Josefson/Kovy combo could be lethal for Devils

by NJallDay on Sep 19, 2011 12:28 PM EDT

Yes the season hasn't started and yes, neither has the preseason. But scrimmages have begun and we were finally able to catch our first glimpse of potential line pairings for next season. After our extremely painful, roller coaster ride of a season last year, many of us spent the summer playing computer chair GM. Many arguments were had over each of our proposed line combos and everyone thought they knew what would work out best.

Even though it is just the beginning of preseason, I am very optimistic about the lines coach DeBoer has utilized so far and will explain my reasoning after the jump.

When I think about the combination of Ilya Kovalchuk and Jacob Josefson one thing sticks out in my mind more than any other: it is possible that these two players could spend the next 10 years on the same team. Last season Josefson joined Mattias Tedenby in making their NHL debuts as the Swedish duo shined a small light on a dark season with their dazzling skills and potential. If Josefson continued to excel and show the type of scoring prominence he displayed in the Swedish Elite League, there is no reason to expect he won't be a regular NHL player for many years to come.

Kovalchuk of course needs no explanation. His 60 points last year were the lowest of his career since 2001-2002 when he put up 29 goals and 22 assists for 51 points in only 65 games played as a rookie. Every Devil fan is aware of how long our relationship is scheduled to last with Kovy, and I don't believe many are looking at his struggles from last year (considering the entire team's struggles) as a reason to be pessimistic.

By combining Josefson with Kovalchuk, we can immediately begin to assess the potential lethality of this duo. It is not far fetched at all to assume both will be Devils for a long time, so why not see if they can begin to demonstrate chemistry and effectiveness now? If Josefson can grow up in the NHL while learning and playing consistently along Kovalchuk, Devils fans will have a ton of fun watching them as they get even better and more comfortable together as time goes on.

As much as I can hope for Kovy/Jo to become one of the most dominant pairings in the league, it is of course all wishful thinking with no results to show from it so far.

With that in mind, I want to also explain my other reasoning behind why DeBoer's lines make most sense.

Zach Parise is on a one year deal (and should be named Captain and resigned immediately) and Patrik Elias is aging. Furthermore both have played well together in seasons past. Because of the doomsday situation in which Parise is on another team next year, and since Zajac is injured, it doesn't make sense to pair Parise with Josefson before first trying Kovalchuk with Josefson. Allow Kovy and Jo to work together on building chemistry and a relationship that could prove prosperous for years to come. Meanwhile, Parise and Elias can rebuild on their past sequestered successes and match up with another winger to combine for a second line which is far from something to scoff at.

Finding a right wing for these lines will be interesting. Thus far DeBoer has promoted David Clarkson to play alongside Kovy/Jo and it is yet to be determined whether this is wishful thinking or Clarkson's former coach expecting to be loyal and turn him around. Personally I am hoping Clarkson embraces a Alex Burrows type role as the gritty player still able to play hockey (and as we know wrap-around) while also discouraging liberties from being taken on his linemates through his physical presence.

The right wing for Parise and Elias is hard because I still like Dainius Zubrus and feel he is absolutely amazing along the boards and would be able to cycle and make responsible decisions with the puck while allowing Parise and Elias to utilize their speed and get open in the offensive zone. However Zubrus is a center on a team with an injured center I also have high hopes for Mattias Tedenby and don't want to see him on the third line. Even though Tedenby is a LW I would like to see him move to RW and attempt to find success alongside Parise and Elias. For me, just imagining a line of Parise/Elias/Tedenby that was comfortable with each other puts a massive smile on my face. The only unfortunate thing is that this is a small group of players and could very well be susceptible to being pushed around.

Overall, I can't stress this enough but I don't want to get flamed too hard for it: I know it is still early but after last years disappointment I am ridiculously excited for this season and these are just my opinions (more like hopes) so far. I will be there on Friday to cheer against our hated rivals and I truly do hope that with the help of the Devils Generals and Supporters Section that we are able to transform the Rock into an awesome atmosphere to watch Devils hockey in.

Best case scenario, the Kovy/Jo experiment exceeds all expectations and Parise will be resigned, allowing him and Zajac to be reunited together for years to come.

