Todd Cordell: On Elias Lindholm at C, Mikael Backlund, and Juuso Valimaki's progress

Thx Todd

Lindholm at center is interesting, but then our wings would be seriously depleted. I'm not sure it's that good an idea.

Lindholm at center is interesting, but then our wings would be seriously depleted. I'm not sure it's that good an idea.
- redseerpf

Gotta find room for Dube in the top 6 and gotta find room for the depth wingers we brought in this offseason.

Gotta find room for Dube in the top 6 and gotta find room for the depth wingers we brought in this offseason.
- fry

The depth wingers are gonna rotate on the 4th line. That's their spot.

Dube's gotta prove more than that before he can be relied on as a top 6 winger on a wannabe contending team.

That's a pretty exciting update on Jusso. I am pumped to see how he performs once the season starts. This guys looks like the real deal so far.

Its time for a hockey trade!

LW - CHUCKY, JG, MANG, DUBE, LUCIC, BENNY
C - LINDY, MONY, BACKS, RYAN, BENNY
RW - ?, ?, LEIVO, SIMON
3rd PAIR RD - ?

Our tradeable assets/contracts are pretty good!
JG, MONY, MANG, DUBE, RYAN, BENNY, HANIFIN, KYLINGTON, RITTICH

The depth wingers are gonna rotate on the 4th line. That's their spot.

Dube's gotta prove more than that before he can be relied on as a top 6 winger on a wannabe contending team.
- redseerpf

Simon’s most common line mate last year was Sidney Crosby and Leivo’s most common line mate last year was Bo Horvat.

It’s pretty stupid to outright claim with certainty that they’ll only play on the 4th line.

Recently Dobber Prospects’ head European scout, Jokke Nevalainen, declared Jusso “ that league’s best player. (The Finnish SM Liiga- their top league).

Recently Dobber Prospects’ head European scout, Jokke Nevalainen, declared Jusso “ that league’s best player. (The Finnish SM Liiga- their top league).
- TandA4Flames

Yeah, it seems a lot of people are saying that. Looking forward to seeing the off-ice progress he’s made in the Flames gym while his knee healed.

Simon’s most common line mate last year was Sidney Crosby and Leivo’s most common line mate last year was Bo Horvat.

It’s pretty stupid to outright claim with certainty that they’ll only play on the 4th line.
- fry

Fair enough but if PITT & VAN saw them as top 2 line players do you not think they would have found a way to keep them given the contracts they just signed in Calgary!
Not so sure on an elite team they are 1st or 2nd line players but they will surely get the shot in Calgary given the depth we have on RW currently.

Fair enough but if PITT & VAN saw them as top 2 line players do you not think they would have found a way to keep them given the contracts they just signed in Calgary!
Not so sure on an elite team they are 1st or 2nd line players but they will surely get the shot in Calgary given the depth we have on RW currently.
- DEDDIE

That’s a fair point. I remember Leivo citing Calgary’s lack of depth among right shots as a reason he signed in Calgary. Friedman reported Benning matched Calgary’s offer.

As for why Pittsburg didn’t want to offer +1m for Simon; who the hell knows why Rutherford does anything anymore. He just traded Hornqvist for one of the worst contracts in the NHL (Matheson). lol

As one who’s preached slotting lindholm at C since the new year I foresee us sticking with the same lines that we finished the playoffs with to start the year.

Dube may finish the year in the top six but to start he has to prove he’s a better option than backlund in the top six.

Just an armchair coach thought in the meantime but I would be curious to try:

L1: tkachuck-lindholm-Mangiapane
L2: monahan-backlund-Gaudreau

Gaudreau played RW in college and both he and monahan were decent in these positions during the brief time they spent there last year.

I also believe that while lindholm has good chemistry with the pair their line has been missing the skill set Michael ferland brought to it. While backlund is not even close to what you consider a tough player he can hold his own in puck battles and is elite defensively, two areas that the JG/monahan pair lack in which in turn will free up the two to play their more offensive, skill based game.

Simon’s most common line mate last year was Sidney Crosby and Leivo’s most common line mate last year was Bo Horvat.

It’s pretty stupid to outright claim with certainty that they’ll only play on the 4th line.
- fry

Meh, I think that Simon in particular is more of a case of creating pairs and sticking another guy on the line rather than a reflection of talent.

