Do you think McDavid is having the best season of the 2000s or the new divisions are the reason?

[Stubu]

Just posting in another Buzzfeed equivalent to a thread.

Now, now. Buzzfeed's name doesn't inspire confidence in journalistic standards but in fairness it hasn't been a worse outlet than NYT, The Guardian, and other "investigative" bastions of newsmaking. Singling them out hasn't really been warranted. The dossier brouhaha was one thing but even that whole thing was kinda complex and complicated. (To be avoided here like the plague, like other politics, for good reason.) Just saying it doesn't quite work as a metaphor for bullshit.

 

[pcruz]

Maybe McDavid should have asked to be traded to the East.

Philly has had 16 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, and 3 of 7 or more goals.
Buffalo has had 15 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, including 5 in a row (3 of which were against the Islanders).
New Jersey has had 15 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, including 4 in a row, and 4 in 5.

Vancouver has had 15 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, and 2 of 7 or more goals.
Ottawa has had 12 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, and 4 of 7 or more.


Anaheim has had 14 games where they have let in 5 goals or more.
San Jose has had 14 games where they have let in 5 goals or more.
Arizona has had 10 games where they have let in 5 goals or more (including a 9 spot against Colorado).

CBJ have had 12 games where they have let in 5 goals or more.
Detroit has had 8 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, but of those, 5 were 7 goal games.
Chicago has had 15 games where they have let in 5 goals or more.


Seems like all of the divisions have terrible teams (defensively) at the bottom.
Why people feel the need to discredit McDavid for being in the North this year is baffling.

 

[Duffalufagus]

Future results are no guarantee of past performance.

Lmao.

 

[Paperbagofglory]

Now, now. Buzzfeed's name doesn't inspire confidence in journalistic standards but in fairness it hasn't been a worse outlet than NYT, The Guardian, and other "investigative" bastions of newsmaking. Singling them out hasn't really been warranted. The dossier brouhaha was one thing but even that whole thing was kinda complex and complicated. (To be avoided here like the plague, like other politics, for good reason.) Just saying it doesn't quite work as a metaphor for bullshit.

The NYT recently admitted in a court case that they are losing that their journalists don't do research and write opinion pieces rather than actual news. Its a way for them to avoid a lawsuit that's happening by using the, we aren't really news defense. Hilarious.

 

[Stubu]

The NYT recently admitted in a court case that they are losing that their journalists don't do research and write opinion pieces rather than actual news. Its a way for them to avoid a lawsuit that's happening by using the, we aren't really news defense. Hilarious.

I'm not surprised. I've noticed the opinion pieces masquerading as news.

Looking at the main TV networks, Fox News has been sort of more honest than the others: never registered as a news network, only as an entertainment provider with the FCC.

McDavid tho is something fierce. I expected he'll be fed up by the imbalanced roster by now but he keep going stronk.

 

[Soundwave]

Not really McDavid's fault Calgary and Vancouver shit the bed and/or got exposed.

West has LA/Anaheim/Arizona/San Jose as sub .500 teams, not sure what Calgary and Vancouver's excuse is to not be better than those teams.

Then there's Buffalo/NJ and Philly allows the most GA in the league in the East div.

Then you say the Central is a good division except McDavid has traditionally scored big against Nashville and Columbus for whatever reason and you would have Detroit too.

 

[Mrb1p]

The two best teams in the division are top ten in the league in goals against. Montreal is not the second best anything in that division. They are smack dab in the middle in every statistical category. Stop making up fantasies.

How many points did McDs get vs price?

 

[Paperbagofglory]

How many points did McDs get vs price?

6 points in the last 2 games? I don't know if Price was playing, his brains were scrambled from taking too many pucks to the head when they played each other.

 

[Albatros]

Seems like all of the divisions have terrible teams (defensively) at the bottom.

Sure they do, it's more that the North only has one good team.

 

[WillyC]

even if they randomized the teams and divisions every year... McDavid would still be head and shoulders above everyone else.

 

[authentic]

Exactly. Listen as a Nucks fan it hurts to say but there is something different with him this season. He is the best player in the league by a landslide. Sure Drai is a stud but #97 and some seriously good goaltending by Smith has me thinking the Oilers will emerge from the North. It doesn't matter who he plays against, besides the North has some of the best goalies in the league and it hasn't stopped him.

They likely won't beat Toronto. Look at their record against them this season as well as McDavid's stats.

 

[authentic]

Maybe McDavid should have asked to be traded to the East.

Philly has had 16 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, and 3 of 7 or more goals.
Buffalo has had 15 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, including 5 in a row (3 of which were against the Islanders).
New Jersey has had 15 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, including 4 in a row, and 4 in 5.

Vancouver has had 15 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, and 2 of 7 or more goals.
Ottawa has had 12 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, and 4 of 7 or more.


