Alex Edler; Vancouver Canucks X-Factor

[PM]

Hamhuis and Bieksa have been brutal on their own and even more so together.

I'm hoping that is a combination of both suffering early injuries and having to spend some time baby-sitting Sbisa or Weber but yeah they have not looked the best together although I would say that's more Bieksa's doing at this point.

 

[shortshorts]

I'm hoping that is a combination of both suffering early injuries and having to spend some time baby-sitting Sbisa or Weber but yeah they have not looked the best together although I would say that's more Bieksa's doing at this point.

Bieksa is Bieksa every year. I am more concerned with the play of Hamhuis, who has been... not up to usual standards. He looks slower (is that just me?).

 

[PM]

Bieksa is Bieksa every year. I am more concerned with the play of Hamhuis, who has been... not up to usual standards. He looks slower (is that just me?).

I thought he looked pretty good before his injury but those games were against Calgary and Edmonton so it's tough to say. Pretty much every NHLer looks worse with the face shield on so I'm guessing that's part of it for him although he is starting to get older too.

 

[Barney Gumble]

Bieksa is Bieksa every year. I am more concerned with the play of Hamhuis, who has been... not up to usual standards. He looks slower (is that just me?).

Not quite the same since that stick to the face - he'll get back to his old self eventually of which I have no doubt.

 

[BB6]

Is this from the outside looking in type deal or is the Author supposed to be a Canuck fan that watches 60%+ of the games a year?

*edit* I read it, I agree in a sense but there are many facets to whats required for this team to succeed.

 

[alternate]

without a doubt Edler has been our most consistent dman, as well as our best, so far this season. He hasn't been flawless, but he's had stretches of pure dominance. I said after the first game that his confidence was at an all time high and that he is going to have his best season to date.

Only real question in my mind is whether this is Edler bouncing back from a bad experience last year, or if he's actually taken another step developmentally and he's about to emerge as a top 15 dman in the league. Do think Edler-Tanev can be an absolutely dominant pairing for the next 5 years if given the chance.

 

[NYVanfan]

He has had pretty tough competition before if you believe in corsi.


Corsi Rel QoC 5 vs 5 last regular season:

CHRISTANEV 1.285
DANHAMHUIS 1.123
ALEXANDER EDLER 0.707
KEVINBIEKSA 0.516
YANN SAUVE 0.514
JASON GARRISON 0.386
RYAN STANTON -0.573
YANNICK WEBER -0.912
ANDREW ALBERTS -0.940
FRANK CORRADO -1.623

ya garrison, pffft ...

mr. overrated in the mopey trade lore

 

[me2]

without a doubt Edler has been our most consistent dman, as well as our best, so far this season. He hasn't been flawless, but he's had stretches of pure dominance. I said after the first game that his confidence was at an all time high and that he is going to have his best season to date.

Only real question in my mind is whether this is Edler bouncing back from a bad experience last year, or if he's actually taken another step developmentally and he's about to emerge as a top 15 dman in the league. Do think Edler-Tanev can be an absolutely dominant pairing for the next 5 years if given the chance.

4 Henrik Sedin
3 Daniel Sedin
3 Nick Bonino
3 Chris Higgins
2 Radim Vrbata
2 Alexandre Burrows
2 Alexander Edler
2 Christopher Tanev
2 Yannick Weber (5)
1 Ryan Stanton (3)
-2 Brad Richardson
-2 Zack Kassian
-3 Linden Vey
-3 Dan Hamhuis
-3 Luca Sbisa
-4 Derek Dorsett
-5 Jannik Hansen
-6 Kevin Bieksa
-6 Shawn Matthias

For once +/- is doing a good job ordering how well players have played. Switch Hamhuis and Weber and the order looks about right.

 

[FOurteenS inCisOr]

Loving his play so far, looks the best he has in a couple of years. Still not a true offensive d-man IMO, but his defensive play is much better and his breakout passes are actually existent this year. Glad Benning didn't try to sell low on him.

Edler and my 1st for Ovechkin?

 

[Scurr]

http://www.behindthenet.ca/nhl_stat...+3+5+4+6+7+8+13+14+29+30+32+33+34+45+46+63+67

Edler is also up half a shot a game on his career best 228 shot season. He looks great.

