Post-Game Talk: Game #56: Canucks lose 4-3 to the Jets

[Outside99*]

This is a stigma i see repeated in the media, and I cant really see it as far as forwards are concerned during his time in new york or in tampa, in tampa he rode MSL who is also top in ice time every year under 2 different coaches as well.

The only forward who played high consistent top minutes on his team in nyc was Callahan a little over 21 minutes generally and where this reputation came from. His other top guys nash, stepan and richards generally got high 19-low 20 minutes, which is very close to what sedins and kesler played under alain vigneault. Even if callahan is his new kesler he never played him that many minutes in nyc as he is playing kesler now, I think it has more to do with depth and options given all our injuries all season at forward. What were seeing is new territory even for torts.

The dig on torts from some rangers fans was not top players ice time (nash, richards, stepan), half the time they would be complaining he played brian boyle (his 3c no less) to much and in to many situations.

We're obviously using different data. At btn, Nash, Stepan, Callahan and Hagelin were top 21 in the league 5 on 5 last year. While on the Canuck side, its an explosion of ice time for the top 5 forwards this season.

 

[Orca Smash]

Im looking at time on ice average game totals at nhl.com.

I assume that includes total time on ice average per game.

And ya ice time is on up on canucks this season for sedins , and kesler and I dont like it..... but what are the options? Its higher then what he played his top guys in nyc even (TOI per game and even using your data he did not ride his nyc guys quite this hard), that was my point. Torts is dealing with injuries and lack of depth at the moment. And were not in the northwest anymore where we could win the division fairly easily. Were in the toughest nhl division fighting for our playoff lives all year, and hes relying on his top guys to win us these games. The way games have gone we have not really had many high scoring games or comfortable leads where he could play brad richardson more in 3rd period or late in games and rest his top lines with comfortable leads. Goals and forward depth have been difficult to come by and we cant afford to loose games or points and still win our division anymore. Even when we were winning games in dec. and oct. alot of them were close 1 goal games or they went to OT.

But your data is noted at btn but if you go back beyond just last half season its not as bad, nobody was in the top 21 in the rangers best year 2011-2012 and even less in 2010-2011. It was also interesting in the data i looked at, in 2010-2011 henrik daniel and kesler had some of the highest total time on ice in the league that season looking at nhl.com, henrik logged alot of ice time that season even at btn he was 28th under av (comparable to what torts played his top player richards in 2012 who was ranked 27th) overall for forwards and we were a deep team that year we went to the cup.