Thats awfully ballsy. I don’t know how I’d feel about it…maybe give it a shot in a preseason game but I wouldn’t just throw it out there opening night – no way.

If the league continues to make fighting a circus sideshow through the instigator rule, and if Arniel wants to see all of his players display the requisite level of toughness to play without a Boogie-man backing them up, then three skill lines makes perfect sense. I don’t see it as “ballsy” but instead as a reflection of the rules put forth in the post-lockout NHL to encourage skill-based play and discourage clutch & grab (and fighting).

And, yes, I’d like to see a couple “established” (read: holdover) roster members bumped from the roster, if only to demonstrate to those left behind that Columbus’ country club is – once and for all – closed. Play hard, guys, and you keep your roster slot. But that’s just me.

I find Umberger as a strange case for “skill” line. Clearly he’s more talented than your typical 3rd line player, but I don’t view him as a clear-cut 2nd line source of offence. I think if the team can manage to organize lines such that RJ is not in the top six, that would be a sign of good things for the team.

He’d provide the energy/physicality that a “checking” line is supposed to bring, while offering a scoring depth that could undermine any opposing defensive matchups. Group Umberger with other players that can function in both zones, and other teams would be left with a real problem. As long as the players on the third line are versatile, I like the idea of blurring the definition of top 6/top 9.

I’m not going to waste time predicting a lineup, but if the forwards look something like this:

Nash – Brassard – Voracek
Huselius – Vermette – Kubalik
Filatov – Wilson – Umberger
Moreau – Pahlsson – Dorsett

…with Boll, Clark and Murray on the outside looking in, I would be beyond excited. Clark and Murray have expiring contracts, so sending them to the minors wouldn’t be difficult. Boller would be the 13th forward. Paying Clark’s salary (not against the cap) hurts though, but from a roster standpoint the 12 guys I listed above would make a potentially lethal group.

The only thing I’m not sold on is Wilson. He’s been good in camp, but can he play at a high level all season? The pivot has to anchor the line, so maybe Umby plays center on that line, with either Wilson or another offensive forward (Mayorov?) on the wing.

I think the team could get away with three scoring lines for one reason- we have a mostly defense-first group of blueliners. The defense may be a bit busier than if there were a checking line and a mucker line, but they have the talent and ability to play a shutdown role, leaving the forwards room to be creative.

At the end of the day we’ll just have to wait and see how things shake out, and the comments from Arniel could be nothing more than a public kick-in-the-ass to the veteran grinders. Put a little scare into them to make them work their butts off over the next couple weeks.