GDT: Capitals at Devils, 7pm est NJD.TV

[tr83]

Boqvist is AHL fodder. He's a less defensively skilled Josefson

 

[Triumph]

Boqvist is AHL fodder. He's a less defensively skilled Josefson

In 276 games for the Devils, Jacob Josefson scored 11 goals at even strength. In 63 games for the Devils, Jesper Boqvist has scored 7 goals at even strength. So yes, these players are from the same country, but otherwise they're almost nothing alike.

 

[MauDevils]

In 276 games for the Devils, Jacob Josefson scored 11 goals at even strength. In 63 games for the Devils, Jesper Boqvist has scored 7 goals at even strength. So yes, these players are from the same country, but otherwise they're almost nothing alike.

.20 PPG - Josefson
.17 PPG - Boqvist

Yup, nothing alike

 

[OmNomNom]

.20 PPG - Josefson
.17 PPG - Boqvist

Yup, nothing alike

come on, ppg isn't a fair comparison

 

[JimEIV]

Zacha produced at 5v5 just as you would expect...

Zacha was 9th (among forwards) on the team last year in Average 5v5 time...7th if you remove Palmieri and Zajac....Kuokkenan, Nico, Sharangovich, Palmieri all average a minute or more of 5v5 time over Zacha and Jack...Jack averaged nearly 3 minutes more per game 5v5. The point totals 5v5 follow almost exactly to the Time On Ice.

I mean look at Kuokkenan who played the same amount of games as Zacha but had 48 &1/2 MORE 5v5 minutes...That is sick...That's like 4 more games in 5v5 minutes Kuokkenan had over Zacha

5v5 points

	Yegor Sharangovich	C	54	711.7667	13.18086	10	11	4	7	21
	Janne Kuokkanen	C, L	50	653.8167	13.07633	6	14	9	5	20
	Jack Hughes	C	56	831.2667	14.84405	10	9	7	2	19
	Jesper Bratt	L	46	574.9833	12.49964	3	15	7	8	18
Miles Wood	L	55	685.2167	12.45848	11	7	4	3	18
	Travis Zajac	C	33	419.1	12.7	7	10	3	7	17
	Pavel Zacha	C	50	605.2667	12.10533	9	8	6	2	17

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Edit: What's really sick is Jack played 146 more 5v5 minutes than Miles Wood for 1 extra point...That is a bit hard to fathom. (That is like 12+ additional games - if we call 12 minutes an average.)

 

[Nocashstyle]

i mean didn't mcleod prove that theory wrong? he worked on becoming a solid bottom 6er, and if there's anyone we can point to when thinking about evolving your game, look at zacha over the years

McLeod has speed and size. Zacha always had the physical toolbox. They both showed more in less time in the NHL than Boqvist too.

 

[OmNomNom]

McLeod has speed and size. Zacha always had the physical toolbox. They both showed more in less time in the NHL than Boqvist too.

no way zacha showed more in his first 63 games, our fanbase shit on him way early in his career

and its not like boq is THAT small - he's 6'-0" 180, where mcleod is 6'-2", 190

 

[Billdo]

no way zacha showed more in his first 63 games, our fanbase shit on him way early in his career

and its not like boq is THAT small - he's 6'-0" 180, where mcleod is 6'-2", 190

And a lot of morons on this page currently still do

 

[Nocashstyle]

no way zacha showed more in his first 63 games, our fanbase shit on him way early in his career

and its not like boq is THAT small - he's 6'-0" 180, where mcleod is 6'-2", 190

He’s listed at 5’11 on hockeydb. And Zacha’s tools were always apparent. Boqvist’s aren’t - he’s just kinda there.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Boqvist should go to AHL to develop and play in case of injuries. He lost his chance at a roster spot to Mercer, for 9 games at least. Don't see a reason to trade him as he likely has no trade value and Devils center depth isn't great.

 

[Bleedred]

Both of them absolutely sucked at offense.

Boqvist looked like he might turn into a nice shootout specialist, but I don’t know if he had any shootout goals last year.

He’s probably only taken 5-7 attempts anyway, not sure.

 

[OmNomNom]

He’s listed at 5’11 on hockeydb. And Zacha’s tools were always apparent. Boqvist’s aren’t - he’s just kinda there.

tell that to all of us in the '16-'17 season, we all look at him w rose-tinted glasses now

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

tell that to all of us in the '16-'17 season, we all look at him w rose-tinted glasses now

i dunno if i agree with this. No one doubted Zacha was talented. He was big, great skater, with pretty good hands and a good shot. But the troubling thing was the lack of production, and the EXTRA troubling thing was how many good forwards were available in 2015, which is why a lot of people were down on the pick.

