I had a brief conversation with the Knights assistant GM today. So far Jared Knights playing time has been split with Seth Griffith and Vladislav Namestnikov. When i asked him who would get the majority of time playing with Knight he said it would change from game to game.
Griffith, my sleeper for almost a year now, possesses very good offensive ability who can set someone up or score himself. Namestnikov, who's style has been compared to Ilya Kovalchuk by some, has more offensive upside than Griffith. Both would benefit greatly playing with 36 goal scorer Jared Knight in this their draft year.
The Knights have struggled to score through the preseason and so far in the regular season, so if Knight can click more frequently with one or the other, look for it to become a regular pairing.
As for the Michael Hutchinson situation and whether the Knights are trying to trade his rights in the event the Bruins want to send Hutchinson back to junior, McKellar would only say "The last i heard was he was doing well and the Bruins are sending him to Providence".
The Providence Bruins played their first preseason game tonight and Hutchinson was a healthy scratch, which should keep the rumors circling. Sources said last Friday that something could happen early this week. With the Bruins departing for Europe tonight, something may not happen now until they return home.
The Knights could also choose to hold onto his rights and if the Bruins do choose to send him back to junior, it may mean the Knights have to find a new home for 2011 draft eligible goaltender Michael Houser. Houser was eligible for the 2010 draft but went unselected, probably due to his lack of starts playing behind Hutchinson.
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