Colorado Avalanche: 5 Prospects for the Fourth Line
Jesse Winchester, Center
Colorado Avalanche centre Jesse Winchester was meant for a two-way role on the bottom six. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 205 pounds
Last Team: Colorado Avalanche
2013-14 Stats (with Florida Panthers):
| GP | G | A | P | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 38 | -2 |
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With center Jesse Winchester, it’s all about whether he’ll be healthy. He sustained a concussion in the preseason last year. He spent the entire season on injured reserve with post-concussion symptoms. At the time the reports were that he suffered vertigo in crowded buildings — tough for a professional athlete.
The Colorado Avalanche picked Winchester up in free agency last season specifically for the fourth line. He’s a hard working two-way forward who’s pretty good on the faceoff. He’s also an asset on the penalty kill.
If Winchester can get over his concussion syndrome, we could well see him centering the fourth line. That’s a big “if” though — at the time of writing, he’s still listed as being on injured reserve.