Quoting: Wildwinswhen
Just because they're set doesn't mean that I don't have a different opinion
I don't think that Foligno's game will mesh well with Fiala. Foligno is not a tricky passer. He's a great corner grinder, but that's not what Fiala needs.
I would like to keep Boldy and Rossi together since they have gotten so familiar with each other in the AHL.
Also, is Brodin back tonight? If so, that helps so much.
Dewar Sturm Duhaime will be a nasty defensive line, so I like that alot.
But in Dean's plan, Boldy Gaudreau Pitlick looks like an "and all the rest" like that won't play much at all.
Your free to have your opinion on the lines, just as I'm free to disagree with you on them. Even though the lines I posted were put out there by Russo. So they're not exactly my personal preference either.
But two things.
1) Foligno is
exactly the type of player Fiala needs. He busts his ass, shift in shift out, forechecks hard and will dig out the pucks in the corner so both Rossi and Fiala don't have to and they can crash the net. More than that, he's defensively responsible and will take on the burden of that role on that line. For point of reference, this is the exact role Boldy would of had on that line irregardless. You're just substituting a powerforward prospect whose never played a game in the NHL for one who's a grizzled veteran. That's all. Foligno doesn't need to be a tricky passer, not on that line. That's what Rossi is there for. Moose isn't there for Fiala anyway, he's there to act as Rossi's guardian angel and protect our best prospect from being taken advantage of by opposing teams players. Neither Boldy or Fiala can do that.
It's simply the smarter move, instead of playing two rookies with no NHL experience on the same line. Which leads me to my second point.
2) Playing two rookies on the same line, no matter how talented they might be, is asking for trouble. They'll get eaten alive by opposing teams every time, especially when they don't have the benefit of last change and cannot be sheltered as much as if we were at home. Which we're not. We're on the road, in Boston. Against Bergeron, Pastrnak, Marchand, and Hall. You put that line together, your only veteran on that line is Fiala. Now, don't get me wrong, Fiala has come a long way in his defensive game, but he's still the last player you want those two paired up with.
You put a Boldy-Rossi-Fiala line out there, the Bruins will be thanking you every time. In time, once they've gained some NHL service time, that line could happen. But right now? It's safer to split them up.
McDavid, Connor
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