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Oilers coach honestly evaluates new Kid Line, hints at their future
Photo credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
In his post-game interview following the team's 5-2 loss to the Flyers, Oilers' coach Kris Knoblauch commented on the Kid Line debut of Howard, Hutson and Savoie.
Coach attempts to replicate AHL magic
One, I think Howard and Hutson have been playing a lot together. They're familiar with each other, but I also think that with the three of them playing together, they're able to just play their game.
You know, tonight they played about 10 minutes. There's some good stuff, there's some bad stuff, but overall, I think for a first game together, it was mostly positive.
- Coach Knoblauch
You know, tonight they played about 10 minutes. There's some good stuff, there's some bad stuff, but overall, I think for a first game together, it was mostly positive.
- Coach Knoblauch
Appearances are often misleading, but it seemed that Knoblauch was hoping to capture the chemistry that Howard and Hutson demonstrated in Bakersfield, where the two rookies have dominated the opposition offensively.
Except, they've done so playing on the Condors' top-line, with top-minutes, and as the team's main option for offense.
Against the Flyers, the Kid Line was used defensively to shut-down the other team's bottom part of the roster.
Perhaps if Nuge centered Hutson and Howard on the 3rd-line, the outcome might have been different for the rooks.
How about a shift or two with McDavid as pivot. That would be interesting and possibly even successful.
Of course, coach Knoblauch hasn't exactly been liberal this year where his young players are concerned, in terms of ice-time and assignments. And having three on the same line, two of whom have seen limited NHL action, the chances of impacting the game was always going to be a crap-shoot.
Isaac Howard, Matt Savoie, and Quinn Hutson got 11:52, 10:16, and 9:17 of ice time respectively, which amounts to a shift for every five or six of the team's line changes.
For 85% of game-time, they sat on the bench getting cold, and without a role on which to focus and set their teeth into.
When they did play, the Kid Line started on the fly, playing catch-up and scrambling to get into position, as the seconds ticked away.
This has been an issue, not only with the Oilers' rookies, but with the bottom-6 in general, where they've played limited minutes and in a very narrow set of roles. The effect has been obvious.
And when outside the two top-lines, the problem crosses from player to player, one wonders where the blame falls.
With the players, or with the coach? The jury, as they say, is still out.