 

[Scurr]

Edler SF On/60 30.5 SF Off/60 26.9 SA On/60 23.0 SA Off/60 29.2

Tanev SF On/60 30.8 SF Off/60 26.8 SA On/60 23.8 SA Off/60 28.6

These two have been one of (if not the) best defensive pairings in the NHL this season.

 

[opendoor]

I'm not sure you can ever call a pairing that has a 38% GF/GA ratio the best pairing in the league, regardless of shot volume. Defensively they've looked like the best pairing on the team, but the team is generating very little offense with them on the ice (about 1.5 GF/60 min).

And of course one must consider competition. Not every team has had the benefit of having 20% of their games be against the Oilers.

 

[AirMinivan]

I'm not sure you can ever call a pairing that has a 38% GF/GA ratio the best pairing in the league, regardless of shot volume. Defensively they've looked like the best pairing on the team, but the team is generating very little offense with them on the ice (about 1.5 GF/60 min).

And of course one must consider competition. Not every team has had the benefit of having 20% of their games be against the Oilers.

Alex Edler -
GF/60: 2.72
GA/60: 2.54
PDO : 983

Chris Tanev -
GF/60: 2.85
GA/60: 2.47
PDO : 991

Where do you get the 38% GF/GA from? They both look positive to me, despite both having low PDO. Tanev doing especially well.

 

[opendoor]

Alex Edler -
GF/60: 2.72
GA/60: 2.54
PDO : 983

Chris Tanev -
GF/60: 2.85
GA/60: 2.47
PDO : 991

Where do you get the 38% GF/GA from? They both look positive to me, despite both having low PDO. Tanev doing especially well.

I think those numbers include EN goals, as both of them are minus players at 5-on-5. Strictly at 5-on-5, here are Edler's WOWY numbers:

http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/showplayer.php?pid=675&withagainst=true&season=2014-15&sit=5v5

 

[Uhmkay]

I'm pretty sure we can all agree (Except maybe y2kcanucks)....

... Edler IS the X-Factor now...

I'd argue that his play going forward, with Hamhuis being out of the lineup, is the most important of any single Canuck on the Roster.

 

[leftwinglockdown]

I think those numbers include EN goals, as both of them are minus players at 5-on-5. Strictly at 5-on-5, here are Edler's WOWY numbers:

http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/showplayer.php?pid=675&withagainst=true&season=2014-15&sit=5v5

True but we have to look at context. Other than the Sedins, Bonino, Burrows, Higgins, Weber and Horvat, no one else has a GF% of 50 or above.

http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/ratings.php?db=201415&sit=5v5&type=goals&teamid=29&pos=skaters&minutes=50&disp=1&sort=PCT&sortdir=DESC

It's a trait that's endemic to the team really. Many of their wins lately have all been close games with high scores and a lot of their losses have been blowouts where the team struggles to score goals.

 

[opendoor]

True but we have to look at context. Other than the Sedins, Bonino, Burrows, Higgins, Weber and Horvat, no one else has a GF% of 50 or above.

http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/ratings.php?db=201415&sit=5v5&type=goals&teamid=29&pos=skaters&minutes=50&disp=1&sort=PCT&sortdir=DESC

It's a trait that's endemic to the team really. Many of their wins lately have all been close games with high scores and a lot of their losses have been blowouts where the team struggles to score goals.

Yeah, I'm not saying they aren't playing pretty well. They're definitely the Canucks' best pairing. I just take issue with the idea that they're among the best pairings in the entire league when they're generating so little offense when together.

Some of that is luck, but I don't think we can ignore that among the 158 defensemen with 200+ minutes of 5-on-5 this year, only 17 are on the ice for less offense per 60 min than what Tanev and Edler have been on for together. Until the results are there, it's pretty premature to say that they're playing like the best of the best.

 

[Scurr]

Yeah, I'm not saying they aren't playing pretty well. They're definitely the Canucks' best pairing. I just take issue with the idea that they're among the best pairings in the entire league when they're generating so little offense when together.

