Around the League Thread Part III: Free Agent Frenzy Hangover

[Trash Panda]

There’s a difference between cancel culture and telling a racist asshole to get lost.

I guess I must have missed him being a racist, but I am pretty well disconnected from twitter.

Either way, social media & politics are a horrid combination. The 1990’s equivalent of the drunk dial.

 

[Fishhead]

The two best things I ever did were quitting social media 10 years ago and not answering work emails once I get home. My Friendster circle and Myspace friends were depressed, but they got over it.

The biggest positive is my kids actually know what my face looks like instead of the back of a phone or device. The biggest negative for my kids is they actually know what my face looks like.

 

[YP44]

Dom has Doughty as worse contract in the league again. I mean if your model has doughty's deal as worse than Skinner, Karllson and Duchene (among others) then your model is trash. The amount of minutes Drew plays would provide positive value to any team.

 

[BringTheReign]

Dom has Doughty as worse contract in the league again. I mean if your model has doughty's deal as worse than Skinner, Karllson and Duchene (among others) then your model is trash. The amount of minutes Drew plays would provide positive value to any team.

I think reading his write up from the 2019 version of the article explains why he’s there with more nuance. We can take the position that what Doughty does well now isn’t measured properly by the model, but he does say that DD was formerly highly rated by it (a top 5 defenseman according to his model when he signed the extension). He also mentions that Doughty is obviously the best player on the worst contract list, but the fact that he’s on the 5th most expensive contract in the league means the math won’t be kind if he dips.

I am a Doughty believer as well, but I do find it discouraging that he was unequivocally highly rated by the model and pundits prior and now somehow we’re supposed to say he’s still playing at an elite when he’s both visibly and analytically dropped off? I have his jersey, I hope he bounces back more than anyone, but he has not been as good the past three seasons and when you’re making $11M people are going to have issues with that.

At the time of signing, there was every reason to believe Doughty would be worth it, as he was coming off a Norris trophy win. He was driving play at an elite rate against tough competition and under new coaching put up a career-high in points. He was a bonafide top-five defenseman and deserved to be paid like one. Based on my research on term, Doughty was a safe bet to age gracefully based on his standing as an elite defenseman. It’s a deal a majority of people would’ve signed. Maybe a little rich, maybe a little long – but probably worth it in the end.

No one expected the Doughty that showed up in 2018-19. That’s bad luck. He was just average defensively and a complete shell of himself offensively in terms of play-driving. For the first time in his career, Doughty carried a negative expected goal rate and had one of the worst relative rates of his career. By actual goals, it was the worst of his career and he dropped back down to a pedestrian 45 points. By GSVA he was worth just 0.4 wins last season compared to 3.0 and 2.4 the two seasons prior. WAR didn’t like him much either, putting him just below replacement level. You can argue that Doughty struggled because his team did, but part of the team’s struggles are simply on Doughty not playing like the elite defenseman he should be.

 

[King'sPawn]

I think reading his write up from the 2019 version of the article explains why he’s there with more nuance. We can take the position that what Doughty does well now isn’t measured properly by the model, but he does say that DD was formerly highly rated by it (a top 5 defenseman according to his model when he signed the extension). He also mentions that Doughty is obviously the best player on the worst contract list, but the fact that he’s on the 5th most expensive contract in the league means the math won’t be kind if he dips.

I am a Doughty believer as well, but I do find it discouraging that he was unequivocally highly rated by the model and pundits prior and now somehow we’re supposed to say he’s still playing at an elite when he’s both visibly and analytically dropped off? I have his jersey, I hope he bounces back more than anyone, but he has not been as good the past three seasons and when you’re making $11M people are going to have issues with that.

Dom can mask it how he wants - he is not a fan of the Kings.

Him putting the "best goaltending performances in the playoffs" and making the cut off one game higher than Quick's total played during his Conn Smythe season isn't subtle.

