Wheels
Registered User
- Aug 22, 2004
- 1,668
- 0
Its really cant be any crystal clear than it already is.
-Kessel top 10 scoring 2 years running with Bozak in the middle
-JVR best PPG and stats thus far in his career with Bozak in the middle
-Lupul had a career year with Bozak in the middle
Are you suggesting there was no chemistry there and Bozak had nothing to do with the successes of all three players? Not a trick question here, just so you know?
Sigh.
Again, the stats show that Kessel has scored more goals, on average, WITHOUT Bozak on the ice than with him.
Ergo, if Bozak's "chemistry" with Kessel was the key, Kessel would score more often when playing with Bozak. But he doesn't. In fact, for all the naysayers who said Kessel and Grabo could never play together, Kessel's point production was higher with Grabo on the ice than with Bozak.
The stats also show that when playing without Kessel, Bozak's scoring numbers fall off a cliff. To wit, Kessel plays just as well or better regardless of whether Bozak is on the ice, whereas Bozak without Kessel is basically useless. The logical conclusion to make is that Bozak needs Kessel to be even moderately effective whereas Kessel can play with anyone.
Which says to me that Bozak is basically a replaceable part and not a true #2C (let alone a #1).
If he was a dynamite defender, physical player, leader, faceoff man (he's decent but his status as a faceoff superstar is vastly overblown), fine. But he's not. He's mediocre to decent defensively and above-average on the draw. He adds no physical component whatsoever. He's just...there.
I don't hate Bozak...I just hate the idea that he adds value to the Leafs rather than takes up cap space/roster space that could have/should have been better spent elsewhere.