Nashville Predators: What to do with Hartnell out
The Nashville Predators won a hard-fought victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. But in their victory, there was a meaningful loss.
Wily old vet Scott Hartnell injured himself about 10 minutes into the game on Saturday. It was a seemingly innocent hit where Hartnell’s knee buckled and twisted. I’m not a doctor but as a famed hockey injury speculator, I can easily say that’s a knee injury. At this point, Hartnell is 35 and an aging power forward. Typically their bodies do not age well and injuries become more and more common. The Nashville Predators brought Hartnell in for some grit and experience, but they don’t necessarily need that now. They’ll need it in the playoffs, especially if they want to go deep again.
The Nashville Predators confirmed today that Hartnell would miss three to five weeks. So, who should step up into his spot on the third line?
Colton Sissons
This seems like the most likely option as Peter Laviolette had Colton Sissons matched up with Miikka Salomaki and Calle Jarnkrok during Monday’s practice. Sissons is one of the more offensively talented options that are available. The 24-year-old has been quiet as of late with four points in 15 games, but more consistent minutes might be exactly what he needs. Sissons has played everywhere on the line-up it seems, at one point on the fourth and the second line in the same game. The right-handed shot could fit in well on the right wing opposite of lefty Miikka Salomaki.
So far, the hybrid center-winger has posted good possession scores with a five on five Corsi of 51.77% and a Fenwick of 50.64%. Not super impressive but the numbers look incredible when you consider that he’s being deployed in the defensive zone 66.36% of the time. It’s clear that Laviolette trusts Sissons, and the Nashville Predators are rewarded with some smart defense.
The only issue is that Jarnkrok is a more defensively oriented player and Laviolette trusts him to eat tough minutes against top competition. Jarnkrok has similar zone starts, but it’s against first and second liners, not third liners like Sissons normally plays against. This might hurt Sissons as it could stifle his offensive instincts. It really depends on what Laviollete wants out of this line. Does he want a shutdown line that can erase Crosby? Or does he want a two-way line that can also put the puck in the net against some weaker competition?
Austin Watson
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really high on Austin Watson at the start of the season, but the guy is awesome. It’s not the hitting or the fights, it’s the commitment to defense. The guy will take every hit, dive in front of every shot, and sacrifice offense to keep the puck out of his net. And it’s wonderful to watch, especially considering he’s a winger, who are typically more offensively oriented.
If you watch closely, Laviolette will throw out a stitched-up defensive monster of Salomaki-Jarnkrok-Watson towards the final minute of every game that they hold a lead in. He trusts those guys to make the tough plays and keep the pucks away from Rinne. Putting Watson with the third line would be a conscious move to make them a shutdown line. Which I think is smart, that line could be valuable against teams with some top six firepower. The other good news is that Watson, like Sissons, is a righty and would fit in seamlessly.
Watson has put up less than impressive stats with two points in 16 games. Not only that but he owns a five on five Corsi of 45.55% and a Fenwick of 45.79%. Not good by any stretch of the imagination. He has similar zone starts to Sissons with 61.69% in the defensive zone. He also plays considerably fewer minutes with 12 a night on average. Unlike Sissons though, Watson has played the entire year with human anchor Cody McLeod on the fourth line I think more minutes with better quality linemates would do wonders for his scores. He looked especially good in the third period with the third line, as they played six minutes against the Crosby and Malkin lines, combined
Cody McLeod
I included this because it makes me laugh, and I’m sorry if it offends. But if you think McLeod belongs on the roster, let alone the third line, we probably shouldn’t hang out. Ok, cool, onto the next one.
Pontus Aberg
The recently relegated righty has seemingly recovered his confidence since starting in the AHL. Pontus Aberg currently has three goals in two games and has looked dominant. It’s pretty clear that he’s too good for the AHL, but where does he belong in the big leagues? Maybe the third line? I like Sissons more for this spot, but it depends on if Laviolette wants to keep him at center.
Aberg has two assists in nine games and some very average possession stats. At five on five, he owns a Corsi of 48.68% and a Fenwick of 51.79%. He’s not a shot suppressor by any means, so this tells us that he’s really good at getting shots to the net. Rarely are his team’s shots blocked, as Aberg and his mates do a good job of freeing up space. He only plays about 10 minutes a night on average, but he uses it well. He’s only given up seven high danger chances but he’s been on the ice for 13 for. Promising numbers, but his linemates and playing time were so varied that it’s hard to know if it’s legitimate. He did start in the offensive zone 46.67% of the time, so he hasn’t been sheltered.
Aberg would add a bit of flash to the grit of Salomaki and to the simpleness of Jarnkrok. It could work in an unorthodox manner, but Aberg would have to be consistent. And if there’s one thing I know about Aberg, it’s that he’s consistently inconsistent. His best chance at the third line could come if Sissons is kept on the fourth line as a center.
Nick Bonino/Calle Jarnkrok
I’ve toyed with this idea for a couple of days and I actually like it. The line would look like Salomaki-Bonino-Jarnkrok. Jarnkrok and Nick Bonino would switch on face-off duties depending on where the faceoff needed to be won.
Bonino’s sample size is fairly small compared to most of the other players, so take his stats with a grain of salt. He currently has one goal in five games, not very impressive but it’s important to remember he was managing an injury. He owns a five on five Corsi of 47.32% and a Fenwick of 47.83%. Once again, less than impressive, but Bonino was playing in an ill-suited role. He’s clearly not a second line center, and it sucks that he’s paid like one. But that’s what it is and there’s no use in complaining too much. So let’s put him where he will succeed, the third line. He’d be a more offensively focused option and could have a bigger impact with third line minutes against third line competition.
I like the option quite a bit, but according to practice lines on Monday, Bonino was playing with the fourth line. He’d be the best fourth line center in the NHL and could thrive by exploiting weaker talent.
Next: Podcast: Passion, Pain, and Penguin Slayin'
No matter what the Nashville Predators do, they’re in good shape. They just have some decisions to make about what they want their third line to be. A scoring line or a shutdown line, I lean towards a shutdown line but that’s just me. Any way you cut it, the Nashville Predators are sitting pretty.