Hartsburg to split up top line

No-nonsense coach Craig Hartsburg has been brought in to restore
discipline on and off the ice. He has also said he'll try to spread
scoring around the lineup, which means breaking up the first
line of Spezza, Heatley and Alfredsson.


http://senators.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=381066

Not really a shocker or anything, but it's nice to see Hartsburg thinking things through a little.

Now...if he panics when we're struggling early (and we will struggle early) and puts them back together, then it's a moot point, but if he spreads it out permanently, then we might be onto something.

This team's one tough team to play against, so we'll get our fair share of power-plays - and [i]that's the optimum time to re-unite the top line.

I agree completely that the Sens will probably get off to a slow start. I think it's fair to say that they will be .500 team for the first 20 games. There are a lot of new players and some new coaches, this will take time to work things out. I hope he Hartsburg sticks to his word and keeps the top line apart.

I'd really like to see Foligno get a shot playing top 3 with Spezza and Heatley. He can be the power forward we've needed. The triple threat of the CASH line, while great, was too much of a all offense no grit (though Alfie doesn't shy away). Putting Foligno up there can only help him improve. He can score as we have seen and he can also stir things up and allow the duo of Spez and Heater to do their thing. Put Foligno in front of the net, on the boards, whatever it is he does.

Then you can have Aflie and Fisher on the second line with Fisher playing the PF role, with either Vermette or Winchester (who isn't soft either) on the other side.

mojo1016 wrote:I agree completely that the Sens will probably get off to a slow start. I think it's fair to say that they will be .500 team for the first 20 games. There are a lot of new players and some new coaches, this will take time to work things out. I hope he Hartsburg sticks to his word and keeps the top line apart.

Be prepared for a slow start indeed. Both teams (ANA and LA) who participated in the London games last year struggled for weeks to get their heads on straight. Apparently both GMs admitted afterwards that the travel and the time change was even harder on the teams than any expected. Burke took measures to prevent this too -- bring the team to London a few days early, getting Bettman to make sure the scheduler game them a long break in between the London games and their first games back in North America -- but it didn't help much.

Some of this can be explained, I sure, by the fact that LA sucks and ANA just won the Cup 3 months before. But, still, it's a scary precedent.

504Heater wrote:
Not really a shocker or anything, but it's nice to see Hartsburg thinking things through a little.

Now...if he panics when we're struggling early (and we will struggle early) and puts them back together, then it's a moot point, but if he spreads it out permanently, then we might be onto something.

This team's one tough team to play against, so we'll get our fair share of power-plays - and that's the optimum time to re-unite the top line.

I completely agree. I don't think the struggles will be as profound as some of you guys are making it seem, but I do think it will take some time for this team to gel.
I would really like to see all three of them on different lines. Something like this would be interesting:
(no specific order)
Foligno - Fisher - Heatley(purposely on the right)
Winchester - Vermette - Alfredsson (solid line imo)
Kelly - Spezza - Donovan (make Spezza earn those points on his own)
Ruutu - Bass - Neil (everybody's favorite fantasy checking line)

"The Senators need more scoring from the second and third lines and they are top-heavy with defensive centres, actually, all kinds of centres. New coach Craig Hartsburg has talked all summer about character, accountability and a team-first attitude. He may test individuals' commitment right off the bat by breaking up the first line and playing centres at wing."

Maybe that means both Fisher and Spezza on the wing :D

"Winchester played four solid years at Colgate and came up for one game last year. He was one of the stars of the the Senators' summer development camp, hitting everything that moved and showing a scoring touch. He may need an AHL season, but he intends to have an NHL future."

And there's this on Winchester...i guess he isn't a lock for this years squad.

cash wrote:"The Senators need more scoring from the second and third lines and they are top-heavy with defensive centres, actually, all kinds of centres. New coach Craig Hartsburg has talked all summer about character, accountability and a team-first attitude. He may test individuals' commitment right off the bat by breaking up the first line and playing centres at wing."

Maybe that means both Fisher and Spezza on the wing :D

hopefully fish. he needs to suck it up and take one for the team

I'm OK with him splitting up the top line. But I would like to balance out the scoring even more than just taking 5 goals from line 1 and adding those to line 2. I want a third line that can score. Put Fisher up on the top-line as a winger, Foligno or Winchester with Vermette and Alfie on the second, and whichever one of Zubov/Foligno/Winchester has the best hands (and is not playing on the second line) with Kelly and McAmmond or Donovan on the third line.

cash wrote:

504Heater wrote:
Not really a shocker or anything, but it's nice to see Hartsburg thinking things through a little.

