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zombi

Should Homer Still Be On the Top Line?

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I have always liked the idea of the Eaves-Helm-Mursak line. Fast. :thumbup:

I can't wait to see them together. I put Abby on the third mainly because that fourth line is amazing. I don't think Abby or Helm would make much of a difference for the third line, but I do think Helm makes that fourth line work.

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Line time!

Flippula- Datsyuk-Hudler

Franzen-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi

Brunnstrom-Abdelkader-Cleary

Mursak-Helm-Eaves

Holmer-Miller

I know it's unlikely Fabian makes the team but from what I've read it's desire and defensive play that he lacks and coming from Dallas and Toronto I truly think he could be the perfect fit at the perfect time. I also know Holmer isnt even full time on my "dream Roster" for the year, but with the vets we have and young guns we have, I believe (at least for the moment lol) this would be the best dressed squad we could put on the ice.

I can't wait to see them together. I put Abby on the third mainly because that fourth line is amazing. I don't think Abby or Helm would make much of a difference for the third line, but I do think Helm makes that fourth line work.

I agree 100%. Helm completely energizes our fourth line, he's a guy that makes the guys around him play harder, hell they have to to keep up to the guy. Now that we have Mursak and Eaves too...Priceless!

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Here's a couple lineups with Homer in the "specialist" role:

If Brunnstrom does NOT make the top 12:

Hudler/Datsyuk/Bertuzzi

Franzen/Zetterberg/Filppula

Cleary/Helm/Eaves

Mursak/Abby/Homer

If Brunnstrom DOES make the top 12:

Hudler/Datsyuk/Cleary

Franzen/Zetterberg/Bert

Brunnstrom/Filppula/Homer

Abdelkader/Helm/Eaves

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LOL Hudler will not be on the top line minus several injuries. A big LOL.

Ok genius. Make a lineup which keeps Homer out of the top six and has Brunnstrom off the roster. Who's in your top six? Dats, Z, Flip, Bert, Franzen, Cleary? But what then is your third line? Or your fourth line? If you dress that top six and the Mursak/Helm/Eaves line, you end up with Hudler/Abby/Homer. That line is frakkin' ridiculous. It doesn't make sense to not have Huds on the top two lines, especially in a situation where you are assuming the fact of Homer not being there. Dats and Z are the best players, Franzen is either scoring a bunch of goals or not doing anything at all, and Bertuzzi is best used at and around the net in a scoring capability. This leaves Cleary and Flip, who are both strong two-way players. Flip might be the better option for a third line player, given Clears' scoring ability, but I like the idea of a Cleary/Helm/Eaves third line because Cleary is fast, good defensively, a hard worker, and can score goals. I think that line could work out very well for the Wings. This would dump Homer and Abby to the fourth line with Mursak or Miller, which makes it a playable if not effective line.

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Guest blueadams

1st of all, it's great to be back off of suspension.

2nd of all, lines are a funny thing. there's the way we start the game. and there's the way we play the game. homer's usually gonna start the game off on the first line, for whatever reason. and he's usually gonna end up amongst the bottom three in even strength minutes. babcock works in mysterious, hard-to-put-into-lines-threads, ways.

I'm a big fan of Pav and Val being together. A big, big, big fan. Pav + Val = magic. Maybe not quite as good as Pav + Hank, but I think it's a lot closer than most seem to (Val is a better passer than Hank. There, I said it). Either way, I think we're better overall as a squad with Pav and Hank centering their own seperate lines.

Filppula-Datsyuk-Cleary

Franzen-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi

Hudler-Helm-Eaves

Miller/Mursak-Abdelkader-Holmstrom

I love those lines.

I love Val-Pav-Cleary. I love Mule-Hank-Bert. And I think that third line might really click. Helm and Eaves make up for Hudler's defensive short-comings. Hudler's ability to hold on and distribute the puck with those speedy, offensively improving forwards really gives them something. If it doesn't work out, scratch huds and throw mursak or miller up there.

4th line is basically a waste line as it's drawn up. But it never plays out how it's drawn up. All three of those guys can play special teams and be rotated in on other lines seamlessly. Abby and Miller or Mursak on the PK. Homer on the PP. Homer rotating in for Cleary and Bert. Abby rotating in for Hudler...or even Cleary or Bert. Miller or Mursak rotating in for Hudler or Eaves. It all works out fine and dandy.

Edited by blueadams

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Filppula - Datsyuk - Franzen

Holmstrom - Zetterberg - Helm

Cleary - Hudler - Bertuzzi

Eaves - Miller - Abdelkader

Helm has no business playing Wing on the second line, it negates his strengths, especially his excellent defensive play. He is the third line center, unless Filpulla gets demoted.

