MRandall25 wrote:Jeffrey is not, and will probably never be, a 2nd liner.
Dupuis isn't a 1st liner, but he is on this team. With the salary cap and two star centers on this team, the wingers aren't going to be top-sixers.
I completely understand the argument of distributing the talent through-out the lineup in order to get better matchups. As an opposing coach, you have 3 d-pairs: top pair likely takes Crosby, 2nd pair - Malkin, 2nd/3rd pair - Sutter. Honestly, Bennet is probably the best fit for the Malkin-Neal line, but the third player doesn't need to add much to the line - Cooke has proven to also be effective in that role. As a coach, it would be hard to match up against Crosby-Kunitz, Malkin-Neal, Sutter-Bennet if all three lines can score. I'm not saying that it is ideal for the team, especially because Bennet still has plenty to prove with no playoff experience, but the argument is in no way a bad one.