Why did He get benched in the Pitsburgh game in the last period? Why is one of our most talented player on the fourth line with Stortini???? Why was he benched again in the third tonight???
Come on Mact give your head a shake! Pouilot and Stortini have played far worse and even gagner has not been that good and he is on the first line. Do we really want to ruin this kid!!!
It seems Mac-t has a shortened leash for this guy. When guys like Gagner, Gilbert and Penner slump they're given a lot of latitude to play out of it...with Nilsson it's 1st line to the bench in a matter of 2 games.
Your guess is as good as mine, sure he wasn't good to start the game in Pittsburgh but he wasn't any worse then the rest of the team. Funny how hes been the best player from the kid line yet he has to sit and watch Gagner and Cogs get all the chances in the world who have to succeed when there clearly struggling.
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a clash between him and Mactavish at some point on this road trip.
It's a sham that Nilsson is getting benched. He's been as good or better than Pouliot, Penner, Gagner, Cogliano, Pisani, hell even Cole. Totally getting shafted.
Gagner 2 points and a -3 vs Nilsson 5 points -3. Neither have been spectacular, but Nilsson has clearly been the better player. What happens? Nilsson gets sent to the 4th line and subsequently benched. Gagner gets moved to the top line to produce nothing next to Hemsky.
Rhetorical question . .
It's like my dear old grandfather, who had bad arthritis in his back.
"Grandpa, how you doing?" . . . "My back hurts."
"Grandpa, I dropped out of school." . . . "My back hurts."
"Grandpa, I'm joining the ballet." . . . "My back hurts."
"Grandpa, I just robbed a bank." . . . "My back hurts."
"Grandpa, look, I'm going to light myself on fire now." . . . "My back hurts."
I just hope Nilsson doesn't become another Miroslav Satan. A guy we never gave a real chance to, who clearly had the talent and just needed to grow into it, instead of being a whipping boy and then moved. Now, 15 years later, and a few 40 goal seasons under his belt, what the Oil wouldn't give to get scoring touch like that back again. Meanwhile, Sam Gagner has so much leash, he's choking on it. I don't get it, but there must be something I'm not seeing.
Maybe the team should send Nilsson to the farm on a conditioning stint, even though he wasn't injured, and bring in the tandem of Schremp and Potulny to put some fear into Robert.
That would be some mighty soft opposition!