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Ok genius. Make a lineup which keeps Homer out of the top six and has Brunnstrom off the roster. Who's in your top six? Dats, Z, Flip, Bert, Franzen, Cleary? But what then is your third line? Or your fourth line? If you dress that top six and the Mursak/Helm/Eaves line, you end up with Hudler/Abby/Homer. That line is frakkin' ridiculous. It doesn't make sense to not have Huds on the top two lines, especially in a situation where you are assuming the fact of Homer not being there. Dats and Z are the best players, Franzen is either scoring a bunch of goals or not doing anything at all, and Bertuzzi is best used at and around the net in a scoring capability. This leaves Cleary and Flip, who are both strong two-way players. Flip might be the better option for a third line player, given Clears' scoring ability, but I like the idea of a Cleary/Helm/Eaves third line because Cleary is fast, good defensively, a hard worker, and can score goals. I think that line could work out very well for the Wings. This would dump Homer and Abby to the fourth line with Mursak or Miller, which makes it a playable if not effective line.

Good thing is I'm not the coach and neither are you. I'll bite my tongue if Hudler's on the top line. Highly doubt it UNLESS he's done something this offseason and is like a new player this year. :P I see Abby or Helm making the jump to one of the top lines somehow.

Unfortunately my lines are something like this

Franzen-Datsyuk-Homer

Cleary-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi

Abby-Filppula-Hudler

Mursak/Miller-Helm-Eaves

Every line will be changed up a bit this year for sure pending on who's producing and what not. I think out of the top 6 on our team Dats, Hank and Franzen are the only givens. People will be rotated in and out. Going to be fun to see and looking forward to training camp. Maybe some surprises maybe not.

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no one has suggested that Eaves could be on the top 6. He has the wheels for Dats and also a great wrist shot to get some points, 25 goals in his 2 years with the Wings on mainly 3 and 4th line duties. Could be he may be promoted but then again that splits up a probable 4th line of some potential with Helm and Mursak.

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no one has suggested that Eaves could be on the top 6. He has the wheels for Dats and also a great wrist shot to get some points, 25 goals in his 2 years with the Wings on mainly 3 and 4th line duties. Could be he may be promoted but then again that splits up a probable 4th line of some potential with Helm and Mursak.

I think your right on the money about that line four. Helm could move up a spot or two as well but they just do that job so perfectly. I would like some people on here to throw out some of the best line four combo's the league has to offer and pair them up against Mursak, Helm and Eaves. Last year on many, many nights I couldnt wait for line four to come on the ice so we could sustain pressure in the offensive end for a while.

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For the most part yes.

He's not going to be a penalty killer or defensive specialist role or whatever by design, not through lack of effort obviously, he's pretty much here now for offense only, so he's most useful when he is with one or both of Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

Lines change up all the time though so it's all but apparent we will see him in a 1st and a 4th line role sometime whenever it is that Datsyuk's or Zetterberg's line dries up, as that pretty much happens to all players and lines and some point. In the 2009 playoffs, which weren't his best output, he was on a 3rd/4th line off and on with Helm and that line had some success (i.e. Game 6 OT playoff winner vs. the Blackhawks in the WCF, Modano-Flipper-Homer line late last season had some things going as well).

And, given that Holmstrom is going to be retiring sooner than later, it wouldn't shock me if he is scratched a game here/there late in the season if the Wings place in the standings is all but determined for the playoffs.

I highly doubt we will see him scratched on a somewhat consistent basis due to his age or whatever (like Chelios his last year), he's still far too effective to be scratched consistently.

Edited by SouthernWingsFan

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Filppula - Datsyuk - Holmstrom

Franzen - Zetterberg - Hudler

Cleary - Abdelkader - Bertuzzi

Mursak - Helm - Eaves

That's the best, most well rounded combination possible IMO.

I've been posting almost this exact lineup for months. The only difference being my choices to swap Franzen and Cleary, keeping the Cleary/Z/Hudler line going and also reuniting the Franzen/Abby/Bertuzzi line that seemed to work out pretty well at the end of last year.

no one has suggested that Eaves could be on the top 6. He has the wheels for Dats and also a great wrist shot to get some points, 25 goals in his 2 years with the Wings on mainly 3 and 4th line duties. Could be he may be promoted but then again that splits up a probable 4th line of some potential with Helm and Mursak.

I suggested Eaves as a possible linemate for Dats a year ago. I was laughed at by pretty much everyone with an "Eaves, huh? Sure, whatever." kind of reaction.

And furthermore, I was the first to suggest a Mursak/Helm/Eaves line as a potential for this year. Now everyone has it slated in as a given.

Very interesting that so many laugh at me for my posts and then re-post things I had previously stated as good ideas.

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Good thing is I'm not the coach and neither are you. I'll bite my tongue if Hudler's on the top line. Highly doubt it UNLESS he's done something this offseason and is like a new player this year. :P I see Abby or Helm making the jump to one of the top lines somehow.

