HOW MANY NEWFIEWS DOES IT TAKE TO SCORE A GOAL?

The latest news out of the press is that Carbonneau will be placing Michael Ryder on the checking line and bring Tom Kostopoulos up to the first line. To my last recollection the first line's primary objectives was to score goals. Also last I checked, and based on his own words, Tom Kostopoulos is not a natural goal scorer. He is a superb player given his current duties on the roster; however I wonder what, if any, the ramifications will be once he's taken out of his comfort zone.

At this point one would have to assume that neither the coach, nor his new line mates will expect him to change his style or play, which brings us back to the original question of "What is the first line's role"? It is, and remains, the scoring of clutch and game winning goals, and I can somewhat understand the choice made by coach Carbs. The theory goes such that a hard hitting, grinder who likes to throw the puck behind the oppositions net and hit defensemen and beat them one on one along the boards will open up the ice to two of our most talented skaters. Furthermore, when Koivu or Higgins in in control of the puck, he has the size, grit and courage to plant him self in front of the goalie. As a third dimension, he brings some protection to our little ol' spitfire Captain during scrums (Komisarek can't be expected to do it all the time). Although my first instinct is to question Kostopoulos being delegated to the first line with a goal scorer (Grabovski) in the press box, I can understand the process of thought and justification coming from the coaches. Putting a guy like Kostopoulos is more in line with the team Gainey and Carbonneau are trying to (and succeeding) to create, and the successes of such a formula cannot be denied. Last year when Latandresse stepped in for the job for a few games, the line had a level of success we would all sell our souls for right now. At this point if anyone is wondering given past success, why Latandresse wouldn’t be given the job, need I remind you that Latandresse’s game is as cold as a fish. Kostopoulos will, or rather should succeed if he continues doing what he does best: dump, chase, hit, hurt, crunch.

Now about putting Ryder on the checking line...where do I begin? There are more things wrong with this decision than a drafted junior hockey player with a future in the NHL doing a gay porn photo shoot to pay the bills expecting never to get caught (duh), getting busted, claiming he took pictures of him self using his cell phone, and expecting the public to believe he's the victim of theft. (Now I'm no digital expert, but after seeing the few pictures posted on Canoe.com where he chose to keep his clothes on and let his tongue do the talking via Mores code on another guy's face, it’s fairly clear that pictures of that resolution taken from a distance involved a professional camera…and a camera man…or a 20 foot long right arm). Back to Ryder…placing him on the checking line, a line with the primary objective of defensive shut down, is a perfect opportunity to educate the younger crowd here who is unfamiliar with the word oxymoron. Placing a player who is arguably one of the largest defensive liabilities on the ice since Sheldon Souray’s departure, on the defensive line is like having a goaltender who is missing a torso guarding the net. Now I can’t even begin to proclaim that I know what happens behind the scenes, and at this point I trust of the coach’s judgment of the Ryder will get the job done, or that the implemented circumstances is exactly what Ryder needs in order to get his game back.