Can Drew O’Connor, Mikael Granlund, Rickard Rakell finally make the third line make sense?
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10 Comments
Great stuff as always DK.
I really like the idea of this 3rd line as well. Nylander just really adds so much to this team. Allowing Ricky to slide down to the 3rd line. Is just massive. It can't be understated.
I foresee those guys working out really well. I think their games compliment each other quite a bit. Both Rickell and Granlund can make plays, while Rickell could also be more of the sniper of the line, if you want them to play that way. I also agree with your assessment of O'Connor. I like the energy he brings. Not afraid to go in the corners and retrieve pucks via grinding it out in the corner.
With all of this being said… I am worried about us on the backend. I'm quite concerned with PoJ being scratched…
I really like what we saw in the last few weeks when PoJ and Petry played together. PoJ really seemed to positively impact Petrys game. You started to see why we traded for him when they were paired together. He really played up to his offensive game.
I was hoping we'd see, Petterson-Letang, PoJ-Petry. And just have those 4 guys eat minutes. Not that Sullivan would ever do this… because he's so stuck in his ways now.
But imagine those 4 as your top 4 pairings.
And then think about Ty Smith coming back.. oh my goodness. Thatd be an insane defensive corps.
However… it's Sullivan. He forgets what brought him to the cup in the first place… he's trying to find this stay at home D in Kulikov or Rutta. I think the game has changed since we won the cup.
Back then we did it, with pretty much only. Puck moving defenseman. None of them were big defenders or known for their stout defense.
I wish we would get back to implementing as much skill as possible on the back end. And get back to that nasty counter attack during the cup years… being able to regularly get the forwards the puck. Quickly and efficiently. It is certainly missed. Not to mention the speed we'd have on the back end with those guys.
Lastly, I've always been a guy who's preferred giving younger guy with less polish to his game a real shot… I think its too hard to pass up on their potential ceiling..
Nylander brings so much needed energy, I believe he should be a mainstay
Dk, I like the new third line, and if it doesn't gain traction, we can always swap in rust, and that should be a decent energy and scoring line. There are many options now.
Granland is a playmaker, teaming him up with Rakell and O'Connor is smart as he will be the set up guy for those 2.
Team Nepotism knows no bounds.
Thank you, DK!
As a lifelong fan, I’ve grown to dislike the way this organization functions. They place the most value on connect-the-dots hiring, stability over progression, being just “competitive”, and just hoping they don’t suck too much.
Aside from a couple of players, you don’t hear them speak of striving for a championship, not even winning the division.
This team is stagnant and is in need for a change, a progressive approach to football.
Unfortunately, Art knows the stadium seats are sold, fans await season tickets, Steelers are globally popular, and being just ok….is ok.
Stability over progression, the Steelers standard….the Steelers Way.
DK, maybe there's some truth in your speculation, but I'm more into your explanation that Rakell can drive the 3rd line way better then Rust. I can see why the overall line balance is better when Rust is grinding next to Sid and Rakell is the playmaker / sniper on the 3rd. But like you said, it's been only a couple of games yet.
I've been calling for Nylander with GENO since last year wen we couldn't find depth scoring. PUUSTINEN needs to be the next youngster to git a real shot his one game he looked good haven't seen him since. Sullivan made his name bring up all the youngsters and winning B2B cups,I'm not saying that they are JAKE and RUST but how do we know they aren't
I like the move. I don’t see it as a demotion. I think Sully is trying to create depth. And I’m glad he’s trying to do something. As much as I’d rather see Rust moved instead of Rakell, I do agree that Rust shows his poutines on the rink at times this season. I do believe it would be shown again if he was moved to the third instead of Raks.
There once was a time where I knew we could beat anybody anytime now well that has turned inti I hope.
Granlund can PK, good all around player, very versatile. much better than most of Rutherford's gems like Patrick Marleau, Jack Johnson (who they are still paying something like $2M for his contract buyout this year and about $1M next year), and so on. included trading Hornquist for Mike matheson. what a disaster JR was, so glad that bum is gone.