 

[YP44]

I think reading his write up from the 2019 version of the article explains why he’s there with more nuance. We can take the position that what Doughty does well now isn’t measured properly by the model, but he does say that DD was formerly highly rated by it (a top 5 defenseman according to his model when he signed the extension). He also mentions that Doughty is obviously the best player on the worst contract list, but the fact that he’s on the 5th most expensive contract in the league means the math won’t be kind if he dips.

I am a Doughty believer as well, but I do find it discouraging that he was unequivocally highly rated by the model and pundits prior and now somehow we’re supposed to say he’s still playing at an elite when he’s both visibly and analytically dropped off? I have his jersey, I hope he bounces back more than anyone, but he has not been as good the past three seasons and when you’re making $11M people are going to have issues with that.

Not saying he is a top D in the league, but more so that there are way worse contracts in the league. And that Dom's model really undervalues what Doughty is still very good at. If you look at his list most the players are on non-playoff teams. Shocking that teams (not players) that produce more reflect better on the individual. His model does not allow for good players on poor teams to shine.

 

[Yog S'loth]

Kaprizov doesn’t need any fancy shakes or an ex NHL’er for his training. Just some free space down on the farm.

That kettlebell throw at the end looks risky to the rotator cuff.

 

[YP44]

Dom can mask it how he wants - he is not a fan of the Kings.

Him putting the "best goaltending performances in the playoffs" and making the cut off one game higher than Quick's total played during his Conn Smythe season isn't subtle.

Lawyered

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

 

[YP44]

Reading that article it sounds like Sharks did not listen to players last year. I imagine there could have been a market for Kane last season before all this gambling and more dressing room crap came out. Now zero market.

 

[KINGS17]

The NHL lost one of it's all-time greats yesterday, in Tony Esposito. In addition to his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, Tony Esposito was a member of Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the USSR. After the USSR scored 7 goals on Ken Dryden in Game 1 of the series, Esposito started Game 2 and allowed only a single goal in Canada's 4-1 win.

Espo would go on to play in Game 3, which ended in a 4-4 tie, then again in a pivotal Game 7, a 4-3 win for Canada which tied the series at 3-3-1. Tony had a record of 2-0-1 in the series against the USSR. Pretty damn good. Dryden's record was 2-3-0.

Most of you likely know that Paul Henderson's goal at 19:26 of the 3rd period in Game 8 sent the entire populace of Canada into delirium as Canada scored three goals in the 3rd period of Game 8 to overcome a 5-3 deficit, and win the series 4-3-1.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Him putting the "best goaltending performances in the playoffs" and making the cut off one game higher than Quick's total played during his Conn Smythe season isn't subtle.

Genuinely curious: did he provide anything resembling a reasonable rationale for establishing this threshold...?

 

[Reclamation Project]

Genuinely curious: did he provide anything resembling a reasonable rationale for establishing this threshold...?

I see everyone on here quote this hack, why do they even read his articles? I wouldn't bother with someone who's clearly partisan. Don't even give him the traffic.

 

[YP44]

I see everyone on here quote this hack, why do they even read his articles? I wouldn't bother with someone who's clearly partisan. Don't even give him the traffic.

you can vote down his article...not sure if Athletic execs looks at that. And no I don't just go and auto vote him down

 

[BringTheReign]

Not saying he is a top D in the league, but more so that there are way worse contracts in the league. And that Dom's model really undervalues what Doughty is still very good at. If you look at his list most the players are on non-playoff teams. Shocking that teams (not players) that produce more reflect better on the individual. His model does not allow for good players on poor teams to shine.

I get your point, but it's not entirely true. Chychrun is a bonafide 1D according to GSVA. Jake McCabe's stint in BUF shows favorably in the numbers with regards to his ability to stifle chances against even on a wretched team. Giordano was/is still rated as a 1D on a teetering Calgary roster. Yes, there will be players who are underrated because they play on bad teams, but you also have to ask why players who are paid to be elite aren't making their teams better when they're on the ice than the numbers and eye test show.

An 11M/year player should be able to tilt the ice themselves, period. We've seen Doughty do it in the past everywhere from the Stanley Cup Finals to Olympic gold medal games. We know he can do it. You can factor in leniency given Doughty's past performance and ability to eat a ton of minutes, but he should show better than he does even if the model misses some of his contributions.

