This pure speculation but they might look like this....

Eriksson - Roy - Jagr
Whitney - Eakin - Cole
Morrow/Fraser - Roussel - Smith
Nystrom - Fiddler - Garbutt

Roussel can play center in a pinch and they have used him there a time or two. Given his play of late, if Gulutzan does slot Roussel as a center it may be on the third and Fiddler stays where he is. He could also swap that around and put Roussel as the fourth line center and Fiddler on the third, but I don't think that's the way they'd go. They could also if need be call up Wandell from the Texas Stars, but I think that's a real long shot. He's pretty much done in Dallas.

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The lines at the Stars practice right now don't make me too comfortable as an Eriksson owner.

Smith-Eakin-Jagr
Whitney-Roy-Cole
Fraser-Roussel-Eriksson (wtf?)
Nystrom-Fiddler-Garbutt

Hoping that they're just experimenting with things. I figured that Cole/Roy/Whitney would be a line upon Whitney's return given the need for a physical player on Roy's line, as well as Cole's history with Whitney. The first and third lines though are whoa.

I will offer my thoughts tomorrow when I get home. Long story, but I'm stuck on the road with only this phone for internet. Tiny screen + microscopic keyboard = total suckage.

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Alright I'm home....finally.

I was just reading Mike Heika's blog post from yesterday. He referenced those lines, but he indicated in the article that Gulutzan did a lot juggling with the lines and that was the most noteworthy combos, just for the sheer oddity of it. Part of doing that may have been to put Loui back in his more familiar and accustomed right wing and see if there might be a spark there. I don't think there's much to worry about, just a coach playing mad scientist in practice. We'll see when today's morning skate is posted whether or not that happens again. If so then it becomes something to monitor much closer.

The move up to the first line for Eakin is gutsy by Gulutzan, if it comes to pass. I'd like to see that come to fruition, if god forbid Jamie Benn is out, to see how Eakin handles it.

In other news, Francis Wathier and Matt Fraser have been sent back to the Texas Stars, and Tomas Vincour has been recalled to Dallas.

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I was sifting through twitter and see where Heika tweeted this for the expected lineup....

Smith - Eakin - Jagr
Whitney - Roy - Cole
Eriksson - Roussel - Vincour
Nystrom - Fiddler - Garbutt

and the now regular D pairs

Dillon - Robidas
Benn - Daley
Goligoski - Oleksiak

Lehtonen get the nod in net.

We'll get right to the elephant in the room, what the hell is Loui doing on the third line? I haven't found anything stating a reason why, but after some contemplation I think it's all down to avoiding an all rookie line. With Morrow and Benn out there's not much else Gulutzan can do to insure that veteran presence on each line. And the Stars do like to try and roll three scoring lines out every night.

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Hi guys, stumbled upon this thread searching for Loui Eriksson news. Great work Rex!

Anways, I've acquired Eriksson and Goligoski in two separate trades this year. Keeper league, points only. How do you see these two performing for the 2nd half and beyond? Hope this last little slump is only a blip...

Thanks

Thanks Skooch.

Let's start with Goligoski. He's responded well from that benching about a month ago. Since then he's got nine points in the 14 games since. I can easily see him matching that total, and even improving on it, say 12-15 points for here to the end. His being relegated to third pairing duties has cut into his even strength production, but in spite of that role he's been logging a good amount of time on PP1. In fact five of those nine points have come on the powerplay, so a nice bonus for his owners. Beyond this season, I see him moving back into the #3 or 4 D role, with plenty of powerplay time. Reasonable to expect 35pts+ next season as the team continues to gel with all the young guys coming along.

Loui has not been his usual dependable self. A lot of it can be attributed to losing his spot on Benn's wing to Jagr, and having to get acclimated to playing with Derek Roy. Some of it too can be chalked up to playing more left wing than right wing, which is his natural. Both of those have really taken a chunk out of his numbers. I've preached faith in him and I still do, in spite of this rough patch. He's too good, and has the track record to back it up, to believe he can't right the ship. I'd say expect 18 points give or take a couple the rest of the way. Once Jagr moves on, I'd look for Loui to be right back with Benn, and you can bank on a full 82 games played and 70+ points in future seasons.

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Thanks Rex, that's great insight Hard to get that deep into things managing a team sometimes. Thanks!! I always liked using Dallas in NHL 94, the greatest hockey game ever made. Russ Courtnall and Modano were money.

No problem Skooch.

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The latest on Benn is he's out again tonight....

Mike Heika ‏@MikeHeika
I was chatting with the good people of the world, but I have been told that Morrow (groin) and Benn (wrist) are out vs. Ducks Thurs.

Not good news considering the next two opponents, the Ducks and Hawks. Still we can hope Jamie will be back for the Blackhawks game. These next two games are a tough test. You've got the top two teams in the West in town, your in the middle of a logjam in points, and the team comes in on a two game skid. And all without their best player, this is where we see just what the Stars are made of. This is getting into must win territory for the Stars.

It helps that Chicago and Anaheim don't play the same suffocating defensive style that Phoenix and Nashville do. They play a fast pace game which fits better with how the Stars play.

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