GDT: Game 43: Anaheim Ducks Vs Vegas Golden Knights | 12PM PST | The game of two decades

[azvgk]

Why does Vegas currently have the most games played this season?

Going on long road trip - lots of off days in January

 

[CupInSIX]

Glass doesn't look good unless he plays at center, and when there he looks very good. I think it's beyond a worry of adjustment to the pro level, he is a few levels better of a player at center than at wing. They need to adjust the team to that.

Theodore has looked good for the whole season. Not only offensively. He is our 1D now. Schmidt is Schmidt, but in my eyes he has been supplanted this season and Granger dropped some stats a day ago that seem to bear this as truth.

Teddy is the best Dman offensively, but he's not quite Schmidt in his own end as of yet.
A lot of credit goes to young Hague and vice versa but they work well as a tandem, whereas with McNabb-Schmidt it's more Schmitty doing the heavy lifting as an unsung hero.

I'll be happy if Theodore surpasses the Schmidt, but it is not this day.

 

[Vegan Knight]

Teddy is the best Dman offensively, but he's not quite Schmidt in his own end as of yet.
A lot of credit goes to young Hague and vice versa but they work well as a tandem, whereas with McNabb-Schmidt it's more Schmitty doing the heavy lifting as an unsung hero.

I'll be happy if Theodore surpasses the Schmidt, but it is not this day.

Hahaha. I think Schmidt can play better than he has for large parts of the season. So I think he could make the competition closer.

Here's the part from Granger's article that I was referring to, I figure I should include it since I mentioned it.

Per Granger:
Theodore’s defensive metrics this season have been off the charts, as the 24-year-old has taken a massive step in completing his game. Of the 124 defensemen in the NHL with at least 500 minutes of ice time, Theodore ranks third in scoring chance share at 57.71 percent. That means in 674:58 of even strength ice time, the Golden Knights have out-chanced the opposition 378-277.
Theodore also ranks sixth in Corsi percentage (56.25) and 10th in shot share (55.28) amongst NHL defensemen. He has stepped up defensively in a big way, and the Golden Knights are lucky he did because previous shut-down defenseman Nate Schmidt and Brayden McNabb have taken a step (or two) back.
But the most telling statistic for how impressive Theodore has been this season is that the Golden Knights’ four best defensive pairings this season, analytically, have been:

• Holden–Theodore
• Hague–Theodore
• McNabb–Theodore
• Engelland–Theodore

 

[HanSolo]

Yeah I don't agree that Schmidt has been better defensively. At best it's a wash. Theodore has been quietly strong in his own zone. He's the best bet we have for a defensive exit and his positioning has been a lot better.

 

[hangman005]

Did @Nevada Jones come back from the game or did he die of excitement

 

[CupInSIX]

Hahaha. I think Schmidt can play better than he has for large parts of the season. So I think he could make the competition closer.

Here's the part from Granger's article that I was referring to, I figure I should include it since I mentioned it.

Per Granger:
Theodore’s defensive metrics this season have been off the charts, as the 24-year-old has taken a massive step in completing his game. Of the 124 defensemen in the NHL with at least 500 minutes of ice time, Theodore ranks third in scoring chance share at 57.71 percent. That means in 674:58 of even strength ice time, the Golden Knights have out-chanced the opposition 378-277.
Theodore also ranks sixth in Corsi percentage (56.25) and 10th in shot share (55.28) amongst NHL defensemen. He has stepped up defensively in a big way, and the Golden Knights are lucky he did because previous shut-down defenseman Nate Schmidt and Brayden McNabb have taken a step (or two) back.
But the most telling statistic for how impressive Theodore has been this season is that the Golden Knights’ four best defensive pairings this season, analytically, have been:

• Holden–Theodore
• Hague–Theodore
• McNabb–Theodore
• Engelland–Theodore

All this does is confirm to me how bad Merrill has been for stretches, and how brilliant Fleury was early in the season with Schmidt on the shelf. Granger also used analytics to suggest that Merrill was better than a bottom pairing guy, and certainly not a #7.

It also shows how steady Hague has been the past month.

Theodore is progressing each year, emerging as a great #2 offensive Dman, but I'd hold off proclaiming him our best all around Dman based on a sample size of less than half a year for Schmidt, and half a year for Teddy.

For 2 and 1/2 years Schmidt has been a top 20 Dman, and Theodore is more of a top 35 Yandle-type offensive specialist right now. Schmidt has not played his best hockey this season.