Unfortunately my lines are something like this

Franzen-Datsyuk-Homer

Cleary-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi

Abby-Filppula-Hudler

Mursak/Miller-Helm-Eaves

Every line will be changed up a bit this year for sure pending on who's producing and what not. I think out of the top 6 on our team Dats, Hank and Franzen are the only givens. People will be rotated in and out. Going to be fun to see and looking forward to training camp. Maybe some surprises maybe not.

You're responding to my challenge with a cop out. Come on. If you are going to get all snippy about the line combos I made, show me better line combos that don't have Holmstrom on the top two lines. I didn't post what I think the lines should be; I posted what I think they should be if Homer isn't on one of the top two lines.

If we go based on your lineup we can swap Homer for Hudler, but that doesn't fit your argument. Homer for Abby or Flip leaves the two slowest forwards on the team on the same line, although it would still be an effective offensive line. Not sure how I feel about Abby playing on the top line though. Hudler outscored him by 20 points last season despite effectively missing almost half the season offensively. Hudler has shown excellent chemistry with Datsyuk. You could break up the fourth line and bring Eaves up to replace Homer, but then what do you do in the bottom six? If you keep them both out of the top six, there is no possible lineup with a solid checking line (Miller/Mursak/Helm/Abby/Eaves) which does not also have Hudler and Homer on the same line.

So give me a lineup, please.

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Guest blueadams

Filppula - Datsyuk - Holmstrom

Franzen - Zetterberg - Hudler

Cleary - Abdelkader - Bertuzzi

Mursak - Helm - Eaves

That's the best, most well rounded combination possible IMO.

No. It's not. That third line would be awful. Who controls the puck? Not a scoring threat.

Good thing is I'm not the coach and neither are you. I'll bite my tongue if Hudler's on the top line. Highly doubt it UNLESS he's done something this offseason and is like a new player this year. :P I see Abby or Helm making the jump to one of the top lines somehow.

Unfortunately my lines are something like this

Franzen-Datsyuk-Homer

Cleary-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi

Abby-Filppula-Hudler

Mursak/Miller-Helm-Eaves

Every line will be changed up a bit this year for sure pending on who's producing and what not. I think out of the top 6 on our team Dats, Hank and Franzen are the only givens. People will be rotated in and out. Going to be fun to see and looking forward to training camp. Maybe some surprises maybe not.

i think 1...gotta have pav and val together...2...helm is too valuable to be stuck on some fourth line.

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No. It's not. That third line would be awful. Who controls the puck? Not a scoring threat.

We’ve already got two great scoring lines, and an extremely fast and energetic 4th line. That 3rd line is big, strong and would be tough to score against. I really struggle to see how it would be a bad line, especially considering it’s our 3rd.

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I've been posting almost this exact lineup for months. The only difference being my choices to swap Franzen and Cleary, keeping the Cleary/Z/Hudler line going and also reuniting the Franzen/Abby/Bertuzzi line that seemed to work out pretty well at the end of last year.

I suggested Eaves as a possible linemate for Dats a year ago. I was laughed at by pretty much everyone with an "Eaves, huh? Sure, whatever." kind of reaction.

And furthermore, I was the first to suggest a Mursak/Helm/Eaves line as a potential for this year. Now everyone has it slated in as a given.

Very interesting that so many laugh at me for my posts and then re-post things I had previously stated as good ideas.

Don't you just love when people shout out and claim they were the first to do, say, or be something? When Eaves was on his goal scoring streak last year every one wanted to see him get more ice time and a chance in the top 6. On top of that, claiming you were the first to suggest that Mursak replace Draper on the fourth line is so ridiculous I don't even know what to say to you. Not only is that the obvious choice for a spot in the line up for Mursak but do you also want to claim that if Emmerton was to make the Wings roster that you were the first to suggest he'd be the 14th forward? Oh hey, maybe you were the first to suggest Howard should be the Wings starter or that Lidstrom should QB the first PP unit.

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Holmstrom - Abdelkader - Bertuzzi

Mursak - Helm - Eaves

Emmerton

I like that third line if it was more of a fourth line. I would roll four lines and let there be a slower heavy line in Homer Abs and Bert... but also would look to see if there were other options.

I love how Homer plays, but he always seems to slow down Pav and Hank, or anyone else for that matter. Bert can't be slowed down by him. (already moves slow) I would start by hooking them up and putting them against less skilled players. That is, the fourth line.

Franzen could be a choice too, but I would rather try to make him speed up rather than let him slow down.

Lets face it, Helm, Mursak, Eaves... they are too good and too fast to be on the fourth line based on your lines.

The problem is the second line has to suffer then.

I would keep Zetter and Pav together and put Hudler with them.

Make the second Fil, Cleary, and Franzen. That would be the least horrible option in my opinion. Let Anyone on the bottom lines switch with Cleary from time to time, and be prepared to put Hudler down. I would also switch Franzen with Hudler every so often to motivate them both. We still have anchors on our lines though...

That problem is unavoidable but we have to deal with it until a trade occurs.

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