OEL is very over rated on HF Boards.

[HabsDieHard*]

Anyone who ever watches a Phoenix game and doesn't come away thinking OEL is a top 10-15 d-man in the NHL should just find a new sport to watch.

 

[LiveeviL]

Plus minus is so worthless a stat. Edler for example had the worst +/- in the league last year and is Canucks MVP this year. If the team is bad then especially D-men with an offensive side might badly suffer in +/- by the team effort more than by their own design.

 

[Tomas W]

He got a knack for sneaking shots through traffic. Every player has their pros and cons. OEL is a really good "blue-liner".

 

[Nucker101]

Is this for real right now?

 

[Mubiki]

Lol. Dude has 15 goals, and if his team wasn't atrocious offensively he might have twice as many assists.

He is already elite offensively, he's a good skater, and his defense will likely continue to improve as it often does with most d men as they advance through their mid 20's.

 

[Addison Rae]

This just in, there's more to hockey than just points....

 

[XX]

This just in, there's more to hockey than just points....

Agreed. That's why you should watch him with your own two eyes. It becomes clear pretty quickly that he's a special player at only 23. If he was on a better team, he'd start to be in the Norris conversation.

 

[John Pedro]

He probably has the best wrist shot in the league.

 

[Yung Rotini]

If Ekman-Larsson played in the East he would consistently be in the same conversation as players like Pietrangelo, Karlsson, Subban, etc.

Pietriangelo doesn't play in the East but I sort of get your point.

 

[The Grocery Stick]

Yeah, he's not very good. Arizona probably couldn't get much for him in trade anyway. We might as well just hang onto him and hope he eventually becomes something good. Oh well.

Exactly. I don't care what his trade value is or what the rest of the league thinks of him. I'm just glad he's on the Coyotes and I hope he remains so through the rest of time.

 

[PsychoDad]

I will personally fly to Boston (from Europe) and drive down to Phoenix n back to bring OEL should the Bruins trade for him. Extend your boy Franson and continue to be the laughing stock of the league together with double dion.

 

[Dallas Eakins*]

But he is Young!

Age 23. Not like he is an 18 year old. His age adds value, but lets not act like every player magically becomes elite if he isn't close before.

He plays on a bad team!

Yup, so do Faulk and the leaf players. They still put up similar offensive numbers, and Arizona is a much better defensive team than both of those clubs, yet their players have better +/-.

Well I mean Arizona does have the leagues worst goal differential so there is that. On top of that a 23 year old dman who has been playing like a #1 most of his career certainly still has sky high potential. Leaf fans think career third pairing plug Cody Franson suddenly became a good #2 at 27?

I do think OEL is a bit overrated in the trade proposals section but not nearly to this extent.

 

[Dallas Eakins*]

OEL is so over rated it's not funny. He doesn't bring D, and is average O. His skating ability makes him over rated. Those who call him a #1 now, are Franson, Phaneuf, Faulk, and Krug number 1's now?

Doesnt bring D? Average D? Sure. You know what isnt funny? That your resorting to comparing the player you want to critique with inferior players just by cherry picking stats and clearly not watching the game.(Corporal Kormarov tm: see Phil Kessel and his alleged clones Patrick Kanes and John Tavares)

I mean you cant really be putting Franson with OEL? Its impossible for someone to think this. Please tell me Im right. We may need to send the doctors.

 

[Chimpradamus]

Leading all D-men in goals, leading the league in game winners (half of his goals are game winners, that's just ridiculous), 11th in the league in average ice time, all this while playing for one of the bottom teams in the league... very overrated. Yeah...

I don't think I've seen OEL rated at anything but the bottom compared to other comparable defensemen in all discussions. How is that overrated? The guy is a legit franchise D-man, what is overrated about that?

 

[AvsGuy]

I'm not even specifically a fan of OEL and haven't seen much of him at all, but when a player passes all the scrutiny involved with an Olympic selection committee and qualifies to represent his country, it's highly likely that he's not overrated, no matter what fans of the game may think.

 

[Gwyddbwyll]

Heh. OEL killed this thread. How embarrassing for the OP.

 

[DonskoiDonscored]

I'm thinking since the OP keeps bringing mainly leaf players into the thread and brings surface stats and analysis to the table that he really doesn't watch anyone outside of the leafs.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

He's one of those players that was "so underrated" that he became overrated. Still a really good young D-man.

 

[Debrincat93]

Kid is a stud. Furthest thing from overrated.

 

[JT Kreider]

Not really sure what is going on here with the original post but OEL now leads all defenseman in goals as well as ALL players in GWG. This leaf fan needs to expand his hockey watching outside of his little bubble known as the GTA.

Would love to see what he could do on an actually somewhat decent team, let alone a contender ala Shattenkirk, Josi, etc.

 

[NHL Fanatik*]

+/- is a useful stat, anyone stating otherwise is just choosing to ignore that.

With that said, it needs to be used in context. Just like every other stat. It has its meanings, when read correctly.

 

[Arizonatah Coyetis]

(This is not a leaf thread, in my example I use a FEW leaf players as I know them best, but also compare other players in the league as well, so please don't flame me as a leaf fan).

Apparently OEL is an elite #1 dman according to this board..

Right now he has 23 points in 48 games on pace for 39 points and a -12 on pace for -20.

So a 39 point, -20 dman is elite?

Just for comparison..

Cody Franson has 25 points in 48 and is -6, on pace for just over 40 points and a better +/- and an equally terrible team.

Justin Faulk has 28 in 47 on pace for 48 points and a much better +/- on a worse team.

Other guys with similar or better production to him..

Markov
Krug
Boychuk

Hell, even Dion Phaneuf who some call not even a top pairing D has 1 less point and is only a -4.

OEL is so over rated it's not funny. He doesn't bring D, and is average O. His skating ability makes him over rated. Those who call him a #1 now, are Franson, Phaneuf, Faulk, and Krug number 1's now?

Oh lets despell some myths I know I'll get...


But he is Young!

Age 23. Not like he is an 18 year old. His age adds value, but lets not act like every player magically becomes elite if he isn't close before.

He plays on a bad team!

Yup, so do Faulk and the leaf players. They still put up similar offensive numbers, and Arizona is a much better defensive team than both of those clubs, yet their players have better +/-.

Also Yandle has managed to put up 30+ points on the same team, yet isn't called an elite #1.

I also assume some people will dismiss this because I used +/-, my answer for them is that any stat shouldn't count unless it is assists and goals then. Even things like Corsi you can use the same arguments people use against +/-.

I am an OEL fan, and I agree that he gets overrated. I don't quite see elite yet, just franchise with potential to be elite. However, the bolded is nothing but a drastic underrating... which is no better.

 

[GreatStateofHockey]

He's rated around the 15th best defenseman in the league, so I don't really see how he's overrated.

 

[TT1]

HF = stat watchers, now that hes scoring goals hes not overrated?

 

[Jackpot Jaret]

Hes on pace to score 20 goals on a team that can barely score.......how the hell is he overrated? Arizona has been terrible this year