Appleyard
Registered User
The whole Couts and linemates talk is pretty silly.
It is not only the linemates that limit his offensive production, but how he is used, especially last year.
He arguably had the 2nd hardest minutes of any centre/forward in the NHL last season.
His zone starts were stupid, 9th in the whole NHL, he started 68% in his own zone.
Only Kulemin (64.5%) and Fisher (61.9%) in the whole NHL started more than 60% in their own zone and got more than 20 points.
He had the 7th hardest Quality of competition among centres in the NHL. He was playing the best players on the other team... every night.
Only him, Jay Mcclement, Kulemin and Grabovski had such an abysmal combination in the NHL, being in the top 25 in both lists. The other three had -12 or more relative Corsi (-32, -22 and -13), Couts was at +2.1, he played better than all three, and had worse linemates by a mile.
There is a reason Grabovski went from pacing at 50, 49, 58 and 57 points in 4 NHL seasons before last to pacing for 27 last season, (the same as Couts interestingly) and this season will miraculously get 50 again.
There is also a reason Kulemin went from 57 points one year to pacing 33 and 39 the two seasons after.
There is also a reason why when Jay Mcclement came into the league he paced more than 30 points in his first two years and has not since.
Couts plays harder minutes that Kulemin and Grabovski.
Grabovskis year last year showed what those kind of minutes do. Turn a 50 point player into a 25-30 point player.
It is not only the linemates that limit his offensive production, but how he is used, especially last year.
He arguably had the 2nd hardest minutes of any centre/forward in the NHL last season.
His zone starts were stupid, 9th in the whole NHL, he started 68% in his own zone.
Only Kulemin (64.5%) and Fisher (61.9%) in the whole NHL started more than 60% in their own zone and got more than 20 points.
He had the 7th hardest Quality of competition among centres in the NHL. He was playing the best players on the other team... every night.
Only him, Jay Mcclement, Kulemin and Grabovski had such an abysmal combination in the NHL, being in the top 25 in both lists. The other three had -12 or more relative Corsi (-32, -22 and -13), Couts was at +2.1, he played better than all three, and had worse linemates by a mile.
There is a reason Grabovski went from pacing at 50, 49, 58 and 57 points in 4 NHL seasons before last to pacing for 27 last season, (the same as Couts interestingly) and this season will miraculously get 50 again.
There is also a reason Kulemin went from 57 points one year to pacing 33 and 39 the two seasons after.
There is also a reason why when Jay Mcclement came into the league he paced more than 30 points in his first two years and has not since.
Couts plays harder minutes that Kulemin and Grabovski.
Grabovskis year last year showed what those kind of minutes do. Turn a 50 point player into a 25-30 point player.