7 goals playing with Crosby... doesn't say much. Hell, we gave Kassian grief for his 13 with McDavid.

Either you move Derek Ryan and use the cap on a more capable top 6 RW, or you maybe consider flipping Backlund for something if Lindholm is your 2C

Meh, I think that Simon in particular is more of a case of creating pairs and sticking another guy on the line rather than a reflection of talent.

7 goals playing with Crosby... doesn't say much. Hell, we gave Kassian grief for his 13 with McDavid.

Either you move Derek Ryan and use the cap on a more capable top 6 RW, or you maybe consider flipping Backlund for something if Lindholm is your 2C
- rmull905

Lindholm would be our 1C with Tkachuk & Mags.
Monahan would be 2C & I could see Gaudreau & Simon on RW to start. Keep Benny Lucic & Dube on that 3rd line.
Backlund Leivo & Nordstrom trade Ryan.

I'd be interested in seeing

Mangiapane Lindholm Tkachuk
Gaudreau Monahan Dube
Bennett Backlund Leivo
Lucic Ryan Simon
Nordstrom

Giordano Andersson
Hanafin Tanev
Valimaki Nesterov
Kylington

If Dube struggles switch him with Lievo, and Valimaki and Hanafin can switch if Val is ready.
If we go into the season with out making a "Hockey trade" I feel like this gives the best balance with what we have..

Lindholm would be our 1C with Tkachuk & Mags.
Monahan would be 2C & I could see Gaudreau & Simon on RW to start. Keep Benny Lucic & Dube on that 3rd line.
Backlund Leivo & Nordstrom trade Ryan.
- Kevin R

Oh yeah, I'm just suggesting that, in way that pairs are created, there is a belief among some teams that it doesn't matter who the 3rd is. Not a reflection of talent that Simon played with Crosby, it's more the argument that it doesn't matter who you put as the third wheel on a line, it's more important to have strong 2s.

I would also be open to dealing Ryan if we had a solid PK solution that gets Lindholm out of the mix.

Oh yeah, I'm just suggesting that, in way that pairs are created, there is a belief among some teams that it doesn't matter who the 3rd is. Not a reflection of talent that Simon played with Crosby, it's more the argument that it doesn't matter who you put as the third wheel on a line, it's more important to have strong 2s.

I would also be open to dealing Ryan if we had a solid PK solution that gets Lindholm out of the mix.
- rmull905

Not all 3rd player fits lines. Ask Pen fans & finding a player that compliments players like Crosby are hard to find. Simon is probably the best acquisition (next to Markstrom) Treliving signed. This kid drives possession which is something everyone crucified Monahan & Gaudreau for & has speed & plays 2 way game. He just has cement hands. But if he can help Gaudreau & Monahan get back to being consistently dangerous with 10 bell chances, mission accomplished for a dirt cheap price.
Leaving Backlund on 4th line but give him PK & 10 minutes 5 V5 with Leivo & whoever else buys a chance to see Benny centre his own line for a full year & I think him & Dube can develop that 1-2 chemistry you mention. Lucic isnt going anywhere & plays his best with Bennett & Dube & is happy playing there, problem solved with 1
anchor contract.

I'd be interested in seeing

Mangiapane Lindholm Tkachuk
Gaudreau Monahan Dube
Bennett Backlund Leivo
Lucic Ryan Simon
Nordstrom

Giordano Andersson
Hanafin Tanev
Valimaki Nesterov
Kylington

If Dube struggles switch him with Lievo, and Valimaki and Hanafin can switch if Val is ready.
If we go into the season with out making a "Hockey trade" I feel like this gives the best balance with what we have..
- Nomad2112

Change around Dube and Leivo and I think we got a good second line.

Tkachuk - Lindholm - Mangiapane
Monahan - Bennett - Gaudreau
Lucic - Backlund - Dube
Leivo - Ryan - Simon/Nordstrom

If Lindholm is moved to center and Bennett stays there, Monahan has to move to the wing. He's ineffective as a C anyways.

