Also side note, Sanhiem has been pushing the puck fantastically. To a point where it is throwing his % in such a positive direction. His CA is in line with Manning/MacD but he is moving the puck so well that it's making him super valuable.
I think his improved play last year was overrated because of how bad he was before that. He made a huge jump, but most of that was because right before that improvement he took a giant step backwards and was looking like a complete lost cause.
And yeah, I personally don't think he has a chance to make significant progress offensively or in transition. Can it get better? Sure, but I doubt the improvement will be enough to fix the problem. It'll always be a weak point and I think that's unacceptable in the present day NHL (the puck moving issues, not the scoring). Everyone has to be able to move the puck or they're going to be targeted and exposed. As far as I can tell, he has the physical ability to do it, which means it's an IQ/mentality problem... and that's the hardest thing to fix. I don't care if he never scores much at all, I care that his horrible puck moving makes it harder for others to score. Ghost and the forwards being stuck in their zone because Hagg is below average at moving the puck hurts a lot more than Hagg not being able to score himself.
Add Lehtera in too. It pretty much offsets. Neither line scored so that affected the box score stats.True, but if you compare to the 4th liners he has been with (Laughton/Leier(who has been fantastic advanced stats wise)/Raffl) they have faired extremely well. The only way you can make that case is if he played mostly with Patrick/Weiss who are nightly struggling in all advanced categories.
Every player has strengths and weaknesses. Every player can improve both. Hagg has done just fine imo as a rookie and will hopefully improve. That being said imo he is likely passed on the depth chart by superior talents in Morin and Myers. I see Hagg as a versatile 6/7 cost controlled defensemen and that is just fine with me.He doesn't need to work on his offensive game "just like Ghost/Sanhiem need to work on their defensive game"... they're two very very different situations.
His offensive game is pretty hopeless because he has a total lack of offensive IQ. At least Ghost and Sanheim have made noticeable progress. Hagg hasn't and isn't.
I don't understand why people are suddenly pretending that core flaws are easily able to be fixed. Being bad at something at every level is very different from being good at something, then struggling when you jump up a level, but then making progress and adjusting. They're adjusting, that's why they get so much more patience and are more positively thought of.
Hagg before MacDonald injury:I wish I saved Hagg's CA/CF before he played with Provorov. They were very good for a rookie D. They took a DIVE when he was placed on that top unit. Provorov faces the top competition every single night, so in general his CA is always fairly high.
What an ignorant post. Typical.So you like MacDonald too?
Hagg before MacDonald injury:
CF/60 48.56 (last)
CA/60 58.56 (4th)
CF% 45.33 (last)
CF% rel -3.20 (last)
Interesting it does show his overall CF% did go down after he moved with Provorov like I thought. Be interested to see how Provorov has trended too. His CF isn’t good but it’s right there with Provorov now.
Also do you have a link? I’d be interested to compare to where others are. It’s such a small sample size at this point that game by game things changes.
How would you know? You don't (can't?) even read my posts and constantly get confused about what I'm saying.What an ignorant post. Typical.
Of course you could point to someone like Gudas as a target, but even then, he has better offensive instincts than given credit for; it's his skill that lacks, and his puck skills are still a bit underrated, especially compared to Hagg. And his aggression is essential to his offense. Project that with Hagg at your choosing.
Back to something said earlier, any player can become adequate defensively if they possess physical gifts and some intelligence and a willingness to "do the work." Defense is about structure and commitment.
It's not even funny how much Sanheim has improved in his own end the last year and a half, as he's refined his game as a pro and grown into his body. It's been wonderful to watch, and even this season he's made strides in things like coverage and board pins and the like. His NZ defense, something needing work in years past, is terrific now too. I won't act like he's Provorov because that level is innate instincts and talent -- and maybe Hagg is better than him in a few areas -- but he has been solid. His problem has oddly enough been a lack of scoring (luck) and terrible on-ice save % (luck), which has masked his successes. But defense is very easy for a good player to improve, as he's shown.
Players don't "improve" offensively if they have no offensive ability or instincts. That's not how it works for puck butchers. Now, Sanheim you could say will improve offensively from his current production. Because that's realizing his gifts at this level. But offense is talent, creativity, skill, and you don't one day magically wake up with it. That part of your game you have. Good offensive players improve defense. Bad offensive players don't improve offense. Of course you could point to someone like Gudas as a target, but even then, he has better offensive instincts than given credit for; it's his skill that lacks, and his puck skills are still a bit underrated, especially compared to Hagg. And his aggression is essential to his offense. Project that with Hagg at your choosing.
You're comparing Gudas at 25-26 with 4 years experience with Hagg as a 22 year old rookie.
I don't expect Hagg to be Sanheim, I'd be overjoyed if he grow up and became Gudas.
Who can say why something happens, but as I said, name actual concrete reasons Hagg will improve his offense because from my vantage point he can't pass a puck, can't skate with a puck, shows zero aggression, has no instincts in the cycle game and regularly kills it with terrible slap shots.
I can't say whether Gudas always played like this or not, production withstanding. Neither can you, I reckon. He's always been an aggressive player, at the very least. It doesn't matter. He's a complete oddity that defies common sense and no one should ever be projected to follow his path. Josh Manson is another. They actually progressed their offense; Hagg (and Schultz and many others) regressed theirs going up levels. Who can say why something happens, but as I said, name actual concrete reasons Hagg will improve his offense because from my vantage point he can't pass a puck, can't skate with a puck, shows zero aggression, has no instincts in the cycle game and regularly kills it with terrible slap shots. Few things I dislike as much as baseless projections and assumed growth.
Well raw CF% isn't the best measure for an 8 game. Better to look at relative stats.Interesting it does show his overall CF% did go down after he moved with Provorov like I thought. Be interested to see how Provorov has trended too. His CF isn’t good but it’s right there with Provorov now.
Also do you have a link? I’d be interested to compare to where others are. It’s such a small sample size at this point that game by game things changes.
He makes mistakes but he has good potential. He is trying to catch up, he is a half of step behind. He has size, he is physical, he covers the ice well, good 1st pass, over all he moves the puck well. Over all I like what I see. Hagg needs some seasoning and he will make right decision. Can't expect him to be as good as Provorov or Gost. All that aside I thought Morin looked better when he was on the ice.