Player Discussion Simon Benoit discussion.

[Zack47]

What I can't believe is the amount of garbage this guy has been subjected to, using garbage statistics. What I mean by that is that bivariate statistics, no controls, are useless on their own, just like correlations. I teach stats at the university level, including PhD, and in this case, i think the stats are close to useless. Going back to watching him play places him, in my view, as our third most reliable defenseman. Everyone, think about this: if he is so bad, why does Berube put him on defense on power plays? Don't kid yourself -- it is because he is more reliable then other apparently more talented choices. He is tough, I watch him make great passes, he wins battles, and who knew it -- he can skate and carry the puck?

Give him credit: he is better than "6" defenseman, another stupid notion that gets over used.....

 

[Cleetus]

Hold on! So now the the incompetent staff at Tim’s are taking names?

Yeah this should go well.

yea the one close to me just re opened after a renovation, and the drive thru was not working, so I went inside and they asked my name lol

 

[The Shadow]

Leaf fans always pick on the depth guys when they are losing. But Benoit has worked extremely hard on his game and went from an undrafted nobody to a good NHL defensemen on a very good team.

Still young and still has room to improve. I see him doing more Tanev like things lately. He’s been watching the best day in and day out

 

[MilkofthePoppy]

Not sure why anyone wouldn’t like the guy. He reminds me of a little of Danny Markov. not quite as insane though.

Who can forget Mad Dog saluting Jagr after we eliminated the Pens in 99?

 

[The Shadow]

This little post game clip

 

[DarkKnight]

Leaf fans always pick on the depth guys when they are losing. But Benoit has worked extremely hard on his game and went from an undrafted nobody to a good NHL defensemen on a very good team.

Still young and still has room to improve. I see him doing more Tanev like things lately. He’s been watching the best day in and day out

Nobody's claiming he's a top pairing D man, so when people say he's garbage it seems they're criticizing him through that lens. If you look around the league, not many bottom pair D man are multi dimensional high quality, Benoit fairs well within this lens, that's why I'm "high" on him. He isn't an all star, he's a depth D and he's finally the best 6th we've had for years imo (which isn't even much of a stretch given the garbage we've had there).

 

[Alamo Leafer]

I've been a fan since he arrived and he's only getting better, bolder and etching his name in Maple Leaf folklore.

Me too. And love that he's from QC too. I'm sure some Habs fans would've salivated having him on their team.

 

[Alamo Leafer]

View attachment 1022062

That is pure GOLD

 

[Alamo Leafer]

Me personally I’d take Benoit over Holl

that’s just me though, everyone is entitled to a opinion.

That's a no brainer Not even in the same league fcol.

 

[Aashir]

How many times has a garbage sixth D let us down big time in the playoffs? Now it's an asset.

Oh Man...
Dermott Game 6...never gonna forget that shit spin by him

Holl.....like always

Liljegren last year vs boston game 3 - coyle sits him down, steals the puck, gets the puck to the front and puts it in. Not to mention he was a 2wayD that brought 0 offence

Marincin not boxing his man out 2017....

 

[All Mod Cons]

This little post game clip

Haha. That's hilarious.

It's like that was the first time Matthews has heard another language.

 

[ahmedou]

 

[The Shadow]

Oh Man...
Dermott Game 6...never gonna forget that shit spin by him

Holl.....like always

Liljegren last year vs boston game 3 - coyle sits him down, steals the puck, gets the puck to the front and puts it in. Not to mention he was a 2wayD that brought 0 offence

Marincin not boxing his man out 2017....

No wonder we never won anything with that list of garbage players

 

[JT AM da real deal]

What I can't believe is the amount of garbage this guy has been subjected to, using garbage statistics. What I mean by that is that bivariate statistics, no controls, are useless on their own, just like correlations. I teach stats at the university level, including PhD, and in this case, i think the stats are close to useless. Going back to watching him play places him, in my view, as our third most reliable defenseman. Everyone, think about this: if he is so bad, why does Berube put him on defense on power plays? Don't kid yourself -- it is because he is more reliable then other apparently more talented choices. He is tough, I watch him make great passes, he wins battles, and who knew it -- he can skate and carry the puck?

Give him credit: he is better than "6" defenseman, another stupid notion that gets over used.....

