Around the NHL 2015-16: Part II

[tsujimoto74]

I have a weird like / dislike thing with Edmonton. I want them to do better because I do believe the fans deserve it, but they're just a black hole for talent and pretty obviously overvalue their own players. I was actually fine with McDavid going there instead of Buffalo since it effectively felt like he would be neutralized. Obviously they could turn a corner, but good god.

Similar. I want to feel for their fans for the garbage teams and crap management they've had to put up with, but I just can't actually sympathize with a team that's been gifted that much talented and built jack squat with it. I mostly want to see them get better because I'm sick of seeing them pick at the top of the draft.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

Then their internal salary cap is the issue, not Duchene's contract. His development was hindered quite a bit...he was projected to turn out much better than he currently is. It was hindered partly by injury, partly by not being surrounded by the right players or coaches.

The whole team has been a disaster in the making for many years, but I don't think Duchene's contract by itself is the reason for that.

its not like they weren't aware of the internal cap when the decisions were made, in their reality everything said about Duchene has been completely correct

 

[Jame]

thank god that didn't happen

http://www.todaysslapshot.com/from-...fs-discussed-oreilly-for-gardiner-type-trade/

 

[stokes84]

thank god that didn't happen

http://www.todaysslapshot.com/from-...fs-discussed-oreilly-for-gardiner-type-trade/

It didn't happen because Zadorov > Gardiner. Pretty straight forward. They knew they had a better offer.

 

[sabrebuild]

It didn't happen because Zadorov > Gardiner. Pretty straight forward. They knew they had a better offer.

Do we know that? Regarding Zadorov vs Gardiner.

 

[Jame]

It didn't happen because Zadorov > Gardiner. Pretty straight forward. They knew they had a better offer.

Lol. Ok.

 

[Jame]

All it really led to was signing John Scott. People's opinions on team building didn't flip over Miller getting hit.

Roy for Ott?

 

[Moskau]

Kind of weird how the Evander Kane threads stopped getting bumped when Drew Stafford disappeared. Winnipeg would be in serious trouble if Wheeler wasn't shooting 15% right now.

 

[Zip15]

Per Hockey Reference, we've faced the 9th easiest schedule thus far. It'll be interesting to see where we rank in two weeks.

Side note: Only Edmonton has a younger team than us. Not so surprising, I suppose.

 

[Heraldic]

Just noticed that Brock Boeser is having a pretty good freshman year so far:

http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticl...05&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=210504007&DB_OEM_ID=13500

I would have so much wanted us to take him with the pick that went to Ottawa.

 

[Samsonite23]

That Malkin goal. WOW.

 

[Jim Bob]

http://ingoalmag.com/analysis/the-new-war-on-goalies/

Anyone who has been tracking developments in goaltending knows that equipment, which grew in tandem with rising save percentages from the 90s to the early 21st century, has been shrinking since. Gear is now smaller than it has been in almost 20 years. The result? The league average save percentage sits at an all-time high of 91.5 percent.

In a less serious mood, I might suggest that the correlation between shrinking gear and increasing save percentage over the last decade is causal: smaller gear leads to better goaltending results. There is something to this, of course: every equipment reduction is a tradeoff between decreased blocking area and increased agility through decreased bulk. Trimming equipment might have, ironically, saved goalies from their own flawed surface area/mobility calculations.

Since I’m being serious, however, I will limit my point. Decreasing equipment size has not lead to a scoring increase. It hasn’t even slowed down the decrease. The relationship between goals and equipment size is not empirically supported.

All of this should go without saying: anyone who has followed the game and paid attention to goaltending over the last decade should know this. My suspicion, however, is that many who follow and even write about hockey haven’t actually been paying attention.

This is an excellent read on why reducing goalie gear really is a red herring.

Goaltending was historically an upright affair: goalies went down only when required for specific saves. This made sense in many eras: the only sufficient padding against hard shots was on the legs and hands, so these were employed whenever possible. Since a goaltender’s pads, dull skates, and overall weight didn’t permit lateral motion while down, leaving your feet was a last resort. If you could remain on at least one foot, you had a chance of recovering for the next shot.

