Three possible options for the Montreal Canadiens' lines
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Jeff DrouinSeptember 5, 2021 (4:08 PM)
Dan Kramer, a guy who covers the Montreal Canadiens on various platforms, including TSN690, HabsEOTP, AllHabs and McKeensHockey, had his say about the Montreal Canadiens' potential lineups following the acquisition of Christian Dvorak (and the departure of Jesperi Kotkaniemi). Kramer offers up some possibilities for the 2021-22 schedule, then explains the specific strength of some of the Canadiens forwards.
Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield:This pair will form part of the first line, unequivocally, accompanied by a veteran like Tyler Toffoli or even the excellent playmaker, Jonathan Drouin.
Brendan Gallagher: The little pest excels at 5-on-5, so he can be found just about anywhere in the lineup.
Mike Hoffman: He's a massive offensive specialist, but if he's used too much at 5-on-5, fans won't like him.
Christian Dvorak: He can win faceoffs and is responsible in both directions of the ice. He can also score, but his strength is not in building plays. So you can pair him with an offensive guy who makes plays, like Jonathan Drouin. Or a more two-way guy like Gallagher.
From there, here's how Kramer built the Montreal Canadiens offensive lines. He offers three options (in his eyes):
Option 1:
Drouin-Suzuki-Caufield
Anderson-Dvorak-Toffoli
Lehkonen-Evans-Gallagher
Hoffman-Paquette/Poehling-Armia
Option 2:
Toffoli-Suzuki-Caufield
Drouin-Dvorak-Gallagher
Lehkonen-Evans-Armia
Hoffman-Perreault-Anderson
Option 3: a top-6 and a bottom-6 a bit old school
Toffoli-Suzuki-Caufield
Hoffman-Drouin-Perreault
Anderson-Dvorak-Gallagher
Lehkonen-Evans-Armia
With all this depth, we can have fun moving the pieces on the board, but the final decision will be made by Dominique Ducharme and his group.
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