How do we evaluate this year's performance?

[LyricalLyricist]

Honest question, is this a fair year to project player and team stats for the future.

For example subban is going to beat his career high in half the games.

Even projections make me feel weird because "in 82 games he would have X points" seems odd. What if he paves himself in an 82 game schedule or losses focus?

Same with team stats. We're playing way better than we expected. We go on no losing streaks and just seem to stay in 99% of the games. Will fatigue set in over 82 games or can we say this is the real deal?

It's tough. You see guys like Kunitz on pace for 94 points and 42 goals over 82 games. Same can be said about voracek, paranteau, Ladd and others.

I just don't know whether we put an asterix on this year and just enjoy the ride or legit believe we should expect this again next year.

Some will say "somewhere in the middle" and that's pretty much as simple as it gets as an answer for me. Truthfully, for example do we expect subban to be a perennial Norris candidate and challenge karlsson for points or do we say subban is a great player making the most of the circumstances? Same could be said about Diaz or young guys.

Simply put, are we a team making the most of 48 games or are we really one of the best teams in the league even with 82 games?

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[dcyhabs]

For the habs?

Cup or no cup.

 

[AlexGretzchenvid]

You win as a team and you lose as a team.

 

[General Fanager]

Honest question, is this a fair year to project player and team stats for the future.

For example subban is going to beat his career high in half the games.

Even projections make me feel weird because "in 82 games he would have X points" seems odd. What if he paves himself in an 82 game schedule or losses focus?

Same with team stats. We're playing way better than we expected. We go on no losing streaks and just seem to stay in 99% of the games. Will fatigue set in over 82 games or can we say this is the real deal?

It's tough. You see guys like Kunitz on pace for 94 points and 42 goals over 82 games. Same can be said about voracek, paranteau, Ladd and others.

I just don't know whether we put an asterix on this year and just enjoy the ride or legit believe we should expect this again next year.

Some will say "somewhere in the middle" and that's pretty much as simple as it gets as an answer for me. Truthfully, for example do we expect subban to be a perennial Norris candidate and challenge karlsson for points or do we say subban is a great player making the most of the circumstances? Same could be said about Diaz or young guys.

Simply put, are we a team making the most of 48 games or are we really one of the best teams in the league even with 82 games?

Its probably somewhere in the middle. I dont think they are as good as their record TBH

 

[Franck]

This team should be judged based on what it can accomplish in the playoffs, though just having gotten there is an astonishing accomplishment considering the expectations most of us had before the season.

Hard to tell as far as the individual players go, while an 82-game season tends to separate the good from the truly great, it's not like any player could ride a hot-streak for 48 games either.

 

[hockeyfan2k11]

Hard to judge. Looks like we're plateu-ing right now. We've played .500 hockey the last 10 games. So over an 82 game season..this would be like a midseason slump. Would we improve or slump even worse?

Hard to really evaluate a team in a shortened season. I would not be surprised if we didn't make the playoffs next season.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Hard to judge. Looks like we're plateu-ing right now. We've played .500 hockey the last 10 games. So over an 82 game season..this would be like a midseason slump. Would we improve or slump even worse?

Hard to really evaluate a team in a shortened season. I would not be surprised if we didn't make the playoffs next season.

pretty much this.

 

[Lshap]

Hard to judge. Looks like we're plateu-ing right now. We've played .500 hockey the last 10 games. So over an 82 game season..this would be like a midseason slump. Would we improve or slump even worse?

Hard to really evaluate a team in a shortened season. I would not be surprised if we didn't make the playoffs next season.

Man, this sounds like a twisted version of Stockholm Syndrome. Spend 2012 in the cellar and suddenly you identify more closely with that one year than the previous years of playoffs and our top ranking now. Really?? A few games at .500 has wiped out the credibility this team has built up?

I understand being upset after a loss, but if 2012 seems more real to you than 2013 you need to regain some perspective.

 

[TennisMenace]

This has been a very successful year but we still need to improve.

Trade for size on both forwards and Dmen.

DD, Gionta, Moen, Gorges, Leblanc should all be dealt to get bigger.

 

[hockeyfan2k11]

Man, this sounds like a twisted version of Stockholm Syndrome. Spend 2012 in the cellar and suddenly you identify more closely with that one year than the previous years of playoffs and our top ranking now. Really?? A few games at .500 has wiped out the credibility this team has built up?

I understand being upset after a loss, but if 2012 seems more real to you than 2013 you need to regain some perspective.

What on earth are you talking about? All I said is it's hard to evaluate the team we have. Are we a top 5 team in the league or lower? It's hard to evaluate a team in a shortened season...especially a team that made such a huge turnaround.

As far as past years...most of the players along with the coaching staff is gone so who cares about the playoffs of yesteryer?

You can sip as much koolaid as you want. I think the team is headed down the right pass but has some major holes...one of which is the defense.

 

[TennisMenace]

Hard to judge. Looks like we're plateu-ing right now. We've played .500 hockey the last 10 games. So over an 82 game season..this would be like a midseason slump. Would we improve or slump even worse?

Hard to really evaluate a team in a shortened season. I would not be surprised if we didn't make the playoffs next season.

It's not hard to judge. This has been a successful year, but with room to improve.

 

[Blind Gardien]

Fabulous season. Even if they go out in a 1st round sweep at this point, the year would have to be counted as a big success. Organizational turnaround with epic success on so many levels.

 

[hockeyfan2k11]

It's not hard to judge. This has been a successful year, but with room to improve.

From the OP:

Honest question, is this a fair year to project player and team stats for the future.

I don't think so.

 

[onemorecup*]

Honest question, is this a fair year to project player and team stats for the future.

For example subban is going to beat his career high in half the games.

Even projections make me feel weird because "in 82 games he would have X points" seems odd. What if he paves himself in an 82 game schedule or losses focus?

Same with team stats. We're playing way better than we expected. We go on no losing streaks and just seem to stay in 99% of the games. Will fatigue set in over 82 games or can we say this is the real deal?

It's tough. You see guys like Kunitz on pace for 94 points and 42 goals over 82 games. Same can be said about voracek, paranteau, Ladd and others.

I just don't know whether we put an asterix on this year and just enjoy the ride or legit believe we should expect this again next year.

Some will say "somewhere in the middle" and that's pretty much as simple as it gets as an answer for me. Truthfully, for example do we expect subban to be a perennial Norris candidate and challenge karlsson for points or do we say subban is a great player making the most of the circumstances? Same could be said about Diaz or young guys.

Simply put, are we a team making the most of 48 games or are we really one of the best teams in the league even with 82 games?

good point about 48 games , lets talk over 82 , our key is the kids taking it to the next level

 

[Lshap]

What on earth are you talking about? All I said is it's hard to evaluate the team we have. Are we a top 5 team in the league or lower? It's hard to evaluate a team in a shortened season...especially a team that made such a huge turnaround.

As far as past years...most of the players along with the coaching staff is gone so who cares about the playoffs of yesteryer?

You can sip as much koolaid as you want. I think the team is headed down the right pass but has some major holes...one of which is the defense.

You said you wouldn't be surprised if we missed the playoffs next year. That statement is a major leap of pessimism. Sure, dropping a couple of spots is natural from year to year, but going from where we are right now to missing the playoffs? Much more would have to go wrong than right for that to happen. That wouldn't be growing pains, that would be a failure.

It's fair to question whether we're top-five or not, especially in next year's re-aligned season. But that's a very different discussion - and a very different team - than questioning whether they'll even make the playoffs. If that's how you see it, fine, but I'd like to know what you see failing next year that has succeeded this year.