Please let me know what you think, and as always.. GO DEVILS

All FanPosts and FanShots are the respective work of the author and not representative of the writers or other users of In Lou We Trust.

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Comments

coulda, woulda , shoulda

Theres no reason to argue that Jo won’t be that great center combo for Kovy but I haven’t seen anywhere where this kid has shown any real dynamic for torching the scoresheet. He seems to be a kid with a nice skillset and good 2-way game. I hope his offensive game takes off and develops but I’m not expecting him to be the answer this year. Until TZ is back I’m hoping Zubes gets 1st crack @ centering Kovy because I really like the thought of Elias and ZP together and hope DeBoer gives that a real chance of developing.

My top 2 line combos are: ZP-Elias-Teddy
Kovy- Zubes-Clarkson/Palms?

Let JJ start off as 3rd line center and grow into a top six forward. chances are he’ll get plenty of chances this year w/o putting any pressure on him right away.

by 68devils on Sep 19, 2011 1:27 PM EDT reply actions

If, and it’s a big IF, based on the one scrimmage so far, Sykora manages to play his way to a spot, he’s been centering Zubs and Veillleux, however I think Veillleux is quite the expendible cog in that spot. Fortunately, there’s a LWer that could be a good fit there. Gotta think a Kovy-Sykora-Zubrus line would work its way out nicely.

The question is not how far. The question is, do you possess the constitution, the depth of faith, to go as far as is needed? - Il Duce

by Murdoc on Sep 19, 2011 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions

but I haven’t seen anywhere where this kid has shown any real dynamic for torching the scoresheet.

Ditto for Zubrus.

I don’t see your reasoning. Not that this statement is false and I agree with it.

There are a lot of ifs but Josefson and Kovy should be given a reasonable amount of time
to play with one another to see if things click.

by NJDOhio on Sep 19, 2011 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Josefson and Kovy should be given a reasonable amount of time to play with one another to see if things click.

Bingo, & that got even more obvious since we know that Zajac’s injured for a relative long period.

"It's magic, it's tragic, it's a loss, it's a win"

by Elektrostal_Kid on Sep 19, 2011 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t know – Zubrus centering Elias and Gionta back a few years and still being unproductive didn’t hinder either of them when it came to production. I think more time is necessary.

Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog

by John Fischer on Sep 19, 2011 10:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Kovy- Zubes-Clarkson

Might as well have Kovy with Steckel and Boulton.

Hell on Ice/In Lou We Trust/Twitter
That's it. I'm sending you to El Paso to live with your real parents.

by Kevin Sellathamby on Sep 19, 2011 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t think anyone else on this site assesses Clarkson’s ability and effort as negatively as we do. I will never understand this. Regardless…

To put Clarkson on a line with Kovalchuk and Josefson is pure insanity. Clarkson played on the fourth line last season as it became clear that neither his effort nor his skill (not to mention discipline!) were going to get any better as time continued to pass. We’re really going to put a fourth liner on a line with two highly skilled players, one of whom is coming off his worst season since his rookie year, and the other essentially a highly skilled rookie who needs to learn and play with excellent linemates? To me, this says two things: (1) DeBoer is being awfully nice to Clarkson simply because he knows him, and (2) if such preferential treatment continues, someone like Tedenby will be pushed to the side. Tedenby not only deserves to be playing on a higher line than Clarkson’s, but he also needs to play with strong and skilled players to continue the trend of massive improvement that he showed in the second half of last season. We know that Tedenby can play on the right wing, so the argument that he doesn’t fit on a line with Kovalchuk (or any other LW) is simply wrong.