That logic no longer applies. Goaltenders can move into the high-coverage butterfly without fear that they’ll be wounded with a gut shot. Once down, goalies remain mobile thanks to pads designed to slide, skates sharp enough to push, and a continually evolving set of techniques. Keeping the centre of the body on the angle line (between the middle of the net and the puck) while minimizing holes (under the arms, between the pads) is a far more effective strategy than relying on reflex. We’ve also learned that returns for extreme depth diminish rapidly once you leave the blue paint; you cover marginally more space, but give up enormous potential net on rebounds and passes.

None of these advances will be undone by shrinking gear or expanding the goal. The promise of old-time scoring and acrobatic reflex goaltending is empty.

Even the promise of more scoring is a dubious one. Supporters of smaller gear and larger nets imagine that scoring will rise in some proportion to the newly exposed area. If there is 20 percent more net to shoot at, surely scoring will increase by at least two percent. If the net is expanded by the width of the posts, surely all the shots that hit the post last season would result in about that many more goals the following season.

This theory is simplistic trash. There is no one-to-one relationship between scoring and the equipment/furniture of the game. Goaltending is a niche within the dynamic ecosystem of hockey. Changes in the goaltender’s environment will prompt him to make compensatory changes to mitigate the new threats. The changes the goaltender makes will be complemented and supported by changes in defensive structures, striving to limit exposure to new weaknesses. Less talented teams will sacrifice even more offence than they do now to ensure better coverage. The system will arrange itself to once again achieve homeostasis.

Technique and athleticism are the reasons for improved goaltending and not the size of the gear.

Although it seems I’ve been making an argument against reducing goaltending equipment, I’d like to propose the opposite. When the league mandates its new reductions, I hope it trims equipment to the bone. Take away all the excess, and ensure equipment is as streamlined as possible without sacrificing safety. Test it, tweak it, and get it right so we never have to have this conversation again. I’d personally love to play in less cumbersome, lighter, more responsive equipment, and I cannot imagine a professional goaltender who wouldn’t.

Then, when scoring is down again next season and save percentage climbs to another record high, we can focus on actual solutions that might have some impact on the game.

I would agree. Even if it costs me my goalie union membership.

 

[Crazy Tasty]

Can't they just get some Daredevil body armor for the goalies?

 

[Jim Bob]

Can't they just get some Daredevil body armor for the goalies?

Bauer did the Od1n Project a couple of years ago and the skater shoulder pads had hints of the approach I would take if I were designing a more streamlined, formfitting C/A.

The same approach could be taken with the pants.

I just don't think that shrinking goalie gear will lead to more scoring. Especially if they don't do anything to crack down on obstruction.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[sabrebuild]

Bauer did the Od1n Project a couple of years ago and the skater shoulder pads had hints of the approach I would take if I were designing a more streamlined, formfitting C/A.

The same approach could be taken with the pants.

I just don't think that shrinking goalie gear will lead to more scoring. Especially if they don't do anything to crack down on obstruction.

I totally agree that a lot of the improvement of goaltending is based on technique training, size and athleticism. But that article is kidding itself if it thinks smaller pads won't result in more goals.

Now I'm not saying some weird percentage of size reduced will equal exact percentage of hoal increase.

But the simple fact is the size of the pads takes away shooters options before we even get to the actual save. Nobody shoots low with intention to score anymore, except breakaways. And that's because there is nothing open on those shots, and that is pad size.

Just the amount of saves goalies make were they never even saw the shot and the puck hits a shoulder pad that sticks out 4 inches.

I can promise you goalies don't fighting against a pad reduction because they have legit concerns for safety.

 

[Jim Bob]

I totally agree that a lot of the improvement of goaltending is based on technique training, size and athleticism. But that article is kidding itself if it thinks smaller pads won't result in more goals.

The article said that over the last decade, the NHL has reduced the size of goalie gear and Save% have gotten better. Therefore, there is no proven correlation between size of goalie gear and goal scoring in the NHL.

I agree with that premise.

Now I'm not saying some weird percentage of size reduced will equal exact percentage of goal increase.

But the simple fact is the size of the pads takes away shooters options before we even get to the actual save. Nobody shoots low with intention to score anymore, except breakaways. And that's because there is nothing open on those shots, and that is pad size.

It is not pad size.

They greatly reduced the thigh rise of the pads and you haven't seen a lot more 5 hole goals.

Players can't score low because of the butterfly save and pad designs that have greatly improved pad seal along the ice and the ability for goalies to get into a butterfly position and maneuver when down in the butterfly.

Making pads 10" or even 9" wide won't open up scoring along the ice.

