Training camp is well underway now, and this morning brought us our first look at a bit of game-type action, with some scrimmage work ahead of Sunday’s preseason opener. And while we know that it’s far too early to be drawing any real broad and sweeping conclusions based on the work and configurations done in these on-ice sessions, we can still use them as a bit of a hint as to where the minds of the coaching staff are at, as we stand.
Which is, of course, all to say that we’re here to overly read into some line combinations (we really are back, baby!)
In the first group, there’s not too much that’s surprising — the third line is more or less the established fourth line from last season, already back on action, and we see some similar continuity with those top-two defense pairs. Notable though is that Tyson Foerster is being given a really good opportunity to get top minutes with Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny, as well as the fact that Elliot Desnoyers is being given a look with an NHL regular in Scott Laughton and almost-regular in Bobby Brink.
The second group here is a bit more eye-catching. That top line seeing Matvei Michkov with Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost is very interesting and has the potential to be really fun and dynamic (and it’s also something we spoke on in yesterday’s BSH Podcast), and while we like the fun potential of that second line, it also feels notable that Noah Cates is starting camp playing on the wing. And then on the back end, the most interesting piece is Emil Andrae slotting in beside Erik Johnson, as, while Johnson is expected to be the seventh defenseman to start the season, Daniel Briere did note pretty strongly in his Tuesday media availability that the team would be comfortable carrying eight defensemen into the start of the season, so that could be something. We’ll see.
Also notable is the group of players who are remaining on something of the outside looking in — that third line of Olle Lycksell, Rudolph Abols, and Oskar Eklind from the second group is comprised of players who were each called out by name in Briere’s availability as ones who he saw as having a shot at earning a roster spot, but the fact that they’re self-contained rather than with any NHL regulars feels noteworthy. The same can be said of Adam Ginning and Oliver Bonk being paired together, as well as Ronnie Attard being paired with Carter Sotheran in the first group. These players, it would seem, have the most ground to make up to get well and truly back in the mix for a roster spot.
Now, once again, it’s important to remember that this is just a starting point — players will gain and lose momentum and standing as camp progresses, and we’ll see that reflected in the lines as we continue onward here. But, if nothing else, the baseline seems to have been set, and we’ll revisit all of this as a reference point after the first game.
