Opinion: Time for line changes?

With the news that Trevor Gillies has been placed on waivers which is clearly to make room for the return of Nino Niederreiter and the total lack of scoring aside from two games this season, it appears that the need for a line change has become absolutely essential to restart this powerful offense.

Obviously, we know the first line clicks very well. John Tavares is probably going to have an 80+ point season, P.A. Parenteau has improved upon his flaws from last season and has been a very efficient playmaker, and Matt Moulson's stick handling and sniping abilities remain fully intact as he goes into his prime. Of all the lines, we know this one should remain intact for the time being, although nothing is ever set in stone. The only player from this line who should remain there eternally barring some shocking drop in play is John Tavares. Realistically, this line is staying the same and should not be broken up right now.

The second line is questionable. While Frans Nielsen and Michael Grabner have picked up their games substantially from earlier in the season and are returning to form, the drop off in play of Kyle Okposo leaves room for improvement with the return of Nino Niederreiter. Both are strong power forwards who aren't afraid to get physical, although Niederreiter's offensive ability is far superior to that of Okposo's, in my opinion. He fills the role of a power forward on this defensive line quite well and I think would mesh well with the hockey vision of Nielsen at center. While some have called for Niederreiter being placed on the 3rd line, I believe he would make much more of an impact on the 2nd line and really be a sparkplug for this team's offense.

The 3rd line has been troubling all season long. Comeau had his best games of the season the past two games, but hasn't done much to prove his worth so far. Josh Bailey has been 90% invisible in the games he's been in and generally floats around without getting vigorously involved down the middle like we had seen from him in the beginning of last year. While I'm pretty confident that this is mental and not based on lack of ability, it's trouble. Brian Rolston has been showing his age and has been generally inefficient all season long. My solution for this troubling line would be moving Kyle Okposo down to the third line with Bailey as his center and Comeau on the opposite wing. You have two strong power forwards with offensive instincts and a playmaker who has great potential, yet hasn't shown much of it yet. I believe Bailey is one of the main reasons this line isn't producing right now, but unfortunately it's doubtful he'd be placed on the 4th line considering their consistency. As for Rolston, he should be scratched until an injury comes along. His contract should not matter whatsoever.


The 4th line has been one of the most consistent lines all year round. Between Martin's consistent hard play and vicious forechecking, Reasoner's faceoff wins and PKing ability, and Pandolfo's veteran prescence, PK skill and shot blocking supremacy (so many adjectives in the last sentences), the 4th line must not be broken up right now. It's as simple as that.

As for the defense, there needs to be a change as well. Staios has been solid, but his age is showing. He's a solid bottom pairing defenseman at this point in his career, but much like Eaton last year, he's being asked to do too much compared to what his abilities and endurance will allow him. Although his health is a concern, based on his play since his return, my best bet for the defense would be to move Jurcina to the top pairing with Streit. There, you have an outstanding offensive defenseman with above average defensive abilities and a big, strong defensive defenseman with a rocket of a shot. Streit is a lefty and Jurcina is a righty as well, so it creates a dynamic situation when setting up in the offensive zone. The Hamonic-MacDonald chemistry should not be broken up and should be left alone. As for the bottom pairing, Mark Eaton has been very solid this year, but is a very stable bottom pairing d-man and needs to stay there. I believe he and Staios would be a great bottom pairing, with both providing solid defense in their own end.

As for the goaltending situation, Montoya should continue to be this team's #1. He is the most durable of all 3 (considering Nabokov's recent injury) and has the best stats thus far. Why he continues to be scratched or back up is extremely confusing, albeit not completely surprising. With 73 games remaining, Montoya should play 40 games for the rest of the season, Nabokov 25, DiPietro 8.

With these changes, if adapted, the lines would look as follows:

Moulson-Tavares-Parenteau
Grabner-Nielsen-Niederreiter
Comeau-Bailey-Okposo
Martin-Reasoner-Pandolfo

Streit-Jurcina
Hamonic-MacDonald
Eaton-Staios

Solid all around, keeping the chemistry that has worked, changing and tweaking the lines that haven't. It should be painfully obvious to Jack Capuano that what the lines are as right now are simply not working. Hopefully, he has the hockey intelligence to be able to realize that if the offense continues to fail in producing, a mix up must be made. If, even after these changes are made, the offense continues to struggle... there should be no hesitation in making a drastic line shift.

