Last season, the first line saw several combinations that you usually wouldn’t see from a top line. Normally, your first line is set and locked in for the entire year. However, unfortunate circumstances like injuries and inconsistent play can determine changes on your top line.
While the Florida Panthers avoided the injury bug fairly well and received sufficient production from their core group of forwards, they opted to tweak their first line to better balance their entire top-six. This change managed to work, and the Cats only missed out on the postseason by a single point.