Sens Lineup Card for 11/12

wprager wrote:OK, I'm finally going to give this a shot:

Top line: Michalek - Spezza - Butler
- Regin showed some chemistry with Spezza; I believe someone mentioned that Michalek enjoyed his best season playing left, and is less effective on the right.

Michalek was mostly a RW in SJ, but when he's been playing LW exclusively since he got here. He hasn't looked quite as good, so you can draw your own conclusions...

ddt wrote:

wprager wrote:OK, I'm finally going to give this a shot:

Top line: Michalek - Spezza - Butler
- Regin showed some chemistry with Spezza; I believe someone mentioned that Michalek enjoyed his best season playing left, and is less effective on the right.

Michalek was mostly a RW in SJ, but when he's been playing LW exclusively since he got here. He hasn't looked quite as good, so you can draw your own conclusions...

Ah, so I got it backwards. It was a 50-50 shot

ddt wrote:
Michalek was mostly a RW in SJ, but when he's been playing LW exclusively since he got here. He hasn't looked quite as good, so you can draw your own conclusions...

Weird he's listed as LW everywhere.

I don't really consider myself a particularly astute judge of hockey talent, but I have to think the Konopka signing indicates that the organization isn't counting on Zibanejad making the team.

I think it's likely to be Regin and Da Costa competing for the second line centre role (which probably means it's Regin's to lose).

I don't have a problem with Zibanejad staying another year in Sweden and saving a year of his entry level deal anyways. There's probably no need to rush him faster than guys like Karlsson and Rundblad - though I realize the situations aren't exactly compatible.

So here's my lines:

Michalek- Spezza - Filatov
Foligno - Regin - Alfredsson
Greening - Smith - Butler
Winchester - Konopka - Neil
Condra (if we carry an extra forward)

Also, Cogliano going to arbitration with the Oilers and may be the odd guy out if RNH makes the team. Could be an opportunity there.

Foligno in the top 6

If I have to sit through one more year of him thinking he's Pavel Datsyuk and try to stick handle past 3 opposing players and cough up the puck in the process

Big Ev wrote:New Forwards:

Filatov-Spezza-Michalek
Foligno-Zibanejad-Alfredsson
Greening-Regin-Butler
Smith-Konopka-Neil
Condra

A trade or two will change things, though.

I'd be more than okay with your line-up but I'd personally do things a bit differently:

Filatov - Spezza - Michalek
Greening - Regin - Alfedsson
Foligno - Da Costa - Butler
Smith - Konopka - Neil
Winchester

Hoags wrote:Foligno in the top 6

If I have to sit through one more year of him thinking he's Pavel Datsyuk and try to stick handle past 3 opposing players and cough up the puck in the process

Don't like it either, but I'm not sold on Butler - though if he or Greening look good, I'd be happy to see either of them take that spot over Foligno.

Can Butler play LW at all? I'd like to see Michalek on the RW to start the year but not at the expense of Butler.

Butler - Spezza - Alfredsson
Filatov - Regin - Michalek
Foligno - Smith - Greening
Winchester - Konopka - Neil

I'm actually assuming Condra gets a two-way and starts in Bingo with Da Costa and that Condra comes up full-time in February-ish when Konopka is dealt for a 4th rounder.

Hoags wrote:Foligno in the top 6

If I have to sit through one more year of him thinking he's Pavel Datsyuk and try to stick handle past 3 opposing players and cough up the puck in the process

no doubt. foligno is going to have to score some big goals from the 3rd line before he can earn a spot on the 2nd line again. Butler has to start with spezza on the 1st. the only way i see all this working is to have michalek stay on the left wing. didn't he get close to 22 goals in his first year here? something's got to give but it won't be Butler off the top 2 lines. well not at first anyway. If he can reproduce the chemistry he had with spezza last year he's good for 30. that's fingers crossed obviously. sophomore slump won't be a surprise if it happens. I hope he's used his summer wisely.

I think you have to give Filatov a shot with Spezza and see how that works.

I like Butler, and want to see him succeed, but right now I see him as a Pascal Dupuis - an otherwise mediocre player with the ability to keep up on a top line.

A Filatov - Spezza - Butler line scares me a little, though.

