I think Carrier deserves a promotion

[Brazen331]

Believe me when I tell you that I most likely love the currently constitutesd 4th line more than most. Still, I think it’s time to start finding out just how offensive Carrier’s game can become.

He is a special and extremely unique player who deserves more ice time and who is obviously no longer a 4th-line player. That play where Merrill robbed him of his second assist after he stole the puck at center ice and raced down to goal line, delivering that gorgeous table-setter in the slot may well have been a turning point...

I didn’t think his hockey sense was that good before...

He leads the league with almost 5o more hits than his 2nd-place teammate and has 7 goals while playing on the 4th line. I wonder how many more points he might have if he were playing on the 3rd line and I wonder if the 3rd line might have more juice with him on it.

Basically, I’d like to see Reaves-Bellemare-Nosek reconstituted...we already know it’s a good line...and see Carrier’s speed, power and aggression higher up in the lineup.

This would also make it harder for opposing skill guys to hide from being hit with the linebackers split up.

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[CupInSIX]

I think that speaks more to how Nosek can't find the back of the net (and Carpenter for that matter) than Carrier's finishing ability. I don't want to knock Wild Will's play this year because he's been a machine, but some of his goals are kind of...early Christmas gifts?

But to your point, the 4th line was playing around 13+ minutes after Haula got injured if I recall. Some nights the 4th line is fairly quiet (can't hit what you can't catch) and others it's been a fantastic crash line that should stay intact.

The other thing to consider is the wear and tear Reaves and Carrier and putting on their bodies, even under 12 minutes a game. Carrier looks exhausted at the end of most of his shifts. Playing him even more than he is doesn't necessarily mean better play.

 

[willy702]

His skill is he's willing to go hard to the net and taking low percentage shots. I don't see another line making sense for him. If he was really skilled he would drive to the net and pass it off to an open player as the D collapses.

 

[IceNeophyte]

I don't want to knock Wild Will's play this year because he's been a machine, but some of his goals are kind of...early Christmas gifts?

The harder you work, the luckier you get.

 

[GKG18]

Carrier is still developing, though at 24 (3 years of NHL experience), you'd think he's a finished product. He has shown much more offensive game this season, so I say, yeah, get him more minutes!

 

[IceNeophyte]

His skill is he's willing to go hard to the net and taking low percentage shots. I don't see another line making sense for him. If he was really skilled he would drive to the net and pass it off to an open player as the D collapses.

I agree with this. You don't have to throw everyone who scores goals on the top line. 4th is working for him and the team.

 

[HanSolo]

I'd say don't f*** with what's working. The fourth line has been good all year.

 

[hangman005]

I'd say don't **** with what's working. The fourth line has been good all year.

Probably the justification I would end up using as well. Not to say I wouldn't be curious to see if Carrier could make the third line more of a threat, but our 4th line has been outstanding and it's tough to break that up.

 

[HanSolo]

Probably the justification I would end up using as well. Not to say I wouldn't be curious to see if Carrier could make the third line more of a threat, but our 4th line has been outstanding and it's tough to break that up.

Better to just run Glass and Haula on the third line next year and have Nosek and Lindberg compete for that last spot.

 

[hangman005]

Better to just run Glass and Haula on the third line next year and have Nosek and Lindberg compete for that last spot.

Sure, but this year our third line has largely been a wet paper bag in terms of usefulness. Injuries to Patches, Stastny, Tuch, Haula and anyone else who even looks at the 2nd line haven't helped, but if we could get 4 lines that could cause problems, it could be better than just 3 even if we have to downgrade one to do that. If our 3rd line was producing it would be a different story, but I'll at least entertain ideas that may get them going.

 

[Brazen331]

His skill is he's willing to go hard to the net and taking low percentage shots. I don't see another line making sense for him. If he was really skilled he would drive to the net and pass it off to an open player as the D collapses.

This is precisely what he did when he set up Merrill who should have finished. I didn't think he was capable of these types of plays either but perhaps he is.

He is on pace to score over 15 goals on the 4th line. If he can develop into a 20 goal scorer he can be a rare and valuable player in today's game, a nasty old-school power forward. There are other players in the league who can approach his aggression and physicality but I can think of no one who has these attributes along with Carrier's blazing speed. Perhaps he is maxed out but I've got a feeling there's more ceiling here.

 

[LadyStanley]

That may be all he gets

 

[Brazen331]

That may be all he gets

I imagine he’s not one of the more popular players in the NHL.

 

[BattleBorn]

I imagine he’s not one of the more popular players in the NHL.

Meh, I'm sure he's got friends. Seems like an alright guy.

 

[Brazen331]

Meh, I'm sure he's got friends. Seems like an alright guy.

I’m sure he has friends too, mostly on his own team. Anyway, looks like Coach had an even better idea.

 

[Brazen331]

He got moved up...so what does everyone think so far? Keep Carrier on the 3rd line or not?

 

[CupInSIX]

He got moved up...so what does everyone think so far? Keep Carrier on the 3rd line or not?

Carrier-Eakin-Zykov with Patches out? Why not

 

[Knightmare]

He got moved up...so what does everyone think so far? Keep Carrier on the 3rd line or not?

I liked it. I think Nosek on the 4th creates more scoring chances for them and Carrier on 3rd creates more for the 3rd. Win/win

 

[Rob Brown]

Anyone know what is going on with Carrier?

 

[theslatcher]

Anyone know what is going on with Carrier?

Injured. Vegas is really secretive about injuries, but Carrier plays a very physical game and so is bound to get injured from time to time, no matter how sturdy he is.

E: or wait, he's been having an illness since the 7th? Could be eye infection or something like that, takes like 3 weeks to fix it.

 

[Rob Brown]

Injured. Vegas is really secretive about injuries, but Carrier plays a very physical game and so is bound to get injured from time to time, no matter how sturdy he is.

E: or wait, he's been having an illness since the 7th? Could be eye infection or something like that, takes like 3 weeks to fix it.

Yeah, that's what I found weird. Normally when a team says a player has an illness it's like a flu bug and they're back before long. Carrier has been out a while.

 

[theslatcher]

Yeah, that's what I found weird. Normally when a team says a player has an illness it's like a flu bug and they're back before long. Carrier has been out a while.

It's now confirmed as an injury by GMGM, Vegas really isn't great at disclosing why a player isn't playing.