Is Zach Hyman the biggest anchor in the NHL?

[Divine]

He's on a line with Nylander (12 pts in 13 games) & Matthews (11 pts in 13 games), both of whom lead the team. Hyman on the other hand has 1 assist in 13 games and is last on the team among regulars, playing with the teams two leading scorers. He's single handedly handicapping that line, has there ever been NHL players that have handicapped a top 6 line to that degree?

Teams can (and do) just team up on Matthews and Nylander because Hyman is not a threat at all, making it harder to create space for those 2.

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[McNurse]

I wouldn't say he's handicapping them at all. He's a good for checker who can break up plays and he's a net front presence, just because he doesn't hit the score sheet doesn't mean he's not contributing. There's more to hockey then just points.

 

[PsychoDad]

The first 15 games of the 2016 season is where new gods are born, all all-time records shattered and every statistical deviation is happening for the first time in history of mankind.

 

[uncleben]

GAP stat lines can be deceiving...

I'm going to leave it at that.

 

[Pukboy5kroner]

I'd assume that if he were truly an anchor, Nylander and Matthews wouldn't be scoring as much as they have. Although, I'm no Babcock.

 

[izzy]

no he is not

 

[Claypool]

Babcock loves his grinders. Get used to it, Toronto.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Wasn't Hyman on A Matthews' wing when he scored 4 goals opening night? Regardless of that fact, his job is not to carry a line, he leaves that up to other players. You know sometimes there are too many chefs in the kitchen analogy. I suppose there is reason why Babcock likes him, defensively responsible for 2 younger less experienced players, doesn't mind getting his jersey dirty by going to the boards, never takes shifts off ect.... There have been a lot of successful lines that had 2 more talented players and one spade and axe man on them. No he is not.

 

[STC]

I once witnessed a 94 year old Andrew Burnette play an entire season on a line with one Patrick Kane so no.

 

[Kelly]

Wasn't Hyman on Matthews' wing when he scored 4 goals opening night? Regardless of that fact, his job is not to carry a line, he leaves that up to other players. I suppose there is reason Babcock likes him, defensively responsible for 2 younger less experienced players, doesn't mind getting his jersey dirty by going to the boards. There have been a lot of successful lines that had 2 more talented players and one spade and axe man on them.

Exactly. Babcock refers to him as the puck getter.

I mean, would I like Hyman to have more than 1 point? Of course. But I wouldn't call him an anchor whatsoever, he is what he is.

Also OP fails to mention that Willy has 7 PPP, Matthews 4 PPP, while Hyman doesn't get PP time.

 

[Divine]

I wouldn't say he's handicapping them at all. He's a good for checker who can break up plays and he's a net front presence, just because he doesn't hit the score sheet doesn't mean he's not contributing. There's more to hockey then just points.

He's a top 6 player, he's expected to put up points. We might as well put Matt Martin there if points don't matter, he's a better NHL player than Hyman.

I'd assume that if he were truly an anchor, Nylander and Matthews wouldn't be scoring as much as they have. Although, I'm no Babcock.

They're putting up points despite him, not because he's contributing to it. They'd be putting up more points with a real top 6 forward.

It's not an isolated opinion either:

 

[Pukboy5kroner]

He's a top 6 player, he's expected to put up points. We might as well put Matt Martin there if points don't matter, he's a better NHL player than Hyman.



They're putting up points despite him not doing anything, not because he's contributing to it. They'd be putting up more points with a real top 6 forward.

It's not an isolated opinion either:

Honestly, I don't catch enough Leafs games to make a judgment on how much Hyman contributes or does not contribute to the line every shift. It might be a better question to ask on the Toronto board.

 

[Hobble]

Mark Stuart is such an anchor, that he was the understudy for Will Farrel in Anchorman.

 

[capebretoncanadien]

He looks like a good checker and agitating type guy with some speed.

Dime a dozen player but they do fill a need...hardly the biggest anchor OF ALL TIME.

 

[Plub]

Hyman is great on that line. If you've been watching the games, you'd know he is not hurting that line at all.

 

[ocrighton]

Exactly. Babcock refers to him as the puck getter.

I mean, would I like Hyman to have more than 1 point? Of course. But I wouldn't call him an anchor whatsoever, he is what he is.

Also OP fails to mention that Willy has 7 PPP, Matthews 4 PPP, while Hyman doesn't get PP time.

So you mean they're putting up points on the PP but not producing as well at even strength... where they play with Hyman?

 

[LeafFever]

He's on a line with Nylander (12 pts in 13 games) & Matthews (11 pts in 13 games), both of whom lead the team. Hyman on the other hand has 1 assist in 13 games and is last on the team among regulars, playing with the teams two leading scorers. He's single handedly handicapping that line, has there ever been NHL players that have handicapped a top 6 line to that degree?

Teams can (and do) just team up on Matthews and Nylander because Hyman is not a threat at all, making it harder to create space for those 2.

I'm no Hyman fan, but this is not accurate. The entire reason he's on the line is because he does create space for Matthews and Nylander.

 

[Kelly]

So you mean they're putting up points on the PP but not producing as well at even strength... where they play with Hyman?

You do realize on the PP the other team has 1 less man? Yeah... a little bit easier to score.

If you're gonna fairly compare points with Nylander/Matthews/Hyman it should be ES.

Matthews - 7
Nylander - 5
Hyman - 1

Doesn't look as bad. Players like Hyman shouldn't be judged by points anyway.

 

[LeafFever]

Babcock loves his grinders. Get used to it, Toronto.

He's an elite coach. I trust him.

 

[Minnesota]

Watching him against the Wild, I thought he brought some nice energy.

 

[The Thin White Duke]

He has stone hands and a muffin shot. Yes he digs pucks out well but for every puck he digs out, he kills a beautiful set up from one of the other two. Someone like Brown or Soshnikov might be 25% worse at digging out pucks but 75% better at finishing plays. Its a worthwhile trade-off ar that point.

 

[Bruce Granville]

Watching him against the Wild, I thought he brought some nice energy.

Seems like Matthews and Nylander are ignoring him...

 

[KPower]

I wouldn't say he's handicapping them at all. He's a good for checker who can break up plays and he's a net front presence, just because he doesn't hit the score sheet doesn't mean he's not contributing. There's more to hockey then just points.

If a guy on a line has zero offensive ability he most definetly hurts that line offensively.

 

[Poignant Discussion*]

He's on a line with Nylander (12 pts in 13 games) & Matthews (11 pts in 13 games), both of whom lead the team. Hyman on the other hand has 1 assist in 13 games and is last on the team among regulars, playing with the teams two leading scorers. He's single handedly handicapping that line, has there ever been NHL players that have handicapped a top 6 line to that degree?

Teams can (and do) just team up on Matthews and Nylander because Hyman is not a threat at all, making it harder to create space for those 2.

I'm going to guess by this post you are a new hockey fan. Well welcome to the sport. One thing you will learn is stats don't mean a thing as long as the line is being productive. Different players bring different things to the table., Zack allows Aust and Willy to concentrate on offense, being the defensive conscious to that line. As well many times digging the puck out or pressuring the defense into a bad clear which results in a goal. Also it's sort of lame insulting a kid who hasn't played a full season yet

 

[Nordic*]

Abdelkader 2.0?