Nov 03 Time to Shuffle the Deck

I'm all about giving proper time to let chemistry develop among scoring lines but a problem among the top two lines is quickly developing with the Canadiens. To this point, grinders like Travis Moen, Jeff Halpern and Mathieu Darche have provided secondary offense which has masked the underwhelming performance of the guys who are actually paid to light up the score sheet. They can't and shouldn't be counted on to continue that.

Out of the top six forwards, only Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn are going well right now. Plekanec is slowly emerging as perhaps the league's most underrated play maker and seemingly can make anyone look good. Kostitsyn is notorious for the peaks and valleys that have defined his career and if history is an indicator, his torrid pace will slow at least somewhat.

As the game in Columbus went on last night, the top two lines became more unrecognizable than today's version of Guns 'n Roses. But I spotted a few encouraging things. Kostitsyn didn't look bad playing with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta, suggesting that maybe he can succeed without Plekanec feeding him the puck. Lars Eller made his debut in the top six, a spot he projects to be in long-term and should have been all along. I'm all for giving Benoit Pouliot another chance on a scoring line because given his skill-set, he's useless in a checking role but that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

So for the next few games, here's how I would set up the top two lines:

Line 1: Michael Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Brian Gionta

The way he's going, Plekanec would make a mailbox on skates look good playing on his wing. So why not pair him with the team's most snake-bitten forward in Gionta? The goals for Gionta will come, I don't think anyone doubts that. But perhaps he's gotten so used to seeing Gomez feeding him the puck that the change in scenery will speed up that scoring streak. Cammalleri has had limited success this year playing with Plekanec, scoring just three goals, but Cammy has always been a streaky scorer and considering his amount of scoring chances aren't suffering, staying the course would serve him best.

Line 2: Lars Eller - Scott Gomez - Andrei Kostitsyn

As good as a change in scenery would be for Gionta, perhaps it would be even more effective for Gomez. Kostitsyn has the hot hand right now and if Gomez starts appearing in the box score next to Andrei's goals, perhaps it would alleviate some of the pressure he's feeling and temper some of the fan's and media's reminders of how much money he's making this season. Eller appears to be getting comfortable with his teammates as the season is going along and looks ready to be put in an offensive role. His skill, size and hands are an enviable skill set and I would be intrigued to see how he would do playing alongside an above-average scorer and play maker on his line.

I'm not suggesting these lines as a permanent fix but for the foreseeable future, a little shuffling of the deck couldn't hurt certain guys who just seem like they need that change in scenery to jump start their production.

Will Martinez runs the 'Hey, My Name is Will' blog and is a contributor for TheFranchise.ca. You can follow Will on Twitter @heymynameiswill

Tags: Cammalleri \ Ellar \ Gionta \ Gomez \ habs \ hockey \ Kostitsyn \ Montreal Canadiens \ NHL \ Plekanec