- AT

Season Preview: Nino Niederreiter

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Nino Niederreiter

Position: Left Wing
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 207 lbs
Birthdate: September 8, 1992
Birthplace: Chur, Switzerland
Acquired: Draft, Round 1, 5th overall, 2010 NHL Entry Draft

2010-2011 Team: Portland Winterhawks

2010-2011 Stats (NYI): 9 GP - 1 G - 1 A - 2 P - 8 PIM

2010-2011 Stats (POR): 55 GP - 41 G - 29 A - 70 P - 67 PIM
2010-2011 Playoffs (POR): 21 GP - 9 G - 18 A - 27 P 30 PIM
2011-2012 Team: New York Islanders or Portland Winterhawks
Team Role: Third Line Wing (NYI) / Top Line Wing (POR)

Last year: Niederreiter's whirlwind year started at the draft, where the Islanders made him the top Swiss pick of all time at number 5 overall. Niederreiter came to training camp under Scott Gordon and made an immediate impression, earning a spot on the main roster. However, after one goal in nine games and some inconsistent play, the Isles decided to send Niederreiter down to the WHL to hone his skills. He did just that, scoring 70 points for Portland in just 55 games, including 41 goals. Niederreiter also was the captain of the Swiss World Junior team, where he tallied four points (two goals) in six games. Once the playoffs hit, however, Niederreiter was a monster as he scored 27 points in 21 games. The experience certainly helped Nino as he entered his sophomore season.

Expectations: It's unclear as of today where Niederreiter will end up playing for the season, though most signs point to him making the cut for his rookie year with the Islanders. With the forward depth the Isles have, it's certainly possible that Niederreiter starts in a bottom-6 role. This would be great for him as he will have to earn his way up the forward ranks, which we certainly expect him to do over the next year or so. We don't expect Niederreiter to break scoring records this season, but we do expect solid play in all three zones with a scoring touch to boot. With the amount of work and effort that Niederreiter puts into his game, the results could be great.

Projections (NYI): GP 71 - 18 G - 12 A - 30 P

Projections (POR): GP 58 - 47 G - 23 A - 80 P


Thoughts:

CH: This kid is going to be an outstanding power forward for years to come. He is certainly not the razzle dazzle type player, but he is a force to be reckoned with. During the rookie game, you can see how far Nino has come over the past season. He hit everything that moved, established a net front presence, worked in the corners, played solid in the defensive zone, and even displayed his scoring touch. He is a do-it-all forward whose effectiveness will be gauged both on the scoreboard and off it. Certainly, Niederreiter has things to work on. And that alone may be his ticket back to the WHL for the season. But even if that is the case, it's hard to forget that he is only 19 years old. There is so much time for him to develop into the player that the Isles thought they were getting when they drafted him. Time will tell, but my guess is that Niederreiter will have a very strong training camp and will be in the opening night lineup.

AT: His goalscoring ability combined with his strength are going to be a very welcome addition on a team that already has a talented power forward in Kyle Okposo on the second line. I don't believe he is going to go back to juniors, as what he showed last year both in terms of play and maturity showed he's learned all he can possibly learn in the WHL. He will most likely be slotted on the third line with some combination of Blake Comeau, Brian Rolston, Josh Bailey and himself. Nino making the team would also leave a lot of room for a trade to occur, but that's for another post. Niederreiter has the body of an NHL'er and the skills to make it, although power forwards traditionally take a little bit more time to really come into their own. However, on sheer ability to get the pick into the net alone, Niederreiter should have a great year if he has his rookie year this year. If not, he knows what he needs to work on to make it into the bigs, and will go back to the WHL as a veteran presence on a very strong Portland team. Whatever the case, we have a very special player here who is ready to jump into the NHL as soon as possible.