Gordon and Hendricks on the 4th line. Are You Kidding Me?

Something has been bugging me for over a week now. I cannot recall who mentioned it to me. But at some point Stauffer said that Gordon and Hendricks would be a good fourth line for the Oilers next year. Honestly, this just made me shake my head. Are you kidding me? Is this a statement just to piss of Oilers fans? To get reaction and see? Or just one of the few stupid things he says. I thought it was the latter. But Bob seems to be a very smart man, most of the time anyways. So by giving him the benefit of a doubt, I thought I’d look into this.

But first, why did I think that he had lost his mind? Looking at salary of coarse. Stats aside for the moment. Their salaries alone have them being paid as third line players. To have these guys on your fourth line and then pay third line players around the same kind of salaries is bonkers. Actually, it’s nearly impossible. You cant have your bottom two lines making as much as your top line. You can’t have every player in your bottom six making between $1.5M and $3.5M or you wouldn’t be able to ice a decent top six. Or could you?

Now let’s take a look at some okay hockey teams 3rd and 4th line left wingers and centers. Before I start, I have to make a few things clear. I am basing these being each teams third and fourth line by minutes played. I am also basing salaries on current salaries. As in, the amount they are making this year. So, by the basic stats I am saying each of these players are getting 3rd and 4th line minutes. But let’s continue!

Third Line: $5.3M Salary

LW-Winnik($1.8M) 29Pts in 74 Games

C-Koivu($3.5M) 28Pts in 64 Games

Fourth Line: $1.925M Salary

LW-Beleskey($1.35M) 23 Points in 53 Games

C-Maroon($0.575) 28 Points in 60 Games

Third Line: $4.3M Salary

LW-Paille($1.3M) 18 Points in 71 Games

C-Kelly($3.0) 18 Points in 57 Games

Fourth Line: $2.7M Salary

LW-Thorton($1.1M) 7 Points in 62 Games

C-Campbell($1.6M) 20 Points in 80 Games

Third Line: $5.325M Salary

LW-Bickell($4.0M) 14 Points in 58 Games

C-Kruger($1.325M) 28 Points in 81 Games

Fourth Line: $1.575M Salary

LW-Bollig($0.575M) 14 Points in 81 Games

C-Handzus($1.0M) 16 Points in 59 Games

Third Line: $4.575M Salary

LW-Lewis($1.325M) 11 Points in 72 Games

C-Stoll($3.25M) 27 Points in 77 Games

Fourth Line: $1.775M

LW-Clifford($1.075M) 8 Points in 70 Games

C-Nolan($0.7M) 10 Points in 63 Games

Third Line: $5.368M Salary

LW-Raffl($0.868M) 22 Points in 67 Games

C-Lecavalier($4.5M) 37 Points in 67 Games

Fourth Line: $1.35M Salary

LW-Rinaldo($0.75M) 4 Points in 67 Games

C-Hall($0.6M) 9 Points in 78 Games

Third Line: $1.675M Salary

LW-Nieto($0.9M) 24 Points in 66 Games

C-Wingels($0.775M) 38 Points in 76 Games

Fourth Line: $1.58M Salary

LW-Sheppard($0.83M) 20 Points in 66 Games

C-Desjardins($0.75M) 17 Points in 80 Games

Third Line: $6.95M Salary

LW-Ott($2.95M) 23 Points in 81 Games

C-Roy($4.0M) 37 Points in 74 Games

Fourth Line: $2.6M Salary

LW-Morrow($1.5M) 25 Points in 71 Games

C-Laparierre($1.1M) 15 Points in 70 Games

Okay, so these are all the teams I can honestly say, could win the Stanley Cup. You are correct if you noticed no Penguins, Avalanche or Wild on the list. That’s because I don’t think they have a chance in hell to even make a dent. Unless an act of god of coarse. But I’m sure Gretzky and Messier didn’t play for any of these teams, so……not going to happen. Now as a Comparable, lets take a look at the two said players.

C-Boyd Gordon

Salary: $3.0M (3rd Line)

-This puts him right on par as being paid as a decent third line player.

Points: 21 points in 74 Games (3rd Line)

-With 21 Points, this puts him right in the mix of third line players. Even though in the lower quarter on the list, he is more known for his checking ability and faceoff accruement.

Gordon is a guy that battles every shift. He is a faceoff wizard and kills penalties with the best in the league. He has even found himself in front of the opposing net on the power play. He plays 14 minutes and 45 seconds on average a night and doesn’t look out of place. The average third line player plays in the realm of 14 minutes to fifteen and a half a night. So he is right in the middle of the track. While his salary was a dead giveaway to me that set off the alarms in my head. Gordon’s points, TOI and Salary show he is a decent third line option.

So, phew, I’m not a complete idiot for once. Gordon is a good third line player on most NHL teams. Of coarse with the exception of a few with a lot of depth up front. Teams like St.Louis, Philadelphia and San Jose.

