Golden Knights’ 4th line has new look without Ryan Reaves

They can’t be called the Meat Grinders anymore. It doesn’t work with rough-and-tumble right wing Ryan Reaves now banging bodies on Broadway.

The Golden Knights’ fourth line needs a new nickname after it underwent a makeover during the offseason.

While most of the faces have changed, the hard-hitting, heavy style that has been that line’s brand for four seasons should remain the same.

“We all know how our fourth line wants to play, and I think we’re going to be the same identity,” said winger William Carrier, the lone holdover from the original fourth line. “We’ve been trying to establish that since Year One, so I’m not scared. These guys are going to hop in, whoever they put in on the fourth line.”

Reaves, the fan favorite who kept the flies off the honey, according to president of hockey operations George McPhee, went to the Rangers for a 2022 third-round pick.

He and Carrier were among the league leaders in hits the past four seasons when healthy, and coaches Pete DeBoer and Gerard Gallant often started the fourth line in an attempt to establish a physical presence at the outset.

Tomas Nosek, the preferred center on that line last season, also moved on, signing with Boston as a free agent.

But the emergence of forwards Nicolas Roy and Keegan Kolesar last season allows the Knights to become younger and more skilled without sacrificing any of the size and toughness that DeBoer prefers on the fourth line.

“What we saw last year was, I felt we overplayed some of our top guys, especially in penalty-killing situations,” DeBoer said. “I’m a big believer we’ve got to have at least a couple penalty killers in the depth of the lineup, so then you’re not overtaxing the top guys.

“Are there going to be some nights where we’re going to miss Reavo? A lot of nights. And every day in the dressing room because he was such a pleasure to be around.”

The Knights had 50.63 percent of the shot attempts at five-on-five when the Carrier-Nosek-Reaves line was on the ice last season and held a slight edge in expected goals, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. But there is potential for the fourth line to improve.

Kolesar, 24, has been skating in training camp with a new air of confidence after he established himself as a regular in the lineup last season and posted 13 points in 44 appearances.

The former third-round pick offers more offensive promise than Reaves and can handle the fisticuffs if necessary. He also costs less and is 10 years younger than Reaves.

“I think I’ve always been just a hesitant guy to shoot it,” Kolesar said. “I think this year, I’d like to just put an emphasis on shooting more, becoming more of a shooter, less of a passer.”

Roy, 24, also has shown more scoring touch than previous fourth-line centers and finished with six goals and 15 points in 50 games despite a two-month scoring slump at the start of last season.

Penalty killer and bottom-six grinder Brett Howden also is expected to see time on the fourth line after he was acquired from the Rangers in the summer.

And DeBoer didn’t rule out the possibility of using Peyton Krebs in that role because of his energy and forechecking tenacity if the team’s top prospect makes the opening night roster.

“We’re just trying to create a little bit more offense,” Carrier said. “Just trying to get the offense, try to get the big goals. Especially in the playoffs, you can see it. The third and fourth lines is normally where you win it or you lose it. Just trying to be a strength for the team.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.