Off Season Move(s) Thread

[DigitalBoldy]

Oh so it is just faceoffs then, that's the only duty of a center.

Eh, don't care enough about faceoffs. I'll take the guys who score.

You know what? Totally agree. Let’s put JJ Peterka at 1C.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

This whole faceoffs vs points thing kinda reminds me of the mystery box argument. Why take 80 points and 40% faceoffs when you can take 50 points and 50% faceoffs. Those extra faceoff wins could translate into 30 more points! Wait...

Not going to lie, I knew all along that it was always going to circle back to the face-offs. Couldn't help myself though.

 

[AKL]

You know what? Totally agree. Let’s put JJ Peterka at 1C.

As long as he can take faceoffs, he'll be a great fit. If not, have to move him back to wing.

But he only won 16% of his draws last year so it's not looking promising.

 

[DigitalBoldy]

Jack Eichel: career 44.8% face-off percentage. Was the #1C on a Cup winner and was a hair away from winning the Conn Smythe.

Your turn.

Vegas had TWO other faceoff guys that were above 55% in the dot.

This is the issue. We do not have guys who are good at faceoffs to allow us to put guys like Barzal or Thompson (bums in the faceoff department) at center.

 

[DigitalBoldy]

As long as he can take faceoffs, he'll be a great fit. If not, have to move him back to wing.

But he only won 16% of his draws last year so it's not looking promising.

Well, it’s like you said:

Eh, don't care enough about faceoffs. I'll take the guys who score.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

You know what? Totally agree. Let’s put JJ Peterka at 1C.

You used this one already. It still doesn't make sense to play a player in a position that he hasn't played, considering there is an entire shift to be played after the face-off occurs.

And, by the way, saying that face-offs don't matter as much as you think they do =/= saying that face-offs don't matter at all. Maybe this whole thing could've been avoided if this was said hours ago, but I guess I assumed that it was pretty apparent.

 

[AKL]

Being that this is the offseason thread, I'll put my thoughts here.

Guerin has a lot of work to do this offseason. We don't have a single center on this team for next year. Just looking at this lineup...

Kaprizov-x-Boldy
Eriksson Ek-x-Rossi
Öhgren-x-Yurov
Zuccarello-x-Hartman
Foligno-x-Gaudreau
Trenin-x-Hinostroza

This is just plain too many wingers for one team. We really need to move some of them. Strictly speaking, the best wingers, including future potential there, are Kaprizov, Boldy, Rossi, Yurov, top six wingers are set with that group...so maybe we could move Eriksson Ek and Öhgren for some help down the middle?

 

[DigitalBoldy]

I don’t want to see either one of you two bitching about faceoffs throughout the year. Not when it leads to a PK goal against. Not when it hampers the power play. Not when we are up by 1 late and need a faceoff win and can’t get it leading to a goal against. Not when we are down 1 late and need a faceoff win to get offensive possession.

It’s clear faceoffs don’t matter to you guys. So don’t complain about them when they are (yet again) an issue.

 

[AKL]

I don’t want to see either one of you two bitching about faceoffs throughout the year.

Deal

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Vegas had TWO other faceoff guys that were above 55% in the dot.

This is the issue. We do not have guys who are good at faceoffs to allow us to put guys like Barzal or Thompson (bums in the faceoff department) at center.

That is an "other guys" issues, and quite frankly kind of a dumb reason not to add somebody you think could be an offensive boost and/or work well with you superstar best player.

I'm sure Yurov is still a promising enough prospect that he could fetch a >50% face-off guy.

 

[AKL]

That is an "other guys" issues, and quite frankly kind of a dumb reason not to add somebody you think could be an offensive boost and/or work well with you superstar best player.

I'm sure Yurov is still a promising enough prospect that he could fetch a >50% face-off guy.

I still like Barrett Hayton as an option, provided he doesn't cost more than Rossi+Yurov+2nd. 54% faceoffs last year so, wow, we could easily stick that on the top line and watch him score 45 points with our best players just like he does in Utah.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I don’t want to see either one of you two bitching about faceoffs throughout the year. Not when it leads to a PK goal against. Not when it hampers the power play. Not when we are up by 1 late and need a faceoff win and can’t get it leading to a goal against. Not when we are down 1 late and need a faceoff win to get offensive possession.

It’s clear faceoffs don’t matter to you guys. So don’t complain about them when they are (yet again) an issue.

*matters less than it does to you.

I think I can say without being a hypocrite that I would not enjoy a team of 25% face-off guys. I think I can also say without being a hypocrite that I would love a Barkov or prime Kopitar or current Rob Thomas on the team. But no, it is not a dealbreaker for me when there are other qualities in players that I like.

I don't believe I have been complaining about them over the years, so I imagine I'll keep that streak going.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I still like Barrett Hayton as an option, provided he doesn't cost more than Rossi+Yurov+2nd. 54% faceoffs last year so, wow, we could easily stick that on the top line and watch him score 45 points with our best players just like he does in Utah.

Or do we do Eriksson Ek for Hayton+?

 

[AKL]

*matters less than it does to you.

I think I can say without being a hypocrite that I would not enjoy a team of 25% face-off guys. I think I can also say without being a hypocrite that I would love a Barkov or prime Kopitar or current Rob Thomas on the team. But no, it is not a dealbreaker for me when there are other qualities in players that I like.

Think it's been made clear that the threshold is somewhere in the 40s so long as they provide other important things, like scoring, but I think we're also at the point in the discussion where all reason is out the window. I don't know. Again, I've noted multiple times that the difference between something like 47% and 52% is negligible short of a clutch faceoff stat with breakdowns for zone and point of game. Especially if you're talking about 70-80 points versus 50-60 points.