Next up is Matt Hendricks. A guy who seems to have surpassed even the likes of Hall and Eberle on the Edmonton Popularity list. A guy, who many love, just for what he brings to the table. He is a guy who lays it out on the line, people cant get enough of that. He hits, fights and brings an energy each shift that can be infectious to teammates and fans alike. I like Hendricks, and he has played very well with Gordon this year. But once again, am I a complete moron to think he actually deserves to be on the third line along side Gordon? A duo that clearly plays well together and has some history in Washington.

LW-Matt Hendricks

Salary: $1.85M (3rd Line)

-Hendricks has a salary that puts him in the mix of third line players, while not as high as Gordon. It does seem a little high for a winger since for the most part he has at least a half million on similar players (Lewis, Morrow, Thornton, Winnik and Paille). But with some aspects he has brought not on the stat sheet, it does seem worth the extra money.

Points: 7 Points in 76 Games (4th Line)

-And the wheels come of my bus as I scream “O’Henricks Rule” and go driving off a cliff.

7 Points is not good at all. I guess because of those few goals he scored in sequence, as well as, his work ethic. That total would be higher. But it’s not. While some players have down seasons and lower totals when they play a certain role. For Hendricks that role is a fourth line energy player who can kill penalties. On a team with no depth what-so-ever. Henricks has played on average 14 minutes and 19 seconds a game in Edmonton. Which is third line minutes.

But with the Nashville Predators he was getting just under ten minutes. Which is what a functional fourth liner plays. That puts him at 12 minutes and 43 seconds as his yearly average. So a fourth liner who can move up when injuries strike. I was blinded by my love for players who put in a honest effort. Hendricks is a guy who should be pencilled in the 4th line Center position next year. His faceoff totals are even slightly higher than Gordons.

I am not knocking the guy or anything. I still think he is a very valuable player that brings a dimension to this team that is lacking in a big way. I just think that his Salary and good honest effort made me think I was wearing rosy colored Hendricks goggles. He is a good role player that gives an honest-to-god-effort every single shift. But he is not a guy that would have a full time job on many of these playoffs teams. Not because of his ability, but because of his salary. He would have the highest salary of all the fourth line players mentioned above. With the second lowest point total, 2nd to the one and only Zac Rinaldo. A guy who is paid peanuts to punch people in the face and piss players off.

So in conclusion……

I am an idiot. But not the usual level as which we are accustom to seeing. While I might have completely missed the mark on Matt “Crazy Eyes” Hendricks. I was bang on with Boyd “Faceoff King” Gordon. So while flipping off the handle and letting it bother me for a week or so was dumb. It wasn’t as dumb as most people might think. And actually might solve a few problems going into next season.

We have our third line Center in Gordon. With the rosy colored Hendricks bubbles burst, he drops down to the 4th line. Stick him at center and that’s a start to a functional fourth line that can play a regular shift. Now the norm for most NHL fourth lines that aren’t obliterated by competition. They are usually okay players who pitch in 10-15 points each while being paid one million in salary or less. So Henricks does destroy the semantics of this for the Oilers. But they need some players to be paid very less and outplay their contracts.

Whether its from outside help this free agency, or a guy like Pitlick, that has to be done. Most good teams have talent getting paid far less than they should be to start their careers, which helps them ice a contending team. The Oilers haven’t had that luxury yet. So we need a few players to surprise and amaze the management and play well enough to turn some heads. But back to the positive. We are set for the bottom six, when it comes to centers. Price wise it might not be ideal. But both players fill a need that was lacking this year. On a line, you usually start from the middle and match wingers that work. So to have the two pieces you are having a functional bottom six, makes life that much easier for MacT.

At his price, Hendricks might not be the ideal candidate to fill a #10 roster spot amongst forwards. But he does upgrade the postion in a way we haven’t seen since Kyle Brodziak played with Stortini and Glenncross. A penalty killing energy guy. The perfect role player. Now we just have to see if MacT can fill in the rest of check boxes. Our bottom six is definitely not the biggest worry we have. Defence and two way guys in our top six come to mind.

But it is a part of a team of 20 players that work as a unit to win. That is 15% of the team that will play 14-15 minutes of a 60 minute game and 15% of a hockey team that will play 8-11 minutes of a 60 minutes hockey game. In the very least that is 22 minutes on average played by bottom six forwards. That is one period of hockey. So for one period of hockey or 37% of a regular hockey game, a line of bottom six players will play. Even though not quite as important to the success of a hockey team, you have to at least have functional players that don’t hurt you in your own end. Sorry to be so long winded, but my point is that not nearly as hard to acquire or vital to success. These players are important to a teams success.

Having these two players signed and a part of the team the next two and three years, respectively. It helps to bring a stable and far more effective bottom six to a hockey that hasn’t even had consistent players, never mind functional ones, in the last few years. This team might have been horrible for the most part this year. But I’m pretty sure they have set themselves up for the next few years with two good center options in the bottom six. Along the same lines as most good hockey teams. So I feel Stauffer is wrong and I was wrong, but both in a good way. And that both these players could be more important to a successful Oilers team, that most have realized.

Thank you so much for reading. You can call me an idiot or a genius on twitter @shawn_kelemen and have a great day!