I'm using GP with TOI in response to "ill equipped for the length of the season"; not using TOI with respect to level of play. I'm comparing Mac to Mac so as to compare "apples to apples". Why would I compare Mac to Fowler, who has been in the league for 14 seasons? There wasn't a significant jump in TOI between the years, but there was a significant drop in being available in games played (GP).
Then I shared how Mac wasn't the only one who was affected with the new coaching as the rest of the team did suffer too by being overworked. Or did we forget Cronin doing full skates before a game and sometimes full skates before flying out that same day for a game? Again, the context here is we have a new coaching regime between the two seasons.
I am perplexed you glossed last year's injury concerns with "hurt, but not injured" when it was evident with Mac he got injured in game 20 and kept playing "hurt, but not injured" for the next four games. Mac never recovered from that "hurt, but not injured" situation. But you will use it against him saying he wasn't ready for a full season when it could be the org made his injury worse to where it affected the rest of his season. Hell, we witness him wearing a boot after recently getting injured and the very next day he's on the ice. We know he's not even 60% healthy. We all jokingly lament when Mac gets put back onto the ice after each injury he sits out.
I'm with you in saying Mac sucked last year. My stance is he sucked after he got injured in game 20. But the org kept playing him.
Case in point...
[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TH]McTavish[/TH]
[TH]2023-24[/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Game Set[/TD]
[TD]GP[/TD]
[TD]G[/TD]
[TD]A[/TD]
[TD]Pts[/TD]
[TD]+/-[/TD]
[TD].[/TD]
[TD]PPG[/TD]
[TD]PPA[/TD]
[TD]PPP[/TD]
[TD].[/TD]
[TD]ESG[/TD]
[TD]ESA[/TD]
[TD]ESP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1st Half[/TD]
[TD]
32
[/TD]
[TD]
11
[/TD]
[TD]
15
[/TD]
[TD]
26
[/TD]
[TD]
-14
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
2
[/TD]
[TD]
4
[/TD]
[TD]
6
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
9
[/TD]
[TD]
11
[/TD]
[TD]
20
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2nd Half[/TD]
[TD]
32
[/TD]
[TD]
8
[/TD]
[TD]
8
[/TD]
[TD]
16
[/TD]
[TD]
-9
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
2
[/TD]
[TD]
0
[/TD]
[TD]
2
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
6
[/TD]
[TD]
8
[/TD]
[TD]
14
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
We see a drop off in production between the halves. Now, let's look at the splits from game 20.
[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TH]McTavish[/TH]
[TH]2023-24[/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Game Set[/TD]
[TD]GP[/TD]
[TD]G[/TD]
[TD]A[/TD]
[TD]Pts[/TD]
[TD]+/-[/TD]
[TD].[/TD]
[TD]PPG[/TD]
[TD]PPA[/TD]
[TD]PPP[/TD]
[TD].[/TD]
[TD]ESG[/TD]
[TD]ESA[/TD]
[TD]ESP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1st 20 games[/TD]
[TD]
20
[/TD]
[TD]
10
[/TD]
[TD]
11
[/TD]
[TD]
21
[/TD]
[TD]
-2
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
2
[/TD]
[TD]
4
[/TD]
[TD]
6
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
8
[/TD]
[TD]
7
[/TD]
[TD]
15
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]After 20 GP[/TD]
[TD]
44
[/TD]
[TD]
9
[/TD]
[TD]
12
[/TD]
[TD]
21
[/TD]
[TD]
-21
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
2
[/TD]
[TD]
0
[/TD]
[TD]
2
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
7
[/TD]
[TD]
12
[/TD]
[TD]
19
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Maybe the org should have let Mac heal from a serious injury than to exacerbate it just to appease the "injured, but not hurt" crowd. Maybe Mac's hurt tolerance is much higher than others while also trying to impress the coaches and GM? I dunno, but I know Mac was never the same since game 20.
1. You cannot state what you said when Mac played 80 games in the year prior. In Mac's rookie season, he was playing 2LW for the first nine games of the season and 1C/2C for about 62 games to close out the season. In games 21-80, Mac's TOI was 16:02 as a 1C/2C. Again, that's why I used "GP and TOI" to show there wasn't a significant jump in TOI between the two seasons. I reiterate that we had two different head coaches between the two seasons. With the new coach forcing fire through a hose onto the team.
2. We cannot be definitive for the reason in the drops of production when we're selling off at the TDL or certain players get injured in the 2nd half like Rico in 2022-23. The loss of Rico does affect some aspects of the game such as the PP unit just for winning faceoffs alone.
[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TH]McTavish[/TH]
[TH]2022-23[/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Game Set[/TD]
[TD]GP[/TD]
[TD]G[/TD]
[TD]A[/TD]
[TD]Pts[/TD]
[TD]+/-[/TD]
[TD].[/TD]
[TD]PPG[/TD]
[TD]PPA[/TD]
[TD]PPP[/TD]
[TD].[/TD]
[TD]ESG[/TD]
[TD]ESA[/TD]
[TD]ESP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1st Half[/TD]
[TD]
40
[/TD]
[TD]
9
[/TD]
[TD]
17
[/TD]
[TD]
26
[/TD]
[TD]
-12
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
4
[/TD]
[TD]
6
[/TD]
[TD]
10
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
5
[/TD]
[TD]
11
[/TD]
[TD]
16
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2nd Half[/TD]
[TD]
40
[/TD]
[TD]
8
[/TD]
[TD]
9
[/TD]
[TD]
17
[/TD]
[TD]
-7
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
3
[/TD]
[TD]
1
[/TD]
[TD]
4
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
5
[/TD]
[TD]
8
[/TD]
[TD]
13
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
The drop off in Mac's game for his rookie season wasn't at Even Strength (ES). It came at the expense of the PP unit. Are you really gonna blame rookie Mac for the drop in production due to the lack of PP production in the 2nd half of the season or the PP coach?
Asst coach Brown never could adapt nor evolve the PP, especially when teams started sticking a man on Mac to take him out of the PP equation. ICYMI, here was our pathetic 2022-23 PP unit broken down in into splits.
[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TH]Ducks[/TH]
[TH]2022-23[/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[TH][/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Game Set[/TD]
[TD]Games[/TD]
[TD]PPG[/TD]
[TD]PPO[/TD]
[TD]PP Eff[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Total[/TD]
[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]36[/TD]
[TD]229[/TD]
[TD]15.7%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1 to 25[/TD]
[TD]25[/TD]
[TD]12[/TD]
[TD]72[/TD]
[TD]16.7%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]26 to 49[/TD]
[TD]24[/TD]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]69[/TD]
[TD]15.9%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]50 to 61[/TD]
[TD]12[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]36[/TD]
[TD]13.9%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]62 to 82[/TD]
[TD]21[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]52[/TD]
[TD]15.4%[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]