2020 Redraft - Top 5

[Korpse]

So I just learned that stutzle is under 42% on faceoffs this year. That’s atrocious. I’ve been giving stutzle the edge over Raymond because he plays center but 42% is so bad you have to wonder if he would be better as a winger.

Because why would you waste a center who is great on zone exits and zone entries on the wing? I know you are just trying to dunk on Stutzle but it just comes across like a lack of hockey knowledge. Claude Grioux is a 58-60% guy in the dot, but he's been a winger for the last 5+ years. He still takes 1000+ FO a year but he doesn't play the middle of the ice. Stutzle commands the puck and controls the middle of the ice, putting him on wing limits his ability to do that. FO are a valuable skill but isn't the primary requirement of a C.

 

[LeProspector]

Because why would you waste a center who is great on zone exits and zone entries on the wing? I know you are just trying to dunk on Stutzle but it just comes across like a lack of hockey knowledge. Claude Grioux is a 58-60% guy in the dot, but he's been a winger for the last 5+ years. He still takes 1000+ FO a year but he doesn't play the middle of the ice. Stutzle commands the puck and controls the middle of the ice, putting him on wing limits his ability to do that. FO are a valuable skill but isn't the primary requirement of a C.

This guy knows puck.

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

Because why would you waste a center who is great on zone exits and zone entries on the wing? I know you are just trying to dunk on Stutzle but it just comes across like a lack of hockey knowledge. Claude Grioux is a 58-60% guy in the dot, but he's been a winger for the last 5+ years. He still takes 1000+ FO a year but he doesn't play the middle of the ice. Stutzle commands the puck and controls the middle of the ice, putting him on wing limits his ability to do that. FO are a valuable skill but isn't the primary requirement of a C.

It’s one of the most important things about being a C, you’re definitely downplaying how important the ability to win faceoffs is. I’m not trying to dunk on stutzle, under 42% is absolutely terrible. Highlighting that isn’t dunking on him, I’m just pointing out something he’s really bad at.

 

[Korpse]

It’s one of the most important things about being a C, you’re definitely downplaying how important the ability to win faceoffs is. I’m not trying to dunk on stutzle, under 42% is absolutely terrible. Highlighting that isn’t dunking on him, I’m just pointing out something he’s really bad at.

Again, it’s a valuable but not a requirement. More importantly centers need to be good puck transporters, cover a lot of ice quickly and be reliable defensively. I can’t imagine someone suggesting 24 year old Nathan MacKinnon might be better suited for the wing, it probably happened but it would be incredibly stupid to suggest. Faceoff ability isn’t a primary skill that determines who a center is.

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

Again, it’s a valuable but not a requirement. More importantly centers need to be good puck transporters, cover a lot of ice quickly and be reliable defensively. I can’t imagine someone suggesting 24 year old Nathan MacKinnon might be better suited for the wing, it probably happened but it would be incredibly stupid to suggest. Faceoff ability isn’t a primary skill that determines who a center is.

By the time Mackinnon was 24 he had already had 3 seasons above 47% in the dot. With a season above 50%. Stutzle hasn’t broke 47% once, with his average being way below 45% even. It’s not the same comparison, at all. It’s definitely a primary skill of centers, not the only skill, but a primary skill. You’re just defending your player, but it’s definitely a problem even if there are other things he does good as a center. Stutzles career AVERAGE is 42%. That is horror-bad.

 

[Korpse]

By the time Mackinnon was 24 he had already had 3 seasons above 47% in the dot. With a season above 50%. Stutzle hasn’t broke 47% once, with his average being way below 45% even. It’s not the same comparison, at all. It’s definitely a primary skill of centers, not the only skill, but a primary skill. You’re just defending your player, but it’s definitely a problem even if there are other things he does good as a center. Stutzles career AVERAGE is 42%. That is horror-bad.

Who cares what he had done, he had gone three straight seasons of not winning face offs but thanks for the arbitrary reason why it was different. Of course MacKinnon was just one example, there’s a decent list of talented players who struggled at faceoffs early in their careers and moving them to the wing would have been dumb suggestions because FO arent a requirement McDavid, Crosby, Malkin and Hughes being some others.

To illustrate how it isn’t a problem, despite his FO struggles and being their most played C, Ottawa is 5th in team FO%.