Welcome back to another edition of Lining Up. As the holiday season approaches, the next few articles will examine some noteworthy line combinations from this season or the calendar year. This week we will discuss lines and players who have not been meeting the lofty expectations fantasy owners had for them prior to the start of the season.

Let's dive in.

Jason Robertson – Joe Pavelski – Roope Hintz

Considering the level to which the top line in Dallas played to last season, so far this year the trio and Jason Robertson in particular, have not quite performed as well as fantasy owners were hoping for. Last season the line had 29 goals for from the start of the season to December 18^th, or 32 goals. In the first 30 games so far, the same line has only 17 goals for. Unless the top line explodes for 12 goals over the next two games, the first third or so of the season is a slight let down.

In spite of the lack of scoring for this top line at even strength, Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz have actually remained largely unaffected. Pavelski is on pace for 76 points this season which is only one point less than what he finished with last year. He is shooting at nearly the same rate and is on pace to finish with close the same number of power play points as well. Hintz has dropped a little more, also on pace for 76 points which is down from his 84-point-pace last season while again landing similar shot totals.

The player most impacted, as owners are no doubt aware of, is Roberston. After torching the league last year with a 109-point season including 46 points in those first 32 games, he is currently on track to finish with 76 points. That is a solid finish for a forward, but for Robertson who was drafted as high as the first round, the 33-point disparity is jarring. Furthermore, Robertson's shooting is down this season as he is taking nearly a shot and a half less per game so far. When examining his underlying metrics and comparing his season so far to those of his linemates, the drop in shot total is likely the main culprit here for his decrease in production. At this point last season, Robertson already had 23 goals on 129 shots which was a slightly high shooting percentage, but not unreasonable. If owners are looking to buy low on Robertson, it is encouraging that the top line has not been broken up but that shot volume will need to increase for greater production to follow.

Matthew Tkachuk – Sam Bennett – Carter Verhaeghe

Another first round pick that has not played to his expected level so far is Matthew Tkachuk. He is currently on pace for only 58 points this season which would be his lowest total since his rookie year, all the way back in 2016-2017. As opposed to Robertson though, things are not as bleak for Tkachuk. While he is receiving about a minute less of overall ice time this year as opposed to last, he is still shooting at good rate, just over three and a half shots per game. As long as that continues, his paltry 4.4 shooting percentage is bound to regress back closer to the 12.6% average he has managed over his previous three seasons. Furthermore, when we take a look at his advanced statistics page, all categories indicate that he is cold and due for more luck to come his way. 5on5 shooting percentage, PDO, points per 60 minutes, secondary assist percentage and IPP are all due for increases. Additionally, besides being paired with his usual linemates, Tkachuk is still receiving high levels of offensive zone time (61.9% OZ Starts) and a 75% share of the power play time. All of the metrics paint the picture of a player who is still doing everything he should be, while continuing to receive excellent deployment but who is simply not getting the bounces he needs at the moment. That will change and it may be worth checking to see if Tkachuk can be bought for below asking price.

Unfortunately, his longtime linemate Sam Bennett has also experienced poor production while being attached to Tkachuk. He is on pace for 39 points so far which would be a drop from his previous two seasons of at or above 50-point paces. After spending about half of his time alongside Tkachuk last year and a third of his overall time with Carter Verhaeghe on the line as well, it is encouraging to see that since he returned from injury, Bennett is back to over 50% of his even strength time with his best linemates. Last season nearly half of his points were totalled with Tkachuk and nearly three quarters of his overall production was with the pair. Needless to say, his production is intrinsically tied to being on a line with Tkachuk and Verhaeghe. Where that production falters, so does his but if or when Tkachuk regresses, Bennett will be sure to follow along for the ride.

Meanwhile, the last piece on the line, Carter Verhaeghe is still having a decent year with 26 points in 31 games, close to what his career numbers last season. The major explanation for his sustained production is that in spite of lower-than-expected scoring while playing at even strength with Tkachuk and Bennett, he is seeing a boost in power play opportunities this season and is now at a near 50% share of the available time with the man advantage, up from 38.2% last season. The results so far are good early on, he already has six power play points through 31 games which is almost half of the 13 he finished with last season after 81 games. Should Tkachuk get back to a point per game pace, Verhaeghe could see production in that area rise to go along with a boost in his power play points. The result would be another career year for him so consider asking in on the price to acquire Verhaeghe before the line takes off.

Pierre-Luc Dubois

One of the bigger moves of the offseason was L.A acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois in a trade from Winnipeg. Much was made about how he would slot into the lineup as well as how he could follow up a solid season in Winnipeg with the move to a team on the rise. While carving out a role on the top power play unit was always going to be a challenge, not only has Dubois been playing on the second unit but he has recently been lining up alongside Carl Grundstrom and Alex Laferriere on top of that. The result has been a cold streak of one point in his last eight games which has him on pace to finish with an abysmal 36 points. All other statistics are down as one might expect, he is taking a full shot less per game, now to under two, he is seeing over two full minutes less of ice time per night and only has one power play point on the season. At this point, he is not worth rostering in shallow leagues and will be hard pressed to break out of this funk without improved line deployment.