- Teravainen has taken just as many shots this year as the past two. He had 23 and 21 goals with shot% of 12.4 and 12.6. His shot selection may be 30% worse this year or it could be a degree of puck luck.
- Per game, Teravainen was on the ice 39 seconds more at even strength and 3 seconds of power play time more than Svechnikov. Less than one shift per game. Svech took 320 shots Teravainen 317.
- Shooting more frequently would mean passing less often and/or not holding the puck looking for a better option. Aho's shooting % was 18.4 and Svech's was 13.1. The sound argument is to say those strong numbers are partly due to Teravainen's ability to pass.
- Other playmaking wingers seldom have shooting % above 11%. Voracek hasn't been above 10% in 7 years. Wheeler was under 11% for the previous 5 years, though he was above 12% this year. Even Gaudreau, who is definitely more of a shooter, has only been above 11% once in the past 4 seasons. Marner's career % is exactly 11%. In his 4 years as a Cane, TT's % is 10.5.
- The "better" shot point is really chicken/egg. It is easy to remember when he passed up what looked like a really good shot. His mentality is to look for better options, which makes him, and arguably his line mates, more effective.
It would be terrific if Teravainen could become like Panarin and score 30+ goals while being near the top of the league in assists. However, he has been (and likely will continue to be) more like Wheeler. That being the case, he is shooting close to the rate he needs.
1. And everybody seemed to be on the same page in past years that he needed to shoot more. This is not new.
2. 39 seconds a game is a big difference over 82 games. Nearly an entire 60-minute game's worth of ice time. Having
fewer shots over that time is a large distinction.
3. Nobody is saying TT should shoot when there's a great pass to be made. The issue is his reluctance to shoot when the shot is the correct choice.
4. It's understood that shooting percentages are going to go up and down. The issue isn't that TT doesn't shoot efficiently enough, it's that he passes on high-percentage shots.
5. TT himself has acknowledged that he needs to shoot more, and that Rod is telling him to shoot more, and that his teammates tell him to shoot more. That doesn't sound like chicken/egg, that sounds like a guy who recognizes he needs to shoot more.
It may very well be that he simply is what he is, and will never get around to improving this aspect of his game. But it most definitely is a weakness he is aware of and says he's working on.