Who's on first? And, who's playing on what line?

Coach Therrien has always been known as a line jumbler. While he has proven to be very successful with our young players, he has also been a bit quick to jump the gun on a line change. While in class tonight, I was doing a bit of this chemistry searching myself.

While Malkin and Crosby have proven that they can compete with anyone in the game, what do we give up by combining their talent on our first line? It is very possible that the Penguins had the greatest wealth in terms of line depth last year. Our second line emerged as arguably the greatest line in the league last season (Malone, Malkin, Sykora). This year, after losing several players at the trade deadline and through free-agency, we are looking at possibly becoming a one-line-team.

In tonight's game, The Kid and Malks will be separated once again with a few different faces on their wings. In my notes was the notion that replacing Malone on Malkin's line with Matt Cooke could prove to be a wise move. I was happy to notice that when I got home, Malkin's line included Sykora and the energetic Cooke. I do not think that Cooke has the potential to put up Malone-like numbers, but he could very well save the same purpose on this sniper style line.

One thing that has worried me about the Penguins this year is the lack of a "Kevin Stevens" in front of the net. We need a grinder that is willing to win pucks in the corners and feed our shooters while providing a big target in front. I was hoping that Jordan Staal would fill this role, but I have yet to see him use his size to an advantage beyond reach. Hopefully, without Malone, Cooke or Staal will fill this role over the season.

With the Phoenix game underway, we will see how these new lines work. If Therrien and I are correct, Cooke will provide the body and the energy to restore Malkin's line to productivity heaven.

Let's Go Pens!

Matt@Penstation