April NHL News Thread

[The Napkin]

Toews out until playoffs
 
They're basically locked into the 3 seed in the Central (10 clear of Minny, 3 behind the Avs whi have a game in hand) so it won't be a big deal seed-wise but if he's still hurting or rusty come playoffs it could be a big factor in that Avs series.

 

[MoGator71]

And uncertainty around Kane too. Avs will have a good opportunity there.

 

[The Napkin]

Also, and I think someone mentioned this someplace but I'm old, since the MLB package is doing the free preview thing the NHL package is also free for the next week or so.

 

[cshea]

Doug Murray gets 3 games for the Kostka headshot.

 

[MoGator71]

Doug Murray gets 3 games for the Kostka headshot.

 
About right I suppose. I would have given 5 maybe, but whatever.

 

[The Napkin]

Bernier out for the season with strained MCL

 

[McDrew]

That suuuucks for Toronto. 

 

[LogansDad]

Bernier out for the season with strained MCL

Is that from the other night when Captain Phaneuf pushed one of the Bruins players into him?
 
If so.... awesome.

 

[FelixMantilla]

It was Paul Ranger. 

 

[LogansDad]

Ah, that's right.  My bad.

 

[durandal1707]

Penalty minutes pilling up in St. Louis...

 

[McDrew]

CHI beats STL 4-2.  B's are 2 points up with 4 to play for both teams. 

 

[McDrew]

Great article on Deadspin by Barry Petchesky about the Leafs front office and their complete lack of understanding of advanced stats.  Its an interesting read, even if only for the schadenfreude alone. 

 

[MoGator71]

4 games for Zac Rinaldo. I figured 3, but whatever. So he's done til the (hopefully) playoffs.

 

[Pumpsie]

Great article on Deadspin by Barry Petchesky about the Leafs front office and their complete lack of understanding of advanced stats.  Its an interesting read, even if only for the schadenfreude alone. 

I'm waiting for the advanced stat that can tell us why the Devils, who have been league leaders in puck possession both last year and this, continue to get less than mediocre results with it.  They're clearly focusing on puck possession but continue to lose close games on deflections.  They've mastered the 1-0 and 2-1 loss. They're missing something, and it has to do with their inability to translate puck possession into actual goals. There's a yet unmeasured ability for doing just that, I suspect, or perhaps there's a metric that should be developed for time spent in the slot area as opposed to controlling scrum play along the side boards which the Devils are really good at.  Unfortunately for the Devils, the net is nowhere near the side boards.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I'm waiting for the advanced stat that can tell us why the Devils, who have been league leaders in puck possession both last year and this, continue to get less than mediocre results with it.  They're clearly focusing on puck possession but continue to lose close games on deflections.  They've mastered the 1-0 and 2-1 loss. They're missing something, and it has to do with their inability to translate puck possession into actual goals. There's a yet unmeasured ability for doing just that, I suspect, or perhaps there's a metric that should be developed for time spent in the slot area as opposed to controlling scrum play along the side boards which the Devils are really good at.  Unfortunately for the Devils, the net is nowhere near the side boards.

 
The Deadspin article also mentioned team shooting percentage, which has to play a part in the analysis somehow, right? Also aren't the Devils 0-11 in shootouts this year, something horrid? With better puck luck in the shootout (which is likely going to balance out soon, no team can be that bad for that long in the shootout) the Devils are likely in the playoffs comfortably.
 
This is almost like a reverse version of the Orioles' 2012 season. The Devils are getting very bad luck in close games as opposed to the Orioles insanely good luck in close games in 2012. In both cases the trend can't really last, and in Baltimore's case it didn't.

 

[cshea]

The Devils have good 5-on-5 Corsi and Fenwick numbers, but their problem is they aren't getting great goaltending and they aren't generating a lot of shots. They're 6th in Corsi and 5th in Fenwick, but are 27th in shots for per game, and 27th in save percentage despite allowing the fewest shots per game in the league. So while they're controlling the puck, they're not generating many shots, and a fairly high percentage of the few shots they allow on their own net are going in.

Edit: New Jersey's 5-on-5 PDO (shooting % + save %) is 98.6, 3rd lowest in the league. That suggests that they've been a tad unlucky, too as that number should move towards 100 over time.

 

[Pumpsie]

The Devils have good 5-on-5 Corsi and Fenwick numbers, but their problem is they aren't getting great goaltending and they aren't generating a lot of shots. They're 6th in Corsi and 5th in Fenwick, but are 27th in shots for per game, and 27th in save percentage despite allowing the fewest shots per game in the league. So while they're controlling the puck, they're not generating many shots, and a fairly high percentage of the few shots they allow on their own net are going in.

Edit: New Jersey's 5-on-5 PDO (shooting % + save %) is 98.6, 3rd lowest in the league. That suggests that they've been a tad unlucky, too as that number should move towards 100 over time.