 

[MartyOwns]

we all look at him w rose-tinted glasses now

i don't lol. preseason zacha has always been wildly different than regular season zacha. if he turns out to be a 60 point guy over the course of a season, that would be MASSIVE for this team. last year was wacky and i'm not drawing any conclusions on anybody (good or bad), but i think it's safe to say he's trending in the right direction. but personally i'm not counting on jack shit from him, and i hope to be pleasantly surprised.

 

[captainscott]

come on, ppg isn't a fair comparison

Bovquist cannot be assessed fully yet.. he has not even completed a full season in NHL.. I would say based on the eyeball test he can be a solid third line player.. not sure what his offensive ceiling is yet as he has been bouncing around a lot.. I think he is a solid player. do we have some guys that look like they are ready to surpass him on depth chart.. yes... does that mean he isn't a useful player no.... i wouldn't bury him just yet.. he isn't flashy, plays the game pretty solidly if you ask me.

 

[JimEIV]

i don't lol. preseason zacha has always been wildly different than regular season zacha. if he turns out to be a 60 point guy over the course of a season, that would be MASSIVE for this team. last year was wacky and i'm not drawing any conclusions on anybody (good or bad), but i think it's safe to say he's trending in the right direction. but personally i'm not counting on jack shit from him, and i hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Zacha will not be a 60 point guy with his current deployment...They have been basically using him as a 3rd line forward with PP time...

McLeod had basically the same amount of 5v5 time as Zacha last season....

McLeod - 52 games 609.52 minutes
Zacha 50 games 605:16 minutes

Johnsson had only slightly less
Johnsson - 50 games 587.5666667 minutes


As long as that is how Zacha is used...People will continue to make believe there is something wrong with his 5v5 performance.

 

[MartyOwns]

Zacha will not be a 60 point guy with his current deployment...They have been basically using him as a 3rd line forward with PP time...

McLeod had basically the same amount of 5v5 time as Zacha last season....

McLeod - 52 games 609.52 minutes
Zacha 50 games 605:16 minutes

Johnsson had only slightly less
Johnsson - 50 games 587.5666667 minutes


As long as that is how Zacha is used...People will continue to make believe there is something wrong with his 5v5 performance.

well, i could see him getting top 6 minutes this year. he's probably the first one moved up after our first inevitable injury. but in the unlikely event that he gets 3rd line & PP time only, you can knock 20 points off my 60 point ideal outcome. that would knock my socks off

 

[JimEIV]

well, i could see him getting top 6 minutes this year. he's probably the first one moved up after our first inevitable injury. but in the unlikely event that he gets 3rd line & PP time only, you can knock 20 points off my 60 point ideal outcome. that would knock my socks off

I think he is capable of 45 points in that kind of roll. But you never can count on PP points...They vary and if the points don't come on the PP and you're playing as a 3rd liner...40+ points is tough to achieve.

 

[devilsblood]

Zacha produced at 5v5 just as you would expect...

Zacha was 9th (among forwards) on the team last year in Average 5v5 time...7th if you remove Palmieri and Zajac....Kuokkenan, Nico, Sharangovich, Palmieri all average a minute or more of 5v5 time over Zacha and Jack...Jack averaged nearly 3 minutes more per game 5v5. The point totals 5v5 follow almost exactly to the Time On Ice.

I mean look at Kuokkenan who played the same amount of games as Zacha but had 48 &1/2 MORE 5v5 minutes...That is sick...That's like 4 more games in 5v5 minutes Kuokkenan had over Zacha

5v5 points

	Yegor Sharangovich	C	54	711.7667	13.18086	10	11	4	7	21
	Janne Kuokkanen	C, L	50	653.8167	13.07633	6	14	9	5	20
	Jack Hughes	C	56	831.2667	14.84405	10	9	7	2	19
	Jesper Bratt	L	46	574.9833	12.49964	3	15	7	8	18
Miles Wood	L	55	685.2167	12.45848	11	7	4	3	18
	Travis Zajac	C	33	419.1	12.7	7	10	3	7	17
	Pavel Zacha	C	50	605.2667	12.10533	9	8	6	2	17

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Edit: What's really sick is Jack played 146 more 5v5 minutes than Miles Wood for 1 extra point...That is a bit hard to fathom. (That is like 12+ additional games - if we call 12 minutes an average.)

