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Filip Zadina is my breakout candidate this season. Some part of that success will be stability in linemates. This year seems to be a season where the top 6 actually has 6 players who belong there. (Some will argue who or how many belong in the top 3) but for certain it looks stronger. Larkin, Bertuzzi, Vrana, Suter, Fabbri and Zadina. That’s getting closer, for sure, than in the past couple of years.
Zadina was in the 2nd line limbo. A line that started out promising with Fabbri at center between he and Bobby Ryan. It just didn’t last and for most of the year one or more members of that line were on the shelf. So, this year, we’ll look to see if a bit more youth can have a better run. I’m not discounting a possibility that Raymond could bump someone down to the third line. This is just based on what we have in place at this point.
If you’ve never been to Traverse City for training camp, it’s a lot of fun. My wife and I went from 2009 to about 2015. When you walk in, you are handed sheets that show the 4 different “teams”, which lines are on them, and what their schedule is like. There are two rinks going simultaneously. One is better for drills and one is a bit more set up for playing the games and scrimmages.
The lines remain fairly consistent up until the Red and White scrimmage. That’s the final game where the First and third lines take on the second and 4th lines with PTOs and Griffins filling in the other slots. By this time, some of the tryouts have been released or reassigned. The rest are headed for the pre season. Those two “teams” remain somewhat intact during the first half of the pre season with the “top tier” version playing home games and the “do your best not to get killed” version plays the away games.
I used to get a lot of grief for loving the camps. I wasn’t writing for most of the time I went. My wife and I just loved the setup. Coaches break the game up into “bite size” pieces. During Babcock’s tenure, the pace was insane. A lot of his work was getting guys into “shift shape”. Making them go all out for 30 seconds on drills that simulated breakaways, short handed defense, faceoff plays (pretty much every single piece of the game). The hate directed toward Babcock ignores how good he really is at breaking down the game. I really enjoyed watching how he broke it down.
Under Blashill, the pace isn’t quite the same. To be fair, the past few years (i haven’t been able to go to camp but have streamed some) have been so defensive. It was a lot more about positioning and situational awareness. That will be different this year. The focus is on goals. With that in mind, how would you handle the top 6? Put it together ahead of time, or be a bit more flexible?
Scotty Bowman was the “bingo balls” expert. He made on the bench changes that would drive people insane. Babcock did as well, but in a far different capacity. It slowed down, and we see lines stagnate a bit. My hope is that there will be a very “open” approach, especially to the top 6.
The choices I see, for now, are:
LARMANZZI altered to LARVRANZZI. Larkin, Vrana and Bertuzzi
That would make Fabbri, Suter and Zadina default as the second at this point.
Suter, Fabbri and Bertuzzi did play together in Guelph. When Fabbri and Bertuzzi play together there has been some good chemistry in the past. I guess the “Guelph Line” could be worth a look.
That would put Larkin with Vrana and Zadina. 2 Czechs and a Wolverine….a modern take on Peter and the Wolf? (Bassoon replaced with a grand piano for hauling). This would be a fast line. Zadina’s game at 200 ft is stronger defensively than Vrana. Vrana is better on the breakaway than anyone on the team at this point.
That’s where I’m hovering at this point. I’d like to see something different in the top 6. If it doesn’t work, then switch back to last year’s lines with the substitutions. (Vrana replaces Mantha, Suter pushes Fabbri to Wing).
Where are you at with the top 6? Let me know what you see and what you hope to see.
Check out my previous posts:
Filip Zadina is my breakout candidate this season.
Hakan Andersson pounded the table for Liam Dower Nilsson
Thoughts on preseason games
Prospect to watch - Alex Cotton
recapping the 2020 draft
Fedorov jersey retirement puck seen online
Svechnikov signs AHL deal, PTO with Jets
Nielsen is being bought out
Seider vs Nedeljkovic for Wings rookie of the year?
The 2019 draft 
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