Opening Day Roster

also any possible players that would be traded during the year

LaRose/Staal/Jokinen

Boychuk/Sutter/Ruutu

LaRose/Nash/Tlusty

Samsonov/Dalpe/Kostopoulos

Gleason/Corvo

Pitkanen/McBain

Babchuk/Carson

Cam Ward

are pretty much in line with AD’s but I’d leave Rosie on the third line combo NOT as punishment but for maturity & leadership on that 3rd line…because ( and on paper for now) the possibilities for that line could be great and if in reality they were to be placed together and they did well and they all could stay healthy & out of the box…that would be a bigger + (plus) for the team over all..

and instead of Rosie on the 1st. line I’d put skinner in there…..BUT…for the 2 gamesin finland…the Finnish sandwhich for sure at least for the 1st period unless they got super hot and were out skating and out shooting everyone else…but that’s just my take on it…
time to go back and work on that basement again…sigh…

LaRose/Staal/Jokinen

Boychuk/Sutter/Ruutu

Tlusty/Skinner/Cole

Samsonov/Nash/Kostopoulos

Gleason/Corvo

Pitkanen/McBain

Babchuk/Carson

Cam Ward
Peters

Here’s what I think the opening day lineup will be; not necessarily what I want, but what will probably be.

Jokinen-Staal-Cole
Boychuk-Sutter-Ruutu
Tlusty-Dalpe-LaRose
Samsonov-Dwyer-Kostopoulos
Gleason-Corvo
Pitkanen-McBain
Carson-Babchuk
Ward-Peters

I think Skinner will be given a brief trial, but spend the year in Juniors. I also believe Dalpe will be really impressive and will be in the top 6 by mid-December.

Cole, Samsonov, LaRose, and Babchuk all have the likehood of being traded during the season. I think Cole and Babchuk are the most likely to be traded. I don’t think other teams will want Samsonov and I think LaRose will be a huge leader in the locker room, so the Canes will keep him throughout the season.

Jokinen – Staal – Ruutu

Those that predicted a showcasing of the Finns on Opening Night in Finland are certainly marketing savvy, but I believe that this is actually our default first line, barring some upset miracle out of training camp.

Sure, we will see other wingers occasionally paired with Staal, whether for injury reasons, experiments, or riding a hot streak, but right now Ruutu and Jokinen are the closest things we have as first line wingers for Staal.

No knock on them, but we all know he deserves better. And ever since he was drafted in 2003, the org has been searching.

Ladd was drafted for that LW position and fell short in performance in the org’s eyes. Was swapped for Ruutu (RW), and Tuumo certainly has performed admirably creating space and pouncing on rebounds, although his point production is more akin to perhaps second line numbers, as has been Jokinen’s outside last year’s surge.

Now our hope is that Skinner develops into Staal’s eventual RW and he may indeed have the skill, body type, and character to be The One. But not on Opening Night and not anytime next season, for that matter (your opinion may vary).

First line left wing is now held down by Jokinen, who makes any line he appears on instantly better. Here’s hoping the confidence gained from last year carries over, and with some legit first-unit power play time, he duplicates that 30-goal season.

However, how we ultimately fill that first line left wing position remains to be seen. Dalpe and Boychuk are both candidates from within the ranks, with the edge perhaps going to Dalpe (cue PackPride17).

But, if we haven’t solved it from within and we’re ready to make our run for the Cup (as soon as 2-3 years is my prediction), then that’s solvable at the trade deadline, if nothing else. We’re dripping prospects, will know who are keepers at that point, and can rent the level of talent we need to play on Staal’s left wing for that run, if necessary.

As for the other candidates we’ll see, yes LaRose had chemistry with Staal at the end of last season. But, as huge of a LaRose booster as I am, he’s no first liner. The success of that pairing was more of an energy infusion into Staal and is not sustainable, in my opinion.

Similarly, Cole can keep up with Staal’s speed (when Staal’s using it, that is) and can thread the needle with sweet feed passes to Staal from the right wing on the fly, but those two together can also be one of the quickest loss of possessions in all of the NHL. Cole’s just a bit too predictable and perhaps a bit too fragile to play at that level for more than spot duty or mix-it-up chemistry experiments.

So, I think both the opening night and the season’s default first line is the Finnwhich with Staal as the meat between.

An effective first line…but far from ideal.

The search continues.

Boychuk – Sutter – LaRose

As his third NHL season begins, Sutter settles into second line center offensive scoring expectations and also anchors the checking line, with all of its duties, as well. Tough duty for a 21-year-old, but the blood lines are evident and the hope is that the dramatic blossoming from a wobbly rookie season that we saw in his sophomore season continues.

He’s got the defensive savvy, but has the body grown to the point where a season of abuse stopping the top lines in the league from scoring can be endured? Plus, can we get a scoring pace out of him to keep the second line on pace for a proportional goals-for contribution when he’s on the ice against the leagues best?

Normally a team might run the checking function from its third line (BBC line from ‘02 with Brind’Amour anchoring Battaglia and Cole), but Sutter is also second on our center depth chart right now, so both duties fall to him and the scoring slack has to be picked up from our third line (more on this later) if we are to achieve success this season.

