Matheson being the uumbrella lets him walk the line and create space for Suzuki and Caufield to work the side boards. Suzuki as the main puck handler is key as he has a knack for the cross crease pass to caufield and he has a deceptive shot from the top of the circle, it also also allows the play to manifest through Monahan and Matheson aswell which hopefully can keep caufield open more as last year the play ran through the D man up top which only had 2 outlets for passes and they almost always shadowed caufield more then the other side. RHP in the middle as the bumber is key imo but he can also be swapped around with Dach from PP2 but that likely means Monahan drops out of PP1 to win the faceoffs on PP2, either way they need dach or RHP in the middle cause they both can make quick one touch passes well while also being able to take effective snap shots when the chance arises, as long as Anderson and his stone hands stays away from the top unit i think it can be quite successful.
PP2 Running 2-1-2
2-1-2 is not an ideal PP formation but since MTL only has Caufield as a real trigger man I think this PP will be centered around playing 2 mid/low wingers on the side boards that can play the puck into dangerous areas while also posing somewhat of a threat to shoot the puck.
Ideally Slafkovsky would develop his shot more as he showed some promise of playing his off wing to have the one timer as an option but as for now he's not scoring from outside of the circle with his shot so he will be positioned as one of the mid/low board players who can cycle between below the goal line and being on the center of the Dot.
Ylonen, IMO the closest player we have to another trigger man. He showed his stuff in the AHL and he had a couple great looks in the NHL but its not fully there yet. He's a shifty player which is why I have him as the forward that will play along the blueline with Guhle, he should be able to move the puck efficiently while also keeping himself separated from the defender.
Guhle, Guhles job is simple, Keep the puck moving and if the opportunity presents itself take the shot. Guhles a big boy and he has some power behind his shot he just needs the opportunity to use the power, if he can become 70% of the threat weber was on the PP then this unit will be greatly improved
Newhook, Don't know to much about him but if KH is gonna pay what he did I can only assume he's gonna see PP time. I have him as the net front guy, he needs to keep his stick loose to present targets for the other 4 to try and hit for deflections and or passes into the middle of the ice.
Dach, Dach is essentially this units QB. He should have the most possession for any given PP they have as he is big, skilled, and shifty with the puck giving him multiple outlets for ways to work a scoring chance by playing on the half wall. He can drive the net, shoot from the dot or pull the defender in opening a passing lane to one of the other 4, either way you look at it this is Dachs unit and it will only be as good as he can make it.
Forward Lines without Slafkovsky (In AHL)
Monahan Suzuki Caufield
Newhook Dach Anderson
Ylonen Dvorak Gallagher
RHP Evans Pezzetta
Dvoraks only gone if MTL wants Slaf in the NHL, if not this team has a spot for Dvorak on the 3rd line but he's behind
Suzuki
Dach
Newhook
Monahan
Evans (Always 4th line)
So we already have 1 C playing the wing and I think itll be Monahan to help on offside draws with either Suzuki or Dach
"Very cheap" and "very reliable" are not words I would use to describe Dvorak. His contract absolutely makes him a negative asset. No one is paying for him, especially not CHI.
"Very cheap" and "very reliable" are not words I would use to describe Dvorak. His contract absolutely makes him a negative asset. No one is paying for him, especially not CHI.
Totally agree; $4.5m cap hit and $5.8m in actual $$ for a guy who has never topped 40 points in a season? You are not getting assets to move him unless you retain 50% and even then the number of suitors would be small. Chicago specifically would have to be enticed with additional assets to take on that contract.
You should stop trading to CHI. Their fans are under the impression Bedard makes them a competitor next season.
Actually it is the opposite, we know they are not which is why Hawk fans reject trade proposals which have them trading away draft capital for other teams bottom of the roster contract mistakes.
The general feeling from Hawks fans seems to be, if you want the Hawks to take on your bad deals, then be sure to INCLUDE fair draft capital, so that Davidson can continue to draft high level prospects which will compliment Bedard and the team can become more competitive in the near future.