"Now, we are trying to pick a team. We want to see how guys formulate," head coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We've got a group of 31, let's build this thing."
The group of 31 that skated Friday afternoon in Frisco included 18 forwards, 11 defensemen, and two goaltenders. It didn't include injured center Martin Hanzal (ankle), but he is expected to start skating with the team Saturday.
Hitchcock hinted Thursday night there could be some surprises with the group, but there didn't appear to be any.
With Hanzal coming back in, Hitchcock indicated that his four centers likely would be Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Hanzal, and Radek Faksa. Seguin centered Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov Friday and Spezza had Mattias Janmark and Brett Ritchie on his wings. Those lines are starting to get a lot of repeated looks together.
But Hitchcock is still looking at options on his other lines. On Friday, players who often line up at center got looks on the wing. Among them, Devin Shore and Jason Dickinson.
"We've only got four center spots, so guys have to move over. How do they look when they move over?" Hitchcock said. "Where does everybody else fit? These guys are going to have to find positions on the wall to help us."
In particular, someone that can fit into the top nine group of forwards. Hitchcock said there are a number of candidates he and his staff will give a look over the next few games.