So they don’t just leave a spot wide open for Hayton and Jenik. So one of them as to at least take SOMEONE’S job.But why?
Let me introduce to you our new #1 center for year 2021-2024.I have no idea what to make of this player.
Seems like he's light in the ass by NHL standards, and doesn't hit. Doesn't kill penalties or win face-offs. Yet he's only got a 0.33 points per game in the NHL (though, that's with only 10m TOI/GP), despite being a month away from turning 28.
I wouldn't normally bother commenting as I would assume this is an AHL signing. But then I read this quote from Bill Armstrong and I'm baffled:
"We are pleased to have Travis join the Coyotes," said Armstrong. "He is a versatile, two-way center who can fill a lot of different roles for our club."
Can you expand on this? Normally I would look for 4th liners that can either hit and fight and/or kill penalties. It looks like he doesn't do any of that. He's a career 41% on FOs, too. So no defensive zone, right-handed center, FO specialist or anything. He isn't listed as particularly tall and he's pretty light. So I imagine there isn't much power in his game, for cycling the puck. Heck, it looks like his Off. Zone Start % is 68.13 - which seems odd for someone like this?Boyd was a nice player for the Caps. He'll do what a fourth liner should do, and dependably so. Arizona has signed him for one year and $750K, which means there's nothing wrong with a rook displacing him into the 13th forward role. That's fine for depth value.
He's not going to score the goals, but he's not making any more money than anyone else among your 21-odd players is making. If your team is hurting and you start looking at Boyd as part of the problem, you're probably looking in the wrong place. With other players doing their jobs higher up the food chain, he's a fine energy-line player and good for about 45-50 regular season games. He's not going to look to his left and to his right on a struggling club and do someone else's job, though. Boyd is a fourth-line center. This is what he's capable of, and nothing more. For the money, that should be alright.
He can possess the puck and not bury opportunitiesCan you expand on this? Normally I would look for 4th liners that can either hit and fight and/or kill penalties. It looks like he doesn't do any of that. What would you say he does well from the 4th line?
well said... the days of having 3 knuckledraggers on your 4th line are overHe can possess the puck and not bury opportunities
Well? He does nothing well. He's average at a bunch of things, though. He's not a tremendous liability out there. He's there to go out for short spurts for 7-8 minutes a game, and solely to spell the top liners when they need a breather. For a guy who fights well, or takes faceoffs especially well, or is a consummate penalty killer, it's going to cost $1.5M to upwards of $2.5M AAV for particularly lopsided and regrettable UFA deals. Boyd's a veteran who makes as little as you can make in this league.Can you expand on this? Normally I would look for 4th liners that can either hit and fight and/or kill penalties. It looks like he doesn't do any of that. He's a career 41% on FOs, too. So no defensive zone, right-handed center, FO specialist or anything. He isn't listed as particularly tall and he's pretty light. So I imagine there isn't much power in his game, for cycling the puck. Heck, it looks like his Off. Zone Start % is 68.13 - which seems odd for someone like this?
What would you say he does well from the 4th line?