Around the League - 2023/24
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Foppa2118
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- Oct 3, 2003
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Nate has the 4th most assists in the NHL since he broke into the league in 2013, and has the ability to make reads while playing with a "high IQ" player like Mikko, and while playing at the highest speed of any player in the NHL except McDavid. That's almost impossible for a low IQ player.
Just because Nate doesn't have a super high hockey IQ style in the traditional sense doesn't mean he has a low IQ. You can't play at the speed he does, and make plays, without thinking the game at at least a decent level. Players that play as fast as he does and don't have good hockey IQ's just turn the puck over all the time, never produce, and end up playing in the AHL or Europe.
How many hockey players that had high end speed and skill haven't stuck in the NHL over the years? What separates them from Nate who's a perennial Hart trophy candidate? What separates Nate from Yakupov if not hockey IQ?
Just because Nate doesn't have a super high hockey IQ style in the traditional sense doesn't mean he has a low IQ. You can't play at the speed he does, and make plays, without thinking the game at at least a decent level. Players that play as fast as he does and don't have good hockey IQ's just turn the puck over all the time, never produce, and end up playing in the AHL or Europe.
How many hockey players that had high end speed and skill haven't stuck in the NHL over the years? What separates them from Nate who's a perennial Hart trophy candidate? What separates Nate from Yakupov if not hockey IQ?
dahrougem2
Registered User
A lot of it is situational. For example, when he decides last game to skate to centre, randomly try to backhand flip a puck into the Kings zone and fails miserably then hardly realizes he has to back check, it just reeks of brain dead.
Same goes for in Vegas this season when Stone scored his 1st shorthanded goal. The entire shift was the Nathan MacKinnon Stupidity Expo.
He isn't a full time dummy, that'd make him Yakupov. But he also isn't too smart.
MacKinnon strikes me as a guy who will seriously struggle once he loses a physical edge.
Gigantor The Goalie
Speak for the Goalies
They should really send Devon Levi down. He's clearly not ready to handle all of this. Just so many goals against the past few games. If he can't single-handedly prevent Buffalo from being one of the worst teams in terms of defensive breakdowns he's just not a NHL goalie yet....should trade him to Colorado to prove what a bum he is.
Foppa2118
Registered User
- Oct 3, 2003
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IMO the fact that he doesn't always display these characteristics, shows they're temporary, and the result of his temperament.
If it was the result of low iQ, it would always happen, but they just happen during his cold streaks during seasons, which IMO are also the result of his temperamental nature.
- Apr 25, 2006
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Not sure if the first part is sarcasm too but they did send him down...they only recalled him like yesterday.
BaconNater
Registered User
Gigantor The Goalie
Speak for the Goalies
100% sarcasm. I usually enjoy having a bunch of hockey podcasts to get me through the day but the "Devon Levi isn't ready" takes have just been super annoying since it's clearly stat watching and adhering to a narrative.
expatriatedtexan
Illegitimati non carborundum
- Aug 17, 2005
- 20,813
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Reading this sparked a thought or rather a question I've had several times over the years but never really bothered to look into it or ask before...
Do you feel there is any correlation between a goalie's development and the quality of the team he/she plays for? i.e., do goalies who play for good teams develop better or do goalies on bad teams develop better with what I suppose would be a higher workload during developmental years. Or is it just a complete crapshoot and dependent on the individual goalie in question?
The Kingslayer
Registered User
- Jul 25, 2006
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Zadorov and Cole on the ice as Devils score the game winning goal with like 30 seconds to go. Why would you have those 2 on the ice late in the game? That’s just bad coaching, or maybe they thought Zadorov and Cole are really good?
That Zadorov and Myers pairing, great or greatest defensive pairing ever in NHL history?
It’s not like Tocchet has much choice. Soucy is hurt and their defensive depth is shit, especially when they have Chaos Giraffe sucking down a giant chunk of Vancouver’s cap space. I cannot believe that guy was once a Calder winner. He is one of the dumbest, clumsiest hockey players I’ve ever seen.
And I think it was actually Hronek and Cole on the ice for that goal and Hronek was waaaaay out of position.
- Jul 25, 2006
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Watching the Devils Nucks highlights, Zadorov is just so bad positionally in the d zone. He’s always lost.
Zadorov
Myers
Cole
Do the Nucks really think they can go anywhere with that d core? That’s just not very good
Zadorov
Myers
Cole
Do the Nucks really think they can go anywhere with that d core? That’s just not very good
I thought I saw # 91 out there
I don’t know if they had three defensemen out there because of a change but it was definitely Hronek out there trying to prevent the pass and leaving Bratt wide open, though there might have been some confusion because I think Cole should’ve been on the left side there but was stuck in the slot area.
- Jul 25, 2006
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No it’s terrible. Hughes is awesome (sorry haters it’s true) and Hronek was a great pickup but yeesh it’s bad after that.
- Jul 25, 2006
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Yeah, just imagine having one of Zadorov, Myers, Cole on the ice all the time, each one of them is a disaster in the d zone their own way. Even when Soucy returns, they gonna have those 3 on the ice regularly
avsfan09
Registered User
https://x.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1529653336957284352?s=20
How can anyone think Mack has low IQ. Who else thought of this play in the entire universe.
How can anyone think Mack has low IQ. Who else thought of this play in the entire universe.
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I simply cannot believe amidst all the calls for Woodcroft, Smith, Lambert, and even Ruff this season that Granato still appears quite safe. The Sabres are atrocious defensively, and while a not insubstantial part of that is personnel-based, it’s also a bad system.
Levi would’ve had to be Vezina caliber from the start to be successful. He was under siege from Day One.
All that said, Eric Comrie is not a good goalie.
Speaking of the Sabres, Erik Johnson leveled a kinda dirty hit, but Tyson Jost laid a REALLY dirty hit last night.
I still get physically ill thinking about how we lost this game
That proves nothing in terms of hockey sense.
Guy Lafleur was legendary in terms of his talent and also his lack of hockey sense. Larry Robinson said in an interview that in practice, Flower was always the first guy to screw up a basic drill. Didn’t matter though because his skills and talent were more than enough to make up for it. And Lafleur had plenty of end-to-end rushes himself.
I don’t see why it’s so controversial to say Nate isn’t great in terms of hockey IQ. Neither was Eric Lindros and he’s in the Hall of Fame.
Also, while 29 isn’t a hockey scholar, he ain’t Sampo Ranta either. He just gets it done with skill, speed, size, and work ethic. Different players get it done different ways.
MacK is average to below average hockey IQ. He isn't a complete idiot, but if you're looking at the top 30 players in the world... he's probably the dumbest of the group. When you look around at the top guys and see guys like Kuch and Fox... MacK looks like Forrest Gump in comparison.
LOFIN
Registered User
- Sep 16, 2011
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Considering what has happened to Ristolainen under Tortorella, if you could just find the coaches who could actually teach him to defend, he does have awesome tools. He's big and can actually skate pretty well. And yes, you can actually teach people to defend. It would just need effort and resources of the team, which is probably not usually the case. They don't have time for individual coaching all that much.
Ristolainen is an interesting example, because under Tortorella he has actually become a really solid defensman. Considering how his scoring has dropped off, probably not worth the cap hit he's on but he's not the horrible defensman he used to be with Buffalo on and Philly to start. So if you could give Zadorov the same treatment... Will be interesting to see if Foote can do something there.
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