Of course, there is always the possibility that Clarkson has somehow morphed into an amazing player over the summer, but I think my speculation above is far more likely to be the case. I will be really pissed if he ends up playing on the second line, not only because he doesn’t deserve to until he shows an incredible improvement over last year, but also because it might mean pushing a more deserving player with ridiculous potential to the side.

by Dr. Witticism on Sep 19, 2011 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions

To put Clarkson on a line with Kovalchuk and Josefson is pure insanity. Clarkson played on the fourth line last season as it became clear that neither his effort nor his skill (not to mention discipline!) were going to get any better as time continued to pass. We’re really going to put a fourth liner on a line with two highly skilled players, one of whom is coming off his worst season since his rookie year, and the other essentially a highly skilled rookie who needs to learn and play with excellent linemates? To me, this says two things: (1) DeBoer is being awfully nice to Clarkson simply because he knows him, and (2) if such preferential treatment continues, someone like Tedenby will be pushed to the side. Tedenby not only deserves to be playing on a higher line than Clarkson’s, but he also needs to play with strong and skilled players to continue the trend of massive improvement that he showed in the second half of last season.

i’m one of clarkson’s biggest detractors around here, but i like the idea of kovalchuk and josefson with clarkson more than i do with zubrus, tedenby, palmieri, or bernier, because of the system that deboer wants to install. it’s a forechecking system. anyone who’s watched kovalchuk knows that he can’t forecheck worth a damn unless it’s a big game. whether he can’t do it or won’t do it is up for debate. but kovalchuk does put the fear of god into defensemen because if he does get the puck, bad things can happen. clarkson is a decent forechecker, better than palmieri, and while i don’t trust his ability to find kovalchuk when he does get the puck, i’m willing to make that tradeoff in order to have that line be effective at all.

meanwhile, i don’t know if you noticed, but tedenby didn’t exactly end the season on a scoring hot streak. the difference between the 2nd line and 3rd line is negligible, even more so when you consider the devils’ history. tedenby will still be getting 12-15 minutes a game or so of ice time.

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by Triumph44 on Sep 19, 2011 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions

because of the system that deboer wants to install. it’s a forechecking system. anyone who’s watched kovalchuk knows that he can’t forecheck worth a damn unless it’s a big game.

Well, that’s a good news because If Deboer installs “officially” a forechecking system, Kovy will have no choice but to be a piece of this one… There’s no alternative for Kovy there

"It's magic, it's tragic, it's a loss, it's a win"

by Elektrostal_Kid on Sep 19, 2011 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions

the difference between the 2nd line and 3rd line is negligible

Tedenby is likely to be shifted from L to R and up and down from the 1st to the 3rd line once every few weeks this season, but there’s definitely a difference between playing with Kovalchuk or Parise and not.

As far as Clarkson goes…you’ll get no argument from me about his severe deficiencies. He’s best suited to being a fourth-liner that can pop in some goals for you whether or not his linemates suck, but he just doesn’t play well with others.

Food for thought: the most tenacious forechecker on the team who can also get the puck to his more skilled linemates is actually Vladimir Zharkov. I 100% believe he has the ability to carry out those functions very well. Throw in a strong track record of reducing Corsi events against and he helps out Josefson and covers up for Kovy very well. What he needs, though, is a nose for the net, for getting to rebounds and finishing them.

by dr(d)evil on Sep 20, 2011 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions

clarkson’s not a 4th line player. c’mon. his shot rate isn’t at all consistent with that. his goal scoring rate isn’t at all consistent with that.

zharkov has no finish and no business being a top 6 player. plus he’s a lefty shot. he’s perfectly suited to dominating in a bottom 6 role.

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by Triumph44 on Sep 20, 2011 7:43 AM EDT up reply actions

We’d need a “With or without you” analysis to really determine this, but I believe that Clarkson is a detriment to skilled linemates. At the very least, he has a negative Corsi relative to quality of teammates, and he finished 10th out of 14 forwards with 20GP last season – only Pelley, Mair, Steckel, and Sestito were worse. He also finished 10th/14 in Corsi relative to quality of competition. His QualComp was 11th/14 but his QualTeam was 6th best. He’s been given time with good linemates against weak competition and still failed to perform.

My point is that while Clarkson can generate shots quite well on his own – and to his credit his shots/gm has gone up every season and his shooting percentage is a decent 8+%, he doesn’t help his linemates get more shots. He’s not a good passer, he has little creativity, and he probably has the worst vision of any player on the team. He could carry a fourth line very well with his solo act, but even on a third line I think he’d be a detrimental presence.