Now...if he panics when we're struggling early (and we will struggle early) and puts them back together, then it's a moot point, but if he spreads it out permanently, then we might be onto something.

This team's one tough team to play against, so we'll get our fair share of power-plays - and that's the optimum time to re-unite the top line.

I completely agree. I don't think the struggles will be as profound as some of you guys are making it seem, but I do think it will take some time for this team to gel.
I would really like to see all three of them on different lines. Something like this would be interesting:
(no specific order)
Foligno - Fisher - Heatley(purposely on the right)
Winchester - Vermette - Alfredsson (solid line imo)
Kelly - Spezza - Donovan (make Spezza earn those points on his own)
Ruutu - Bass - Neil (everybody's favorite fantasy checking line)

Yeah I don't see our 7 million dollar center on the third line.

I could definitely see:

Vermette-Spezza-Heatley
Winchester-Fisher-Alfredsson
Foligno-Kelly-Donovan
Ruutu-Bass-Neil

wprager wrote:I'm OK with him splitting up the top line. But I would like to balance out the scoring even more than just taking 5 goals from line 1 and adding those to line 2. I want a third line that can score. Put Fisher up on the top-line as a winger, Foligno or Winchester with Vermette and Alfie on the second, and whichever one of Zubov/Foligno/Winchester has the best hands (and is not playing on the second line) with Kelly and McAmmond or Donovan on the third line.

I like it :D

Ideally, my favorite balance for the team lineup would be:

Foligno-Spezza-Heatley
Winchester-Fisher-Alfredsson
Vermette-Kelly-Zubov
Ruutu-Bass-Donovan

PKC wrote:

cash wrote:

504Heater wrote:
Not really a shocker or anything, but it's nice to see Hartsburg thinking things through a little.

Now...if he panics when we're struggling early (and we will struggle early) and puts them back together, then it's a moot point, but if he spreads it out permanently, then we might be onto something.

This team's one tough team to play against, so we'll get our fair share of power-plays - and that's the optimum time to re-unite the top line.

I completely agree. I don't think the struggles will be as profound as some of you guys are making it seem, but I do think it will take some time for this team to gel.
I would really like to see all three of them on different lines. Something like this would be interesting:
(no specific order)
Foligno - Fisher - Heatley(purposely on the right)
Winchester - Vermette - Alfredsson (solid line imo)
Kelly - Spezza - Donovan (make Spezza earn those points on his own)
Ruutu - Bass - Neil (everybody's favorite fantasy checking line)

Yeah I don't see our 7 million dollar center on the third line.

I could definitely see:

Vermette-Spezza-Heatley
Winchester-Fisher-Alfredsson
Foligno-Kelly-Donovan
Ruutu-Bass-Neil

He did say "in no specific order". But I'm with you -- I just don't see Kelly and Donovan as anything but 3rd liners. Kelly did fill in on the top line, but that's only because Heatley, Fisher and Vermette were all out, wasn't it?

wprager wrote:

PKC wrote:

cash wrote:

504Heater wrote:
Not really a shocker or anything, but it's nice to see Hartsburg thinking things through a little.

Now...if he panics when we're struggling early (and we will struggle early) and puts them back together, then it's a moot point, but if he spreads it out permanently, then we might be onto something.

This team's one tough team to play against, so we'll get our fair share of power-plays - and that's the optimum time to re-unite the top line.

I completely agree. I don't think the struggles will be as profound as some of you guys are making it seem, but I do think it will take some time for this team to gel.
I would really like to see all three of them on different lines. Something like this would be interesting:
(no specific order)
Foligno - Fisher - Heatley(purposely on the right)
Winchester - Vermette - Alfredsson (solid line imo)
Kelly - Spezza - Donovan (make Spezza earn those points on his own)
Ruutu - Bass - Neil (everybody's favorite fantasy checking line)

Yeah I don't see our 7 million dollar center on the third line.

I could definitely see:

Vermette-Spezza-Heatley
Winchester-Fisher-Alfredsson
Foligno-Kelly-Donovan
Ruutu-Bass-Neil

He did say "in no specific order". But I'm with you -- I just don't see Kelly and Donovan as anything but 3rd liners. Kelly did fill in on the top line, but that's only because Heatley, Fisher and Vermette were all out, wasn't it?

spezza, fisher, and vermette were out.

PKC wrote:Ideally, my favorite balance for the team lineup would be:

Foligno-Spezza-Heatley
Winchester-Fisher-Alfredsson
Vermette-Kelly-Zubov
Ruutu-Bass-Donovan

Was Neil traded for a pick?