Tought to replace Recchi/By S. Bradley
The joining of the Bruins’ most effective line in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final was a long time in the making.
It took a couple days after he joined the Bruins in a 2009 trade from Tampa Bay for Mark Recchi to learn he shared an amazing amount of chemistry with center Patrice Bergeron. Those two stayed together for almost the entirety of Recchi’s tenure with the Bruins.
Then last season Brad Marchand started the year on the fourth line next to Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton. That line was extremely effective, but by January head coach Claude Julien decided it was time to see what Marchand could do in a more prominent role. Marchand joined Recchi and Bergeron to give the Bruins a top-notch, two-way second line for most of the rest of the season. Their run culminated with a six-point, plus-10 performance in the Bruins’ Cup-clinching win in Vancouver.
Now Recchi, barring a major change of mind, is retired. Marchand is still unsigned as a restricted free agent, but he’s expected to get something done by the time the season ends. The Bruins, if they keep Marchand and Bergeron together, need a need a new right winger for their second line.
So I ask you, readers of TheBruinsBlog.net:
Who should replace Mark Recchi on the Bergeron Line?
- Tyler Seguin (52%, 182 Votes)
- Rich Peverley (27%, 95 Votes)
- Jordan Caron (18%, 62 Votes)
- Someone else (write in comments section) (3%, 9 Votes)
Total Voters: 348
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@ Smah, i love it, but swap Lucic and Horton, as you need someone to take the faceoff if Krejci gets tossed from the circle. I think that Recchi used to take the faceoffs for Bergeron last season, but I could be wrong
Smaha – That is ‘out of the box’. Hadn’t even contemplated Marchand on the top line, but that might work out well – and I like the idea of BOTH Looch and Bergeron showing Seguin the ropes. Very interesting…
Funny isn’t it that the most solid line – the one no one will question – is the 4th?
Is it snowing yet?
Bo – I like your thinking out of the box. But for all-around balance, wouldn’t it be interesting to see:
Marchand-Krejci-Horton
Lucic-Bergeron-Seguin
Peverly-Kelly-Pouliot
Those would be three dynamic lines that few teams would be able to keep up with. Speed, defense, scoring touch, pluck and puck possession on each line. Plus, we all know the Bs have one of the best 4th lines in the league.
Bo,
Hope for it in a year or two when Seguin forces his way onto the top line.
My hope is that someone will make his mark part way through the season much as Marchand did last year. I can’t get the image of Lucic playing with Bergy and the Flea out of my mind. I just think they would be an unbelievable threesome, but they won’t even get a chance unless one of Seguin or Pouliot can prove a match-up problem on line one. Both are very different players than Looch is – so maybe the idea of moving Looch is doomed by a lack of replacement on the top line, but I’ll still keep hoping.
No questsions. Bergeron is the guy on this team who can make Seguin great. Bergeron is a pimp, on and off the ice. A leader, a presence on the ice. I want Seguin on his diet, I want Seguin to gain his faceoff skills (Primary center skill), I want Seguin to be better in his own end and I want him to grind out the corners the way bergy does. Hands down, I want another Bergeron with the Savard scoring touch. Bruins Fans. Meet Tyler Seguin.
“The [gelling] of the Bruins’ most….” and “….by the time the [offseason] ends.”
All around safe bet?
Peverley. An experienced veteran who will give you the same effort and upside from night to night. Solid defensively, above average offensive tools, good speed, another face-off option, willing to battle, and able to excel in any role you throw him into.
Want high-octane offensive upside?
Seguin. Frankly, I don’t care about whether he primarily plays as a winger or a centre, so long as he gets some consistent minutes. It’s quite a bit of responsibility for him to step into, but if he can prove he’s up for it then this line combo might prove lethal. This also might be a great way to develop his two-way game, lined up alongside a SH machine and a future Selke winner.
Most balanced lines?
Caron. Seems to have a natural nose for the net, and has already shown the desire to battle along the boards and in front. Probably the most ‘natural’ replacement for Recchi. Allows the B’s to send out a pretty damn balanced third line, featuring 3 centres – Seguin, Peverley, Kelly.
Pouliout should not be getting top 6 minutes until he shows he is willing to put the effort in.
Put Pevs in the spot. Look at what he did in the playoffs on the first line – put his speed with Marchand and Bergeron and I bet that line could put up a lot of points.
For everyone saying Seguin should be there, he needs to show that he deserves it before he’s thrown into the top 6. He still hasn’t shown any consistency, and someone with his skill set should do that regardless of line mates.
interested to know bergy’s preference.
I think Caron should go on the line. He will go in front of the net, and he is not a liability defensively. As well, I think he will be better in the corners than the other possibilities. I think Seguin should centre his own line. He will show his skills more at centre than on the wing. Julien will play the line that delivers more, so no one should get to caught up on first, second, third, or fourth line. There were a number of games where the Campell line had as much ice time as any other line.
If Pouliot doesn’t win the job he will play with Kelly and Seguin on the 3rd line unless Caron or Sauve dominate Benoit in camp n pre-season.
Either way like the competition Chiarelli has set up.
It will haunt me as a habs fan but put Pouliot there and see what happens. He can score goals and hit and stick up for his smaller linemates. He’s just a liability on defense and sometimes doesn’t put in the effort. I think Marchand and Bergeron would be able to hold him to that.
Pouliot. Seriously.
Marchand-Bergeron-Pouliot
Kelly-Seguin-Peverly
It;s more about Seguin than anything else. I want to see Seguin get minutes at his natural center position, and no better time to start. Savard’s done, there is plenty of veteran talent available to help him with this transition, and the Bs have goodwill and patience from the fan base after a Cup win.
Putting Seguin on a line with two experienced centers will only help this transition, and I’d rather see Peverly’s scoring touch and speed with him as opposed to the more erratic Pouliot.
As for Pouliot himself, he has the raw tools (size, positioning, scoring) to create problems on the forecheck and in front of the net, and I think placing him next to the ever-reliable Bergeron will have the same effect on his game as Krejci’s presence did for Horton. If anyone can max Pouliot’s potential, it’s Bergeron and Marchand. No excuses…see what you’ve got, and if it doesn’t work, bring in one of the young guys.
But to start the season, Pouliot on Bergeron’s wing and Seguin as 3rd line center would be the way to go.
I think Caron is the perfect fit. He’s plays a similar game to Rex but is bigger. Seguin should be centering peverly and chris kelly – a speed line.
I want Seguin too but he has got to be alittle more physical for this line so I voted in hope he would be.
I vote Seguin pending someone else puts out the effort more so than him. He should earn it, but I would love to see him get top 6 ice time to develop further and play with players who can score (sorry, that’s not really what Kelley does).