Is he getting enough icetime, does he have the quality of linemates that he needs to succeed, would he be better of if the team relied on him a bit more and if he was more of a go-to guy?
He is definitely getting enough ice time ~ at least enough to lead the Oil on the wrong end of the +/- stat (-8)
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He is a go-to guy, a key part of our offence and powerplay. 3rd and 5th for goals and points respectively (5g, 9p)
He is a rookie, and he is in a position to learn both sides of the puck without too much pressure ~ That said, from what we've seen of Nail's passion for the game, he seems the type to find away to shine
Would the Oilers be better off going with three pairings of top offensive forwards?
If the Oilers are behind and they're rolling 3 lines you'd literally never get a break. Your 3rd d pairing would have to sit.
Thoughts?
It sounds great, and if the Oils top six develop 3 pairings of offensive talent that just oozes chemistry and game-breaking ability, consistently, great! Until that happens, there's two things that bother me with this.
First, I think it will be much harder to get all 6 forwards enough quality and situationally appropriate minutes 5v5 as 3 lines opposed to 2 lines.
Second, with injuries, slumps, and inconsistant efforts from game to game (and period to period!), not to mention the ongoing development of most of our players, I think they might run into trouble if the start to typecast players too much.
Overall, I've liked what I've seen from the coach so far this season, in terms of icetime, line combos, and personel decisions. It seems like there's a message of expectations and accountability within the dressingroom.
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