after Zucc gets back. Kreider-Stepan-St. Louis Pouliot-Brassard-Zucc Hagelin-Richards-Nash Nash has to be move down for his crap play. You can't move Stepan and Nash down. I'd feel a lot more comfortable using St. Louis to develop Kreider. Creates three lines with one big winger on each.
He is not breaking up Richards and St.Louis unless there is a major injury. Plus Richards and Nash have no chemistry.
I don't give a crap if Richards and Nash have no chemistry. Nash has to be disciplined for his crap play pretty much all season. He wasn't brought here to dog it through half the games in a season. Kreider hasn't been worse. Give me a break. He's playing with one dog and another tool who is fat and out of shape. Put the kid with a St. Louis and you will see Kreider's game explode. Kreider is a fitness freak just like St. Louis. It makes sense on every level to let St. Louis mentor this kid. The last thing you want is him on a line with a dog and a dough boy.
St. Louis doesn't have to play on Kreider's line to mentor him. They'll be spending a lot of time together, and I'm hopeful Kreider will learn a few things. Zuccs should be able to learn some stuff too, since his size and shiftyness isn't entirely different from St. Louis. And it was cool to see St. Louis and Hagelin make a few connections on the ice and then chatting on the bench during the first game.
MSL and Richards won't be broken up IMO. Maybe switch Kreider and Hags. That makes sense to me. Smaller Hags on one wing. Larger Nash on the other. Larger Kreider on one wing. Smaller MSL on the other. I see some balance there. Plus I can see MSL helping to get Kreider going again. And maybe the jitterbug type play and speed of Hags can open some stuff up for Nash. Makes sense I think. Outside of that red hot streak Nash went on for 15 games or so, that 1st line hasn't be that great. A switch up wouldn't be a terrible idea IMO.
They are definitely not breaking up MLS and Richards. In some ways I think Nash is the whipping boy on these boards. I agree that he is very inconsistent and is being paid a ton of money and needs to be better. That said, he had a nice run of 12 goals in 18 games. Kreider on the other hand has 16 points in his last 41 games. I know he is young but that just wont cut it if this team wants to make the playoffs. Maybe we should look at who Nash is playing with too. A young forward in Kreider who after 13 points in October hasn't done much from November on and Derek Stepan who is just not a 1c
Dis, normally I would agree with you, but for long stretches of time this season Nash has been invisible where he does nothing. He's in one of those invisible stretches right now.
Switching Kreider and Hags for tonight. I like that. On paper it appears more balanced size and speed wise. Hags/Step/Nash Kreider/Richards/MSL Pouliot/Brass/MZA I like that balance better. We'll see if it sparks some O and the lines gel. And if not...you can switch them back...LOL.
MZA is our best player this year. Would like to see him on a line with actual scorers instead of guys with stone hands. I realize that line has good chemistry, but we need goals, not great plays that result in nothing. Would like to see MZA with either Kreider or MSL and Richards.