Anaheim has had 14 games where they have let in 5 goals or more.
San Jose has had 14 games where they have let in 5 goals or more.
Arizona has had 10 games where they have let in 5 goals or more (including a 9 spot against Colorado).

CBJ have had 12 games where they have let in 5 goals or more.
Detroit has had 8 games where they have let in 5 goals or more, but of those, 5 were 7 goal games.
Chicago has had 15 games where they have let in 5 goals or more.


Seems like all of the divisions have terrible teams (defensively) at the bottom.
Why people feel the need to discredit McDavid for being in the North this year is baffling.

It's especially odd given how the North has Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton, you would figure those other teams in the division would actually have more games where they've given up a large amount of goals compared to the worst teams in any other division.

 

[TheGuiminator]

Every year we hear excuses about the top leader in the NHL. This year's not different.

McDavid would torch the league in any given division, deal with it.

 

[Albatros]

even if they randomized the teams and divisions every year... McDavid would still be head and shoulders above everyone else.

Why wasn't he last year?

 

[syz]

Why wasn't he last year?

Mark Giordano.

 

[Tairy Greene]

Why wasn't he last year?

Why did Draisaitl have a career year last year? Why aren't guys like Gadreau and Tavares putting up career numbers in this weak division?

 

[42]

Oh no I read your post just fine

It's nothing more than wishful thinking. There is not much from history to suggest McDavid will continue to improve. If fact, there are many examples of the very best players in the game who have not improved after the age of 24. Some have had their best years in their late 20s, like Sakic, but the majority have not improved, points-wise, past age 24.

Using PPG and a few greats:
Gretzky had his best year at the age of 24.
Lemieux had his best year at the age of 23.
Crosby had his best year at the age of 19!
Ovechkin had his best year at the age of 24.

 

[ItWasJustified]

even if they randomized the teams and divisions every year... McDavid would still be head and shoulders above everyone else.

Source?

 

[bucks_oil]

It can't be the division...

I mean has anyone put forward any data to substantiate the "weak north" claim?

Looking at the total goals scored by all teams divided by the total games played by all teams (a bit crude I agree), I came to 2.95 goals / total games in the North Division.

Last year the same calculation for all teams in the NHL comes to 3.10.

That says the North (even with McDrai & Toronto inflating numbers) is scoring fewer goals/game than the NHL-at-large last year.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Hes still insanely good but the divisions definitely should be a factor in it.

 

[Video Nasty]

Only the kind of backwards thinking that is rampant on HFBoards believes that a player who came into this season with 2 Art Rosses, 4 top 2 scoring finishes in a row, 3 100+ point seasons in a row, followed by 97 points in 64 games before the regular season got closed down due to COVID is doing something this season that he isn’t capable of.

We’re talking about a 5th consecutive top 2 scoring finish, 3 Art Rosses, and very possibly a 4th 100 point campaign despite 26 games wiped off the slate.

And McDavid came into this season averaging 1.5+ PPG over his last 183 games (second half of 2017-2018 through 2019-2020). The two seasons he didn’t win the Art Ross, he averaged exactly 1.50.

If he drops 130 in a full 82 game campaign (something only Gretzky, Lemieux, and Jagr have done once apiece since the start of the 1993-1994 season), there’s really going to be people sneering that his PPG was lower than this current 56 game season, isn’t there?

 

[BurnabyJoe7]

And the play ins are the standard now? The Habs are nowhere near a PO team and they may just be the 2nd best defensive team in this division.

Nobody has said the play-ins are the standard. You said he wouldn't be putting up as many points in another division, when the west has more basement dwellers than the north based on last season, not to mention McDavid has great historical numbers against the strong teams like Vegas and Colorado.

 

[SI90]

He’s one guy where I think it doesn’t matter who he plays against he’s going to do his thing. He’s in a league of his own.

 

[Albatros]

Why did Draisaitl have a career year last year? Why aren't guys like Gadreau and Tavares putting up career numbers in this weak division?

Draisaitl (25) had a "career year" but McDavid (24) will play like he does now for years to come?

 

[Garbageyuk]

We're 4 pages in and not one poster has yet given a single substantial reason for why it's easier to score points in the North division than other divisions.

What we have here is a handful of people encountering the inconvenient truth that Connor McDavid is the best player in the world. (Now, why that is difficult for some to admit is confusing to me. McDavid seems like a perfectly likeable guy who's very clean on the ice. What's not to like?)

You are creating false narratives. I've said he's the best in the world currently - everyone knows that. But is he a 145+ point player? No, I don't believe he is, and I don't believe he would sustain his current pace over a full season under normal circumstances. I'll make a prediction since you wouldn't: he will not score 145+ points next year, or ever, for that matter. Dig up this post in a year.