Martin St. Louis Strikes Gold With Massive Lineup Decision

The last time this happened was on December 22, 2022.

Many fans were somewhat surprised by this decision, especially since the new line combinations raised a few eyebrows. Suzuki played alongside Alex Newhook and Josh Anderson, while Caufield was paired with Christian Dvorak and Juraj Slakovsky.

Though Dvorak is a center who doesn't necessarily generate a lot offensively, the result was surprisingly good. This line had multiple scoring opportunities, even though it was their first time playing together.

As noted by Grant McCagg, some chemistry seems to be developing between Caufield and Slafkovsky. He was pleased to see them remain together on the same line. He adds that having a playmaker like Suzuki with Newhook and Anderson could help rejuvenate them.

Martin St-Louis commented on the separation of Suzuki and Caufield, mentioning that it could be beneficial. From his remarks, it's inferred that he plans to try this approach again in upcoming games.

The head coach boldly reshaped his top 6 while keeping his 3rd unit intact with Sean Monahan, Brendan Gallagher, and Tanner Pearson. However, this hasn't been working as well lately, and it's time to put Sean Monahan, who is the team's second-highest scorer, on a more offensive line.

Looking ahead, if the separation of the two star forwards continues, I see Monahan as a more suitable center for Caufield and Slaf. Also, it's time for Anderson to lose his spot on the top two lines, as one assist in 13 games is completely unacceptable.