Fourth liner Ryan White provided unexpected production in 2015-16, scoring as many goals (11) as Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier and Matt Read. But does that fact overstate his positive impact?
Even in today's day and age, which has seen the gradual extinction of slow enforcers who lack puck skills, it's still rare to find productive scorers receiving bottom-line minutes. This is partially due to the continued existence of groupthink in the league, as skilled forwards are viewed as "top-nine or bust!" players rather than potential fits for a "scoring" fourth line. But the biggest reason why fourth lines lack offensive punch is due to the necessities of the cap era -- it's nearly impossible to regularly afford gifted forwards to fill the 10 through 12 spots on the depth chart.