Tkachuk - Lindholm - Mangiapane
Monahan - Bennett - Gaudreau
Lucic - Backlund - Dube
Leivo - Ryan - Simon/Nordstrom

If Lindholm is moved to center and Bennett stays there, Monahan has to move to the wing. He's ineffective as a C anyways.
- redseerpf

Monahan was 52.9% on faceoffs which is actually not bad. He was more committed to a 200" game which he tried but suffered. I think Simon might be a good fit for him. I dont think Benny is ready to dump him on the 2nd line C yet. Crap lets give him a chance on that 3rd line & see if they can carry play & be as effective as they were in the playoffs.

To start the season, we'll likely see:

Tkachuk - Lindholm - Mangiapane
Gaudreau - Monahan - Simon
Ryan - Backlund - Leivo
Lucic - Bennett - Dubé
(with Nordstrom brought in to rotate throughthe bottom six to give guys a rest, especially with a condensed schedule.)

Giordano - Anderson
Hanifin - Tenev
Valimaki - Nesterov
(with Kylington and Mackey getting good looks, especially when Tanev becomes injured or to spell Valimaki on the bottom pair when he bumps up to first pair after Gio has a rough go of dealing with first pair minutes, like he did in the playoffs.)

Markstrom
Rittich

I'm thinking that by the end of the season (whenever it begins and ends), we'll see the following lines:

Tkachuk - Lindholm - Mangiapane
Gaudreau - Bennett - Dubé
Lucic - Backlund - Leivo
Nordstrom - Ryan - Simon

Valimaki - Anderson
Giordano - Tenev
Mackey - Nesterov

Markstrom
Rittich

Under both line premises, it is assumed the Ward will role four lines since he's as much as said (in an interview last week) that you need four lines going and that everyone will be fine playing wherever in the lineup as long as they're getting their minutes.

The later scenario of line combinations is only a projection of what I see as a possibility IF Monahan is unable to refind his groove with Gaudreau. I'm betting that that's exactly why Simon was brought in and why he gets bumped down to the 4th line if G-M can't find success.

Can Bennett assume that role as the second line centre? We saw him put up good numbers and great energy in his return to his natural position as centre during the return to play, but can he sustain it during the regular season and can he be good enough to centre Gaudreau - those are significant questions, especially since he hasn't proven anything during the regular season. I have no doubt that Management is hoping so, since they know he performs in the playoffs and he's formed a strong duo with Dubé. And, he's the highest draft pick in Flames' history. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to get production at a fraction of the cost of Monahan.

The later scenario also assumes that Giordano has lost enough of a step to be demoted from top-pair D AND that Valimaki carries over his strong consistent play from the Finish Liiga AND that he can stay healthy. IF (and I know that's a BIG if) those come to pass, then either Hanifin or Gio become expendable, though Hanifin is more likely to be peddled since he doesn't have a no movement clause whereas Gio does.

In the event that the later line combinations do come to happen, then I'd be very curious to see what the Flames are able to get for Monahan and/or Hanifin, since both have decent contracts and are young enough to be worthwhile additions to lesser teams in need of serviceable scoring/D with a hope that a change of scenery could be of benefit to one or both.

To start the season, we'll likely see:

Tkachuk - Lindholm - Mangiapane
Gaudreau - Monahan - Simon
Ryan - Backlund - Leivo
Lucic - Bennett - Dubé
(with Nordstrom brought in to rotate throughthe bottom six to give guys a rest, especially with a condensed schedule.)

Giordano - Anderson
Hanifin - Tenev
Valimaki - Nesterov
(with Kylington and Mackey getting good looks, especially when Tanev becomes injured or to spell Valimaki on the bottom pair when he bumps up to first pair after Gio has a rough go of dealing with first pair minutes, like he did in the playoffs.)

Markstrom
Rittich

I'm thinking that by the end of the season (whenever it begins and ends), we'll see the following lines:

Tkachuk - Lindholm - Mangiapane
Gaudreau - Bennett - Dubé
Lucic - Backlund - Leivo
Nordstrom - Ryan - Simon

Valimaki - Anderson
Giordano - Tenev
Mackey - Nesterov

Markstrom
Rittich

Under both line premises, it is assumed the Ward will role four lines since he's as much as said (in an interview last week) that you need four lines going and that everyone will be fine playing wherever in the lineup as long as they're getting their minutes.

The later scenario of line combinations is only a projection of what I see as a possibility IF Monahan is unable to refind his groove with Gaudreau. I'm betting that that's exactly why Simon was brought in and why he gets bumped down to the 4th line if G-M can't find success.

