The disappearing act of Gustav Nyquist

[Henkka]

He was useless for about 1/2 the season last year. This year, not so much. We'll see how he is in the 2nd half of the season moving forward.

If "useless" is being second best in created scoring chances/game behind Datsyuk, it's your opinion.

 

[obey86]

If "useless" is being second best in created scoring chances/game behind Datsyuk, it's your opinion.

Useless is having 24 points with a -17 in his last 52 games despite playing 19/20 min a game.

So yeah, useless.

 

[14ari13]

3 games. Why are you ignoring the game where he was held scoreless?

Regardless, it only makes sense for him to produce more with more opportunities. Good for him I guess. 2 good games doesn't make up for 25 terrible ones. He's still extremely weak on the puck and doesn't win battles. I don't care if he has a couple good games here and there, I still think he is expendable.

I am glad/hope that these 2 games might get him going. Everyone has slumps. I am specially glad if we have finally got a very strong first line.

Mantha shines with Z...

Larkin shined with Z... and goes in trouble without him.

Nyquist got his scoring back with Z...


...and people in here say that Z is useless. :

Z buys time and it works.

My complaint with Z is that we have been over-reliant on him as he's gotten older and it wears him down too much as the season goes along. To his credit, he seems to be going strong still this season, which is a nice surprise.

Maybe he has figured out how to play smart being much slower.

gus with goals in consecutive games. hopefully a sign of things to come

It is all about confidence, I think he can get it going now.

 

[Frk It]

​

Useless is having 24 points with a -17 in his last 52 games despite playing 19/20 min a game.

So yeah, useless.

Is that directed at Zetterberg? If so, these numbers are way off.

If it's directed at Nyquist, he's never played 19/20 min a game.

 

[TatarTangle]

He was always good at putting himself in good scoring areas so it shouldn't come as a surprise he's scoring more now that he's on a line with two superior players. Hopefully he keeps it up / Blashill doesn't decide to **** it up.

 

[obey86]

​

Is that directed at Zetterberg? If so, these numbers are way off.

If it's directed at Nyquist, he's never played 19/20 min a game.

Maybe you don't realize just how unproductive Zetterberg was in the 2nd half of the year last season but you should look again. The numbers aren't "way off" at all.

Zetterberg literally was -17 and had 24 points in his last 52 games of the season (through the end of the playoffs). And I just double checked the numbers so yes they are correct.

And even if you want to get caught in technicalities and say the playoffs aren't the "season," Zetterberg still was -20 and had just 26 points in his last 52 regular season games. So it's the same story either way (2 point difference from what I originally said), he was terribly unproductive playing 19 min a game.

So please, tell me how the numbers are "way off"

 

[Frk It]

Maybe you don't realize just how unproductive Zetterberg was in the 2nd half of the year last season but you should look again. The numbers aren't "way off" at all.

Zetterberg literally was -17 and had 24 points in his last 52 games of the season (through the end of the playoffs). And I just double checked the numbers so yes they are correct.

And even if you want to get caught in technicalities and say the playoffs aren't the "season," Zetterberg still was -20 and had just 26 points in his last 52 regular season games. So it's the same story either way (2 point difference from what I originally said), he was terribly unproductive playing 19 min a game.

So please, tell me how the numbers are "way off"

You said in his last 52 games... not in the last 52 games of last season...

 

[obey86]

You said in his last 52 games... not in the last 52 games of last season...

The conversation was about the 2nd half of last season.

 

[Frk It]

The conversation was about the 2nd half of last season.

Alright, carry on then.

 

[Reddwit]

There is nothing franchise about Gus. He is a complimentary middle-six player.

franchise guy. HAHA.

wow this year is so bad its blinding fans.

What I got from his post was not "franchise player" in an NHL sense but a guy that the organization viewed as a core player for the franchise.

IMO, Nyquist and Sheahen have never been valuable assets. They're hard workers and they're coachable, so they've skated by this far, but you're seeing this year what you get when you put real responsibilities on their shoulders. The time to move on is sooner rather than later imo.

Disagree. Of all guys prior to Larkin's entrance, Nyquist and Sheahan have had sky-high value. Nyquist was looking like a stealth weapon for 1.5 seasons and Sheahan had that god-given size/moderate skill combo that is basically kryptonite when it comes to the logical reasoning of GMs.

Mantha shines with Z...

Larkin shined with Z... and goes in trouble without him.

Nyquist got his scoring back with Z...


...and people in here say that Z is useless. :

Thinking Z is useless is a pointless basis for every argument, but I also don't blindly buy your arguments.

First of all, Zetterberg himself played with more talented players than the ones he's been most productive with, and didn't rise above, so I don't buy the "skill begets skill" argument when it comes to Z. Second, Zetterberg's most productive season ever had him dominating the league with Samuelsson and Holmstrom on his wings, so I get the sense that you could just as easily make the argument that simplicity or perhaps predictability works better when it comes to playing with Zetterberg.

Second, you can poke holes in all of these player-based arguments:

Mantha: Looking good is what got him paired with the team's 1C - he didn't start looking good because of Zetterberg.

Larkin: His role has been...what this year? I honestly don't know. His role has been anything from a PKer to start the season to a skilled 1st line winger to a two-way, top 6 center to a 3/4C with scrub wingers this season. I'd argue his development curve has as much to do with him having a clear-cut role as a supplementary, secondary scoring winger in his 1st year to having a lottery ball position as a sophomore.

Nyquist: He has looked phenomenal with the lesser actors in Sheahan, Franzen, and Legwand as his centerman in prior years. He flew out of the gate with Helm as his centerman this year (and Vanek opposite him). And he got "back on track" beginning with a prescient feed from Vanek on a 5-on-3 against the league's worst PK.

This isn't to suggest that Z isn't a first-flight NHL center to this day but that all of these guys bring their own merit to most lines they play on.

 

[vladdy16]

Disagree. Of all guys prior to Larkin's entrance, Nyquist and Sheahan have had sky-high value. Nyquist was looking like a stealth weapon for 1.5 seasons and Sheahan had that god-given size/moderate skill combo that is basically kryptonite when it comes to the logical reasoning of GMs.

Sorry, I meant value to the Wings future. Trades happen so infrequently that trade value is just a theoretical imo.

Hate to pile on, but it's worth noting that Nyquist has 8 pts in 35 career playoff games. Besides a tactics induced hot streak he had that one year, I'm having trouble seeing the upside.