Ghosts Beer
I saw Goody Fletcher with the Devil!
- Feb 10, 2014
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I mean, rhetorical questions are not meant to be answered surely? It is their nature. But to clear it up, ofc Couturier is better than Weal. Suter was better than Carle (I was on that side back then too ofc, because while numbers explain some things, in a vacuum they have less value)
They are not a rating. Of course not. They cannot tell you everything, and dependent on usage, linemates etc, they dont tell you how good a team the players were on without looking at rel too... but you know all these things already.
You probably also know Thompson is a below average 4th liner/replacement level guy who is not as good as Grant, who should probably be the 4C if they want to ice the best 12 fwds.
But Thompson posted those numbers while playing vs other 4th lines with 40% OSZ... pretty much no other C who has played as much in the playoffs has done worse... and ~20 or so have had tougher zone starts, and ~75% tougher opponents.
You acknowledge that metrics like CF and xGF aren't ratings. And then you immediately revert to using them to argue Thompson is a below avg 4th liner and to judge him vs. Grant.
I think you're too glued to these stats which leave a hell of a lot out of the equation when it comes to overall player performance.