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Nashville Predators: Who will center the Predators second Line?

By George Matarangas

NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 5: Calle Jarnkrok #19 of the Nashville Predators skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game Four of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Bridgestone Arena on June 5, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 5: Calle Jarnkrok #19 of the Nashville Predators skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game Four of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Bridgestone Arena on June 5, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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A big question looms for the Nashville Predators. Who will center the second line? Will it be newly acquired Nick Bonino or the younger Calle Jarnkrok?

As Captain Mike Fisher retires, a big question looms. Who will center the Nashville Predators second line? The common opinion seems to be that newly acquired Nick Bonino will take up the mantle, but I’m not so sure. Maybe is should be Calle Jarnkrok.

When looking at who’s better, they’re both relatively similar in points. Bonino posted 37 points in 80 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins while Jarnkrok posted 31 points in 81 games for the Nashville Predators. They played roughly the same minutes against similar competition.

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The main difference is who was on their line. Nick Bonino spent the better part of the year center the “HBK” line with GREAT AMERICAN Phil Kessel. Kessel is one of the better wings in the current NHL, posting 70 points. It’s a little odd to see a 37 point player centering a 70 point winger. I think Jarnkrok has the better potential to score more when he centers better players.

Check advanced stats

When I look at possession stats, I always use Fenwick. It’s the most complete formula to determine how great a player is on both sides of the ice. For those who don’t know, Fenwick is used to tell how often a player and his team have possession of the puck. Fenwick is quantified by dividing the Fenwick for by Fenwick for and Fenwick against: FF/ (FF+FA). This percentage is how often the players team has the puck

Bonino has only posted positive Fenwick scores 3 times in his career, sinking to a 47% Fenwick score last season. Putting a player with such a low score on the second line would be irresponsible as he would bring down his wingers. Meanwhile, Jarnkrok has never posted a negative score in his 4 year NHL career, even though he only posted a 50.8% score this year. I believe Jarnkrok will post even better numbers as he plays with more talented players.

Youth wins?

Jarnkrok is only 25 and he seems to still be finding his scoring touch. He may never score over 40 points, but he’ll be an excellent 2-way player on the second line. He deserves a shot. He plays all situations well, including the powerplay and penalty kill. Bonino will make the biggest impact on the 3rd line, even if he’s overpaid for it.

Next: Assembling Franchise’s All-Time Best Offensive Weapons

Either way, the Nashville Predators center group is looking better than it did last year.

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