I'm playing under the assumption that AV gets canned and we get a new coach who's willing to let prospects play through their curves and place players in roles where they're most likely to succeed.
Jensen is the most likely to succeed on the top line with the Sedins. He has an offensive game very similar to Kesler's during his career year. He drives the net hard, he's got a big body presence, he has an incredible shot. For all intents and purposes, he's what David Booth should've been. So far, Jensen has succeeded at every level playing against adults. National hockey, AHL, SEL, there's no reason to assume he won't be just as good in the NHL, especially when he has the Sedins playing for him.
Kassian should be playing with Kesler because Kesler desperately needs someone to pass him the puck, and hasn't had that other than the Sedins on the powerplay, in which he dominated when he was healthy. Kassian could be that guy. We already know that he can pass the puck will and make plays, he just needs a high-end talent to pass it to.
A Connauton-Tanev pairing shouldn't be anymore more risky than a Ballard-Tanev pairing. Both are high risk high reward defensemen and Connauton has shown a lot of chemistry with Tanev. He's also very big, very fast, and could QB a power play, something we're definitely lacking in since Ehrhoff's departure.
The Canucks need to start playing more of its kids next season, otherwise what's the point of drafting them? They're going to have to live and die by them, and they'll definitely die if they have AV burying them at the first sign of trouble. As long as core pieces exists on every line, then the Canucks should be fine. IE, Sedins on the first line, Kesler on the second, Hansen on the third and Lapierre on the fourth.
