McLaren back to AHL, Malhotra and Nichol switch spots

Well, it looks like the McLaren experiment is over, at least for the time being. No one has been called up to replace him, so expect to see Staubitz skating on line four.

Also, don't be surprised to see Malhotra joining him there, as McLellan seems to be experimenting with Nichol on line three with Orty and Ferriero. I don't know if we should read too much into this, though, as it could be akin to Setoguchi's "demotion" to line three after the first game of the season. Setoguchi saw one shift on the third line before getting back to his regular duties.

I do like, though, that McLellan isn't afraid to switch things up this early in the season. He's not sugarcoating anything this year, and Malhotra hasn't played particularly well 5-on-5 so far. Nichol has played well, so here's to him getting some more time on ice.

I actually don't mind what this does to our lower lines, since Malhotra is a bit more suited to play with Shelley and Staubitz than Nichol is, in so far as that he's responsible defensively. I don't like this in the long run, but it works for now.

10 months ago TCY 10 comments 0 recs |

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The Worcester express has been in full use early this season. I’m sure McLaren will be back. I assume this is all about salary cap implications. Nichol on the third line might help get some production out of them. Which would be nice. All in all, not huge news, but its nice to see the coaching staff tinkering around to try to get the right combos working on the lower lines.

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by ZeroIndulgence on Oct 11, 2009 12:18 PM PDT reply actions

There was never a time when I didn’t.

Both have injury problems.

Both are good in the dot.

Nichol is far more likely to win battles in the corner and attack the person with the puck.

He was a step up from the word ‘go’ to me.

by Evilducks on Oct 11, 2009 11:09 PM PDT up reply actions

damn, wrong post.. that was in response to Nichol over Goc.

by Evilducks on Oct 11, 2009 11:09 PM PDT up reply actions

Do we like Nichol more then Goc now?

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by idunno723 on Oct 11, 2009 12:41 PM PDT reply actions

Yes. At least I do, Nichol’s fun to watch.

by maggie01 on Oct 11, 2009 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions

Nichol is a much more solid fit for this system than I thought originally. However, he’s still injury prone, so here’s knocking on wood that he can play the bulk of the season at this level.

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by TCY on Oct 11, 2009 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions

I like how despite Nichol being a good 6 inches shorter than Goc, he’s still more physical than Goc ever was. Plus, he’s a push defensively and only a bit of a drop-off for faceoffs.

So, yeah. I like Nichol more than Goc.

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by mymclife on Oct 11, 2009 1:18 PM PDT up reply actions

I do, Nichol is a great energy guy and I love how he goes after guys much bigger than him. We have needed that kind of heart for a while.

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by SharksFanEst.1994 on Oct 11, 2009 5:35 PM PDT up reply actions

Nichol has definitely surprised me with regards to his defensive prowess and penalty killing. He may be a bit of a liability penalty-wise, but he’s more than made up for it with his PK capabilities. Malhotra has less than impressed so far, but he was also the most recent addition, so there is a bit of a learning curve. I’m not worried yet.

I don’t think we’ve seen the last of McLaren this year, although he did seem to fall out of favor with McLellan in the last game when he got less than 10 minutes of playing time. Maybe he’s hurt, and they need cap space? I don’t know.

"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
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by mymclife on Oct 11, 2009 12:53 PM PDT reply actions