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The curious case of Nik Ehlers

October 20, 2018, 12:50 PM ET [24 Comments]
Peter Tessier
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The curious case of Nik Ehlers


In 7 games this season Nik Ehlers has 3 assists and 2 at 5 vs 5. For a player in his first three seasons that averages almost 2.5 shots per game he is almost down by one shot to 1.57 per game thus far. Yes it is still early but Nik Ehlers does not look like the player many remember. The Dashing Dane appears to be the Crashing Dane.

The Winnipeg Jets are a team that is designed to be run on four strong lines, ones that can score, grind, and transition other teams to defeat. Ehlers is a big part of that and with Bryan Little and Patrik Laine he is set as a threat on the second line but so far this year he’s anything but a threat.

Ehlers troubles go back to last season and in particular in the post season when he had 0 goals in 15 games only 5 first assists with 7 in total. The shot volume that was an issue then continues its decline from 1.73/game now to the 1.57 listed above.

Ehlers has long been known for his fantastic rushes, gaining the offensive zone and helping set up plays and goals, lots of goals. This far his zone rushes attempts rate is .69/60 minutes vs last season is .88/60(all stats at 5vs5) The drop seems small it was the tops on the team last year.

It’s no secret that Paul Maurice has spoken about Ehlers’ need to be a ‘shoot-first’ type of player, but where are the shots? Where are the rushes and where is the offense?

One thing about Ehlers’ game is that he needs space and he needs the puck. Last season Ehlers spent a near equal time with Myers and Enstrom and Morrissey and Buff and Trouba at 5 vs 5 strength. The ranges were all in the 250-300 minute area. This year though, and it’s difficult with only 7 games played, the two most frequent defense players were Morrow and Myers.

If you are a frequent reader of this space the disdain for Myers is known, and Morrow comes a close second. The impact here, while speculated, is that neither of these two players are a pass first type, particularly Myers. Myers struggles with his vision on the ice and it can often been seen that he doesn’t make passes instead opting to carry. His lumbering style of skating is such that it takes him longer to get to speed and the forwards are left still, waiting for the puck and ultimately the play to develop. Is Ehlers a victim to this combination?

Clearly more data points need to arrive but something could be amiss simply due to the combinations of Myers and Morrow with Ehlers.

Against the Canucks Ehlers had as strong a game as we’ve seen this season but only one shot on net and four shot attempts. The line of Ehlers, Little and Laine was moving well and had success as a whole as it’s been noted from many that this combination struggles with chemistry. As much as there could be a transition challenge with certain defense pairs the woes could go back to this group as well. In this case it would seem the veteran, Bryan Little, needs to shoulder a bit more of responsibility as he is the straw that stirs the drink.

This is not about blame as much as style and tactics and in fairness that same observation should be applied to Myers and Morrow. Different things need to happen with different players. Ehlers and Laine are shooters, they need the puck and they need it retrieved for them and that falls on Little’s shoulders a bit more than the opposite winger’s.

While Laine is a fine talent his propensity to over handle the puck has led to squandered chances just like Myers’ refusal to make a quick first pass. Change, and it will be gradual, a few of these tactics and habits and the results should change.

The Jets have the horsepower to score from almost anywhere but to do so they need to move the puck well and that takes all five skaters on the ice. Ehlers is no exception either. He has to position himself better and read the play of the opposition as much as his teammates.

Today agains the Coyotes should be another good chance to see how this line adapts as it’s an unusual start time and the Jets coming off a complete game against the Canucks could bring bit more confidence and swagger to their game. That’s something that’s been missing from this team in most of it’s games. It’s been seen in bursts and for a period or two but not 60 minutes. It’s cliche but this is the game a favored team should win and put up some goals in the process considering they have never lost to the Coyotes in 9 home games. Let’s focus on the chemistry and play of the line and pairings to see if some synchronicity can be found and perhaps the woes go away.
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