Who is centering that second line? That seems to be the question Joel Quenneville and the Chicago Blackhawks have been asking for years.
Everyone knows that captain Jonathan Toews will be centering that top line and, when healthy, Dave Bolland is probably manning the middle of that third “checking” line, but then what?
Unfortunately, over the years, the task of centering the second line has fallen on the shoulders of Patrick Sharp, who does a good job, but would be better suited out on the wing.
Around the time of the Blackhawks Convention this summer, I thought GM Stan Bowman would ideally have liked Toews, Bolland, Marcus Kruger and Jamal Mayers centering the four lines.
However, Stan Bowman decided not to go out and find an outside answer for that second-line center, instead hoping they could fill it from within and maybe make a trade during the season.
Now, with Patrick Sharp missing most of the preseason, Dave Bolland being a little banged up and management favorite Marcus Kruger struggling, many are questioning the thought process behind not bringing someone in.
Who is going to center all these l ...
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Article written by Michael Gibbons
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