I believe his turnaround last season is the start of a return to that level, but we still need to actually see him do it. FWIW, he was rated at a top pairing level last season by the model, which given his game not being the easiest to quantify statistically I think is pretty solid, especially given our basement-dwelling status.

 

[KINGS17]

I see everyone on here quote this hack, why do they even read his articles? I wouldn't bother with someone who's clearly partisan. Don't even give him the traffic.

No clicks. No money.

 

[tbrown33]

Dom can mask it how he wants - he is not a fan of the Kings.

Him putting the "best goaltending performances in the playoffs" and making the cut off one game higher than Quick's total played during his Conn Smythe season isn't subtle.

I think that was Wyshynski. Dom just plugs numbers into a machine and watches it go brrrr

 

[Stimpythecat]

Just took a look at the board for the team up north. Since we are already seeing Halloween stuff in stores...

 

[Reclamation Project]

No clicks. No money.

No money from RP!!!

 

[deeshamrock]

The NHL lost one of it's all-time greats yesterday, in Tony Esposito. In addition to his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, Tony Esposito was a member of Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the USSR. After the USSR scored 7 goals on Ken Dryden in Game 1 of the series, Esposito started Game 2 and allowed only a single goal in Canada's 4-1 win.

Espo would go on to play in Game 3, which ended in a 4-4 tie, then again in a pivotal Game 7, a 4-3 win for Canada which tied the series at 3-3-1. Tony had a record of 2-0-1 in the series against the USSR. Pretty damn good. Dryden's record was 2-3-0.

Most of you likely know that Paul Henderson's goal at 19:26 of the 3rd period in Game 8 sent the entire populace of Canada into delirium as Canada scored three goals in the 3rd period of Game 8 to overcome a 5-3 deficit, and win the series 4-3-1.

Legend. Loved his game. Didn't the Hawks pick him up off a waiver wire???

 

[deeshamrock]

that's a disgrace, no wonder Eichel wants out.




From an interview he did (referenced in the article below) from a podcast

Ex-Sabres goalie Robin Lehner alleges team medical staff mishandled his injury, others

“The (stuff) they did to some of the players when I was there and especially to me regarding my ankle sprain, it was crazy, man," Lehner told former NHLer Cam Janssen and St. Louis Blues rinkside reporter Andy Strickland on their "The Cam and Strick Podcast." "I had a high ankle sprain. They had me on a bike one week after I had fully torn everything, worst-grade ankle sprain. One week after (the injury), they put me on a bike with a special boot. I should have been walking on it maybe six-to-eight weeks after I got it. They had me doing leg presses with like 300 pounds three weeks into it, and I re-sprained everything and ended up having surgery.”

According to ManGamesLost.com, the Sabres have the third-most injuries in the NHL since the start of the 2010-11 season. Some of their top players have been slowed by high-ankle sprains in recent seasons, including goalie Linus Ullmark and winger Victor Olofsson.

 

[deeshamrock]

Barkov due next year...not a lotta room to work with

Reinhart's deal is 3 yrs

 

[Fishhead]

Does anyone want to bet if Kane is a Shark next year?

 

[kingsholygrail]

The two best things I ever did were quitting social media 10 years ago and not answering work emails once I get home. My Friendster circle and Myspace friends were depressed, but they got over it.

The biggest positive is my kids actually know what my face looks like instead of the back of a phone or device. The biggest negative for my kids is they actually know what my face looks like.

I dumped Facebook and Twitter this year. Best decision of my life. I didn't replace them either.

 

[KINGS17]

Legend. Loved his game. Didn't the Hawks pick him up off a waiver wire???

Yes, Tony Esposito was waived by the Montreal Canadiens after playing the 1968-69 season for the Houston Apollos where he played 19 games and posted a 2.42 goals against average. He also played 13 games for Montreal that season and posted a 2.73 goals against average.

In 1969-70 with Chicago Tony Esposito won the Vezina and Calder trophies.