The Blue Jackets' top line in their 5-3 preseason win over the Blues on Monday was Johnny Gaudreau at left wing, Patrik Laine at center, and Kirill Marchenko at right wing. They were great, as the table below shows, and if the experiment of playing Laine at center works out, this could be one of the league's most dangerous lines.
| Chances For/Against | Shots For/Against | Scoring Chances For/Against | High Danger Chances For/Against | Goals For/Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13/5 | 8/4 | 6/3 | 4/1 | 1/0 |
Ahead of Monday's game, Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent said there's a certain type of player he visions as being on each of Laine's wings.
"We need a shooter," Vincent said. "And we need a guy that can make plays with [Laine], and we need a guy that goes to the net because that puck will go to the net."
Vincent added that one player can do multiple things, citing Marchenko's ability to go to the net and shoot the puck and Gaudreau's playmaking skills along with the way he thinks the game, which Vincent said is the same way as Laine.
"Yes, there is a recipe," Vincent said. "I just don't know yet how [Laine's] gonna look in the middle over time."
Marchenko extends the Blue Jackets lead with his first goal of the preseason! #CBJ pic.twitter.com/mv8hUsovAx
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) October 2, 2023
It's still just a small sample of preseason hockey, but Laine has now played back-to-back games at center where he's looked the part. Whether or not he'll be able to play center at a high level throughout the season remains to be seen, however, with three highly skilled players on a line, it's no surprise they generated a lot of offense.
Vincent also said Monday that once the puck drops, the three forwards on a line will be interchangeable.
"My vision is you're going to have three forwards and two [defensemen], and not a center, right [wing] or left wing," Vincent said. "And we need to play with speed. And if you just stay on your side as a right winger, then you're just on your side, you're easy to play against."
"So we're gonna have a center and two wings and two [defensemen] on the face-offs," Vincent continued. "Once the puck is dropped, we have three forwards and two [defensemen], and then we're gonna go from there. Obviously, the centers will be in a position of being the center more often, but they need to be interchangeable.”
The possibility of Gaudreau, Laine, and Marchenko being on a line together is exciting, but it will take success in the regular season to know if it can be successful long-term.
