Red Wings fans/anybody who has watched enough of them. What PWF would you run on your first line? Homer or..

Question

Homer or Franzen? Personally, I say keep Homer on the first line with Pav and Hank Z. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Plus, I have a feeling that Franzen-Hossa-Filppula is going to be a very dangerous line next year, very comparable to the first line, which is impressive.

Would you consider a different line 2? Maybe throw some dirty Dan Cleary on the 2nd line? Don't forget the boy is a grinder who has put up 20 goals in the last 2 seasons. He works hard and makes the job of his other line mates easier. Once again, I personally wouldn't put him on line 2, for the same reason you wouldn't put Hossa on line 1 instead of Homer. Dan Cleary has the ability to play Franzen and Homer's roles fairly well. The Newfie has been known to create havoc in front of the net himself, which is great for keeping a threatening 3rd line as well. Put him on a line with Jiri Hudler, and a big guy like Tomas Kopecky (what's going on with him?), and I think we have 3 full, dynamic scoring lines.

Answer 1

I see this ..... one of 2 things!

Zata/Pavs/ Holmer

Franzen/ Flip/ Hossa

Drapes/Malts/ Cleary (newest version of GRIND)

Kopecky/Sammy/ Hudler/ Helm/ McCarty/ Leino

OR

Pavs/ Flip/Holmer (they did well together part of last year)

Zata/ Hossa/ Franzen

Drapes/Malts/ Cleary

Kopecky/Sammy/ Hudler/ Helm/ McCarty/ Leino

Answer 2

i really can't disagree w/ anything you said. (not that i'm looking to ... lol).

i say keep homer on Line 1. although eventually when he gets old enough to move on, i think Franzen could adjust appropriately (who knows how long Hossa will be w/ us). (although this future Line 1 is really loaded ... thus making some wonder if Line 2 needs to be a little better balanced, all i would say is that if the wings get up by a goal, the other team is already in a downward spiral. it's like the other team falls right into the wings' strategy. the wings play puck control even more, then capitalize on mistakes. like a python tightening its grip. of course, every now and then, we buckle, or sit back too much, or Hasek would let in a soft goal. but alas, we won't have to worry about that last part any more. thanks for the years, Dom. good luck.)

the genius of Holland (and Babcock) is that Holland has given Babcock so many viable options w/o taking a serious hit in line chemistry. Also Babcock has done a tremendous job teaching (what other teams used to think of as mediocre) players to be great role players and versatile and dangerous on more than one line.

now, had you said the opposite (like putting Filppula w/ Datsyuk and Zetterberg, and homer w/ Franzen), i would've said something. but i pretty much agree w/ what you're saying. of course, it's just our opinions, and Babcock may switch it up mid year, but it's working great. besides, a slump comes along every now and then. but at the end of the day, that's just my opinion, Babcock will switch it anyway, which makes all of us "armchair quarterbacks".... (sorry, couldn't figure out an appropriate hockey reference).

it'll be interesting to hear what Nips says. he always seems to have the inside scoop (and time ... or he's REALLY good at finding the source quick ... hence, the "inside scoop") on rumors, news releases, players and coach's comments. sometimes i wonder if Nips is in the locker room behind closed doors.

Answer 3

I have not taken the time to read everything since their is so much so I may be repeating something someone else said, but I doubt Pav and Z will stay on the same line.  Babcock has been trying to split them up for a while but it just wasnt working very well.  Both are natural centers, and with the progress Franzen made at the end of the year, they might be able to get good production from both lines.  Heres what I see happening:

Hossa - Datsyuk - Holmstrom

Filppula - Zetterberg - Franzen.

The other 2 lines will probably get switched around a lot so theres no point on  trying to figure out what they will be.

Answer 4

I think they will mix it up a bit over the season, and if no major injuries occur this is what I see...

Beginning of season:

Datsyuk/Zetterberg/Holmstrom

Hossa/Filppula/Samuelsson

Hudler/Franzen/Cleary

Kopecky/Draper/Maltby

Eventually you might see:

Franzen/Zetterberg/Samuelsson

Hossa/Datsyuk/Holmstrom

Cleary/Filppula/Hudler

Kopecky/Draper/Maltby

I think we will see many combos throughout the year, also will probably see some face time from Helm or McCarty.

I do kind of hope they trade Lilja.  He is good to have for depth, but he could free up some cap space and make room for more time for Meech, Quincey, and Ericsson... that is if the decide to sign Quincey.  I think Ericsson will be a slight upgrade right away to Lilja.  He might not be as physical yet, but he is faster and definitely more skilled.  Also I think Meech would work very well in this system.

Also, as Scott D suggested, I definitely expect to see Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Hossa on the ice together quite often.

Answer 5

/cut+paste Nips answer

I would love to see much more of Ericsson this year, but I doubt that will happen barring injuries.  The best part about the Red Wings this year: Hossa is a second line player lol.

Imagine if the Wings chose to fore-go the usual big guy in front of net strat and went with 3 speed fowards on the first line.  Z-Datsyuk-Hossa would be fast and dangerous as h**l. Then again, why fix something that ain't broke, especially when moving a slot guy to the top line adds ridiculous depth to your team.

Answer 6

I think your setups are going to work fine. And then, the fourth line! That will be scary, too.