Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm
Another point from a different post.
The NHL is shifting in terms of toughness. The bottom two lines aren't the gritty bash and bang lines they used to be. At most that's what the 4th line is but even that is debatable.
Personally in a third line role you want smart two-way players. Can handle minutes but be hybrid players capable of jumping up onto the next line when needed. Good support players.
As for comparables, Kevin Hayes had point totals of 14, 28 and 25 until exploding in his 4th year for 65 points. That's less points in his first 3 seasons then Bill Arnold had. He seemed to do okay for himself and didn't have the defensive responsibilities or faceoff acumen that Jankowski had through his sophomore and junior seasons.
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I agree with you on the top. The bottom 9 is shifting to some degree. You need to fill a role in the bottom 9. Ability to PK, secondary scoring, size, etc. But it isn't just tough grit guys anymore.
On the bottom, Hayes isn't a good comparable. he doubled his offensive production between the first and second seasons. He then doubled his point per game between the second and third seasons (he didn't play half the season in year 3). He was a point per game player in season 3.