Nikolaj Ehlers needs more ice time. Yet Rick Bowness continues to decrease his ice time. This is not the right move. The dynamic Danish playmaker has continued to be one of the best point scorers in terms of ice time for the seventh consecutive season. According to MoneyPuck, Ehlers is 10th in points/ice time. Furthermore, since November 30th, he is eighth in 5-on-5 points scored according to QuantHockey. The main reason the Winnipeg Jets were able to continue to win without Kyle Connor was because of how dominant the top-line of Ehlers, Gabriel Vilardi and Mark Scheifele was as they out-scored opposition 17-3 and controlled the majority of the play.
Obviously, the very next move for any coach would be to dismantle that line and move the catalyst to a demotion on the second line. Not to say the second line with Ehlers on it hasn’t performed well but, in a league, a star player’s ice time can make or break a game. Playing Ehlers 15 minutes a night instead of 19 or 20 could be a fireable offence if the Jets weren’t winning like crazy. This isn’t to say Bowness hasn’t been an amazing coach, but it is clear the Jets are winning in spite of the decision on Ehlers’ ice time.
How Ehlers Handled the Demotion
Ehlers is a consummate pro and will never blame anybody but himself in front of the media. For this reason, we’ll let his play against the New York Islanders this past Tuesday do the talking. The second line, which consisted of Ehlers, Vladislav Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti played a solid game according to MoneyPuck controlling 67% of the scoring chances in eight minutes at 5-on-5. It was a relatively even game at 5-on-5 with the Jets dominating chances on non 5-on-5 play. So, while on the surface it seems like Ehlers was unaffected by the demotion, once you dig deeper you can clearly see he was his usual self, tilting the ice in the opposition’s direction.
Rick Bowness has repeatedly stated how his biggest weakness as a coach lies in not getting Ehlers or Perfetti enough ice time. For a while you give him the benefit of the doubt. But after 42 games it is clear he has shown no indication of being able to fix this weakness. Ehlers currently sits sixth in forward ice time and Perfetti tenth. Ehlers should be leading the forwards in ice time while Perfetti should be fourth or fifth at worst. At the current moment bottom-sixers like Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton regularly play more than young stars.
The Answer is Ehlers Needs More Ice Time
The Jets are an amazing team with an elite goalie and an extremely underrated defensive core. But the biggest upgrade going forward isn’t the trade route. It’s playing Ehlers and Perfetti more. The Jets currently are first in the entire National Hockey League (NHL) in terms of point percentage. Just slightly ahead of the Boston Bruins. It is crazy to think how high the ceiling for this team could be. This isn’t me trying to bash Rick Bowness as he is a great coach and deserves to be a Jack Adams finalist, but he can only cry wolf so many times about wanting to play Ehlers more before everyone starts to learn he is lying. The answer to Bowness’ weakness is simply giving Ehlers more ice time.
Main Photo Credit: Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports
