TOI for star players

[Conway96]

Everyone always says that with both Drai and McDavid playing so many minutes a night, it's only a matter of time before they burn out. Realistically, wouldn't they be able to play 24-25 minutes a night and still be fine? These guys are in top shape and trained to be like machines. Why do people say that playing an extra 4 minutes a night is the end of the world?

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[Akrapovince]

The only thing I can think of is the obvious, the more a player is on the ice, the higher the chance an injury can occur.

But in terms of wear and tear? Maybe they’ll be burned out near the tail-end of the season or god-willing beginning of their playoff run. If any of the players can handle the work-load it’ll obviously be those two, but I think they’ll see minute management come into play when they aren’t coming from behind in games.

 

[Conway96]

The only thing I can think of is the obvious, the more a player is on the ice, the higher the chance an injury can occur.

But in terms of wear and tear? Maybe they’ll be burned out near the tail-end of the season or god-willing beginning of their playoff run. If any of the players can handle the work-load it’ll obviously be those two, but I think they’ll see minute management come into play when they aren’t coming from behind in games.

Yeah I agree. I wonder if other teams will start relying on their horses seeing how these two are carrying their team to 2 points nightly. I think it's crazy how little Matthews gets when compared to other stars. Hopefully the Tavares injury changes that.

 

[Akrapovince]

Yeah I agree. I wonder if other teams will start relying on their horses seeing how these two are carrying their team to 2 points nightly. I think it's crazy how little Matthews gets when compared to other stars. Hopefully the Tavares injury changes that.

Here’s the thing with the Oilers, if you don’t play Draisatl & McDavid 25-30 minutes to “rest” them for playoffs, you’re not going to make the playoffs.

 

[La Bamba]

People said McD and Leon would burnout near the end of the year last year and they produced more actually..

"Burnout" is just a myth and BS concept that HF uses for whatever reason

 

[Khelandros]

Burnout was a thing when players spent the summers smoking and drinking beer.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Here’s the thing with the Oilers, if you don’t play Draisatl & McDavid 25-30 minutes to “rest” them for playoffs, you’re not going to make the playoffs.

Last night was McDavids least amount of TOI this season and he had 5 points.

 

[britdevil]

McDavid is incredible and entering his prime years. Play him every damn minute that you can.

 

[MattySnipes]

I say play your best players. Don't overthink it.

When you have coaches who have an ego to protect or wanna be seen as the smartest guy in the room that's when you run into problems.

Tippett is smart for implementing a system for his stars to thrive under, all without that 'depth' everyone speaks of as well as Adam Larsson. So quickly too.

 

[Akrapovince]

Last night was McDavids least amount of TOI this season and he had 5 points.

Okay I guess they should continues to reduce his amount of TOI and I’m sure the points will increase as well.

Or maybe the 4-1 lead heading into the 3rd enabled the coach to limit his ice time but if that’s what your banking on to have McDavid play only 18 minutes and win then idk how often he’ll play 18 minutes.

The point of my post is there’s no point resting the kids for playoffs, because we need them to log big minutes to make playoffs.

 

[Bounces R Way]

An anaerobic sport like hockey played at the highest level is incredibly taxing on the human body. A couple more minutes here and there might not seem like much but it adds up over a entire season.

It's why you're seeing a lot of guys in their early mid-30s who are still probably good enough and in good enough shape to play have tough time finding contracts. Every minute adds up.
Drai and McDavid are able to do it because they are both freak athletes in their prime. Still wouldn't surprise me seeing those numbers start to wear on them as the season progresses.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

McDavid and Draisaitl have been able to coast because Edmonton has been a lottery tier last couple years, and they play less meaningful minutes than other stars.

When EDM takes the next step as a team I think they will go down to the 21-22 range.

 

[Oilers Propagandist]

McDavids recovery after a shift is amazing. These guys could handle it.

 

[Dustin]

Can anyone provide comparisons that show players that are used in heavy minutes were affected negatively?

 

[Mickey Marner]

Stanley cup winners typically play their stars (players & goalies) slightly less in the regular season. Whether this reduced load is because they have the depth, or because it's more conducive to winning the cup, or both, is debatable. Playing more in the regular season isn't worse from an individual standpoint, but it's not helping your team win the cup.

Some players (not necessarily the ones in the OP) tend to appear better than they are because they play a lot of minutes on a team that stacks lines and lets the rest of the team get caved in. So, these players will put up situationally inflated numbers and look unbelievable relative to the rest of the mediocre roster.

In the case of McDavid & Draisaitl, they probably won't make the playoffs without those two playing big minutes together. They also probably won't ever win a cup unless those two can each center a competent line. Baby steps, I guess.

 

[Ryan Michaels]

People said McD and Leon would burnout near the end of the year last year and they produced more actually..

"Burnout" is just a myth and BS concept that HF uses for whatever reason

I agree burnout could be "a BS myth" but it's the coaches player deployment that perpetrates it, not hf.

 

[voxel]

I recall Nuge playing 23+ mins a night for long stretches a couple years back. Various articles and reporters discussed it. Had to shoulder PP and PK responsibilities with all of the rookies.

 

[YakDavid]

Having watched McDavid his whole Edmonton career, I think having him questioned about this is not fair. The guy is incredible in his recovery. I do think part of it is when you are as quick as him you are always in the right place and it really isn't hard skating. I do agree with Drai but at the same time, we judge forwards yet defensemen play unreal amount of shifts and ice time too. I just think there is a bit of catching up from the offense. I'd be interested in a comparison to the European comparison where they have a different mindset but also a schedule with less games

 

[Shaman464]

People who are talking about McDavid's recovery are ignoring the fact he's in his early 20s. Most people in that part of their lives recover quick. Your behavior in your late teens and early 20s catch up to you in spades. Edmonton shouldn't burn him out early in his career and then have to deal with nagging injuries later.

 

[majormajor]

I have no idea if McDavid and Drai can keep playing that many minutes.

Some players can't do it. The Sedins fell apart when Torts gave them a few extra minutes.

 

[7even]

4 extra minutes a night is 5 and a half extra full games of ice time over a season. The likelihood of injury scales with raw minutes.

I have no opinion on if that's what they "should' be doing. But everything's a trade-off.

 

[AveryStar4Eva]

It varies from player to player and most guys have a sweet spot where they are most effective. The more minutes they play the more miles on the legs, the more hits you take. Once playoffs come around you want guys to be as fresh as possible because every little advantage helps. Like others have said though a team like Edmonton doesn’t have that option because if they aren’t playing their top guys a ton they aren’t making the playoffs.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

If the strength and conditioning of athletes have improved since like 20 years ago, why shouldn't their ability to play more?

There's a reason why you didn't see a thread about this towards the end of last season. It's because McDavid played even better then.

 

[Atas2000]

Everyone always says that with both Drai and McDavid playing so many minutes a night, it's only a matter of time before they burn out. Realistically, wouldn't they be able to play 24-25 minutes a night and still be fine? These guys are in top shape and trained to be like machines. Why do people say that playing an extra 4 minutes a night is the end of the world?

Because it's a 82 games season. Going 30 per night for a month might work, but when it accumulates over the course of 82 games it might be an issue for the genetically most well equipped athlete.

 

[Siludin]

I think you can play your stars a ton but still manage their wear. Shift length & distribution are important things to consider. A star player could play more minutes towards the end of the period/game because they will get a break sooner, or a coach could double shift a line then call a time-out, then send them out again so they are on the ice more to extend their TOI further. If your team has a 1-2 day break and aren't heading into another game the next day, you probably don't have to worry as much about recovery.