Now do the same with Zibanejad.
Zibanejad:
Home 40GP | 11G | 16A | 27P | +13
Road 41GP | 10G | 14A | 24P | -15
You mean the part where Zibanejad scored pretty much the same on the road and at home, whereas Brassard was a PPG at home vs. a 30-point player on the road? Or are you going to throw the +/- stats of a 22-year-old player on a team that finished with the 12th worst record in the league at me? (If so, you may want to look at Brassard's +/- as late as his 24 year old season with CLB - at which point, by the way, he was
still three years away from 50P, and four years away from 20G.)
They are going to be shocked when they see this ready to break out player ,whom had a full min and a half more ice time over last season .....and only scored 5 more points
You mean the part where his ice time went up 8.1% and his points went up 10.9%? Sure, I'd like to have seen it go up MORE, but that's still moving in the right direction, despite your implication that it isn't. And again, he was a developing 22-year-old, who will still have plenty of room to improve next year and for the next several years thereafter - and he STILL scored only 7 less points than the mature 28-year-old Brassard with nowhere to go but down.
Can you explain his 2014-2015 splits?
I don't know what you expect out of Zibanejad but he certainly will need to be sheltered. He failed to step up when Turris was hurt, Pageau managed to.
That's the point - they absolutely fell off a cliff. This is not a good thing.
And a young player needs sheltering? Really? You shock me!
I mean, you can tell yourself that, but it's straight up not true.
Brassard's home and away zone starts are near identical.
And his overall zone starts are completely normal for an offensive minded player, including one Mika Zibanejad.
Uh, right - this is what I'm saying. AV did everything in his power to limit his defensive zone starts, even when he had the last change. And when he
didn't have the last change, Brassard got absolutely torched, despite the fact that he had the benefit of near 60/40 offensive zone starts. (As opposed to, for example, Stepan, who despite getting zone starts in all situations and forced to play significant PK time, has consistently met or outproduced Brassard on a per game basis.)
And I get that Zibanejad also was sheltered. But he was a young kid. Young kids (can) get better - just look at Ziba's face-off statistics (and yes, his points).
The problem with ALL of these comparisons is that those who are trying to say that Ottawa got the better of the deal are evaluating them as if they're at the same place on their career trajectories (without even taking into account the disparity in the draft picks). They're NOT. One has the potential to improve - potentially by a lot; the other can only stay flat, or go down. And he showed some disturbing downward flashes last year already.
And again, guys, I LIKE Brassard; I spent a lot of time defending him during his first full season in NY. He's a solid, albeit finesse-oriented 2C who has some meaningful defensive deficiencies. He can be very valuable if used in the right way. I ALSO think he's a better fit for Ottawa given his handedness and the fact that he's more of a playmaker. He may be the better player this coming season. It's the kind of trade that a team that has cup aspirations should make. If Ottawa wins the cup during Brassard's tenure there, it will have been worth it.
It's also POSSIBLE that Zibanejad is one of those rare guys who just caps out at 22 and never improves, who never really "gets it." If he does plateau like that, I suppose it's worth it, although the players are already almost equivalent and you threw in a 2nd round pick, so I don't think you can call that a "win". in any event, if he stays where he is, again, it will have at least been a wash for you, and potentially worth it.
But if Zibanejad continues to improve, as I think he will, long-term this is much better for the Rangers. And you gave us a pick? From an asset management point of view, I think the Rangers "won."
