GDT: NYI at CAR - Another "Fools Gold" Season coming to an end.

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Agree with everything other than the bolded.

Yeah, He's not as big or quite as strong, but he is still very hard to knock off the puck and is really strong along the boards. He's very close to Staal in his ability down low.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I really don't think Skinner is the sort of guy who needs a setup man. Maybe not even a good center. Put him next to McDavid, and all of a sudden Skinner isn't getting those fast-break solo rushes any more. What's he going to look like trying to keep pace with the rush instead of leading it? Probably not that great.

If anything, a lower-skilled center is probably the ideal for him. Someone who could just bang around in front of the net and clean up garbage, while Skinner dipsy-doodles in all that extra space.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

I agree. Skinner is a one-man show that I think benefits from having the puck on his stick. That gives him the opportunity to create, mostly for himself, but sometimes for his teammates.

Really, I think the Canes get the maximum utility out of Skinner’s presence in the lineup by being able to spread the talent around to the other lines.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I really don't think Skinner is the sort of guy who needs a setup man. Maybe not even a good center. Put him next to McDavid, and all of a sudden Skinner isn't getting those fast-break solo rushes any more. What's he going to look like trying to keep pace with the rush instead of leading it? Probably not that great.

If anything, a lower-skilled center is probably the ideal for him. Someone who could just bang around in front of the net and clean up garbage, while Skinner dipsy-doodles in all that extra space.

That's why I think someone like Backstrom would work. He's strong enough to play down low to create space, good enough to actually clean up what Skinner leaves, and a good enough play maker to set him up as well when Skinner finds open space.

I don't think it turns him into a 45G scorer per say, and I agree with your McDavid comment, but I also think someone like Backstrom would be ideal. Jordan Staal is a low skill banger and while they don't have tons of time together and Jordan is too valuable on the defensive side to have Skinner with him, it's never worked great.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

For Skinner to go to the next level in terms of goal scoring, he needs to focus on his 5 v. 4/3 play. Skinner is a high-end EV goal scorer, but his work on the PP leaves a lot to be desired. I think that stems from his apparent discomfort with the one-timer. We saw a hint of what’s possible in Minnesota; if Skinner can add that one-timer to his repertoire, he could score 40 and contend for the Rocket.

 

[Joe McGrath]

For Skinner to go to the next level in terms of goal scoring, he needs to focus on his 5 v. 4/3 play. Skinner is a high-end EV goal scorer, but his work on the PP leaves a lot to be desired. I think that stems from his apparent discomfort with the one-timer. We saw a hint of what’s possible in Minnesota; if Skinner can add that one-timer to his repertoire, he could score 40 and contend for the Rocket.

A lot of truth to this. 7 PPG for the #7 goal scorer in the league is pretty low. Though he's not really on the top PP unit either. Whatever unit Faulk is on is #1 and that hasn't been Skinner's all year.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Skinner is 1st on Carolina (by far) for Goals/60 on the PP. He has 2.5 goals/60 on the PP vs. 1.8 for Aho (who is 2nd). He's also 2nd (barely) to Aho for Points/60 on the PP with 5.34 to Aho's 5.42.

Being on the 2nd unit and the Canes in general, not having a lot of talent definitely hurts anybody's PP numbers on the team.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I was curious so went and looked at some others and was surprised to see that 7 of the top 10 goal scorers in the NHL are similar to Skinner, where they don't have a lot of PP goals per se. Skinner, actually, is more the norm. Only Crosby, Kucherov and Pastrnak have double digit PP goals in the top 10. Here are some examples.

Matthews: 39 goals, 8 PP goals
Laine: 36 goals, 9 PP goals
Pacioretty: 35G, 8 PP goals
McDavid: 30 Goals, 3 PP goals
Kane: 34 goals, 7 PP goals
Marchand: 39 goal, 9 PP goals
Scheifele: 34 goals, 7 PP goals
Panarin: 30 goals, 9 PP goals
Tarasenko: 38 goals, 9 PP goals
Rakell: 35 goals, 5 PP goals

Guys with double digit pp goals
Crosby: 43G, 13 PP goals
Kucherov: 39G, 17 PP goals
Pastrnak: 34G, 10 PP goals
Ovechkin: 33G, 17 PP goals

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

Go figure.