 

[Vegan Knight]

All this does is confirm to me how bad Merrill has been for stretches, and how brilliant Fleury was early in the season with Schmidt on the shelf. Granger also used analytics to suggest that Merrill was better than a bottom pairing guy, and certainly not a #7.

It also shows how steady Hague has been the past month.

Theodore is progressing each year, emerging as a great #2 offensive Dman, but I'd hold off proclaiming him our best all around Dman based on a sample size of less than half a year for Schmidt, and half a year for Teddy.

For 2 and 1/2 years Schmidt has been a top 20 Dman, and Theodore is more of a top 35 Yandle-type offensive specialist right now. Schmidt has not played his best hockey this season.

I think this sells Theodore way short and overplays Schmidt somewhat, in my opinion. Theodore is already way better than Yandle ever was defensively and crediting his rookie partner is not giving him his full due, especially considering he beats Schmidt with the same partner (McNabb) and with weaker partners in Holden and Engelland.

I also don't think we can characterize Schmidt as consistently top 20 NHL for 2 1/2 years. He isn't this season, and he missed 20 games last season, he had up and down moments as the team did after that and struggled in the playoffs so it is hard to call him top 20 last season for sure. It hasn't been consistently that though.

 

[Nevada Jones]

Two pieces of commentary regards yesterday's game, and neither really have anything to do much with the actual game.

1) Christopher Lloyd cranking the siren to start the third period? But WTH?!?

B) I don't think Will Carrier showers postgame. Saw him at the Bellagio Conservatory very, very shortly after the game. No way he could have gotten there that quickly without skipping the shower.

Go! Go!

 

[hangman005]

Two pieces of commentary regards yesterday's game, and neither really have anything to do much with the actual game.

1) Christopher Lloyd cranking the siren to start the third period? But WTH?!?

B) I don't think Will Carrier showers postgame. Saw him at the Bellagio Conservatory very, very shortly after the game. No way he could have gotten there that quickly without skipping the shower.

Go! Go!

He was wanting to shower with you.... but you weren’t there in the locker room

 

[CupInSIX]

I think this sells Theodore way short and overplays Schmidt somewhat, in my opinion. Theodore is already way better than Yandle ever was defensively and crediting his rookie partner is not giving him his full due, especially considering he beats Schmidt with the same partner (McNabb) and with weaker partners in Holden and Engelland.

I also don't think we can characterize Schmidt as consistently top 20 NHL for 2 1/2 years. He isn't this season, and he missed 20 games last season, he had up and down moments as the team did after that and struggled in the playoffs so it is hard to call him top 20 last season for sure. It hasn't been consistently that though.

I think we can agree to disagree then, on account of the fact that I'm biased towards both Schmidt and Hague.
I believe Hague is showing flashes of the top pairing Dman he will one day become (and I think he's been Teddy's most consistently used Dpartner this season, at least 25 games) and for me, Schmidt is easily one of the most underrated players in the league.

Just remember what the analytics people said about Colin Miller last summer. They used those same metrics to try and prove he was an underpaid, reliable top 4 Dman.

For me, Teddy has become a solid #2 and he might hit 50-60 points as an offense-minded PMD. If he becomes something better than that, I will be happy but I don't think he's there yet.

edit: and McNabb has been wildly inconsistent this season, with both D partners.

 

[Vegan Knight]

I think we can agree to disagree then, on account of the fact that I'm biased towards both Schmidt and Hague.
I believe Hague is showing flashes of the top pairing Dman he will one day become (and I think he's been Teddy's most consistently used Dpartner this season, at least 25 games) and for me, Schmidt is easily one of the most underrated players in the league.

Just remember what the analytics people said about Colin Miller last summer. They used those same metrics to try and prove he was an underpaid, reliable top 4 Dman.

For me, Teddy has become a solid #2 and he might hit 50-60 points as an offense-minded PMD. If he becomes something better than that, I will be happy but I don't think he's there yet.

edit: and McNabb has been wildly inconsistent this season, with both D partners.

We can agree that Schmidt has more to give this season and Hague, after a shaky start is developing well and is capable of growing and contributing more himself while being solid for this season already. It really makes worries about the defense dissipate.

The team still needs one more defenseman to make this team very dangerous, this season and going forward, because McNabb has definitely taken a step back this season. We've got some assets that aren't a 1st or our top five prospects that could return a good defenseman.

Next season.....
Schmidt- New Guy RD
Hague- Theodore
McNabb- Whitecloud
Bischoff, Engelland

 

[GKG18]

McNabb- Whitecloud
Bischoff, Engelland

Eh.... UwotM8