Can Bennett assume that role as the second line centre? We saw him put up good numbers and great energy in his return to his natural position as centre during the return to play, but can he sustain it during the regular season and can he be good enough to centre Gaudreau - those are significant questions, especially since he hasn't proven anything during the regular season. I have no doubt that Management is hoping so, since they know he performs in the playoffs and he's formed a strong duo with Dubé. And, he's the highest draft pick in Flames' history. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to get production at a fraction of the cost of Monahan.

The later scenario also assumes that Giordano has lost enough of a step to be demoted from top-pair D AND that Valimaki carries over his strong consistent play from the Finish Liiga AND that he can stay healthy. IF (and I know that's a BIG if) those come to pass, then either Hanifin or Gio become expendable, though Hanifin is more likely to be peddled since he doesn't have a no movement clause whereas Gio does.

In the event that the later line combinations do come to happen, then I'd be very curious to see what the Flames are able to get for Monahan and/or Hanifin, since both have decent contracts and are young enough to be worthwhile additions to lesser teams in need of serviceable scoring/D with a hope that a change of scenery could be of benefit to one or both.
- WrySatyr

Don't think GIO has a NMC he has a M-NTC.
What are the markets going to do this week ?

To start the season, we'll likely see:

Tkachuk - Lindholm - Mangiapane
Gaudreau - Monahan - Simon
Ryan - Backlund - Leivo
Lucic - Bennett - Dubé
(with Nordstrom brought in to rotate throughthe bottom six to give guys a rest, especially with a condensed schedule.)

Giordano - Anderson
Hanifin - Tenev
Valimaki - Nesterov
(with Kylington and Mackey getting good looks, especially when Tanev becomes injured or to spell Valimaki on the bottom pair when he bumps up to first pair after Gio has a rough go of dealing with first pair minutes, like he did in the playoffs.)

Markstrom
Rittich

I'm thinking that by the end of the season (whenever it begins and ends), we'll see the following lines:

Tkachuk - Lindholm - Mangiapane
Gaudreau - Bennett - Dubé
Lucic - Backlund - Leivo
Nordstrom - Ryan - Simon

Valimaki - Anderson
Giordano - Tenev
Mackey - Nesterov

Markstrom
Rittich

Under both line premises, it is assumed the Ward will role four lines since he's as much as said (in an interview last week) that you need four lines going and that everyone will be fine playing wherever in the lineup as long as they're getting their minutes.

The later scenario of line combinations is only a projection of what I see as a possibility IF Monahan is unable to refind his groove with Gaudreau. I'm betting that that's exactly why Simon was brought in and why he gets bumped down to the 4th line if G-M can't find success.

Can Bennett assume that role as the second line centre? We saw him put up good numbers and great energy in his return to his natural position as centre during the return to play, but can he sustain it during the regular season and can he be good enough to centre Gaudreau - those are significant questions, especially since he hasn't proven anything during the regular season. I have no doubt that Management is hoping so, since they know he performs in the playoffs and he's formed a strong duo with Dubé. And, he's the highest draft pick in Flames' history. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to get production at a fraction of the cost of Monahan.

The later scenario also assumes that Giordano has lost enough of a step to be demoted from top-pair D AND that Valimaki carries over his strong consistent play from the Finish Liiga AND that he can stay healthy. IF (and I know that's a BIG if) those come to pass, then either Hanifin or Gio become expendable, though Hanifin is more likely to be peddled since he doesn't have a no movement clause whereas Gio does.

In the event that the later line combinations do come to happen, then I'd be very curious to see what the Flames are able to get for Monahan and/or Hanifin, since both have decent contracts and are young enough to be worthwhile additions to lesser teams in need of serviceable scoring/D with a hope that a change of scenery could be of benefit to one or both.
- WrySatyr

Lots of different line combinations out there.
Tkachuk, Lindholm, Johnny
Pani, Monahan, Levio
Dube, Bennett, Simon
Looch, Backs, Ryan

Lots of different line combinations out there.
Tkachuk, Lindholm, Johnny
Pani, Monahan, Levio
Dube, Bennett, Simon
Looch, Backs, Ryan
- K-man25

That's an expensive 4th line !