What is a Fourth Line?

My friend Kyle and I went to watch a game today between the Winnipeg Jets and the St. Louis Blues. He's one of the rare people I can have a really good conversation about hockey with, and since we haven't seen each other as much since school started it was great to just sit down next to the guy and enjoy what was overall a pretty good game. One thing in the game that both of us talked about was the presence and play of one Chris Thorburn. Thorburn has been ineffective in the extreme since he was re-signed to a three year deal this past offseason (which still baffles me). He can't win a fight, he can't make plays, he's an ineffective hitter... well, I could go on. His bad play, and my conversation with Kyle about it, was the catalyst for a thought on what a fourth line should do in the NHL.

In today's NHL, with the salary cap, the number of teams, the need for team toughness, and the need for penalty killers and heart and soul players, it's not practical or even possible to run four scoring lines. Teams are considered deep and talented if they can run three. A fourth line is there to not be a liability, first and foremost. A coach should be comfortable putting his fourth line out and not worrying about them constantly. A fourth line should feature players who can hit, work the puck down low, and generally play a rough and tumble game, finishing their checks at every opportunity and, in so doing, wearing down the other team's defensemen. If they score every now and then, that's a bonus. Their centreman is often the team's best face-off man and a top penalty killer. All of them are skilled in the art of agitating.

 The Jets opponent tonight,  the St. Louis Blues, provide an excellent example. Winnipegger Ryan Reaves is the muscle, tough as nails, willing to both hit and fight and adept at either, but no liability with the puck either. Steve Ott is all an agitator should be. He too finishes all his checks, he has decent skill, a surprising amount of leadership (he's been a captain before) and more offensive touch than most fourth liners. The same can be said of Max Lapierre, though I hate to admit it. Between the three of them they embody all a fourth line should be, and shame the Jets trio of Chris Thorburn, Matt Halischuk and Jim Slater.

The prototypical example, one of my favourite fourth lines of all time, came from the Boston Bruins. Enforcer Shawn Thornton, tough yet effective Gregory Campbell who once broke his leg to block a shot in the playoffs, and face-off man and top penalty killer Dan Paille. All three were tough hitters, each was skilled with the puck, and each of them possessed a motor that wouldn't quit. The Bruins won a cup with that fourth line and might've won another but for a prodigiously talented Chicago Blackhawks team.

Which brings me to the Jets fourth line. Where's the toughness? Thorburn? He loses most of his fights, and has barely fought this season. Where's the speed? Nowhere, though Slater at least plays up tempo. Puck skill? None to be found, again except for Slater, and Slater comes with the problem of being oft injured. Indeed if I was designing a fourth line Slater is the only member of the current line I would keep, not least because he kills penalties with the best of them.

What really annoys me about the fourth line is that better players for it exist within the Jets own locker room. Anthony Peluso is twice the enforcer Thorburn is, and frankly twice the player. TJ Galiardi agitates as well as anyone, and has good foot speed and a willingness to launch himself into other players fearlessly. He's also a solid penalty killer. His presence in the lineup would help give some of the Jets skilled players a rest on the PK.

So why does Paul Maurice keep the fourth line as it is? Your guess is as good as mine. It could be an order from the top. It could be he values what Thorburn brings to the locker room. Then too, Thorburn is close friends with much-maligned forward Evander Kane. Could that have something to do with his overlong stint in the lineup?

I've met Chris Thorburn. I like the man personally. He's extremely friendly and humble, and willing to make time for fans. It warms the heart the way he interacts with the rabid fan base here in Winnipeg. When Thorburn scored this goal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8W01mXbYFQ
I've never cheered so loud in my life. I want the guy to do well, I really do. I'm cheering for him. But it's just not working, and the sad part is he's not the only fourth liner I can say that of. In the NHL, and especially in the tough western conference, you need four lines to compete.

The Jets have done a good job getting rid of some of the dead weight from the Atlanta days. To take the next step, they need a fourth line that isn't going to be a liability every time out.