As for Zharkov – yes, he has no finish. Which is why my first choice is for Zubrus play with Josefson and Kovalchuk. I think Zharkov is a slightly stronger forechecker, but Zubrus has better offensive instincts and a much better presence around the net. But I think Zharkov is better in a third line role than Clarkson, personally. He probably could be-and maybe should be-switched to LW since he’s a lefty, but I don’t recall him playing the left side at any point in the last two seasons.

by dr(d)evil on Sep 20, 2011 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions

At the very least, he has a negative Corsi relative to quality of teammates, and he finished 10th out of 14 forwards with 20GP last season – only Pelley, Mair, Steckel, and Sestito were worse.

those were his linemates, though. i’ve signed up for dobberhockey to get the numbers here, but clarkson played a ton with those guys. i do know that in 09-10, his most common linemate was the horrendous rob niedermayer. other common linemates included brian rolston and dainius zubrus.

qualcomp and qualteam are virtually meaningless.

“but even on a third line I think he’d be a detrimental presence.”

there’s no way to prove that. and again, he has a ton of goals for a player who has his role. i agree that he has to look out less for his own shot, and in a few games we might realize that clarkson is not cut out to play with good players at all.

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by Triumph44 on Sep 20, 2011 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions

But please recall that he didn’t begin the season with those linemates. He only ended up with them because he was absolutely awful, and continued to be awful as the rest of the team started to play amazing hockey. It was his own fault.

by Dr. Witticism on Sep 20, 2011 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

it was partly his own fault, sure. but his linemates shot about 2% with him on the ice. that’s not going to help get him off the 4th line. and please don’t attribute that to him, because his linemates shot around 11% with him on the ice the previous 2 years.

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by Triumph44 on Sep 20, 2011 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions

I understand what you’re saying. Sure, once anyone is demoted to the fourth line it’s harder to get back to the third because he’s invariably playing with lesser players. But you’re saying that, yes, his play warranted him being demoted to the fourth, and that he simply didn’t have a great chance to get off that line.

His play warranting him being demoted to fourth = fact (on which we both agree).
Playing with lesser players makes it more difficult to elevate your game = fact (on which we both agree).
The idea that Clarkson would have been able to improve his play enough to get back to the third line if he was with better players = speculation (on which we don’t agree).

So, we know he got demoted because his play warranted it. We don’t know that he would have been able to improve enough to get back up if he had better linemates. I personally will base my opinions on the fact, not the speculation. And plus, it’s not like his play on the fourth line made anyone say, “wow, he doesn’t belong there. He’s playing so much better than the other two guys.”

by Dr. Witticism on Sep 20, 2011 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t think how many goals his linemates pot has anything to do with the decision a coach makes to upgrade a player to a higher line. There’s always turnover in the lines and opportunity throughout the season for a 4th line player to play a 3rd line role for a spell. The 3rd liners may need a little extra motivation, or the 4th line player may force the coach’s hand with good play. Especially with Jacques Lemaire, the decision to change lines has less to do with the number of goals being scored and more to do with how he feels the team is playing. I believe Lemaire’s brain processes a rough Corsi estimate for every player every game, and though he may never look at the numbers, he’ll know in his gut where a player’s puck possession ability is at.

Clarkson did nothing all season to warrant a promotion, whether his linemates shot 2% or 50% with him on the ice. In fact, if his linemates sucked more than he did, he’d have an even better chance of being promoted to the third line because there wouldn’t be any better options.

by dr(d)evil on Sep 20, 2011 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions

you guys keep talking like clarkson never got off the 4th line, but he most certainly did, he played a bunch of games with tedenby and josefson. dobberhockey is gonna cost me $10 to sign up for, so i can’t confirm that, but i assure you that that happened.

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by Triumph44 on Sep 21, 2011 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions

http://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/201103120NJD.html

http://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/201103200CBJ.html

two games where clarkson, tedenby, and josefson were in on goals together

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by Triumph44 on Sep 21, 2011 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions

And to say that his other common linemates were Rolston and Zubrus doesn’t, in my opinion, bolster your argument about him. Zubrus and Rolston proved later that they could actually be part of the top shutdown line.

by Dr. Witticism on Sep 20, 2011 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions

right, but that was with elias, not r. niedermayer. which is a lot like replacing zach parise with mike hoeffel.

