A Better Way to Think About Lines?

In the midst of this l-o-n-g summer (seriously, I am now wondering how I survived the NHL lockout season, though at least I had some form of hockey--college--that I followed), one decent topic that has appeared on the World Wide Web is potential lines for next season. I say "decent" rather than "legitimate" because I scoff at the notion of set lines for any length of time on a team coached by Michel Therrien.

First, a caveat about how I am approaching my current "lines." I am not expecting any more potential moves before training camp. I am also not anticipating any training camp surprises. This means I will not be considering either Jonathan Filewich or Angelo Esposito for top two line duty at least until actual performance in preseason games, coupled with support from the personnel of the Pittsburgh organization, warrants such consideration.

In any case, I am not grouping players by lines because Michel Therrien so frequently juggles his lines. Rather, I'd like to explore the Penguins' top six at the moment:

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Petr Sykora, Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts, Erik Christiansen.

In my estimation, the previous players are the players whose skill sets best equip them to play top-six minutes next season. That being said, you might have noticed something interesting about the players I view as "top six." Indeed, I can count. Indeed, there are, in fact, seven players I labeled as "top six" players.

Frankly speaking, whether I like it or not, I think it's likely that all those players play top six minutes at some point in time this season. I think it's likely that Malkin and Staal play wing and center at various points in time this year. I think Christiansen gets some time on the wing to see if he can play the wing at this level, and I think there are occasions when Christiansen gets time at center, too. I think Sykora plays wing for Crosby and Malkin at various points in the season. And, of course, Sidney Crosby plays center on the team's first line, but that's about it for "taking one to the bank" when it comes to the Penguins' top six and top two lines.

Rather, what about the "graybeards," as in Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts? Idealistically, I'd like to see Recchi and Roberts switch between third line and top two line duty depending on the opponent and such scientific factors as current chemistry with linemates and whose hands are hottest at that moment in time. The best case scenario for the Penguins is that one of Roberts or Recchi is in the top six for each match, but the other of Roberts or Recchi slips into a third line role for each match, depending on those previously noted factors.

And while Recchi has been remarkably durable over the course of his career, Roberts has suffered injuries. And if age catches up to Recchi, or an injury catches up to Roberts, Colby Armstrong and Ryan Malone, while not players I'd idealistically label as top six, have at least played previously with Crosby with some success and could fill in should age or injury strike one of the crop of seven top six forwards the Pens currently possess.

Of course, in the midst of the seven players I labeled as top six, and the two potential "sub" top six players named, questions abound. Which of the four natural centers plays on a wing, and how frequently does that player shift to the wing? Can one of Recchi and Roberts truly play top six minutes for the entire season? How does Sykora click, speed-wise, with whoever his center will be? And, most importantly, what's the over/under on how many times Therrien changes the lines prior to January?

Frankly speaking, at least until this new edition of Penguins truly starts playing games, and even as they do begin to play games, I think it's far easier to think about lines when grouping players into "top six" and "bottom six." If you can identify which players you want to play top six minutes and who can handle playing top six minutes, then fiddle with those line combinations as much as you want. For now, however, like this guy, I think it's wise to keep one of Recchi or Roberts on the third line for as many games as possible this season.