I'd switch Ehlers and Copp tho

But you haven't addressed your Byfuglien problem.

I kinda flirted with that idea, but the stats from the past couple years showed that Brian Little was his absolute best with Ehlers and Perreault.
The idea behind this lineup is trying to jumpstart the offense of a couple guys that have fallen off the tracks. (Laine with Scheifele, Lowry with Wheeler, Little, with Ehlers) Once you break up the Scheifele Wheeler partnership there is a lot more skill to spread around the lineup.

What problem? If Buff is retiring, then we cross that bridge when he decides. If Buff has a smaller amount of GP, and he comes back late, that is an ideal situation. The Jets problem last year was an over reliance on their stars, and fatigue down the stretch.

As of now there is 7.7M in cap space with him out of the lineup, leaving enough room for him to come back seamlessly. There's a potential problem, and contingencies are one thing, but chasing ghosts of problems is no way to do business.

"Chasing ghosts of problems?" Who's going on the ice at RD after the first shift in the first game? The only "ghost" at that moment will be Byfuglien; his absence is no ephemeral problem.

If Byfuglien isn't on the ice then Beaulieu is the 7th defenseman and he goes in. That part's not rocket science.

But if you're acting as if that's a problem, it's absolutely not. Having a high seed in playoff formats in North American sports is vastly overrated in every North American sport except for football. If Buff misses 5-20 games in October, the probability that he sustains injuries goes down and I get happier.

If Byfuglien's agent announces his retirement, then Chevy crosses that bridge when it happens.

There's no way we can call this the Jets optimal lineup with Lowry at 2C, their optimal lineup would have him at 4C where he should be.

Gonna have to disagree with that one. The reality of the Jets is that they don't have a bonafide 2C. This lineup essentially is a top line, two very good middle 6 lines, and a 4th line. 2nd and 3rd line is interchangeable, as is Copp and Lowry as Center and Left Wing. I just put Lowry/Copp/Wheeler because the "2nd line would be matching the other team's top line." Per 60 minutes of even strength I'd love to see this lineup have an 18/15/15/12 split.

What exactly did you have in mind?