"It is hard, because he's a veteran and he's well-respected. But the coach communicates, I communicate, and we're honest and up front with everyone. In the end, we all want what's best for the team," Nill said. "The other thing I tell every one of these players is be ready, because it can change in an instant. You can go from healthy scratch to hero really fast in this league."
Still, the move is not an easy one. In addition to Dowling playing just his eighth NHL game this season, Joel L'Esperance is hitting a bit of a wall after his call-up from the AHL. L'Esperance joined Spezza as a healthy scratch Monday against Winnipeg.
"He wasn't playing a 200-foot game with purpose. I didn't think he was winning as many battles," Montgomery said. "He's been really good for us, and he's generating a lot of offense, we just want him to sit and watch a game and get reset. I think mentally we make the game bigger than it needs to be, and he just needs to go out and play."
Which is probably something that can be said for a lot of the players. Dallas is out-chancing opponents, but not converting, with a league-worst shooting percentage of 8.2 percent. Montgomery said that he has been shuffling his lines in order to try to get scoring into the top six forward group.
"When it comes to our top six, it's a part that's been missing," Montgomery said. "That's why we struggle to generate 5-on-5 scoring. That's why you see me juggle lines a lot, because players who are making plays during a game, I slide into top-six roles, and that's the way I've found has given us the most success. That's why I think players are comfortable playing with everybody."