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Ryder on the Third line


JMMR

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Practice lines today had Kostopoulos with Koivu and Higgins on the first line.

Per CKAC>

:huh:

yay, I guess, that Ryder is getting moved... but Kosto? As I have previously noted, I have crazy fanboy feelings for Kosto, but a first liner he ain't.

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:huh:

yay, I guess, that Ryder is getting moved... but Kosto? As I have previously noted, I have crazy fanboy feelings for Kosto, but a first liner he ain't.

Well I am not sure if Carbonneau will use those lines or if he is just sending Ryder a message but you are correct Kosto is not a 1st line player. I would rather see Grabovski try to play his off wing.

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Practice lines today had Kostopoulos with Koivu and Higgins on the first line.

Per CKAC>

I hope this won,t be the case for the next game! As much as I like Kostopoulos, i don't think he should be playing full time on the 1st line. He is PERFECT on that 4th line with Bégin and Chipchura. That line can skate, can hit and can play a solid defensive game. I don't Kostopoulous is the solution for the 1st line.

I hope Guy is just trying some stuff out during practice!

Edited by Habsfan
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Well I am not sure if Carbonneau will use those lines or if he is just sending Ryder a message but you are correct Kosto is not a 1st line player. I would rather see Grabovski try to play his off wing.

I wonder if Carbo is planning for a Grabovski or Latendresse first line and is trying out Kosto for late game defensive posture.

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Yes. Ryder has finally been demoted to the third line.

Unfortuately, instead of reuniting the once successful Koivu-Latendresse combination and get Gui going, it has been decided that Tom Kostopoulous is going to play on the first.

I hate that they make Kosto play out of his comfort zone to teach Ryder a lesson about working hard.

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Nice to see Ryder get demoted but Kostopoulos just doesn't have the offensive talent to play on that line. We'll be hoping to win games 2-1. Dandenault could have been a very good RW to go with our top duo.

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Neither Dandy or Kosto should ever play more than 12 minutes in a game they are NOT FIRST OR SECOND LINE PLAYERS.

I hope this was just for practice as I would hate to see these lines on a perminant basis.

Ryder on the 3rd line is a great idea. Kosto on the first is a terrible idea.

Source?

I posted it in the GDT from last night those were the practice lines according to CKAC.

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Neither Dandy or Kosto should ever play more than 12 minutes in a game they are NOT FIRST OR SECOND LINE PLAYERS.

Do you seriously think that Carbo doesn't know that?

He wants to balance the line, give the icetime to the hardworkers, etc. He is fully aware that Dandy and Kostopoulos aren't 1st line talent players. But there's nothing wrong with some mixing and matching.

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Some one mentioned in another thread of switching Big #### with Ryder ... wouldn't be a bad idea. it at least keeps Higgins and Koivu together as well as Plecks and Kovy ... those pairs seem to be doing great together.

Basically

Higgins , Koivu , Big ####

Ryder , Plecks , Kovy

Might be worth a shot at least.

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Carbo is just putting his rules in effect: you work hard, you get a reward. Lats doesn't deserve a 1st line stint so forget about him.

Other thing people forget: wingers can't just switch sides at will. Kosto gets Ryder's spot because there's really no other RW who can. Noticed that Lats and Kosty were left-shooting RWs who've been put back on the LW because they couldn't work on the RW defensively or along the boards. So its the same for Grabs or Lil' Kost. Highly doubtful they'll be inserted on the RW.

So aside from Kosto there's really no other choice to replace Ryder. That's why Carbo was so patient. He doesn't really have any other alternative because we lack right-shooting forwards.

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Carbo is just putting his rules in effect: you work hard, you get a reward. Lats doesn't deserve a 1st line stint so forget about him.

Other thing people forget: wingers can't just switch sides at will. Kosto gets Ryder's spot because there's really no other RW who can. Noticed that Lats and Kosty were left-shooting RWs who've been put back on the LW because they couldn't work on the RW defensively or along the boards. So its the same for Grabs or Lil' Kost. Highly doubtful they'll be inserted on the RW.

So aside from Kosto there's really no other choice to replace Ryder. That's why Carbo was so patient. He doesn't really have any other alternative because we lack right-shooting forwards.

as much as I agree that kosto isnt a first line winger.... you have to remmeber that the leafs are not a good team either and WHY on earth do we have problems with them!!!??? answer they are tougher and more physical on the boards than us... so it will be wise to see if adding more grit and power to our first-line might at least draw some space for koivu and higgins to score... Also Kosto isnt as penalty prone as Dandy (at least when it comes to hooking and grabbing)

I say give it a shot its Very well worth trying

if it doesnt work at least we can say the LEAFS didnt teach us a thinG!

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Bottom line is, if we've given up on Ryder (i think it is too early for that, we need to be patient as hard as that might seem) i think we need to make a deal for a replacement for Ryder. Doesn't have to be a stud who is going to cost us a lot, but a nice veteran with some scoring prowess who can play alongside two of our best offensive players in Koivu and Higgins.

