At the beginning of the year, Keefe said he really enjoyed playing Hymen-Kefoot-Mikhayev together (I guess they played together in the playoffs a couple shifts) and he wanted them to be together at the beginning of the year as his shutdown line. He talked about how Thornton was brought in specifically to take Hymen's old spot on the first line.
This was rolled out as planned and it went well. Thornton and Hymen would take turns on the first LW and Hymen would double shift with that shut down line. Then Thornton broke his ribs and the plans kind of derailed. Hymen turned it on and it was almost undeniable that he had to play on that top line especially when Matthews' wrist was injured.
At the same time, the Vesey experiment was failing with him on the 2nd line. Kerfoot is pushed up there as a necessity and he plays well there as well, again making it undeniable at that point to move him back down. Now the shutdown line is Engvall, Mikhayev and a mix of guys on the LW spot including Hymen/Kerfoot.
Galchenyuk is picked up off waivers and now has established a spot on the 2nd line LW spot allowing Kerfoot to go back down. Thornton isn't as productive as we thought so now he's playing lower in the lineup and Hymen is a permanent fixture on the 1st line.
Finally the TRADE DEADLINE is coming up and Dubas has brought in Foligno and Riley Nash. Foligno is an extremely effective defensive foreward, Kerfoot is back on the third line and Mikhayev is still there. I think this could be as good of a shutdown line as the one Keefe wanted at the beginning of the year and this still allows Hymen to play on the 1st line.
McDavid, Connor
250 000 $)
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