Desharnais finds a way to be worse defensively than Bouchard.

I agree with the statement on the offence but Desharnais should never play lmao

Desharnais blocks and hits more per 60 than Bouchard.
Giving him a pillar on the left like Ekholm could improve his play significantly. Bouchard is a winger with a cannon of a shot.

I dont think Desharnais should still be played, Broberg has been better by a decent margin.
I'd run:

Nuge - McD - Hyman
Kane - Drai - Brown
Hollo - Cloud - Foegs
Janmark - Pede - Ryan

Nurse - Ceci
Broberg - Ekholm
Kulak - Bouch

Waive Erne, scratch Desh.

So... basically status quo for the bottom 6 + rewarding Brown for what exactly? Your lineup is literally the kind of thing I'm sick of seeing in EDM. They need their leaders to split up and LEAD!
I don't hate Ekholm play RD with Broberg but I still favor defense playing their strong side.

Change in Pede in bottom 6, also allow Hollo - Cloud - Foegs a chance to develop rather than switch them after 1 game.
Nuge - McD - Hyman was one of the top lines last year, made no sense we separated that line so put it back together.

Depends what you mean by "leaders"?

I've made it very clear what I mean. Individual accolades aren't impressing anyone anymore. This team is a train wreck!
Nuge-McDavid-Hyman are great in the regular season... regular season!
Foegele has been one of the more impressive players which is why I'd slot him higher to see what he's got. As I've already stated, I want solid duos in the top 9. That being McDavid/Hyman, Kane/Draisaitl, RNH/Brown(assuming Brown can be responsible enough to be a full-time top 9 player). The wings on each line should be filled by the most deserving of remaining players.
McLeod hasn't lived up to the 3C hype, why keep sending him out there? Holloway & McLeod hasn't worked.
The team needs LEADERS... if I have to explain wtf that means than you're clueless!

COL beat EDM with depth. VGK beat EDM with depth. EDM still lacks depth!

Leaders can mean a lot so I was more so precluding to what you were referring to regarding that.
I'm assuming you mean people who can drive play, on our team essential Drai and McD, though I think you're tossing Nuge in there too.

So your solution is to rocket up someone who got cut to the second line as a solution to work with Drai.
Reward Nuge by giving him less 5on5 time with weaker linemates.
Give Desh more ice time, likely defending better and faster opponents.

Our depth isnt fixed by weakening our top lines, this doesnt create more strength down the line up it just gives our good players less ice time.
I agree Bouch should be moved down in 5 on 5 play and that we need a bit of a mix up in our forward group, dont think that starts with moving Nuge down from top 6.

Edit: Meant to add we dont fix our depth without adding stronger players, i.e. trading for them.
We have been extremely unlucky for the start of this season, Woodcroft needs to set lines and keep them for more than half a game so people can learn to play together.

Playing 3 lines instead of 2 and having a 4th line that can handle the necessary shifts to rest the top 9 is what championship caliber teams do! Nuge would still get his PP time and enough time, especially against easier competition, to contribute to 5v5 scoring(something he hasn't been doing very well so far this season in the top 6. He's -4 in EV goal diff in the top 6).

I've already explained that duos is what is important. Finding each duos complimentary wingers is interchangeable. As I've already said... "You play well you move up the lineup, you don't then down ya go." "The wings on each line should be filled by the most deserving of remaining players".

You must be having a very hard time reading because AS I"VE ALREADY SAID "Desharnais blocks and hits more per 60 than Bouchard.
Giving him a pillar on the left like Ekholm could improve his play significantly. Bouchard is a winger with a cannon of a shot." & "I still think changes need to come at the deadline(D & G aren't good enough)"

Depth is created by spreading the wealth through your TOP 9 instead of just your top 6... It gives prospects an opportunity to play with better teammates and help them reach their potential instead of just stroking egos and chasing scoring titles while losing in the playoffs to teams that SPREAD THE WEALTH THROUGH THEIR TOP 9 INSTEAD OF JUST THEIR TOP 6! Have a look back at 2016 & 2017 Penguins. Guentzel, Rust & Sheary weren't buried, they were taken under the wings of LEADERS & played 3rd to DUOS!

The "leaders" on this team haven't done what championship leaders do! They need to elevate their teammates instead of falling back into the same comfortable BS every year. 97/29 inevitably back together in the playoffs when they meet a team with depth! It's far easier to shut down 2 lines than 3 or 4!

Dont have a hard time reading, I've said that Desh shouldnt even be in the lineup, he has been our worst player so promoting him makes no sense.
"Pillar on the left like Ekholm" can be applied to all of our defense, why promote the worst one? (goes against your logic of "play well ... move up ... dont ... down ya go").

Were not exactly "chasing scoring titles" we just have very top end talent, McD and Drai will always be in the ross race and thus bring others with them as they supplementary points.

Moving Nuge down (who is a winger when McD is healthy) doesnt create more scoring depth it just separates him from the players he compliments with his play style.
Maybe putting him back with McD and Hyman would be smart being as they had the best xG/60 (top 10 last year) we've had outside a Mcd/Drai line.

Give Hollo - Mcleod - Foegs more time than half a game together, we gave them no chance to develop any chemistry and could easily be a great 3rd line.
They all compliment each others play style (fast, energetic, possessive, puck hounds).

All together I dont disagree with your line up (besides moving Desh up and putting Lavoie to line 2), just pointing out some alternatives as well.