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Tristan Fitzpatrick
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Who Should Be Jack Eichel’s Wingers?
One of the first changes Phil Housley made to the Sabres lineup was moving Sam Reinhart to centre. Reinhart was a centre all junior, and a good one, getting himself drafting 2nd overall in 2014. But when he arrived in Buffalo, Eichel and Ryan O’Reilly established themselves as the top centres under Dan Bylsma.
Reinhart put up decent numbers alongside house-mate Eichel but seemed to lack an edge and consistency on the wing. Now Housley wants to establish Reinhart as a centre again, which will hopefully improve his play.
This means Jack Eichel is without both of his most consistent wingers from the previous two seasons. Eichel played 142 minutes with Reinhart and the recently traded Marcus Foligno last year. Without them, he will get fresh linemates again.
Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel and center Sam Reinhart (Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)
Veteran Wingers
The obvious candidate is Evander Kane. Eichel has played with Kane but as I found out in the spring, it wasn’t to great effect. Kane and Eichel combine for high scoring chances and shots but also have little control of the puck defensively and give up more than they create. Under Housley, it could be argued that Kane and Eichel could flourish in a new aggressive system. It certainly will be tinkered with. But I don’t believe Kane is the partner for Eichel.
On the right side, it seems more appropriate that Foligno was traded in part for Jason Pominville, the former Sabres captain. It could be a like-for-like switch as the veteran provides poise and experience to Eichel’s line, something he has lacked thus far.
Jason Pominville (Andy Martin Jr)
Pominville, however, is on the other end of the age curve. With Minnesota, Pominville played 14:14 average minutes a night, that’s 5:41 minutes short of Eichel’s average ice time. The question is whether Pominville can keep up with those minutes or if he will become exposed by tough matchups.
Bailey’s Big Chance
The idea of playing youngster Justin Bailey alongside Eichel is a possibility. He has the speed at the NHL-level without the scoring touch, though he does possess it, with 23 goals in the AHL last year. Bailey is on the opposite side of the spectrum to Pominville. The question will be, can he develop a scoring touch alongside Eichel whilst still playing against the toughest lines.
There is no evidence to say Bailey would work, yet. But based on his ability and speed he could play on Eichel’s left, while Pominville plays on the right5; a perfect blend of rookie rawness and veteran savvy.
Buffalo Sabres right wing Justin Bailey (Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports)
It is fairly certain that Kyle Okposo will remain with Ryan O’Reilly, whilst Zemgus Girgensons seems to have joined that group through pre-season, so we can rule out those players.
There is a chance, however, that Reinhart gets the pleasure of Pominville’s presence. Despite being a year his senior, Reinhart is much less proven as an NHL centre than Eichel and could be in need of a veteran winger. As mentioned previously, Pominville has typically played third line minutes so the boot fits.
We have also seen Kane, Reinhart, and Pominville play together this pre-season. I would anticipate that to be a very strong third line. The only problem, of course, this then leaves Eichel with less-talented options.
Unproven Options
Hudson Fasching has been sent back to Rochester. Alex Nylander is completely unproven and only 19 years old. Matt Moulson’s career seems to be in free-fall. Other unproven players such as Jacob Josefson and Seth Griffith are options as well.
Nick Baptiste is another winger similar to Justin Bailey. Baptiste actually played with Eichel briefly last year, even scoring his first NHL goal alongside number 15. Would Eichel be able to carry two youngsters on his line who have eight points in their 54 collective NHL games? I wouldn’t think so.
Addition by subtraction would then leave us with Benoit Pouliot, signed as a free agent this summer. Pouliot struggled with Edmonton despite putting up decent numbers inconsistently throughout his career.
Sep 21, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers left wing Benoit Pouliot (67) celebrates his goal against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Edmonton Oilers won 3-1. (Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)
We haven’t seen much of the pair together so it’s tough to predict their success. Many people I talk to question Pouliot’s ability to keep up with Eichel, as the veteran’s biggest criticism is his lack of quickness. I’d be surprised if Pouliot was put with Eichel full-time, though I could see Housley at least trying it out.
Fourth Line Centres
The two players left are also potentially fighting for the fourth centre spot in the lineup: Evan Rodrigues and Johan Larsson. Both played third line centre last year, first Larsson before Rodrigues came in as injury relief for the Swede.
Rodrigues has become the forgotten man in Buffalo after progressing significantly at centre. He was, of course, Eichel’s winger in college and that familiarity could go a long way. Much like the rest of the list, Rodrigues lacks scoring consistency.
Apr 11, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston University Terriers forward Evan Rodrigues (17) goes around Providence College Friars defenseman Jake Walman (19) during the first period of the championship game of the Frozen Four college ice hockey tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
With all the options laid out, it strangely doesn’t become any more clear who the best options would be. Would Eichel benefit from a veteran presence or rookie speed? I think it’s going to take some time before even Housley will know.
Who do you think should be Eichel’s wingers? Let us know in the comments below.
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