They have great puck possession and special team stats and an absolutely lousy 5 on 5 goal differential.  It's there that they're losing points, even more so than in the atrocious shootout results. Frustrating team to watch.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

The Devils have good 5-on-5 Corsi and Fenwick numbers, but their problem is they aren't getting great goaltending and they aren't generating a lot of shots. They're 6th in Corsi and 5th in Fenwick, but are 27th in shots for per game, and 27th in save percentage despite allowing the fewest shots per game in the league. So while they're controlling the puck, they're not generating many shots, and a fairly high percentage of the few shots they allow on their own net are going in.

Edit: New Jersey's 5-on-5 PDO (shooting % + save %) is 98.6, 3rd lowest in the league. That suggests that they've been a tad unlucky, too as that number should move towards 100 over time.

 
Schnieder is 15th in the league in % at .919, squarely in the middle of the pack among starters, but Brodeur is 45th at .900. And since Brodeur's played 2200 minutes as the "backup" (for comparison, Johnson's played 1386), his poor form has really killed the Devils in terms of overall save percentage.

 

[cshea]

Yep, Marty has killed them. Schneider hasn't been great either.

Just by looking at the numbers, they're not shooting enough on the offensive end. Their differentials are real good, but from a counting stats perspective they're near the bottom of the league in shot attempts per game. Seems like a lot of neutral zone play and dump and chase, with the odd flip in on net.

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

Geez, Vancouver, why don't you just riot or something?
 
https://twitter.com/DarrenDreger/status/453545959260057600
 
https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/453546649998999552
 
https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/453547718305013760
 
https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/453548419731042304

 

[PedroSpecialK]

mabrowndog is indeed a dingus

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

If Twitter says it, it must be true.

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Gillis fired
 
mabrowndog is a dingus

 

[Pumpsie]

Gillis fired
 
mabrowndog is a dingus

I figured this was the way it was going to go. It was either Torts or Gillis, and the owner just gave Torts the big contract, so that's that.  Gillis also mishandled the whole goalie situation there.  You start out with Luongo and Schneider and you end up with neither of them.

 

[Pumpsie]

 
Schnieder is 15th in the league in % at .919, squarely in the middle of the pack among starters, but Brodeur is 45th at .900. And since Brodeur's played 2200 minutes as the "backup" (for comparison, Johnson's played 1386), his poor form has really killed the Devils in terms of overall save percentage.

Yeah, it can be argued that Marty Brodeur is the guy who kept them out of the playoffs this season. If they had just traded him before the season and brought up one of the AHL goalies, Schneider would have gotten more starts, the team would have gotten used to him sooner, and they would have won the few more games they needed to make the postseason. As it was, the Schneider/Brodeur situation got in the way all season long. This one's on Lou as well. 

 

[cshea]

Vancouver continues the "let's put a popular former player at the top of hockey ops" trend and names Trevor Linden as Team President.

 

[MoGator71]

Curious what he'll do. If the plan is to move the Sedins and do a full rebuild then Linden is probably beloved enough up there to not be vilified for it. That's what I'd do. Too bad they don't still have Schneider; what a fiasco that goalie situation turned out to be.

TB announced Ben Bishop will miss the rest of the regular season. Good news for the Hubs (and the Flyers and Jackets, who both have @TB left on the schedule).

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Of note for the B's - the Jets have called up noted shithead Patrice Cormier and he'll be in the lineup for Thursday's game

 

[veritas]

Of note for the B's - the Jets have called up noted shithead Patrice Cormier and he'll be in the lineup for Thursday's game

 
Here's why he's a shithead:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgwCaxEB6-Y
 
That was a *bad* elbow. But if the other guy didn't have a seizure and bleed all over the ice, would anyone care? Nope. Rinaldo's elbow earlier this week was just as bad. (I'm not defending Cormier, they both are shitheads)

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Also this hit on Kevan Miller last year in Providence - hoping Miller can get some revenge tomorrow
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwpmk_-fZpY

 

[The Napkin]

I hope they skate away and laugh at him and ask him if his new putter has come in yet.

 

[cshea]

Damien Cox of the Toronto Star is reporting that Brendan Shannahan is leaving the league office to become President of the Leafs. We'll see if it comes to fruition, there have been some rumblings over the past few days about this being possible. 
Bob confirms:
 
 

 

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie  8m
As reported by @TorontoStar, can confirm Brendan Shanahan finalizing arrangements to leave NHL to take executive pos'n with Maple Leafs.
 

 

 

[Pumpsie]

 
Schnieder is 15th in the league in % at .919, squarely in the middle of the pack among starters, but Brodeur is 45th at .900. And since Brodeur's played 2200 minutes as the "backup" (for comparison, Johnson's played 1386), his poor form has really killed the Devils in terms of overall save percentage.

