It would be a mistake to split up “The Herd Line” even after their subpar playoff performance. As long as his role isn’t the same as most other third-liners get, that is all that matters.

Tomasino could easily move up into the top-six with time, but a third-line role is probably the best for him as he adjusts. He’s an excellent forechecker, and pairing him with a fantastically skilled yet persistent player like Philip Tomasino could be deadly. Rem Pitlick is a strong two-way middle-six forward with lots of upside. He’s young, and it obviously isn’t optimal to be playing him on the third line, but, frankly, there’s nowhere else to put him. The Predators traded for Luke Kunin at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, sending veteran center Nick Bonino and two draft picks–a 2020 second-rounder (Marat Khusnutdinov) and a 2020 third-rounder (Eemil Viro)–to the Minnesota Wild. They need solid time on ice to improve, and shoving them into roles they’re not accustomed to will ultimately result in the “bust” label becoming true. Both have been called busts by their respective fanbases for many reasons, but both have proven they can be more than what their limits seemed to be. They’re different players, but the same in a lot of ways. Both Cody Glass and Eeli Tolvanen are young players that could really benefit from playing with an established forward in the top-six, and that’s exactly what this provides. You aren’t paying him that kind of money to be a third-line forward. The Predators recently inked Granlund to a four-year deal carrying a $5 million average annual value (AAV). It was a fantastic combination of skill, speed, and size, which is the goal after all. Statistically, they were the three best forwards on the team, and it was evident through the eye test. Two of the players on this line need an extreme production boost after signing major long-term deals, and they proved that it could work in the playoffs. It was the same way for Peter Laviolette when he didn’t keep Mikael Granlund with Forsberg and Duchene in 2018-19 after their ridiculously fast start. It is a fireable offense if head coach John Hynes doesn’t put Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene together to start the season. Forward Lines Line 1: Forsberg- Johansen-Duchene Of course, things could change after publishing this article and the start of the season, but speculation is always fun. For this exercise, I will construct forward lines and defense pairs and explain very briefly why I think they would be effective. With no moves in the immediate future, it seems perfectly reasonable to look at the lineup heading into next season and what I think would be the best way to optimize strength and speed without sacrificing defensive responsibility. The dead period of the offseason is upon us, and although the Predators might be gearing up to make another move, we won’t know until a tweet from Elliotte Friedman pops up on our Twitter timelines.

He’s mentioned it more than most people would like to admit, but he has a vision, and he’s sticking to it. David Poile is digging two words into the ground: competitive rebuild.

Predators roster