ScoresFromCentre
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- Jan 29, 2016
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Great article. However, if a team is recognized as a contender before the trade deadline, then the appropriate deals can be made to improve their chances. Some of those teams that you have just outside the bubble, if they stood pat at the deadline, they may have been able to improve their chances with trades for veteran help.
I could make the argument that had that 2015–16 Rangers made the appropriate trades at the deadline that season they could've added 8 to 10 points to their point totals thus moving them into contender status. The great debate that year among Ranger fans as to whether or not we were contenders came at, and leading up to, deadline time when we stood Pat.
The same could be said for the Rangers 2011–12 season. Steve Spott stood pat where had he made a couple of trades, specifically a deal for Austin Watson who eventually went to London, we may have been right up there with London at the top of the standings.
Again, really good article, but there are some things that also have to be taken into consideration when deciding whether a team is a contender and when you decide that team was a contender at deadline time or at seasons end. I say this only because of the reason you created this article in the first place – your discussion with Ranger fans as to whether or not the 2015-16 season was a contending season or not.
The two other metrics that would be interesting to examine would be age of players on a contender, and draft status. Do you need a certain amount of NHL drafted 19 year old first rnds?
Oh, excellent point. I missed that when I read your post earlier. The teams were well within two Austin Watsons of each other; I'd agree with that. Knights fans might disagree, but those back-to-back OHL championship squads didn't blow me away at the time and don't really in hindsight, either. They'd struggle to push the more recent champs (Guelph, Oshawa, London, Erie) to six, I think.
Very interesting article and metrics. The difficulty that I see is that with the unbalanced East/West schedule, and the East Conference being inferior for the most part , it somewhat could skew the differentials. Possibly a strength of schedule metric needs to also be included.
Great posts here. It's a given you have to have a team that has a high GF to do any damage but also how about the effect great goal tending has as witnessed by DiPietro in the Mem Cup last season? In the end both high scoring and extra solid goal tending are a huge factor in winning a Mem Cup or League Championship. Most teams are only as good as their goalies. Rebuilding teams like the Spits this season can surprise a lot of teams because their goal tender holds the fort even in low scoring games. There are so many factors that go into making a champion team not sure you can measure it all. Interesting article Scores From Centre.