LATEST | The verdict's in: Tocchet announces his strategy on the team's third-line centerman

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Felip Gosselin
September 3, 2023 (6:40 PM)

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Patrik Allvin had lots of issues to deal with entering this off-season. Two things they wanted to achieve over the summer were to improve the team's penalty kill and add depth behind Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.

The team's Head Coach, Rick Tocchet, commented on the team's newest acquisition and added how he felt they were going to improve the team's four-man unit:

�'Getting Cole and Soucy, Blueger and Suter ... these guys are very good penalty killers. They're grittier guys. They're willing to block shots. They don't let pucks through them; they knock pucks down. That's what good penalty killers do.''

Once Tocchet took over the reins, the team's penalty kill definitely improved; now that he's got even better personnel, we can expect a whole new level this year. Tocchet was asked if he felt he had a true third-line centre after Pius Suter's and Teddy Bluegers' acquisitions. The bench boss revealed how he planned on using them heading into training camp:

''Right now, yeah. It's a committee. Production-wise, we'll see. I'm not comparing us to the Stanley Cup champs, but if you look at Vegas with their lineup, they kind of spread it around. They did a nice job, and everybody contributed. Can we be that type of team, where we spread it around?''

Adding Bluegers and Suter sure goes a long way for this club; based on previous productivity, Suter may be getting the first shot at pivoting the 3rd line with Conor Garland and one of Hoglander, Joshua, Podkolzin or perhaps even Beauvilier.

The idea of having a balanced offence where production comes from all four lines sure seems exciting. As noted, the Golden Knights found their way to success with offensive productivity from all four trios.