Da lil Guy wrote:I think you have to give Filatov a shot with Spezza and see how that works.

I like Butler, and want to see him succeed, but right now I see him as a Pascal Dupuis - an otherwise mediocre player with the ability to keep up on a top line.

A Filatov - Spezza - Butler line scares me a little, though.

it's an unproven line i'll give you that much but the chemistry Butler had with spezza looked great. why would you want to start messing with it? I think butler over 82 games could of netted 30+ goals. we owe it to give it a try if he can do that he's earned his place on the first line.

Da lil Guy wrote:I think you have to give Filatov a shot with Spezza and see how that works.

I like Butler, and want to see him succeed, but right now I see him as a Pascal Dupuis - an otherwise mediocre player with the ability to keep up on a top line.

A Filatov - Spezza - Butler line scares me a little, though.

Pretty solid comparisson right there.

It's probably a good comparison but I think Butler has a higher ceiling than Dupuis. If he plays with Spezza, I'd say a 50 point season isn't out of the question. Tiny notch above mediocrity. Beyond the offensive skill, yeah there's not much else right now to Butler

Butler
Spezza
Alfredsson
Filatov
Regin
Michalek
Foligno
Smith
Greening
Winchester
Konopka
Neil
Condra

13 forwards now, so unlikely Zibanejad or Silfverberg are making it this year. I would wager that (unfortunately) Winchester's days are numbered in this organization and probably Regin's too if he doesn't blast out of the gate.

SpezDispenser wrote:Butler
Spezza
Alfredsson
Filatov
Regin
Michalek
Foligno
Smith
Greening
Winchester
Konopka
Neil
Condra

13 forwards now, so unlikely Zibanejad or Silfverberg are making it this year. I would wager that (unfortunately) Winchester's days are numbered in this organization and probably Regin's too if he doesn't blast out of the gate.

They are no where near the cap and I wouldn't be surprised if they carry 14 forwards the entire year. Zibanejad being a healthy scratch here or there and watching the game is a real possibility. I would bet they carry the max of 23 players all year long.

14+7+2=23

Da lil Guy wrote:I don't really consider myself a particularly astute judge of hockey talent, but I have to think the Konopka signing indicates that the organization isn't counting on Zibanejad making the team.

I think it's likely to be Regin and Da Costa competing for the second line centre role (which probably means it's Regin's to lose).

I don't have a problem with Zibanejad staying another year in Sweden and saving a year of his entry level deal anyways. There's probably no need to rush him faster than guys like Karlsson and Rundblad - though I realize the situations aren't exactly compatible.

So here's my lines:

Michalek- Spezza - Filatov
Foligno - Regin - Alfredsson
Greening - Smith - Butler
Winchester - Konopka - Neil
Condra (if we carry an extra forward)

Also, Cogliano going to arbitration with the Oilers and may be the odd guy out if RNH makes the team. Could be an opportunity there.

I'd say this was pretty astute. Looks to be about right, except Winchester will likely be sitting and Condra will draw in...somewhere.

NEELY wrote:
They are no where near the cap and I wouldn't be surprised if they carry 14 forwards the entire year. Zibanejad being a healthy scratch here or there and watching the game is a real possibility. I would bet they carry the max of 23 players all year long.

14+7+2=23

I could see 14 as well, but Zibanejad as a healthy scratch? Why not just send him to Sweden and get it over with. Da Costa's the dude who'll draw in I'm sure. I dunno, NHL practices are great for development, but I have to wonder if he'd be better off in the SEL playing big minutes.

SpezDispenser wrote:

NEELY wrote:
They are no where near the cap and I wouldn't be surprised if they carry 14 forwards the entire year. Zibanejad being a healthy scratch here or there and watching the game is a real possibility. I would bet they carry the max of 23 players all year long.

14+7+2=23

I could see 14 as well, but Zibanejad as a healthy scratch? Why not just send him to Sweden and get it over with. Da Costa's the dude who'll draw in I'm sure. I dunno, NHL practices are great for development, but I have to wonder if he'd be better off in the SEL playing big minutes.

Same reason Karlsson was a healthy scratch, why Seguin was a healthy scratch, why a lot of other rookies don't play every night. There is nothing wrong with scratching a kid if he needs it, nothing.