What to do with the Tweeners?
Posted 8:37 PM ET | Comments 3
It seems to me one of the major challenges the Flyers have will be determining what to do with certain players who are, at this point, "tweeners"...guys like Ryan Potulny, RJ Umberger, Dimitri Afanasenkov and Stefan Ruzicka. They aren't really muckers and grinders who should be on checking lines. They have scoring talent; but they may not be ready to take on the role of a top six forward. Therein lays the problem. What do you do with these guys? Do you try and plug them into top scoring lines and hope they can carry that role or do you end up putting them on a fourth line with limited minutes? Do you just roll four lines more equally with a mandate for each one to produce? Will trades have to be made to address this? Is it best to make some of these guys Phantoms? Which ones?
Let's look at some hypothetical lines next season and you'll get an idea of what I'm talking about.
Gagne UFA Knuble
UFA Carter Upshall
Sanderson Richards Kapanen
Eager/Afanasenkov/Ruzicka/Potulny/Umberger
Gagne UFA Knuble
Sanderson Carter Upshall
Umberger Richards Kapanen
Afanasenkov/Potulny/Ruzicka Downie?
Let's look at some hypothetical lines next season and you'll get an idea of what I'm talking about.
Gagne UFA Knuble
UFA Carter Upshall
Sanderson Richards Kapanen
Eager/Afanasenkov/Ruzicka/Potulny/Umberger
Gagne UFA Knuble
Sanderson Carter Upshall
Umberger Richards Kapanen
Afanasenkov/Potulny/Ruzicka Downie?
I agree with your assessment, exlund. I also feel we have the same problem on the blueline with Picard, Jones, Guenin, et all.
No question mark next to Downie. He makes the team.
I'd love nothing more than to have Downie earn a spot. This team needs his heart, his grit, his determination...let's hope his offseason work gets him NHL ready.