1)Kuok did produce better then Zacha 5v5, and his on ice %'s were better as well. Zacha did play a lot more special teams and overall played 2 minutes more per game then Kuok did.

2)Hughes has to produce more. His on ice is fantastic, but he is given the choice offensive minutes, he needs to put up more points both at 5v5 and on the pp, where he also didn't produce well.

He was still very much a kid last year and I think he looks good and as a I say the on-ice is so good, so I'm not sweating it, but he has to produce more.

 

[Nocashstyle]

tell that to all of us in the '16-'17 season, we all look at him w rose-tinted glasses now

I’ve been a Zacha apologist for years so you’re talking to the wrong guy there

 

[My3Sons]

I think he is capable of 45 points in that kind of roll. But you never can count on PP points...They vary and if the points don't come on the PP and you're playing as a 3rd liner...40+ points is tough to achieve.

If he plays wing with Nico and Bratt he should see plenty of five on five and PP time. This being a contract year I don't think he will be afraid to shoot the puck. Fingers crossed he has the year we all want for him and he can justify a good contract extension.

 

[Hisch13r]

Zacha will not be a 60 point guy with his current deployment...They have been basically using him as a 3rd line forward with PP time...

McLeod had basically the same amount of 5v5 time as Zacha last season....

McLeod - 52 games 609.52 minutes
Zacha 50 games 605:16 minutes

Johnsson had only slightly less
Johnsson - 50 games 587.5666667 minutes


As long as that is how Zacha is used...People will continue to make believe there is something wrong with his 5v5 performance.

He IS a 3rd line special teams specialist. There's nothing wrong with his 5v5 play as long as he's on the wing. His play is "fine" and that's why he's a 3rd liner rather than belonging higher up

 

[JimEIV]

1)Kuok did produce better then Zacha 5v5, and his on ice %'s were better as well. Zacha did play a lot more special teams and overall played 2 minutes more per game then Kuok did.

Do you know off-hand what the 5v5 P/60 for Kuok were vs Zacha? I don't feel like doing the math but looking at the raw minutes it hardly looks different. 3 additional points and 48 additional 5v5 minutes....

But you just can't ignore the deployment. When you're playing a significant amount of your additional minutes as a 1st liner and being deployed in the most offensive situation there are with Jack Hughes, 3 additional points is somewhat of a joke regardless of how the percentages breakdown.

 

[devilsblood]

Zacha will not be a 60 point guy with his current deployment...They have been basically using him as a 3rd line forward with PP time...

McLeod had basically the same amount of 5v5 time as Zacha last season....

McLeod - 52 games 609.52 minutes
Zacha 50 games 605:16 minutes

Johnsson had only slightly less
Johnsson - 50 games 587.5666667 minutes


As long as that is how Zacha is used...People will continue to make believe there is something wrong with his 5v5 performance.

Hasn't the usage really been the crux of the debate?

Mostly in terms of center vs wing. But also toi. 5v5, but also PP.

Consider this, last year was the first time Zacha played over 2 minutes per game on the PP. The previous season he played 1:37, while averaging 4.54 p/60.

Meanwhile Hughes played 3:11 of toi on the pp as a rookie while averaging 2.77 p/60.

This past season Hughes averaged 2:57 of toi on the pp while averaging 2.54 p/60. Zacha averaged 2:39 while putting up 4.95 p/60.

So 2 things

1)I think Hughes lack of production on the PP is really where he needs to improve. Yes 5v5 as well, his production is not good there, but he can't be the team leader in pp toi with that production rate. He shouldn't be on the first unit with that rate. That needs to improve.

2)Zacha needs to average over 3 minutes per game on the pp. He's been a consistent pp performer, that despite rarely getting top unit minutes, and that production only improved with more minutes this past season. I think he's pretty clearly our best guy heading into this year and they should lean on him accordingly.

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

I think he is capable of 45 points in that kind of roll. But you never can count on PP points...They vary and if the points don't come on the PP and you're playing as a 3rd liner...40+ points is tough to achieve.

Ruff has said that Zacha will play top 6 wing in games when the team is struggling to score. If you listen to his pressers it sounds like Zacha will play plenty if he is playing well. He has commented tmultiple times that he looks like a different player this year since he was able to train properly this offseason as opposed to last.