The Winnipeg Jets third line has been exceptional this year. Unfortunately, Nino Niederreiter’s injury has put a wrench in these plans. They have frequently controlled play against the opposition’s top-six forward lines. Besides a minor blip that occurred around December, the Jets third line has been all-around amazing. Rick Bowness has since never separated that line besides on rare occasions in dire circumstances. This stubbornness has led some people to speculate if the line could perform even better with some slight alterations.
The slight alterations refer to Mason Appleton. He plays a very simple game and that meshes well with the rest of the line. While he is a solid forechecker, his uptick in points comes from receiving a lot more ice time than Nikolaj Ehlers for example. The third line works at defending and that is all fine and dandy. But when the Jets are chasing a game, Appleton should be the ninth most frequent forward over the bench at best. He should continue to get 16+ minutes a game if the team is losing.
Third Line has Been Changed
Nino Niederreiter’s recent injury concern allows for some alterations to be made to the forward core. Appleton will stay with Adam Lowry and instead be flanked by Tyler Toffoli. There are some red flags about this change but for the most part, this seems like a logical fit. It begs the question can Toffoli play on his off wing and can he buy in responsibly in a shutdown role? In the end, neither should be a determining factor as Toffoli has always been a strong driver of offensive play, and that will keep the puck out of the Jets end.
From a stylistic standpoint, the change makes a lot of sense. Toffoli and Nino Niederreiter are both not the quickest of skaters which means the third line will not look horribly outpaced. Furthermore, both players excel in different ways at shooting the puck. Toffoli has consistently been a volume shooter who finishes at an above-average rate. Niederreiter on the other hand goes to the dirty areas and gets the job done. For these two reasons, Toffoli being moved to the third line because of Nino Niederreiter’s injury is the right move.
Second Line Stays the Same
The newly formed second line of Kyle Connor, Sean Monahan, and Cole Perfetti had a very eventful but outstanding game for the Winnipeg Jets. They were on the ice for two goals against but scored three of their own. Plus one of the goals against wasn’t their fault as it was a soft one to give up. Combine all this with the fact that they controlled 74% of the scoring chances according to MoneyPuck. The Jets newly formed second line had a great game.
Nino Niederreiter’s lower-body injury for the time being has confirmed that this new line will stay together. Perfetti has deserved more ice time for a while now (another stubborn decision from Rick Bowness) and now has another chance to cement himself as a future top-six mainstay. With all the fuss about pending unrestricted free agents, having Perfetti as your fourth-best winger under contract or team contract starting next season is a great luxury to have.
Nino Niederreiter’s Injury Allows Jets to Tinker
Fortunately for the Winnipeg Jets Niederreiter should not be out long term. This allows the Jets to tinker and test some new combinations before the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Which is a much greater option than testing something new after facing adversity in the playoffs. Furthermore, this injury proves how much depth the team has up front. Winnipeg is a better team with Nino Niederreiter in the lineup but a week-long injury has not and will not send the team into a tailspin.
Main photo: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports
