Lingering Lineup Questions for Each Western Conference NHL Team

In the NHL, pre-seasons are prolonged dress rehearsals.

Most of the time, virtually all roster spots are accounted for, with the exception of one or two. For NHL team personnel, the training camp and pre-season are chances to try out different line combinations, put players in different roles, and get a read on some of the biggest questions concerning their team before it all begins.

In the first of a two-part series, we’re going to look at some lingering lineup questions for each NHL team ahead of training camp. We begin with the Western Conference:

Anaheim Ducks: Will Trevor Zegras Shift to the Wing Permanently?

Zegras, one of the NHL’s most creative forwards, played a lot of center last season en route to recording a career-high 65 points – but there’s no denying he left points on the board while playing down the middle. 

Given they drafted two up-and-coming natural centers in Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish, two recent top three selections, one has to wonder who really benefits from Zegras playing center. Even if Carlsson doesn’t make the team out of camp, it could be best to slide Zegras to the left side and let him play a bit more freely.

Arizona Coyotes: How Do You Get the Most Out of Sean Durzi?

Coming off a career-high 38 points in his sophomore campaign, 24-year-old Durzi is capable of quarterbacking a power-play unit – but where is he best suited during 5-on-5 play? 

The right-shot offensive defenseman often played on his off-side last year – thanks to the Los Angeles Kings’ logjammed blueline – and he fared relatively well there. But for a player like Durzi to flourish, he needs to be paired with sturdy, stay-at-home defenseman. None of the Coyotes' other right-handed defensemen – Matt Dumba, Troy Stecher and Victor Soderstrom – fit that bill. If Durzi returned to his natural side, Juuso Valimaki could make sense as a partner. But that’s easier said than done, especially considering how Durzi struggled when he shifted back to the right side last year.

Calgary Flames: Which Young Guns Grab a Top-Six Role?

Assuming Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane are locks to play on their two best forward lines barring any lineup acrobatics, there are two top-six winger spots up for grabs in Calgary. 

Calgary has plenty of young forwards that could conceivably earn a spot, such as 2021 first-round pick Matt Coronato and 22-year-old Jakob Pelletier. But while the departure of coach Darryl Sutter paves the path for a young player to earn a role, any young one will have to surpass the likes of Dillon Dube, Blake Coleman and newly acquired Yegor Sharangovich. Coronato, 20, is coming off back-to-back 36-point campaigns at the NCAA level. Pelletier has been a near-point-per-game player over his last two AHL seasons.

Chicago Blackhawks: Who Will Play On the Top Pair with Seth Jones?

Chicago has the weakest back end in the league right now, and it’s not even close. After Seth Jones, you’ve got Connor Murphy, Nikita Zaitsev and Jared Tinordi currently slated to log the most minutes. Those three are probably third-pairing-caliber at best on most contending NHL teams. 

Jones’ two most frequent partners from last season – Jake McCabe and his brother, Caleb Jones – are gone, and there are no surefire replacements. Sure, you can play armchair GM and pencil in rookie Kevin Korchinski, but that could be wishful thinking. Coming off a 73-point campaign in the WHL, the seventh overall pick at the 2022 draft has the tools to become a high-end offensive defenseman, but players like him usually need some seasoning at the pro level. Putting him down as someone who can log 20-plus minutes in the NHL next season is overly ambitious.

Colorado Avalanche: Who Will Be the Second-Line Center?

After saying goodbye to Nazem Kadri and J.T. Compher in consecutive off-seasons, the Colorado Avalanche have a void to fill at their second-line center slot. Ryan Johansen and Ross Colton, who were both acquired via separate trades, are the front-runners to sit under Nathan MacKinnon on the depth chart. 

While Johansen, 31, is the presumptive safe option, he was inconsistent over his last few seasons in Nashville, and the Predators had to retain half of his $8-million cap hit to facilitate a cap dump. Colton, 27, is a natural center who played primarily on the wing in his last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has thrived in a bottom-six role over the last three seasons, displaying a hard-nosed style of play and excelling at creating offense off the cycle. Colton recorded 71 points over the last two seasons.

Dallas Stars: How Much Responsibility Can Thomas Harley Take On?

The Dallas Stars had to have been pleased with how Harley progressed last season. After spending the majority of the 2022-23 season crushing top-pairing minutes in the AHL, Dallas recalled the 6-foot-3 defenseman for its playoff run. Harley dressed in all 19 of the Stars’ playoff games – averaging 16:10 minutes a night – and posted a 63.27 expected goals-for percentage and a 56.77 Corsi-for percentage at 5-on-5 to boot, according to naturalstattrick.com. 

Harley’s emergence coincided with the decline of Ryan Suter, who struggled immensely during the 2023 playoffs while playing alongside star defenseman Miro Heiskanen. Heiskanen needs a new partner, and if the 2019 first-round pick can grab hold of the job, it could do wonders for the Stars’ blueline.

Edmonton Oilers: What Should Happen With Philip Broberg?

To say this is a huge year for Philip Broberg would be an understatement. Entering the final year of his entry-level contract, the No. 8 pick in the 2019 draft needs to carve out a role for himself, and the path to doing so isn’t really clear. 

The left-handed Broberg has Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm and Brett Kulak in front of him at his natural position. While Broberg played quite a bit on the right side last year, he’ll have to duke it out with Vincent Desharnais for the sixth defense spot – as Evan Bouchard and Cody Ceci are unlikely to be leapfrogged from their current posts. What’s working against Broberg is the fact that Desharnais is the prototypical sixth defenseman and is probably better suited for that designation. 

Given that Broberg is still exempt from waivers – he could very well end up in Bakersfield to start the year, even after playing 46 NHL games last year. Edmonton won’t be trading Broberg ahead of the season, barring some unforeseen offer that makes the Oilers comfortable with parting from a recent top-10 draft pick.

Los Angeles Kings: Is Cam Talbot a Capable 1A Goalie?

Of all the Western Conference contenders, Los Angeles’ goaltending tandem of Cam Talbot and Pheonix Copley is the shakiest. It’s hard to expect much from a career backup in Copley, so a lot of this hinges on Talbot. The 36-year-old has proven himself as a sturdy bullpen goalie over the last five seasons – posting a .907 save percentage and averaging roughly 36 games a year. But as he creeps up into the back nine of his 30s, it’s natural to be concerned about his durability. He’s the best goalie option on paper, but he hasn’t shouldered more than 50 percent of starts in a season in quite some time.

Minnesota Wild: Where is Marco Rossi’s Game Best Suited?

The stars will only align for Marco Rossi if the Wild give him a chance to shine. The No. 9 pick at the 2020 draft cracked Minnesota’s lineup out of training camp last year after an impressive pre-season showing – recording a league-high nine points – but things slowly fizzled out after there. In fairness to Rossi, his deployment changed once the regular season began and his leash with Wild coach Dean Evason became shorter and shorter as the games progressed. 

This time around, it’s necessary for Minnesota to discover if Rossi is compatible with any of their skilled wingers. Otherwise, it’s hard to envision the 5-foot-9 two-way center be anything more than the defensively responsible, low-offense, bottom-six center he was in 19 NHL games last year. Rossi is capable of so much more.

Nashville Predators: Which Center Should Filip Forsberg Play With?

With Nashville getting rid of Filip Forsberg’s two most common linemates – Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene – in consecutive off-seasons, one of the first tasks on Andrew Brunette’s docket will be finding new running mates for his Swedish sniper. Usually, coaches identify duos that do well together and plug-and-play the third part of the line as they see fit. 

Nashville has some interesting personnel down the middle, with newly signed Ryan O’Reilly and two players coming off breakout seasons in Cody Glass and Tommy Novak. O’Reilly’s days of being a first-line center may be in the rearview mirror – coming off a 30-point campaign – and he may be better suited as a shutdown center at 32 years old. Glass is coming off a 35-point campaign that saw him take a huge step forward, and it appears things will only go up from here. However, pencilling him in as the first-line center right now is ambitious. 

Novak is probably the prime candidate, but even then, he’s no lock. The 26-year-old is coming off a breakout campaign that saw him record 43 points in 51 games out of nowhere. Last year, Novak displayed exceptional passing ability – thanks to his vision – and a knack for generating zone entries. But the reality is, he only averaged 14:39 minutes of ice time per night. Whether or not Novak, or any of the above names, can play first-line minutes and dish it to Forsberg remains to be seen.

San Jose Sharks: Who Absorbs Erik Karlsson’s Minutes?

With Erik Karlsson and his 25:36 of ice time per night out the door, there are big shoes to fill on the San Jose Sharks blueline. Mario Ferraro is the presumptive next man up, but how much more can you reasonably expect him to play after averaging 21:36 per game last year? 

