Because the second line is a scoring line, and you don't put somebody on the scoring line that is old, can't keep up, and can't score anymore.jchockey wrote:The whole argument about putting Linden on the second line is not whether or not he can score goals (which he cannot, unfortunately), but whether or not he can create room and scoring oppurtunities. Granted, his hands are not what they were used to be and everyone knows his skating is below average, but who knows what could happen. If he can use his size and stand in front of the net every so often, why not?
Is there a downside to putting Linden on the second line once in a while? I don't think there is.
And also, we don't put Linden on the second line for the same reason that we don't put Marc Andre Bernier or Lee Goren on the second line to utilize their size: they are not good enough to be there.