Nashville Predators: What to do with Hartnell out

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.