I'm less concerned about the 1st line than the Monahan-Gallagher-Pearson line. That has to be the slowest line in the entire NHL.

I'd prefer they put Pezz in for Pearson to get some extra footspeed in that lineup

Let's be real, that 3rd line will all be injured soon enough ...

1st line : the first line....

2nd line : the youngsters line

3rd line : the expericenced line (and that's slow.......)

4th line : the energy line

Anderson on the first line is because of who they're playing in the first game of the season I got to think. RHP will be there eventually when the games are against the rest of the league.

Lol, very true.

I was hoping they would put Pearson on waivers and have him shake off the rust with Armia in Laval.

Anderson does like playing against Toronto.

It's gonna be a long couple of years for Montreal.

Are they trying to showcase Anderson?

Something you'd know a thing or two about, right?

That line should be called the "Celebrini line" lol
It helps us get that dude.

Obviously yes.

I don't mind these.

All 3 on the 1st have been learning and played together while our defense was young and doing the same. A little more experience all around could go a long way. It's not like we are only going to see one set of line combinations through the season. What works sticks, what doesn't gets tinkered.

2nd line are all looking for the best fit. Is Dach a C? Is Slafs ready for top 6? How does Newhook fit in Montreal?
Just one look for these 3 players and an opportunity to solidify their standing.

3rd line should be steady and savvy. They can take a more methodical and simple approach running the ball instead of gunning it.

4th might be better off with Pezz over Ylonen for a feisty and tough to handle unit, but isn't a traditional grinding line. Ylonen is probably the better defensive option (and could be part of a more defensive unit with Dvorak swapped in for RHP), but the other 3 seem to make good things happen and surprise with some offense when it isn't expected.

Overall it's a good mix, but this team is still a collection of moving parts that will take some time to put together correctly.