I’ve come away with the impression that he’s not overly effective, individually, on the right side of the diamond up top. My observation has been that when Hanifin or whoever serves up pucks, Skinner, in lieu of a one-timer, mostly opts to hold and go for the wrist/snap shot, leading to a block or miss, or force an unsuccessful pass across the box. The eye test lied here, I guess.

 

[Breakdowns]

I was curious so went and looked at some others and was surprised to see that 7 of the top 10 goal scorers in the NHL are similar to Skinner, where they don't have a lot of PP goals per se. Skinner, actually, is more the norm. Only Crosby, Kucherov and Pastrnak have double digit PP goals in the top 10. Here are some examples.

Matthews: 39 goals, 8 PP goals
Laine: 39 goals, 9 PP goals
Pacioretty: 35G, 8 PP goals
McDavid: 30 Goals, 3 PP goals
Kane: 34 goals, 7 PP goals
Marchand: 39 goal, 9 PP goals
Scheifele: 34 goals, 7 PP goals
Panarin: 30 goals, 9 PP goals
Tarasenko: 38 goals, 9 PP goals
Rakell: 35 goals, 5 PP goals

Guys with double digit pp goals
Crosby: 43G, 13 PP goals
Kucherov: 39G, 17 PP goals
Pastrnak: 34G, 10 PP goals
Ovechkin: 33G, 17 PP goals

Can we take a moment and appreciate how good these 2 are? First season in the league and they are scoring so much. Lately there were two years where needed to tank- last season or year before. I don`t think that in near future there will be such good players comming out.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Can we take a moment and appreciate how good these 2 are? First season in the league and they are scoring so much. Lately there were two years where needed to tank- last season or year before. I don`t think that in near future there will be such good players comming out.

Maybe, but a lot of people said the same thing right after McDavid and Eichel were drafted.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Maybe, but a lot of people said the same thing right after McDavid and Eichel were drafted.

Pretty sure everyone already knew Mathews was going to be a superstar. Laine snuck up on everyone a bit though. I also think the top 5 of the McDavid draft was loaded with not hype than any top 5 I can ever remember.

 

[Lempo]

Can we take a moment and appreciate how good these 2 are? First season in the league and they are scoring so much. Lately there were two years where needed to tank- last season or year before. I don`t think that in near future there will be such good players comming out.

They are not that good, Laine has 36, not 39.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

They are not that good, Laine has 36, not 39.

Yeah, typo.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

jeffrey scott skinner is the only person ever other than sidney cosby to have 30 goals before turning 19

let that sink in

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

jeffrey scott skinner is the only person ever other than sidney cosby to have 30 goals before turning 19

let that sink in

So Laine's 36 goals don't count?

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

So Laine's 36 goals don't count?

He isn't Canadian, so no. No they don't.

 

[Breakdowns]

Maybe, but a lot of people said the same thing right after McDavid and Eichel were drafted.

We will see how it goes, but these 4 are just amazing.

And I mean 36 goals by a rookie and creating so many chance is good enough I think, and he was injured as well.

 

[Lempo]

Yeah, typo.

Nothing to it otherwise, except that it's Serious Business nowadays.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Pretty sure everyone already knew Mathews was going to be a superstar. Laine snuck up on everyone a bit though. I also think the top 5 of the McDavid draft was loaded with not hype than any top 5 I can ever remember.

Matthews had his hype, but back then, many viewed him as equal or a bit below Eichel, not 40 goal rookie season good. That's my point. Kinda hard to say we won't see players like this in the near future (3 drafts?) when nobody thought they'd be this good a couple years ago. Maybe we won't, maybe we will.

Remarkable what they have done though so I do get saying that we won't

 

[tarheelhockey]

So Laine's 36 goals don't count?

Who?

 

[Lempo]

You guys have too much to lose if you go and delve too deep into the whole Finland conspiracy thing. Sure would hate to see Sebastian Aho disappear in thin air like faerie gold. There already being records of two of them as by some glitch should be reason enough to just whistle loudly in nonchalance and move away from the subject.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Erik Karlsson
Justin Falk
now... Sebastian Aho

There's something going on here guys.

 

[Roboturner913]

So Laine's 36 goals don't count?

#neverheardofhim

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

Erik Karlsson
Justin Falk
now... Sebastian Aho

There's something going on here guys.

At least on two of those occasions we drafted the good version.