My friend Paul Kreischer and I had a conversation about where to put Matthew Barzal. Will the Islanders keep him on the wing with Bo Horvat or as a second-line centre?
The Case for Barzal as a Second-Line Centre
The main advantage of him as a second-line centre is that he provides more balanced scoring in the lineup. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” This option gives some secondary scoring a chance to bloom. Players like Maxim Tsyplakov could break out in the top six, or a player like Simon Holmstrom could take the next step and match 20 goals and maybe even stretch to 30 goals.
Some players’ performance improves exponentially, transforming them from a piece of coal into a diamond. This option gives the Isles a chance to add more to the scoring. Lee and Duclair now have a bona fide centre, either Barzal or Horvat, who opens the doors for the Isles to have a legit second line. The scoring may be a challenge. Paul also made a good point. (Do not tell him I said that.) This option opens the door to trading Pageau and adding another defenseman through a trade.
Keeping Bo & Barzal Together
So what is the advantage of keeping Bo and Barzal together?
There was some chemistry with the two highly gifted forwards, some may say even magical. The two were dynamic; losing that could be catastrophic for the Islanders. Simply put, if it’s not broken, why fix it?
Final word
In my opinion, the Islanders will keep Barzal as a second-line centre, with the caveat that they will bring them back together if needed. I prefer more balanced scoring; it hurts the team when there’s only one scoring line. I also think the Islanders want to make one more transaction before the season starts, whether it’s through the waiver wire or a trade.
Randy
No comments:
Post a Comment