Driving Play - The Blog with Three First Lines

by Triumph44 on Sep 20, 2011 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions

But Zubrus has always been a good defensive player, and Rolston was simply returning to form because, while he hadn’t been great on the defensive side recently, he had been in the past. It’s kind of crazy to say that putting Elias on a line will almost automatically make it excellent defensively, provided only that his linemates are at least mediocre players. And it’s not like they just became a good defensive line; they became an incredible defensive line with the ability to take on any opposition’s top line. That kind of ability can’t be the work of one man; it can’t even be the work of three men, one of whom is miles ahead of the other two defensively. To be as good as they were takes all three players playing excellent defense. So it’s not like the improvement was small enough that you can simply attribute it to Elias.

by Dr. Witticism on Sep 20, 2011 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Zubrus and Rolston were both playing LW on a Clarkson line (mostly). That still leaves the horrendous R. Niedermayer in the center most of the time. And R. Niedermayer was atrocious.

It’s not crazy to say that putting Elias on a line will make it excellent defensively because Elias is an outstanding player. And yes, Rolston and Zubrus had a part in that. But the difference is that Elias’s numbers don’t really change – no matter who he was playing with last season, he put up great numbers. Rolston and Zubrus can’t really say that.

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by Triumph44 on Sep 20, 2011 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Elias has been the second best defensive forward since the lockout according to gvt. He is most certainly capable of raising the defensive play of his linemates to a large extent.

by dkball7 on Sep 21, 2011 4:20 PM EDT up reply actions

You’re exactly right. If you look at literally every single stat from last season, Clarkson was just terrible. And his stats don’t lend themselves to the “but everybody was terrible last year” argument, since his stats were not only objective lows but team lows as well.

Last season, Clarkson clearly demonstrated to the world that he should be on the fourth line until he proves otherwise. Even when the team started to play amazing hockey, he continued to be terrible (not to mention severely lacking in effort).

On the subject of Zharkov: he may never be a goal scorer, but I wholeheartedly believe that he can be a goal generator. What I mean is that he might be able to become that type of player who is an excellent forechecker and has some playmaking skills, thus allowing his linemated to produce. Moreover, you couldn’t be more right about his defensive abilities. Zharkov is like a defense-almost-only Zach Parise in that he forechecks and backchecks his hardest, is great in his own end, and gives 110% (I know, I know, hockey cliche) every single second. With Kovy and another defense-deficient linemate, he can more than compensate for the lack of defensive play. The kid has far more to offer than many people realize, mostly because people focus on his lack of goal scoring ability.

by Dr. Witticism on Sep 20, 2011 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions

P.S.

I don’t want to turn this into an argument on Zharkov. The main subject is still Clarkson here, and I just wanted to express an opinion about him. I’m not actually arguing that he should have a top six role — at least not this year. I do think he should have a more prominent role than he has in the past. I just wanted to defend the kid, but I don’t want to turn this into a discussion that’s solely about him because the subject of our discussion is really Clarkson.

So, sorry if that seemed like a digression.

by Dr. Witticism on Sep 20, 2011 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Too, Zubrus is well known as Mr “stone hands”… He’s quite able to miss some empty nets as well.
In fact, Zubie & Zharky both have good offensive instinct, they often make the right choice with or without the puck.
The real problem with them is just they miss their scoring chances…Big time. But I know Zubrus is not as bad as Zharky to do that.

Ok, Ok I’m a Zharky fan, I know it for heaven’s sake !

"It's magic, it's tragic, it's a loss, it's a win"

by Elektrostal_Kid on Sep 20, 2011 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Don’t worry, I’m a Zharky fan too, and I’m not afraid to admit it :)

I think what happened last year says a lot: Maclame didn’t give him a chance, but once Lemaire stepped in he saw Zharkov and kept him on the big club. Just one more instance of Lemaire seeing something that Maclame didn’t.

by Dr. Witticism on Sep 20, 2011 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Well I finally had the time to read your post about Vlad, just above.
Man, I understand why you like him..
Just saying, I remember one of his first games when Lemaire called Zharky up, I think it was at Philadelphia. We lost that game but for once, we gave to a cup contender team some hard times….& The kid was intense, everywhere on the ice & forechecking like a beast. Since then I personally believe that he belongs in the NHL with the Devils (or any defensive minded team).