On the road, where we change first, we may have to go strength-on-strength with the two first lines matching up with one another. Here both Jokinen and Ruutu can help Staal, since both are defensively responsible wingers. But, where we can control the matchups, we want to shift Staal and our less-than-perfect first line away from that top end talent and see if some mismatches can be found.

For second line left wing, Tlusty is who we will see later in the season, but his still-healing ACL injury may keep him from playing significant minutes early in the season, especially on a checking line.

No less than JR himself has noted that Tlusty’s defensive skills are leading his offensive skills, although JR also has him pegged as a potential 20-goal scorer as well.

But, until Tlusty is ready to go, and depending on how training camp goes, this is a chance for Boychuk to apply the defensive lessons learned and to rejoin his AHL teammate for a big-time NHL audition on a two-way line. It’s becoming increasingly harder to slot exactly where Boychuk may (or may not) end up with the Canes, so this “experiment” will be critical for both player and org, in my opinion.

For right wing on the second line, we go with LaRose’s defensive responsibility, but he is so over-slotted for this role. I’d love to eventually figure out a way to move Chad back to the fourth line in the next couple of seasons, with salary appropriately adjusted, but that’s another post sometime.

Cole is a credible alternative, having played this role on the BBC line, so he’s an alternative to LaRose for second line right wing, with the two of them perhaps swapping duties between second and third lines, when not filling in for an injured Ruutu on the first. Kostopoulos could pull second line right wing injury duty, if drafted to do so.

Honestly, we’re asking a lot of this line. It could easily fall short in both point production and defensive stopping power next season. But, the pieces are all we have right now, and what does not kill us will indeed make us stronger.

Samsonov – Dalpe – Cole

If Skinner has stuck with the team long enough to join the regular season road trip, then third line center position could be occupied by him, even though we would like to eventually move him to right wing, so as to not throw too many changes at once his way during his shakedown cruise.

But, my guess is that he is returned to his junior team by the time preseason ends and bags are packed, as the Kitchener Ranger season begins on September 24th and he has a star role waiting for him there.

I expect Nash to eventually occupy the third line center slot, but believe he will begin his season in Charlotte once the preseason experimental period ends, adjusting to the pro game schedule pace and picking up points from Daniels and Francis.

I’m giving Dalpe the nod in the early part of the season due to his slim edge over Nash in pro games played…which is not much (9 games). By the time training camp is over and some preseason games have been played, however, all bets are off. We could see Nash here right from the beginning.

His Cornell experience could translate well, with Dalpe and him trading time as the season unfurls, getting valuable special teams play in the AHL that may not be available to them in the NHL.

But, with so little pro experience at third line center, regardless of how we roll (Skinner/Dalpe/Nash), I’m flanking that center audition spot with seasoned pro wingers. Not only that, I have a need for more scoring out of my third line than most teams, due to the checking line duties and suspect offensive firepower on my second line.

So, auditioning a NHL rookie center that has reason to impress and two seasoned NHL wingers that are both on contract years that will most certainly define their pro career from this season forward is my recipe for more offensive will and talent from our third line than most teams are prepared to defend against.

Samsonov and Cole are also now available for injury fill in duty in the top six as the season progresses, with replacements from Charlotte or the fourth line covering them, as rewards for those that are earning a shot.

Tlusty/Dwyer/Osala – Dodge – Kostopoulos

We’ve certainly exhaustively explored our fourth line differences of opinion, but I’m firmly of the mind that the org will use the third line as its offensively talented prospect audition platform and the fourth for its defensive role and secondary offensive platform.

So, I’m predicting the NHL debut of Nick Dodge as our fourth line center. Nick’s been flying under the radar for many, but answers well the needs of the org for a fourth line center.

Team captain of Clarkson his junior year. Good two-way performer, with an emphasis on defensive responsibility. Decent scorer, especially when a goal is needed. Faceoff specialist, of which we are sorely in need.

With the departure of Brind’Amour and Cullen, Sutter at 49% last season becomes our top faceoff center (Boychuk is the leader of the remaining forwards at 55.6% and Jokinen the only other forward over 50 percent at 51.3% last season).

I cannot find where the AHL is keeping faceoff percentage as a stat, but Nick is known for his abilities in this department at the AHL level. How much of that transfers to the NHL level, under the tutelage of Brind’Amour and Francis remains to be seen, but we clearly need help.

With his defensive prowess, we would run Nick as the center in the second penalty kill unit, following Sutter, thereby maintaining at least a fighting chance when taking faceoffs shorthanded in our own end.

Kostopoulos is a no-brainer at fourth line right wing, although he can handle replacement injury duty on either the second or third lines, if needed. If he goes down, Jerome Samson gets the call.

Fourth line left wing is a roll of the dice if Tlusty cannot skate at all as the season opens, plus Tlusty’s ultimate destination is perhaps on Sutter’s left wing, depending on how the Boychuk experiments run. Patrick Dwyer gets the call , in my opinion, if Tlusty is a no-go or is promoted, based on his admittedly limited NHL experience.

Ultimately, Oscar Osala could easily break into the NHL from the fourth line without having to alter his game, but Opening Night might be a bit premature for that debut. Still, if Tlusty is not our man, then he has some odds of seizing that position based on a strong training camp and preseason.

Until someone else comes along, he or Dwyer appear to be the leading candidates for that fourth line left wing slot for the ‘10-’11 season.