Some of that is luck, but I don't think we can ignore that among the 158 defensemen with 200+ minutes of 5-on-5 this year, only 17 are on the ice for less offense per 60 min than what Tanev and Edler have been on for together. Until the results are there, it's pretty premature to say that they're playing like the best of the best.

This is why they keep track of shots like they do. The goals will come.

 

[opendoor]

This is why they keep track of shots like they do. The goals will come.

They didn't last year for Edler. Or the year before. Or the year before that. People have been waiting for the goals to come at 5-on-5 with Edler since Ehrhoff left.

The last time he was a positive player 5-on-5 was 10-11. In his last 3 seasons since then he's averaged 1.83 GF/60 and 2.47 GA/60 for a GF/GA of 42.6%. In those years he was 5th, 4th, and 6th on the Canucks in GF/60 despite getting offensive minutes primarily with the team's top 6.

He's looking good with Tanev, so hopefully he can get back to where he was a few years ago, but it's far from a given. And he's certainly not yet at the point where he can be in the conversation as half of one of the best pairings in the league.

 

[Scurr]

They didn't last year for Edler. Or the year before. Or the year before that. People have been waiting for the goals to come at 5-on-5 with Edler since Ehrhoff left.

The last time he was a positive player 5-on-5 was 10-11. In his last 3 seasons since then he's averaged 1.83 GF/60 and 2.47 GA/60 for a GF/GA of 42.6%. In those years he was 5th, 4th, and 6th on the Canucks in GF/60 despite getting offensive minutes primarily with the team's top 6.

He's looking good with Tanev, so hopefully he can get back to where he was a few years ago, but it's far from a given. And he's certainly not yet at the point where he can be in the conversation as half of one of the best pairings in the league.

His SF On/60 number is the best it has been since 10/11, his best even strength scoring season. He's never been this good a possession player.

 

[Scurr]

http://www.behindthenet.ca/nhl_stat...6+7+8+13+14+29+30+32+33+34+45+46+63+67#snip=f

A lot of the guy's on that list are benefitting from favourable zone starts. Tanev and Edler are not.

 

[Scurr]

His SF On/60 number is the best it has been since 10/11, his best even strength scoring season. He's never been this good a possession player.

That year he started 59.6% of his face-offs in the offensive zone compared to only 46.8% this season

 

[opendoor]

His SF On/60 number is the best it has been since 10/11, his best even strength scoring season. He's never been this good a possession player.

His on ice shot attempts are as low as they've been in years though (outside of 12-13 which were definitely lower). So the shot numbers might be benefiting from a bit of luck with a higher percentage of attempts hitting the net. Over the last half decade or so the Canucks have pretty consistently hit the net 52-53% of the time with a shot attempt. This year with Edler on the ice they're doing that 58% of the time. Is that sustainable? Probably not, so unless the shot attempts increase then the shot totals will drop.

 

[Scurr]

His on ice shot attempts are as low as they've been in years though (outside of 12-13 which were definitely lower). So the shot numbers might be benefiting from a bit of luck with a higher percentage of attempts hitting the net. Over the last half decade or so the Canucks have pretty consistently hit the net 52-53% of the time with a shot attempt. This year with Edler on the ice they're doing that 58% of the time. Is that sustainable? Probably not, so unless the shot attempts increase then the shot totals will drop.

He's on pace for a respectable 20 ESP right now… I'll say he gets 25 or more. Despite all the luck he's been having

 

[LiveeviL]

They didn't last year for Edler. Or the year before. Or the year before that. People have been waiting for the goals to come at 5-on-5 with Edler since Ehrhoff left.

The last time he was a positive player 5-on-5 was 10-11. In his last 3 seasons since then he's averaged 1.83 GF/60 and 2.47 GA/60 for a GF/GA of 42.6%. In those years he was 5th, 4th, and 6th on the Canucks in GF/60 despite getting offensive minutes primarily with the team's top 6.

He's looking good with Tanev, so hopefully he can get back to where he was a few years ago, but it's far from a given. And he's certainly not yet at the point where he can be in the conversation as half of one of the best pairings in the league.

He had a bad streak too, with back problem one season, post surgery another and circus Torts the third one. Perhaps this is the season when he can play at potential again. It certainly looks like it... so far (knock*3).