That's the problem. IMO There are a lot worse #4Cs in the league than Kuraly, some of them in far better teams than current CBJ but they are used more to their ability / the depth ahead of them is way better.
I’m sure there are some guys throughout the league who aren’t as good as Kuraly, though I’d love to see a list, but, it’s
not by much and many of those guys bring things he doesn’t, and them being in the NHL is almost always due to the fact they are with organizations/teams who have a need for a “league minimum” type player, which brings up Kuraly’s salary/cap hit (and f***ing Jarmo again) into the conversation, which should be looked at as relevant in the conversation. It’s a minimal aspect at this point due to our cap situation, but, should absolutely be looked at as another negative regarding Kuraly.
This is why I think Malatesta has a chance to make the team as a scratch prayer
Literally almost brought him up as an example. I unfortunately don’t see an “NHL player” when I watch him though, even in relation to a Dorsett. He doesn’t have enough “skill”, or in relation/comparison to Dorsett, the fighting ability, or “insane-ness”, that sometimes a team needs.
Please spare me the concussion/“CTE” talk, sometimes it’s not about
winning the fight. Check the scores and times in these games. Need MORE of this from Olivier AND Gudbranson, and as DSL points out, EVERY CBJ PLAYER.
If Kuraly was a substantial reason why the team is bad then you'd see him getting substantially worse results than the team, especially since he's out there playing hard D zone matchups. He did get bad results in 2022-23 but this past season he was pretty much team average in terms of xG and goals results.
I‘ve also been very vocal about my disdain for “advanced statistics”, and believe they help people misinterpret almost everything.
1st, I find the 1-year player variations absolutely fascinating. And the idea that players can be “good” 1 season, and “bad” the very next, or vice versa. They DO NOT change that vastly as players, season to season. I agree he’s getting hard matchups, but, I also believe he’s absolutely failing in his role and in these situations, as a whole.
I would love to see the “numbers”, or a list of what these numbers say are the top/ worst defensive and offensive players for the team. They’re not accurate, it’s that simple.
I could be wrong, but, you major, are someone who has touted Laine’s “defensive” or “two way play”, while at the same time attacked Jenner in regarding these same aspects. To put it lightly, I find this “fascinating”, and quite literally PROOF that the “numbers” and “statistics” you are basing some of your opinions on, are absolute BS.
The simplest aspect to counteract these “numbers” is that not every player on the ice is
EQUALLY responsible for a goal scored or scored against. And another aspect is a post that I’ve posted before showing work/investigation from other people/posters showing that the “information” and “data” being plugged into these
models regarding shot location, are NOT accurate.
Malatesta should be getting regular playing time as he develops. He shouldn't be in Columbus to simply be a 13th forward.
Again, him specifically, not sure if it would be better for him to actually “develop” anything at the AHL level. He’s not going to get better “skill wise” at this point. Maybe he (and the team/organization) would be better off learning and “developing” from Olivier/Gudbranson, and giving the team a “spark” when needed. Who knows at this point….
