If I were Jacques Martin

I would grow back that porn stash he was sporting in the 80's. Then, based on the current roster, if the season started today, I would assemble the following lines/pairings:

A. Kost/Gomez/Gionta-A high flying first line. Gomez, a superb passer will be flanked by two shooters who should be able to make good use of his feeds. I am tempted to put Cammi on this line, but feel A. Kost can regain his form from 07'08.

S. Kost/Pleks/Cammi-Another line with speed to burn. Cammi is the sniper on this unit. It is up to S. Kots to win this spot and Pleks to regain his form. The A. Kost and S. Kost combo doesn't work for me, Sergei seems to always want to set up Andrei, turning down scoring chances of his own.

Moen/Laps/Lats-Big, grinding checking unit that will be counted on as the shut down line. Moen should add some experience and toughness. Laps and Lats worked well together last year so the same is expected. Reliable in their own zone and chip in with a goal here and there.

Stewart/Metro/Laraque-Metro flanked by two beasts on the wings. Good energy line and one that can be counted on to stick up for team mates when the going gets tough. Not a lot of skill, but will add another physical dimension.

Extras: Chips/Dags-Chips can fill in at centre on on the wing. Smart 2 way forward with good leadership. Dags can fit on one of the top two lines if needed with his scoring touch. Wouldn't be afraid to play either of these over BGL, Metro or Stewart.

Markov/Gorges-I loved the way these two played together last year when Komi was hurt. Good first pairing, Gorges is a smart d-man who is positionally sound. Markov, well, he's Markov. One of the most skilled d-men in the league.

Hamrlik/Spacek-Spacek is more of an offensive guy, Hammer can play at both ends. Another well rounded pairing who can play against top lines if need be.

Gill/Mara-Big, tough third pairing. A little slow, but should make up for it with wingspan. Gill proved he can play against elite forwards in the playoffs last year. Mara is a pretty solid two way guy.

Extra: O'Byrne-Makes sense for him to be in this slot over the other young guys. Has the most experience and his size can add another dimension to the back end if needed.

First call ups from the Bulldogs would be Patches and Maxwell on forward and Weber and Subban on the back end. Patches played well last year, but another year in the AHL would do him good. Weber should be first call up on defence, he proved he can play at the NHL level last year. He might also be a valuable option if the PP struggles.

So that is my lineup. First line should score enough, second line could be a question mark with S. Kots, who will be on a short leash. Enough grit on the bottom two lines to force opponents to keep their heads up. Defence should be mobile enough and hopefully better in their own zone that last years unit. The PP, with Spacek and Cammi blasting Markov feeds should improve. Chemistry could be an issue, but it's not like last years team had much.