One: Keep Rolling
Kraken lines are looking a little different these days with the return of Jaden Schwartz and tweaking of the Jared McCann, Tye Kartye, Andre Burakovsky line. But that movement has resulted in “four solid lines” (as Dave Hakstol likes to describe them) that are playing quite evenly in terms of 5-on-5 time. Being able to roll lines like that has been a big asset for a number of reasons. First, with playing time being distributed that way, no one line has to bear an imbalanced workload that could create a buildup in terms of fatigue. Second, being on the road, the Kraken aren’t controlling matchups – that privilege goes to the home team who gets the last change. When you have balanced lines, each is equipped to respond defensively and act offensively – no matter who they are facing on ice.
What are the elements of the lines Hakstol and his coaching staff are constructing? Here’s what the bench boss had to say: “there's certain elements that you want to have involved in each and every line in terms of playmaking ability, checking ability, scoring ability, and thought process. All of those things go into it.”