TANEV
CARLO
BENOIT
MCCABE
OEL
RIELLY
Top 6 defense based on defensive proficiency in this playoff series from my point of view

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

 

[Mr_Fun]

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Legit has been one of my favorite players since last year. I always have a soft spot for low skill high effort physical players

 

[LeafSteel]

Me too. And love that he's from QC too. I'm sure some Habs fans would've salivated having him on their team.

Considering their love of Xherjerkoff, would there be enough love left over for Benoit?

Moot point. Benoit is ours.

 

[LeafSteel]

My biggest complaint about Benoit is that he’s not right handed.

Damn it! Damn it to HELL!

Enjoying watching him develop in front of our eyes, and happy to see good things happening for him.

You have to have guys like Benoit and Lorentz on your team. All effort and everyone on the team cheers for them. Total glue guys.

 

[DarkKnight]

Averaged 16.5 minutes in regular season, up to 19 post season. What a difference from past years when we were terrified to play our 6. Also means we don't have to overplay our other D. What a bonus Benoit has been so far.

 

[crump]

View attachment 1022048

lol Earlier…

 

[Zack47]

Call: B-B-Benny.... response "Benny", call "Benny", response "Benny"
Benny and the......Leafs (can't be Jets)

 

[Stephen]

Benny's rise from nowhere to a top 4ish playoff fixture kind of reminds me of the Francois Beauchemin story with Anaheim back in 2006. What's great about this story is he's not being paired with Scott Niedermayer to get the job done.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/beauchemin-one-mighty-rookie-1.624975

 

[Stephen]

What I can't believe is the amount of garbage this guy has been subjected to, using garbage statistics. What I mean by that is that bivariate statistics, no controls, are useless on their own, just like correlations. I teach stats at the university level, including PhD, and in this case, i think the stats are close to useless. Going back to watching him play places him, in my view, as our third most reliable defenseman. Everyone, think about this: if he is so bad, why does Berube put him on defense on power plays? Don't kid yourself -- it is because he is more reliable then other apparently more talented choices. He is tough, I watch him make great passes, he wins battles, and who knew it -- he can skate and carry the puck?

Give him credit: he is better than "6" defenseman, another stupid notion that gets over used.....

I admire Benoit's ability to stick with it and make a play. He's going to push through and make whatever he needs to happen while taking a bump, giving a bump, might be scrappy. Don't think those attributes really how up anywhere in a quantifiable way and you don't need to obliquely look for it in some corollary way either. He's just a good blue collar part of the team, one of those guys that makes a team a team. And he's being rewarded and rewarding us. Keep it up.

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

What I can't believe is the amount of garbage this guy has been subjected to, using garbage statistics. What I mean by that is that bivariate statistics, no controls, are useless on their own, just like correlations. I teach stats at the university level, including PhD, and in this case, i think the stats are close to useless. Going back to watching him play places him, in my view, as our third most reliable defenseman. Everyone, think about this: if he is so bad, why does Berube put him on defense on power plays? Don't kid yourself -- it is because he is more reliable then other apparently more talented choices. He is tough, I watch him make great passes, he wins battles, and who knew it -- he can skate and carry the puck?

Give him credit: he is better than "6" defenseman, another stupid notion that gets over used.....

lol. Please, he was bad last playoffs and through the first 60-odd games of the season. He's had a passable two-week stretch of playing adequate hockey (buoyed, as usual, by stellar goaltending from Stolarz and some puck luck). Great, I hope he keeps it up. It's funny that you're bringing up stats teacher chops only now when it's convenient though, and dismissing larger samples of largely non-subjective stats.

To that point, the panel barely had anything to say about Benoit when he was playing poorly (again, most of the season) and now gurus like Bieksa are going on about how he's his favourite player ever. And for all that they're about ~just watching the game~, their reads are nonsense. They were calling the pass interception that Benoit made prior to setting up Domi's OT winner in game 2 a "risky read" when it was a 3-on-3 and Benoit was in good position. They didn't even mention that it was the drop pass to Domi that was the risky play - Cozens barely missed poking it away from Domi to set up a rush the other way. It's a game of inches and if you choose to only remember the good bounces in forming your opinions of a player, so be it, just don't pretend there's any principle behind it.