"It's magic, it's tragic, it's a loss, it's a win"

by Elektrostal_Kid on Sep 20, 2011 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Relax , champ I think TZ is going to be back sometime this season and to compare Zubes and Clarkie with Steckel and Boulton is kind of unfair to both. Believe it or not there is a lot more responsibility defensively and physical play required by a center than a wing position. JJ might get his shot but I think he’ll get eaten alive if having to play big minutes vs top competition in his sophmore year.

by 68devils on Sep 19, 2011 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions

All of you suggest Clarkson shouldn’t be on a top role, but I feel Deboer will get the best out of Clarky, and he will produce.

by Marty's Better #30 on Sep 19, 2011 3:53 PM EDT reply actions

Parise-Elias-Zubs
Kovy-Josefson-Tedenby

by Devils1192 on Sep 19, 2011 5:15 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs

my vote goes to these combos, if it’s worth anything…

Marc R.

by devilssan2 on Sep 19, 2011 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Hear, hear.

What you fail to understand in your joyless myopia is that baseball is the key to life-- the Rosetta Stone, if you will. If you just understood baseball better all your other questions your, your... the, uh... the aliens, the conspiracies they would all, in their way be answered by the baseball gods.

by winchester5 on Sep 20, 2011 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions

let the rooks get a crack at conjuring up some points with a superstar… kovy/josefson/tedenby could be our first/second line for a loooong time

Marc R.

by devilssan2 on Sep 19, 2011 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions

That first line would be very good against tough competition and incredible on possession.

I’m not sure I can trust that second line in their own end, though. Unless all three get better at it, I suspect that second line would be very bad against tough competition. That would be a problem on the road where the Devils don’t get the last change, and/or they play against teams with more than one effective forward line.

Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog

by John Fischer on Sep 19, 2011 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed, Kovy-Josefson-Tedenby would be easy to exploit. I would swap the RWs. Tedenby would fit well in the cycling game Parise and Elias are both adept at, and with Parise’s nose for the net Zubrus really doesn’t bring much extra to the Parise-Elias pair. I don’t think Parise and Elias’ Corsi would suffer from Tedenby’s presence. The bigger benefit is that Zubrus would bring a lot of defensive responsibility and front-of-the-net presence to the Kovy-Josefson combo.

by dr(d)evil on Sep 20, 2011 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Parise-Elias-Tedenby
Kovalchuk-Josefson-Zubrus
Henrique-Steckel-Clarkson
Boulton-Pelley-Zharkov/Palmieri

This is the lineup Id like to see to start the season. This way, Josefson is protected with Zubrus (taking draws if necessary, playing Center on occasion) and Henrique can share Center duties, giving him protected time with Steckel and bringing him up slowly.
Until Zajac comes back!

by Skuba7 on Sep 20, 2011 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions

I like these simply because Kovy, Tedenby and Josefson would get absolutely abused physically. It looks nice because the two young’ins have some potential to be sick scorers, but to put them all together is asking for a bigger opposing line to have their way with them. Gotta keep Zubrus separate from Parise, they are both physical workhorses and don’t need to be on the same line

"On a scale of 1-10, I'd have to say 60 to 65 percent"
-NBA Union rep Billy Hunter

by Jersey_Puck on Sep 20, 2011 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Yep, this

I like the Parise-Elias and Kovy-Josefson pairings, particularly with Zajac down. But I’d much prefer Zubrus and Palmieri on RW on the top 2 lines than Zubrus and Clarkson.

by sjohnson125 on Sep 20, 2011 7:08 AM EDT up reply actions

personally i would love to see this….
Parise-Elias-Palmieri- Palmieri only because he is a big body presence in front of the net and with the amount of shots that would be taken by parise and elias it’s a huge plus
Kovalchuk-Josefson-Teddenby- ton of skill and potential, if palmieri doesn’t work on this line i would switch him and teddy because kovalchuk worked well last season

by 9zparise on Sep 19, 2011 6:05 PM EDT reply actions