The guy that comes to mind for me is Mark Recchi, partially because he was one of my favourites when he was a habs, and he and Koivu have a good history together. Now i highly doubt he is leaving Pittsburgh, even for his buddy Saku, so we can basically forget about this.

Im not going to even bring up the longstanding Teemu rumours (oops, just did).

I think a guy like Glen Murray (rumoured to be available) or even a Jamie Langenbrunner (if the Devs continue to struggle) would be perfect.

These options, in my opinion are only if Ryder continues to struggle into December however.

Edit: Just looked at Dumont is a free agent at the end of the year, i think he is maybe the best possibility. Langenbrunner is locked up long term and Murray is on the hook for 4 million next season.

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Bottom line is, if we've given up on Ryder (i think it is too early for that, we need to be patient as hard as that might seem) i think we need to make a deal for a replacement for Ryder. Doesn't have to be a stud who is going to cost us a lot, but a nice veteran with some scoring prowess who can play alongside two of our best offensive players in Koivu and Higgins.

The guy that comes to mind for me is Mark Recchi, partially because he was one of my favourites when he was a habs, and he and Koivu have a good history together. Now i highly doubt he is leaving Pittsburgh, even for his buddy Saku, so we can basically forget about this.

Im not going to even bring up the longstanding Teemu rumours (oops, just did).

I think a guy like Glen Murray (rumoured to be available) or even a Jamie Langenbrunner (if the Devs continue to struggle) would be perfect.

These options, in my opinion are only if Ryder continues to struggle into December however.

Edit: Just looked at Dumont is a free agent at the end of the year, i think he is maybe the best possibility. Langenbrunner is locked up long term and Murray is on the hook for 4 million next season.

Not to mention that Murray appears to be washed up at this point. Ryder has more goals than him. Langenbrunner might be nice, but he's locked up, and who knows what he'll be like after his injury. Now, Dumont might be an option, because he approached MTL before last season (but we'd already taken Samsonov and had no room for him). The question is, do ALL french ex-sabres turn down MTL after being turned away before? ;)

Now, I'm loving the chemistry of the Kosty-Pleks-Kovy line, but I'm curious how the top 2 lines would fare if Kosty played on the first and Ryder on the 2nd. I know they'll be switching wings, but that fact does nothing to abate my curiousity. :D

PS Having Teemu would definitely be great. :D

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The replacement for Ryder should first come from within, IMHO. Kostityn might be a candidate. So might Lats; although no one would peg him as a scorer based on this disastrous season. Grabovski would also be worth a try, perhaps. I say this, because trading Ryder for another scoring RW in a slump, or some old geezer, that seems pointless and potentially expensive in a cap system. The Habs are being built as a Buffalo-style team that can plug in holes with fresh young talent. That should apply in the case of Ryder, IF we're thinking of moving him.

On the topic at hand, Kostopolis is *obviously* not a first-liner, but putting a plumber on the first line occasionally has its uses. Carbo has not lost his mind.

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Some one mentioned in another thread of switching Big #### with Ryder ... wouldn't be a bad idea. it at least keeps Higgins and Koivu together as well as Plecks and Kovy ... those pairs seem to be doing great together.

Basically

Higgins , Koivu , Big ####

Ryder , Plecks , Kovy

Might be worth a shot at least.

i agree, i like to see these lines, i think ryder is a better fit with kovy.

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Ryder doesn't play LW...

He played some LW in his rookie year. It'd get him in a better shooting angle more often.

I was the one that suggested in the other thread to switch Kostitsyn & Ryder. It's a little bit of rolling the dice, but it's not too bad. It's not about breaking up our best line, it's about maximizing the team's offence. We saw last year what happened when only one line was clicking.

Anyways, here's another possibility, but again, it's another player that hasn't done much offensively so far. Try Smoke as the first line RW.

That option leaves either Grabovski returning to center or shifting Bégin back there.

Potential combos:

Higgins-Koivu-Smoke

Kostitsyn-Plex-Kovy

Bégin-Chipchura-Ryder

Kostopo-Grabovski-Dandy

or something or the other.

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:wacko: Why would you want to saddle what has been our best line with deadweight Ryder??? Carbo'd have to be out of his mind to do that!!!

I don't think it would saddle Plecks and Kovy ... they've been playing well all season regardless of who's been on that line .. maybe it can jump start Ryder. Maybe Big #### will compliment Higgins and Koivu more than Ryder does ... maybe Big #### will play better on the right side ... maybe Ryder will play better on the left side ... we don't know .. it might be worth a shot.

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Latendresse would be the best fit on the first line, but he certainly doesn't deserve a promotion with the way he's been playing. It might jumpstart him though. I would not put Ryder with Kovalev and Plex, too much of a defensive liability.

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