League News: 2014 Off-season Around the League Thread

[Blades of Steel]

NHL "real time stats" are not worth much of anything. There's very significant scorekeeper biases, no controlling for those biases, no leaguewide standardization of definitions, and most importantly, they have little to no impact on who actually wins a hockey game.

Oh right, I agree I was just pointing out Brouwer actually does his job on the hits category. The only thing I disagree with is the impact of the game, wearing your opponents down hit after hit does make a big impact. Look at Green

Guys like Kane and Toews? yeah they can count their hits but they wont be making anyone take cover with any frequency.

 

[Hivemind]

The only thing I disagree with is the impact of the game, wearing your opponents down hit after hit does make a big impact. Look at Green

http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2013/...session-is-important-and-nobody-told-the-cbc/

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Oh right, I agree I was just pointing out Brouwer actually does his job on the hits category. The only thing I disagree with is the impact of the game, wearing your opponents down hit after hit does make a big impact. Look at Green

Worked real well for us against Philly.

 

[Blades of Steel]

http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2013/...session-is-important-and-nobody-told-the-cbc/

Right, I get the advanced stat fans agree that hitting doesn't win games, but why use a small example? let's look at this years hits. (I agree that hits and shots can be counted with credibility as the stars of the game, home cooking fwiw)

But watching a team like LA play you can tell they will wear you down, one doesn't even need to look at the hit count to see the count.

http://www.sportingcharts.com/nhl/stats/team-hit-statistics/2013/

LA in near 1st, Chicago in dead last. It goes both ways really.

I'm not saying if you don't annihilate your opponents you aren't going to win games, but wearing on opponents does have a factor.

 

[Hivemind]

I'm not arguing that hits are a detriment to winning games, so much as there's no correlation between hits and winning. Los Angeles and Columbus are ranked high, but so are Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Toronto. Chicago and Minnesota are at the bottom of the list, just behind Nashville and New Jersey. There are good and bad teams at both ends of the list. You shouldn't value the measure of something that has no measurable impact on winning hockey games.

 

[ChibiPooky]

I get that you're generally not hitting when you have the puck, but even the best possession teams only have the puck about 60% of the time. That makes me think that no team is really gaining much of an advantage from "wearing them down" (assuming teams hit at roughly the same frequency). There may be a psychological edge for a team that plays a more physical style but that's difficult to prove. Generally speaking I think that you should hit when the opportunity is there (visit my section and you're guaranteed to hear at least one "FINISH YOUR CHECK, CHIMERA!" per game) but the most important criterion for a hit is whether it results in a loss of possession for the other team (or, of course, a penalty).

 

[RandyHolt]

The league needs a proper bodycheck or pancake stat. Hell with a turnover generated mandate.

Wilson knocked down 3 guys at once last year. I doubt he got a hit because he had the puck and thus no defined hit was possible.

I wish we played the body like the kings. Hell with hits, be difficult to play against. No more fly by poke check, please Barry.

 

[ForzaItalia]

 

[Carlzner]

Roenick is an idiot.

Is that a Caps shirt with Grabo covering the logo?

 

[Brian23]

Roenick is an idiot.

Is that a Caps shirt with Grabo covering the logo?

I think so. He's covering some logo with his phone.

 

[Acallabeth]

I get that you're generally not hitting when you have the puck, but even the best possession teams only have the puck about 60% of the time. That makes me think that no team is really gaining much of an advantage from "wearing them down" (assuming teams hit at roughly the same frequency). There may be a psychological edge for a team that plays a more physical style but that's difficult to prove.

There are just very few players now who can hurt their opponent on a clean hit (Orpik and Ovechkin are among those btw), so there aren't a lot of teams that re able to take that physical advantage.

 

[Hivemind]

Ribeiro to Nashville. 1 year, $1.05M. While I understand the character concerns (especially with Trotz at the helm), can't say I wouldn't have like Ribeiro back in Washington on that deal. Odd to see how much of a downward spiral his value took in 24 months (especially given how many positive comments he was given about his locker room presence in Washington).

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Odd to see how much of a downward spiral his value took in 24 months (especially given how many positive comments he was given about his locker room presence in Washington).

You can draw a whole host of conclusions from that.

 

[Hivemind]

You can draw a whole host of conclusions from that.

The simplest and most likely being that he had his **** together in Washington. His wife didn't separate from him while he was a Capital, but she did this past season in Arizona. Clearly he wasn't in the same place, mentally, as he was while he was a Cap.

 

[Liberati0n*]

Is it true the issue he's getting help for is cocaine?

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Is it true the issue he's getting help for is cocaine?

Maybe it was family issues?

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/mike-ribeiro-admits-crumbling-marriage-wrecked-coyotes-contract-211556967.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Acallabeth]

Ribeiro to Nashville. 1 year, $1.05M. While I understand the character concerns (especially with Trotz at the helm), can't say I wouldn't have like Ribeiro back in Washington on that deal.

Yeah, definitely. Worst case scenario, you're benching/burying $1M, not 5M.

 

[Ridley Simon]

I'm sure he had many problems (Ribeiro). He shouldn't be playing this year, if he has addiction issues. At least not to start. He's definitely in need of some time to heal himself, whatever those issues are. I realize an athletes time is fleeting, but any type of relapse into bad behaviour could hurt him for a lot longer time than a year.

I wish him well, and I like the Preds overall, so I hope it works out for everyone.

 

[Xaroc]

I'm not arguing that hits are a detriment to winning games, so much as there's no correlation between hits and winning. Los Angeles and Columbus are ranked high, but so are Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Toronto. Chicago and Minnesota are at the bottom of the list, just behind Nashville and New Jersey. There are good and bad teams at both ends of the list. You shouldn't value the measure of something that has no measurable impact on winning hockey games.

That is exactly it. Get guys who fit your system but above all get guys who have a lot of skill. Even heavy teams like LA added Carter and Gaborik to get to their two Cups.

 

[ChibiPooky]

Whatever is being speculated elsewhere can stay elsewhere. Here, we'll discuss only what is confirmed by valid media sources.

 

[ryan519*]

The league needs a proper bodycheck or pancake stat. Hell with a turnover generated mandate.

Wilson knocked down 3 guys at once last year. I doubt he got a hit because he had the puck and thus no defined hit was possible.

I wish we played the body like the kings. Hell with hits, be difficult to play against. No more fly by poke check, please Barry.

thats what ive been saying. hopefully trotz brings a mentality of constantly throwing the body around to wear down your opponent and toughen up this team

also really hope he lets ovie go crazy in a sense with his hits again, something i think oates was trying to pull ovie away from. i dont think oates ever threw a hit in his career, he was soft like gretzky

 

[RandyHolt]

Oates soft like Gretzky

Sorry, but I think Wayne was the king.

Oates would get a little snarl in the playoffs. Ok, once.

 

[Ajax1995]

...soft like gretzky

Seriously...?

 

[Liberati0n*]

soft like gretzky

Dude really?

 

[Hivemind]

Maple Leafs swoop in and hire Kyle Dubas an assistant GM. Shanahan actually making some changes.