When James Neal signed with the Calgary Flames this summer, mouths instantly watered in the city over the notion of the newcomer lining up with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan to form a formidable top trio with plenty of playmaking and finish.
While that line of thinking made sense, others wondered what the team might look like with a guy like Neal — who has scored at least 20 goals in each of his 11 NHL seasons — anchoring a third line.
Forget the scoring prowess of a top six, if you can construct three solid offensive trios at even strength, mismatches will be much easier to create.