The trickle-down effect will affect the likes of Matthew Benning, newly signed Jan Rutta, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and rookie Henry Thrun – the true enigma of them all. Benning is a capable middle-six defenseman, whereas Vlasic and Rutta are more third-pairing players. Thrun, however, has a great deal of upside. Fresh off finishing his collegiate career at Harvard with a 31-point campaign in 33 games and representing Team USA at the World Championship, Thrun is a prime breakout candidate. The 6-foot-2 defenseman is an apt puck-mover with excellent vision.

Seattle Kraken: Can Kailer Yamamoto Be the Next Great Kraken Story?

After the Edmonton Oilers shipped him off and the Detroit Red Wings promptly bought out his contract, Kailer Yamamoto found an ideal landing spot with the Seattle Kraken. Yamamoto struggled in Edmonton, recording just 87 points in 191 games over the last three seasons while playing most of his 5-on-5 ice time with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.

Simply put, at a $3.1-million cap hit – Yamamoto was overpaid. But here’s the thing: Seattle has a proven track record of taking players like Yamamoto, players with upside and ability who were miscast in previous roles, and getting the most out of them. Seattle distributes ice time among their four forward lines evenly, but will Yamamoto fit into Seattle’s system? That remains to be seen.

St. Louis Blues: Is Jordan Binnington Going to Be a Bona Fide No. 1 Goalie?

It’s no secret that Jordan Binnington has struggled in the four years since leading the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup. Binnginton’s last two seasons have been particularly dreadful, with the 30-year-old posting a .897 save percentage while shouldering 56 percent of the goalie workload. 

It’s probably time for him to shoulder less responsibility, especially with Joel Hofer rising up the ranks. The 23-year-old is coming off a strong 2022-23 season where he posted a .921 save percentage in 47 AHL games before serving as the backup for Team Canada at the World Championship. That’s all good and dandy, but can he play 30 to 40 games next year? While that may be too tall of an ask, the Blues would be thrilled if he could take ease Binnington’s burden.

Vancouver Canucks: What Should They Do with Jack Rathbone?

With the Vancouver Canucks adding Carson Soucy and Ian Cole to their blueline, things aren’t looking too good for Jack Rathbone. Once a coveted prospect coming out of the NCAA, Rathbone is no longer exempt from waivers this season. 

The 24-year-old has been on a wild ride over the last three seasons. When he first turned pro at the beginning of the 2020-21 season, he didn’t seem far off from becoming a top-four defenseman. But things went south, and Rathbone has struggled in NHL action to date, so much so that he became a bit of an afterthought the next season. 

It’ll be interesting to see how much leash – not to mention patience – Vancouver gives Rathbone to claim the third-pairing defense spot. One has to think they’ll do everything they can to give Rathbone a chance to showcase his talents to the 31 other NHL teams during the pre-season in hopes of garnering enough trade interest.

Vegas Golden Knights: Will They Run a True Tandem in Net?

Adin Hill may have been the one to lead Vegas to a Stanley Cup, but don’t forget Logan Thompson. Over the last two seasons, Thompson has been Vegas’ best goaltender in the regular season – combining for a .915 save percentage in 56 games. Coincidentally, Adin Hill posted the exact same save percentage in 27 games last season. 

On the surface, it’s reasonable to expect a true tandem in net, with the two alternating starts. But that’s not a guarantee. It’s conceivable that Hill propels momentum from this past year into next season and becomes a bona fide No. 1 netminder. And Thompson could very well regain his pre-injury form, where he looked destined to become the permanent starter. Frankly, that internal competition will do the Knights wonders and in all likelihood will fuel the NHL’s next great tandem.

Winnipeg Jets: Who Will Be the Second-Line Center?

With Pierre-Luc Dubois out the door, the Jets have a big void to fill down the middle. It will come down to either Cole Perfetti or Gabriel Vilardi. 

Perfetti, 21, oozes upside – possessing elite hockey sense and passing ability – but he’s coming off consecutive campaigns where his season ended early due to injury. Having played primarily on the wing in the NHL so far, the 5-foot-11 forward could encounter growing pains when transitioning to center full-time. A team like Winnipeg, who's steadfast in contending this year, may not have the patience for that just yet. 

Like Perfetti, Vilardi is also a natural center who has primarily played on the wing thus far in his NHL career. However, the 24-year-old has more experience down the middle at the NHL level than Perfetti does and is fresh out of his breakout season, with 41 points in 63 games. Vilardi may have the upper hand.