Pittsburgh Penguins: Third Line Possibilities for 2015-16

Brandon Sutter was brought into Pittsburgh to fulfill the mighty task of replacing Jordan Staal as the Pittsburgh Penguins third line center. Sutter was a lot better than most fans made him out to be but he did not meet the expectations on almost every level except for penalty killing.

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With that being said, the latest offseason moves General Manager Jim Rutherford has made was sending Sutter to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forward Nick Bonino, defenseman Adam Clendening, and a 2nd round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Just minutes after the trade, the Pens signed forward Eric Fehr to a 3-year contract. These two deals basically fixed the biggest problem the Pens faced for 5 years, depth at the forward position.

Bonino and Fehr are both very capable of playing the third line center role and offers much more than Sutter did. These two guys will have a lot better players around them also. The question is, What will the Pens 3rd line look like this season?

A possible line combination at seasons start could be Kunitz-Bonino-Dupuis. Fehr is recovering from offseason elbow surgery and will miss the first month or two of the season which means it is a given that Bonino will start as the third line center. Bonino played as the 2nd line center as a Canuck usually flanked by Chris Higgins or Alex Burrows. Playing with Dupuis and Kunitz could be an upgrade depending if Kunitz can find his game and Dupuis can bounce back from his blood clot.

Bonino will also bring a lot more speed than Sutter brought to the bottom-six. Having a speedy, hard-hitting guy like Dupuis and a net front presence and great puck possession guy in Kunitz should be nothing but beneficial to Bonino’s game.

Another line combo you could see is Sergei Plotnikov-Fehr-Dupuis. Many people think that Plotnikov was brought in to play on the second line with Evgeni Malkin. While that may be true, his game may be better suited for a third line role. He is a big body coming in at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and uses it to his advantage by punishing his opponents anytime he can. Plotnikov is also a great fighter and has a sick wrist shot. The style of game he plays could fit better on the third line rather than 2nd.

Fehr could find himself centering the third line once he returns from injury and rightfully so. He is built to be a third liner. He is not someone who is easily pushed off the puck or finish a check on. It remains to be seen if he’ll be better defensively than Sutter with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he has more of an offensive upside and is just as good, if not better than Sutter on the penalty kill. Everyone knows what Dupuis could bring to the bottom-six.

The last possible line combination we could see is Kunitz-Bonino-Fehr. Many may wonder why I think Bonino and Fehr should play on the same line but it is not far-fetched. Fehr played right-wing until being transitioned to center last season for the Capitals, and he was productive. With Fehr missing the first part of the season, Oskar Sundqvist will get the reigns as the fourth line center and if he does well the Pens may not want to move him.

Although it won’t be much of a speed line, it will be a gritty and skilled one. It was tough figuring out if Kunitz or Dupuis should play left-wing but I think Dupuis will be back to normal form on one of the top lines and Kunitz would be on his natural wing here. This line combo could be a very dangerous one. Perhaps the most productive third line in the league.

The bottom-six depth has definitely improved this year from years past. Jim Rutherford should receive a well deserved pat on the back for the moves he has pulled off this offseason. It has been a while since we’ve debated what could be the most production third and fourth line, rather than simply debating who could occupy minutes there.

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