vanuck
Now with 100% less Benning!
- Dec 28, 2009
- 16,803
- 4,035
I think you're neglecting zone starts, linemates, competition. If you subscribe to the athletic, there is an article in there that confirm Gaudette gets one if most sheltered mins in the nhl. I think this more than makes up for the p60. The fact remains Sutter has a better ppg. Because he gets such sheltered mins, all those analytics doesn't mean much or anything.
Are you for Real? You're debating Gaudette is better defensively? Lol, even all the non Sutter fans out there will not debate Gaudette is better defensively than Sutter. Pretend you were coach, if you had to pick Gaudette or Sutter to be on the PK or the last min of the game. Your answer will be Sutter, don't deny that. What a silly debate.
Sure Gaudette did well on the 2nd pp unit. Sutter does well on the pk, I think that makes for it.
When the game got to another level. Gaudette could handle it and wad a healthy scratch and pointless in playoffs. Gaudette couldn't even outscored Beagle.
Like I said, if you want to get rid of Sutter because of cap and he always injured. Fair enough, no argument here. As of righy now Sutter is still the better player except on the pp.
Zone starts (just like faceoffs) and competition don't correlate with production/possession the way you think it does - no coach in the league has full control over who his centres match up with on the ice as they lose last change on road games. OTOH, sure, linemates have an impact on players' production as well as underlying numbers but look at Gaudette's and Sutter's two most common linemates over the last 2 years... for both it's Roussel and Virtanen. The two D-men they've both played with the most over that span are Edler and Stecher. So how do teammates factor in here for P/60? And even if it does play a role, how do you know it's enough to make up for the difference without giving anything other than a subjective opinion?
If Sutter is truly better defensively why is it that the Canucks give up more shot attempts, shots, expected goals and actual goals with Sutter on the ice? Why does it not show up in the stats? Sutter's not being used as a matchup guy (not that it'd be relevant anyway), so what's his excuse?
I ask you one more time: what evidence do you have to support your assertion that Sutter produces superior defensive results? (other than being decent on the PK which doesn't justify being worse at 5v5... this is literally the Jay Beagle Fallacy all over again)
As to the playoffs... let's not use tiny sample sizes to inform your arguments. This is how bad decisions are made - we can do better than that.
Last edited: