From what I saw last night (WTF do I know, I'm just a Leafs fan) Jacques was the best player on that line or at worst the second best. Unlike #10 he isn't getting paid a $5.5 million cap hit to look like the 2nd or 3rd wheel on the top line. Ironic that Oilers fans used to bitch me out when I'd complain about Schremp getting saddled with the likes of the wickedly awesome Jonas Almtorp in preseason, yet if #83 and #10 don't have Dany Heatley on their left or at least Dustin Penner, they're getting screwed over and Quinn is an idiot.
It is not Jacques' fault that H and H sucked last night, Horcoff creates NOTHING out there and Hemsky is fumbling out of the gate again. At least Penner got something done last night on a line where he isn't the defacto 3rd wheel because H and H want to play the 2 man game so much. As I was told before, if Schremp is good enough he'll stand out no matter who his linemates are, it's too bad that the same doesn't apply to Horcoff or Hemsky. Right now both players need to find their games and while they look to do just that Penner will keep rolling on the 2nd line and Jacques will be clearing room and adding energy.
Jacques has earned this opportunity and he can and will take advantage of it when HIS linemates get THEIR shit together. Right now we've got 2 highly paid guys with years of chemistry together doing next to nothing offensively. Once they get their games in order it will become a solid line and for once we'll have someone on there that is more than willing to cave someone's face in if they rough up Hemsky. It's just too bad that we don't have a more skilled option down the middle because Jacques is a perfect 3rd wheel to that line, unfortunately H and H seem to be joined at the hip, if they keep up this piss poor play they can and should be split up. And Quinn has the guts to do just that.
A Jacques-Horcoff-Penner line would likely be a dandy, IF Horcoff regained his form as a solid playmaker after so many years of adapting his game to Hemsky's.
