The heralded rookie is guaranteed a roster spot, and not since Pavel Bure has the anticipation been greater to see such a gifted offensive player join the Panthers. He can play all forward positions, and will be a big boost to the forwards who struggled from time to time last season. But where does he play?

Listing lines 1-4 on this Florida team doesn't mean much, as at times last year any of the top 3 were performing at top line levels. Bergenheim-Goc-Samuelsson were solid most of the year, and obviously if one line had to be picked as the "top" line it would be Versteeg-Weiss-Fleischmann. But with as good a start as they got off to in October, there were stretches of inconsistency that forced head coach Kevin Dineen to break that line up to find a spark.

Should Huberdeau take a spot on that top line out of the gate, or should he be relegated to second line minutes and then work his way up? There is no question many will say Huberdeau is the most gifted offensive player on the roster upon arrival. Few would argue. But on a team that earned its first division title in franchise history and first playoff berth in over a decade, Dineen may lean on the veterans for another year to lead the charge while Huberdeau gets his NHL feet under him.

Another issue will be protecting Huberdeau as he continues to grow out of his lanky frame that could be pushed around a bit as he makes the transition. Listed at 6'1" and only 177 lbs., there is still room to bulk up to take the NHL pounding that is to come. He was no stranger to throwing his weight around in juniors, but this will be a whole different world for him from the physicality perspective. Maybe consistent time going up against the opposition's second liners and defensive pairings would do him some good.

Sticking to line numbers for the sake of this article, the top two lines stand to be in quite a bit of flux if Huberdeau is given the nod to join the top line. Does Weiss center the 2nd and Huberdeau the 1st? Do either Versteeg or Fleischmann go down to the 2nd to make room for him? The second line could be quite different than last year because of Huberdeau's arrival, and definitely more potent. Huberdeau on the same line with a healthy Peter Mueller and Scottie Upshall could provide some nice punch, but we shall see how it shakes out.

What say you? Let Huberdeau learn on the second line from the get go, or let him spread his wings on the first from day one(whenever that might be)?

Twitter @DanSpiegel

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