They possess the potential to be amazing, but the shoes they fill are large. As the second line goes, so goes the Nashville Predators.
It is always difficult to replace a quality player. Replacing two such players is near impossible. Yet, the Nashville Predators find themselves in a position that is rare, and that is replacing an entire line of forwards. They are replacing the entire second line.
But not just any forwards. The heart-and-soul of the team, Mike Fisher, has yet to decide on his return or to retire. Even if he returns, it is doubtful he would play on the second line. Furthermore, James Neal scored 99 points in the past two seasons with the Predators. While he was on the starting line for many games, the emergence of the JoFA line allowed Neal to move. That only help the Predators produce at greater lengths.
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Then, Collin Wilson was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. That is another 30 to 40 point player gone.
They go, we go
We know what to expect from the JoFA line. The combination of Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson is one of the most potent and deadly scoring lines in the NHL. But the Nashville Predators cannot reply on that line to do it all. The second line must step up, and it must do it quickly.
While we do not know the formation of the line at this point, due to the plethora of young talent ready to fill the spots, we can guess that Nick Bonino will be part of the line. Last season, he notched 37 points playing mostly on the Pittsburgh Penguins third line. That is a solid starting point.
Yet, looking at the average point production from each position, teams want at least 110 points combined from the second line. Can that happen?
The pieces in the puzzle must be set to gain this type of production. Kevin Fiala is an amazing handler of the puck and showed a knack for finding the net in his brief playoff time. The same could be said about Pontus Aberg, Colton Sissons, and Austin Watson.
However…
…none of these players showed the ability to do it over a long season. Of course, none of them played on the second line regularly. Now is their chance. The starting line will do its part. The defense will help. And the third line will hold up their end.
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It is the second line that will need to step it up. If they don’t, we may not be talking playoff.