That might open up holes just above the pads, however. But, it would take experimentation to prove whether those theoretical holes would lead to more goal scoring.

Just the amount of saves goalies make were they never even saw the shot and the puck hits a shoulder pad that sticks out 4 inches.

I do believe that C/As (and pants) could be designed to be more form fitting and less square to the shooter. And those design changes could make things more challenging for goaltenders.

Or, they could just make things lighter and make it even easier for goalies to move.

One way to make things tougher for goalies would be to turn back the clock on the materials used to make the pads and make the gear a lot heavier.

The fact that gear is a lot lighter than it used to be (partially due to being smaller due to the newer rules), makes it easier for goalies to move and make saves.

I can promise you goalies don't fighting against a pad reduction because they have legit concerns for safety.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[BuiltTagonTough]

Well...I mean...I wouldn't say no to bringing in yet another RD if it were him.

 

[Jim Bob]

Well...I mean...I wouldn't say no to bringing in yet another RD if it were him.

The problem with talking about this is we have no idea why he would want off of the NYI.

I wonder if he wants to be closer to home.

Big Buff for Hamonic [E3]

 

[haseoke39]

EIGHT goalies going to the All-Star Game this year.

I like the format change, but should've just kept it 1 goalie per team. Now we're going to rotate goalies every 10 minutes? A bit ridick.

Also, the $1M prize money is baaaad. Watching millionaires compete explicitly for more millions makes the whole thing rather tone-deaf.

 

[Snargitz]

The problem with talking about this is we have no idea why he would want off of the NYI.

I wonder if he wants to be closer to home.

Big Buff for Hamonic [E3]

Yeah it's family reasons.

Hamonic, 25, would like to be traded to either the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers or Vancouver Canucks to be closer to his family in Western Canada, TSN's Darren Dreger said. According to Dreger, Hamonic has unspecified "family concerns" he would like to address.

 

[LaxSabre]

@NHL - The 2016 Honda #NHLAllStar Game will be transformed into a 3-on-3 All-Star Tournament - http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=788527&cmpid=nhl-twt

The scoring chances, skill and intensity that have made 3-on-3 overtime a must-see part of the game this season will be on display in a revamped format for the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on January 31.

The NHL and NHL Players' Association announced Wednesday that the All-Star Game will be transformed into a 3-on-3 All-Star Tournament comprised of three 20-minute games played by divisional all-star teams competing for a winner-take-all $1 million prize.

Each divisional all-star team will have eleven players - six forwards, three defensemen and two goalies.
Fans will select one player from each division, without regard for position, in the 2016 NHL All-Star Fan Vote.
The players voted in by the fans will also be named captains of their respective team.
The remaining 40 all-stars will be named by the NHL Hockey Operations Department.
There will be at least one representative from all 30 teams.
The four division-leading NHL coaches following games played January 9 (best points percentage) will be selected as the coach for their respective division team.

The first two 20-minute games will be the semifinal round - Central Division vs Pacific Division - Metropolitan Division vs Atlantic Division.
The winners will play for the championship in the third game.
The schedule will be determined at the 2016 Honda All-Star Skills Competition which will be contested between the Eastern and Western Conference on January 30.
The winning conference earns the right to select when their semifinal matchup will take place - first or second.
The teams will change ends at the 10-minute mark of each game. A shootout will determine the winner if the game is tied after 20 minutes.
The prize pool of $1 million will be paid in its entirety to the championship team.

 

[Beerz]

3 on 3 sucks.

But i guess it cant be any worse that what we currently have.


Name an All Star Team.... dont even bother playing the game.

 

[LaxSabre]

Drew Stafford - a goal and a assist against Ryan Miller tonight in a 4-1 Jets win over the Canucks. (Stafford also scored a empty netter.)
Tyler Myers had an assist on the Stafford goal that was scored on Miller - which turned out to the game winning goal.
Daniel Sedin scored the lone Canucks goal which was his 899th NHL point.
The Canucks finish the seven game road trip with a terrible 1-4-2 record.
The road trip started with the last minute loss to the Buffalo Sabres back on Saturday, November 7.
The lone win was a 5-3 win vs Columbus on Tuesday, November 10.

NHL.com Projects The Rosters - 2016 NHL All-Star Game - http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=788524
Jack Eichel will be representing the Buffalo Sabres - he will be one of the centers for the Atlantic Division.