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Training camps are in the process of opening up league-wide and preseason games are soon to follow.
With that in mind, TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted some tidbits on some storylines, and potential line combinations/pairings, to watch for in the coming days.
McKenzie’s info focused on Canadian teams, with the Calgary Flames obviously part of that group.
Tweet 1 (I didn’t embed because both tweets I’ll share were attached to an Oilers note):
Potential RFA absences for Tkachuk and Mangiapane create some havoc for CGY. Gaudreau-Monahan is a fixture and Lindholm could resume his role there but there’s been some talk, if Tkachuk and Mangiapane sign, Lindholm may get some time as a centre.
Though I expect Lindholm to (mostly) stick on the wing, I’m not surprised he is going to get a chance to play down the middle. Sean Monahan is a one-way center who goes MIA for a couple long stretches every season and you don’t want to take Mikael Backlund out of the shutdown role. That leaves the Flames in a tough spot when Monahan inevitably hits a wall, which is almost certainly why GM Brad Treliving tried to acquire Nazem Kadri this summer. He wanted insurance capable of playing top-6 minutes when needed. I think that’s what the Lindholm experiment is about.
If Lindholm can excel at center – he has some experience from his tenure with Carolina – it’s another option for Bill Peters to put in his back pocket.
Tweet 2:
Bennett could be a swing man who fills holes on either of the first or second lines in the early going. Sounds like Lucic and Ryan could be two-thirds of a third line and expect a growing role for youngsters Dube and (if he signs) Mangiapane.
I have no problem with Bennett serving in that role should he earn it in preseason. He plays with a lot of bite and is en elite chance generator. If his time working on finishing with Darryl Belfry actually makes a difference, and he starts converting on more of his looks, getting some top-6 reps could be warranted.
If Bennett is the same guy we’ve grown accustomed to seeing – the one who produced 5v5 points at a lesser rate than Carter Rowney, Scott Laughton, and Zack Kassian from 2016-19 – I’d rather stack the top line and trot out Michael Frolik on L2.
With regards to Lucic, he does still bring value defensively. Unfortunately, he is a black hole offensively. I think the best way to use Lucic would be primarily on the 4th line, with him perhaps getting some reps in the top-9 while defending leads late in games. I just don’t see enough offense to play on the 3rd line full-time. The Flames are going to give him every opportunity to play a meaningful role, though.
Andrew Mangiapane, Dillon Dube, or whoever ends up being the 3rd wheel on L3 is going to have to do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of driving play up ice and facilitating in the final third.
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