- Penner Gagner Eberle (Scoring line #1A)
- Strength - A line with excellant puck control meaning once they have it, it'll be tough to take it away from them. All three are excellant in tight quarters and all are heady players. Excellant vision and balance on this line.
- Weakness - A line short on speed. A line that is also 2/3rds just plain short. Could face issues of puck retrieval, therefore unsure if chip and chase is an option with this line.
- Brule Cogliano Hemsky (Scoring line #1B)
- Strength - A line blessed with tons of speed. Could be a good change of pace with clydesdale type 1A line. Have a shooter (Brule) and a playmaker (Hemsky) working for it. Its a line that is dangerous on the rush and make plays at the highest of speeds.
- Weakness - Could be a liability defensively, especially with Cogliano not embracing a two way role as of yet. Not a lot of size which could make winning one on one battles tough for this line. Possession might as also be an issues with Cogliano yet to grasp faceoffs and the size of the whole line in general.
- Paajarvi Horcoff Jones (Checking/Two-way line)
- Strength - Has a good blend of size and speed. Paajarvi is the transporter, Horcoff the shooter, and Jones the net crasher, everything you want in a line. All have above average defensive awareness. Could be an excellant line that feast on turnovers.
- Weakness - Paajarvi and Jones are pretty green when it comes to the shutdown game. If Paajarvi doesn't have the puck, the puck is going to have a hard time moving forward on this line. I could see a lot of dump and chase on this line, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
- Hall Fraser Stortini (Energy line)
- Strength - A line that will be long on try and will do everything in their power to keep the puck moving forward. Therefore will be a tough line to play against. Pretty much the description of an energy line.
- Weakness - Taylor Hall is a freedom fighter on this line offensively. He is the playmaker and shooter in the same breath. Hall could skate laps around Stortini and Fraser on this line, not exactly a dynamic line. I wonder if JF Jacques would be a better fit on the RW on this line.
- Whitney Gilbert (D Pairing #1)
- Strength - A solid #1 Pairing. Big enough to handle the bigs and fast enough to handle the quicks. Have shown they can handle the best lines in the west. Have a good blend of offensive and defensive abilities. Excellant puck moving abilities. A 25 minute a night D pairing.
- Weakness - The only thing in question is physical play and will it become a detriment.
- Souray Foster (D Pairing #2)
- Strength - Both bring cannons from the point. Could bring some additional much needed goal scoring to the team. Both will stand there ground and between the both of them will bring size and toughness.
- Weakness - A lack of hockey IQ could expose these two. Not always willing to pay the price in terms of blocking shots. A risk/reward type D pairing. Could be a pairing that could be +20, but they could also be -20, depending on how matchups and injuries shakedown.
- Smid Vandermeer (D Pairing #3)
- Strength - Long on battle and willingness to intimidate. Both skate well enough that they won't get burnt by speed.
- Weakness - Short on offensive ability, very short. Lack of hockey IQ, Smid due to greenness and Vandermeer just because thats how he's programmed. This pairing could be goaded into penalties.
PP1
Hemsky Jones Hall
Foster Souray
PP2
Gagner Eberle Penner
Gilbert Whitney
PK1
Paajarvi Horcoff
Whitney Gilbert
PK2
Cogliano Fraser
Smid Vandermeer
