Patrick Eaves is on that 4th line. And there's just no way you can justify putting him out there on that third line.

Draper-Helm-Eaves

Maltby

May

Edited January 5, 2010 by blueadams

[Finnish Wing 110]

I think it's pretty probable that babcock gets his go-to line from last year's playoffs back together:

Franzen-Zetterberg-Cleary

Then I think it's also pretty probable that he keeps his current best line together. Realistically, they could be better (in the playoffs!) than Homer-Pav-Hossa:

Bertuzzi-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

The third and fourth lines are a little trickier to figure out. Filppula and Williams are going to be on the third line, we know that, but who is going to be the third guy!? Draper-Helm-Eaves have played so so well together, it would be a real shame to break them up. So, once Filpulla gets back to centering that third line, and Helm is centering that 4th line, let's give Abby a shot at being an enforcer at Flip's side on the third line. If they really, really want to send him down (please don't), let's give Miller a shot there. Leino played pretty well with these two at the beginning of the year...but I am just sick of him right now. Those two deserve to get a shot before he does.

Abdelkader/Miller/Leino-Filppula-Williams

Sadly, Maltby is the odd man out here. He's actually improved from last season to this one. But he's just not better for us out there than Patrick Eaves is on that 4th line. And there's just no way you can justify putting him out there on that third line.

Draper-Helm-Eaves

Maltby

May

This. But I'd definitely send Abdelkader down and let Leino and Miller compete for that 3rd line spot. And it's also good to have an offensive guy ready even if not in the lineup so May or Maltby will be gone. It's pretty easy to say it's May. That way we have Maltby as a defensive extra forward and Leino/Miller as offensive, although Miller isn't THAT offensive.