The Second Line Project

Second line love.

So Tyler Kennedy gets the nod moving up to the second line replacing Eric "The Sleepwalker" Tangradi. Will this work?

For starters, Kennedy isn't a true second line forward. Yet arguably he's making second line money. You can also make the argument he isn't worthy of the third line sometimes, but we're not going to go there.

Bottom line, this was the best move Dan Bylsma had. Time for Kennedy to earn that paycheck.

No, you're not going to move Kunitz or Dupuis off the first line. Crosby needs someone to battle in the corners (Dupuis) and someone to back him up with a little grit (Kunitz). Besides they've had chemistry for a long time now. Kennedy doesn't have Staal anymore, and with Sutter so new it should be an easy transition for him.

Except for one small thing... Kennedy doesn't play left wing.

Neal isn't leaving his post at right wing. And we're not stupid like Adam Oates in Washington, so Malkin isn't going to left wing. It is what it is.

I can't see this working as a long term solution, but it will definitely keep Malkin and Neal from pulling a Goodfellas scene on Tangradi. In fact, I'm even more upset at Tangradi for breaking up what looked like a great fourth line of Adams-Vitale-Glass. Those boys were flying in New York and vs. Toronto. Quit messing things up Eric, now fix Crosby his pregame PB&J.

Let's see how tonight goes in front of a hostile Winnipeg crowd. Put it this way, it can't get any worse.