To be fair to Schneider, among goalies with 40+ games, he's 7th in the league now with a .921 save percentage (career .925).  The only goaltenders ahead of him for the year are Rask, Varlamov, Price, Bishop, Bernier, and Bobrovsky, in other words, la creme de la creme.  He's ahead of everyone else, including Lundqvist, Miller, Luongo, Halak, Lehtonen, Crawford and Quick.  Brodeur has gotten way too many starts and minutes (for his current level of play) and he's one of the two primary reasons (the other being lack of finishers) the Devils are where they are...out of the playoffs.  Schneider is a solid Top Ten goalie, and the most valuable player on his team right now.  If the Devils can't re-sign him, Lou should be fired.

 

[cshea]

Old friend Stephane Quintal will assume Brendan Shanaha's old role as the head of DPS through the end of the playoffs.

 

[DJnVa]

Gillis fired
 
mabrowndog is a dingus

 
http://vansunsportsblogs.com/2014/04/10/hear-james-duthies-story-of-arrogant-gillis-canucks-during-2011-final/
 

But Simmons isn’t the only one suggesting Gillis was a pretty arrogant guy. Wednesday on TSN radio, James Duthie was asked, simply, “What do you think Gillis’s deal was?” In response, he shared a story of true Gillisian hubris from the 2011 Cup Final.
 

 

[The Napkin]

Horton out 6 weeks after abdominal surgery

 

[McDrew]

Letting Peverley, Horton, Ference, and Seguin go elsewhere (in various ways) is looking like a better and better decision every day. 

 

[PedroSpecialK]

in other words, la creme de la creme. 

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

in other words, la creme de la creme. 

Fuck off, I got work to do.

Mobile, so no link, but Ryan Smyth announced his retirement effective after tomorrow's game. Also, 2014 Hobey Baker winner Johnny Gaudreau signs with Calgary.

 

[TSC]

Letting Peverley, Horton, Ference, and Seguin go elsewhere (in various ways) is looking like a better and better decision every day. 

 
I'm not sold on sending Seguin on his way, but the rest of your point holds.

 

[mabrowndog]

Calgary signed BC's Johnny Gaudreau hours after he won the Hobey Baker Award, and they've also signed his linemate Bill Arnold.
 
USCHO

 

[McDrew]

 
I'm not sold on sending Seguin on his way, but the rest of your point holds.

Less for the production of Seguin, and more for what the return has given us. 

 

[veritas]

Less for the production of Seguin, and more for what the return has given us. 

 
One of the rare trades both teams would do again in a heartbeat

 

[MoGator71]

 
One of the rare trades both teams would do again in a heartbeat

You think so? Dallas for sure, but if Chiarelli would do the same deal over again then he's a fool. I'm willing to accept that he knew enough about Seguin to know he wasn't a fit there and wouldn't learn to be, but given that he still needed to get a better return. Chiarelli seems to be a guy who goes out and makes a deal, rather than putting a guy on the block and dragging things out (hello Mike Gillis). But in this case he probably should have created a bit of a bidding war.

 

[cshea]

Eh, I'd do it again. They got a 22-year old Reilly Smith who popped in 51 points in a top 6 role this season, and an excellent player in Loui Eriksson. Loui is signed to a friendly contract, plays Selke caliber defense, and is a puck possession monster (top 20 in the league in Corsi and Fenwick at 5-on-5). Loui's overall numbers (10g, 27a in 61g) look pedestrian, but part of that can be attributed to the early season concussions and then the decrease in his ice time compared to what he got in Dallas. He averaged around 20 minutes per game his last two years in Dallas, while this season Julien cut that back to around 16:30 a game. Morrow was off to a good start in Providence before getting sidelined with an injury. He still projects as a potential top-4 dman down the road. Matt Fraser seems like an AAAA guy but he was useful enough to fill in for a month when they got hit hard by injuries in December. 
 
I'm still happy with that return. That doesn't even take into account the cap space they saved in the deal and subsequently used to sign Jarome Iginla. 

 

[Ed Hillel]

Seguin was never going to have the kind of season he just had in Dallas in Boston. He wasn't a fit in the system and his value never would have gotten as high here as it is today. I'm not sure there was going to be a bidding war that netted them a better deal than they got, and I think the return was very good anyway. I will take the depth the deal provided over what I believe we would have seen from Seguin under Clode.

 

[Monbo Jumbo]

 
One of the rare trades both teams would do again in a heartbeat

Depends whose heartbeat.
Not Peverley's.

 

[PedroSpecialK]

The Flyers have re-signed Andrew MacDonald to a 6 year, $5m AAV deal

 

[Red Right Ankle]

250k/year AAV less than Keith Yandle and Mark Streit (who just signed last year) seems like an overpay to me for a guy who's pretty average offensively.  But perhaps their salary cap increase expectations means this will be a reasonable deal when all is said and done.