They want him to dominate AHL instead of not having top minutes in NHL
This. I think its a good move for him. He will be up next season I think. I think the plan is to bring him up next year and have Tyler Johnson come up when Marty retires.
Very excited that Aulie made the roster, though I hope long-term he becomes a mainstay in the top 4 (replacing Brewer eventually). I'm intrigued to see how Conacher will gel with Vinny and whether or not Malone or Purcell will drop down to the 2nd line.
Is there any confirmation on our line-up for tomorrow night yet?
The thing is, Johnson will be ready for the NHL way before that happens.
Also isn't he a center ? I think there's a fair chance he will get traded. I would hate to see him go, but there isn't really room for him here (unless someone else gets moved). We've also got Panik, Killorn and Connolly coming up sooner than later.
But Purcell is already on the second line
Unless you mean swapping with Malone?
Yes, I was just wondering if Boucher would do any further shuffling before tomorrow night. In theory, Malone makes the most sense on the top line as he adds grit to Stammer and Marty. Also, Purcell makes sense on the 2nd line to add some scoring to Vinny and Conacher. With that said, Teddy-Stammer-Marty were a force to be reckoned with at the end of last year and it'd be nice to see if they could continue their scoring exploits!
I don't think you'll see a lot of changes like Boucher usually does with the line combos. They talked a lot about keeping chemistry so I think the lines that have stayed together throughout camp, Malone-Stamkos-St. Louis, and Conacher-Lecavalier-Purcell will be untouched. There's history there for the top line and between Vinny and Purcell.
Thank you very much for confirming Days. There was a lot of discussion about Malone not being able to find chemistry with Vinny last year, so this makes the most sense. Also, Malone can provide some protection for Stammer and Marty. Can't wait to see the boys in action tomorrow night!
Malone can fill the role of Downie quite easily, also love the fact that MSL and Purcell are interchangible. Purcell has good chemistry Lecavalier and Stamkos as does St.louis.
Also can't wait to see Conacher develop, his backstory is very similar to MSL's.