Im going to preface this by saying I know very little about hockey. Everything i know is from quick Google searches, fanfiction, and lovely people on here and tiktok that info dump about it for the HR fandom. I've never watched a game. Please feel free to correct me if nothing here makes any sense.
In my perfect world, the centaurs' first two lines are very fluid. First line is primarily Boodram, Rozanov, Barrett (BRB if you will). Second line is primarily Haas, Hollander, 3rd (Dillon if he gets his act together or one of the other rookies that we dont have much info about, people who can keep up with Shane, Holmberg would complete the H motif lol but i cant remember if we're ever given a position for him and thats two rookies with Shane). Powerplay puts Hollander and Rozanov together, which is the entire league's nightmare fuel. But they're changing things up game to game depending on the team that they're facing. What strengths to accommodate and weaknesses to exploit? Does it make more sense to start with the brunt force of the Rozanov line or the clean precision of the Hollander line? Are we tight enough in the third period to put Hollander at C and Rozanov at W, and really fuck the other team over?
According to another lovely user (I cant remember who now, im sorry), this is allowed in the NHL. I feel like it makes the most sense to change things up, both from a skill insight and from a unpredictability standpoint. We're told in canon that the Centaurs need more depth at center. That's why Ilya is so needed when he first signed with them. Between him and Shane, that's a crazy amount of depth. So having them on separate lines covers those bases and splits their goal capacity across a larger time frame, rather than having Shane and Ilya, and their skillsets, on one line. That being said, never putting them on the same line when they have the chemistry they do, and teams might start avoiding the powerplay to avoid Hollanov together on the ice, seems like a waste of what magic they can make together, as shown during the 2017 all stars.
A different user (tiktok this time) said first and second line have very similar ice time. Its not necessarily a downgrade for Shane to be primarily second line from a goals and points perspective (from how i understand it). I think it would still sting a little, there would be an adjustment period and a mental reset with it for Shane because it is a change, but i dont think he'd hurt for goals or points much, and i do think he and Ilya have plenty of bets on them like they have in the past. That competitiveness isnt going away because theyre on the same team. (That being said, i think the media would absolutely use it against Shane because the media sucks) Another benefit to fluidity is that for some games, the H line could act as first while the BRB line acts as second if that makes more sense for the standard play of the opposing team.
AND it means that if someone gets hurt and is out, its easy to fill in their spot between the BRB and H lines without hurting skill or chemistry if the people can swap between lines and still work well togethet. Contingency plans, we love them.
We know from canon that Ilya is a decent wing. I think he has more flexibility between center and winger than Shane does. Shane seems more rigidly center and we dont see him do anything else in canon.
It makes their play unpredictable. Studying centaur game tape would only go so far if you cant predict what line and skillsets youre facing. The variables change every time. It also increases the depth of your main players. That seems like it wouldnt be a bad thing to me. Although a negative would mean less practice time dedicated to any given line because more combinations need to be tried.
As for captaincy. Ilya keeps the C. I dont think Shane would ask for it and I dont think Ilya would give it (outside of banter because they live to piss each other off and then fuck about it). Ilya is the better captain of the two when his heads on straight because he does exceptionally well at the people side of things. This does NOT mean Shane is a bad captain; he got his team to three cups, he's loved mostly by his guys until he came out, he knows what he's doing with a C on his chest. Its a point of pride and a point of self worth for him to not have it, but i think he'd settle into an A position very easily. I see Bood, Shane, and Troy as all As and they rotate between games. If i remember the end of TLG right, Shane doesnt get a letter from the beginning of the season, which seems weird to me if giving a letter from the beginning isnt an unusual practice due to Shane's experience and success as a captain. (Perhaps an author failing, which i have thoughts and feelings on, as many in the fandom do). But if we're continuing from canon, then Shane's getting that letter middle of the season. Maybe Ilya gets injured for a game or two and they need three alternates for those games, and Shane gets to keep the letter when Ilya's back on the rotation basis.
Ilya and Shane would work well as C and A because they complement each other in how they approach the game. Shane is quick, precise, and unyielding, one of his best skill sets is reading the ice and replicating other players styles. Theres versatility there that a lot of others dont have. He's reading the other team's plays exceptionally well. Ilya is more brutal strength and quick wit. He's reading the people and adjusting in a moment to hit them where it hurts. Its the psychological side of the game where he shines. Their shortcomings are picked up by the other to create a well rounded whole. Between the two of them they'd offer a very complex and meticulous understanding of the game, and they'd use that understanding to destroy every other team. They're working together on this and they respect where the other has a better skill. (I think they'd settle into this very naturally without much discussion, and probably before Shane has the A officially.)
Does this sound plausible to anyone who actually watches hockey? How much of this is me talking out of my ass?