Faceoffs matter, but faceoffs matter because they could potentially lead to offense. If the offense is already there, the faceoff doesn't matter as much.

 

[DigitalBoldy]

That is an "other guys" issues, and quite frankly kind of a dumb reason not to add somebody you think could be an offensive boost and/or work well with you superstar best player.

I'm sure Yurov is still a promising enough prospect that he could fetch a >50% face-off guy.

No, what’s dumb is putting a guy that is clearly a winger at center because posters on this board are too stubborn to look at what leads to success. Look at the remaining playoff teams:

Carolina: Staal 54.5%, Aho 55.3%, Kotkaniemi 51.8%, Roslovic 54.1%

Dallas: Johnston 51.2%, Hintz 53.9%, Duchene 52.4%, Benn 56%, Steel 53.5%

Edmonton: Draisaitl 54.4%, Henrique 55.6%

Florida: Barkov 56.5%, Lundell 53%

1Cs:
Barkov 56.5%
Aho 55.3
Draisaitl 54.4%
Hintz 53.9%
….
….
….

Yeah, Barzal and his 42.3% faceoffs are a great idea for 1C…

 

[AKL]

Or do we do Eriksson Ek for Hayton+?

Did you double check that + placement? Hayton 54%, Eriksson Ek 47%...

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Think it's been made clear that the threshold is somewhere in the 40s so long as they provide other important things, like scoring, but I think we're also at the point in the discussion where all reason is out the window. I don't know. Again, I've noted multiple times that the difference between something like 47% and 52% is negligible short of a clutch faceoff stat with breakdowns for zone and point of game. Especially if you're talking about 70-80 points versus 50-60 points.

Faceoffs matter, but faceoffs matter because they could potentially lead to offense. If the offense is already there, the faceoff doesn't matter as much.

I'll even concede that I don't think a 42% face-off guy is somehow 53% in "clutch" situations. But maybe he's 47-48%, which isn't nothing.

I'll also say that I think it's a legit benefit to have, and a legit detriment to not have, your #1 PK center to be good on face-offs. But I don't really consider that to a conversation related to #1C or top 6 center discussions. That is a 3C/4C discussion for me, which is way Kevin Stenlund was all over my radar last summer and I was disappointed when they opted for Trenin.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

No, what’s dumb is putting a guy that is clearly a winger at center because posters on this board are too stubborn to look at what leads to success. Look at the remaining playoff teams:

Carolina: Staal 54.5%, Aho 55.3%, Kotkaniemi 51.8%, Roslovic 54.1%

Dallas: Johnston 51.2%, Hintz 53.9%, Duchene 52.4%, Benn 56%, Steel 53.5%

Edmonton: Draisaitl 54.4%, Henrique 55.6%

Florida: Barkov 56.5%, Lundell 53%

1Cs:
Barkov 56.5%
Aho 55.3
Draisaitl 54.4%
Hintz 53.9%
….
….
….

Yeah, Barzal and his 42.3% faceoffs are a great idea for 1C…

Also, awesome players all over their rosters.

I need to ask a question now. Do you think that 50-59% centers win 9 out of 10 face-offs, and 40-49% centers win 1 out of 10?

 

[AKL]

I'll even concede that I don't think a 42% face-off guy is somehow 53% in "clutch" situations. But maybe he's 47-48%, which isn't nothing.

I'll also say that I think it's a legit benefit to have, and a legit detriment to not have, your #1 PK center to be good on face-offs. But I don't really consider that to a conversation related to #1C or top 6 center discussions. That is a 3C/4C discussion for me, which is way Kevin Stenlund was all over my radar last summer and I was disappointed when they opted for Trenin.

Okay so I'll bring this up again.

Our top center by SH TOI/gp the last several years has a 39.8% SH FOW%.

That seems like if we're making a big deal about faceoffs, it should be the biggest conversation topic.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Okay so I'll bring this up again.

Our top center by SH TOI/gp the last several years has a 39.8% SH FOW%.

That seems like if we're making a big deal about faceoffs, it should be the biggest conversation topic.

I'm showing Gaudreau as a pretty dang respectable 48.5% over the last 3 seasons. But yes, Eriksson Ek very no bueno.

 

[AKL]

I'm showing Gaudreau as a pretty dang respectable 48.5% over the last 3 seasons. But yes, Eriksson Ek very no bueno.

Need Eriksson Ek to pick a lane and go for it. Either start scoring more, or start winning faceoffs on the PK. If we need centers better defensively and centers better offensively, where does he fit anymore?

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Need Eriksson Ek to pick a lane and go for it. Either start scoring more, or start winning faceoffs on the PK. If we need centers better defensively and centers better offensively, where does he fit anymore?

Non-sarcastically, it might not be an out-of-bounds conversation to have.

 

[AKL]

Non-sarcastically, it might not be an out-of-bounds conversation to have.

I know it's hard to tell sometimes, especially after my comment earlier about Ek+ for Hayton, but that last post actually wasn't sarcasm lol

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I know it's hard to tell sometimes, especially after my comment earlier about Ek+ for Hayton, but that last post actually wasn't sarcasm lol

I'd say give it this year still, and re-assess before a (more than likely) better 2026 draft.

 

[AKL]

I'd say give it this year still, and re-assess before a (more than likely) better 2026 draft.

You think he gets traded for draft pick type stuff? I'd be looking at more of a hockey trade for a more offensively inclined center from a team who may have a bit of a surplus there.