that roster builder app is very cool. I'm not so sure about Robo or Duchene on the first line, and although this shows a good increase, what does it do to the other lines that could have either Robo or duchene on it? i.e., is there a bigger minus on other lines by moving one of these guys up to the first, or does it matter? I'm a Sam Steel fan, his rat-terrier attacking would be interesting to see on the first line. I think that's a good complement. I bet he would have 20 goals at least...
Gulutzan is going to have his work cut out - I do hope that there will be some consistency and they'll give guys a chance to coalesce with their (new) linemates. It felt like DeBoer was very impatient around this and never gave things a chance to work. (And then he was too patient on the Power Play for most of the season lol.)
Enigma is the perfect description for Hintz. His speed is superior. But it doesn’t help him in small area battles, where he doesn’t seem quick at stopping and starting. His passing and shooting (and finishing!) can be highlight level stuff, and he can have multiple shifts (periods) where his name is only mentioned because he takes faceoffs.
He has had multiple injuries which have affected him, but he always has great effort to try to overcome them.
He’s not dangerous or seemingly even visible for long stretches then makes a superstar level play.
Surprised that his defense score is that low, as I didn't actually notice it in his play - the team defense angle is I think the best explanation.
Though, where I did notice negative things about Hintz this year, was his offensive positioning - he often seemed to take himself out of plays by skating past the net and it hurt his line's possession numbers. He seemed to get visibly frustrated and down on himself when breaks didn't go his way instead of putting his nose down and keeping the faith. Because this is so easily correctable, I think the Gulutzan factor has potential to clean that up.
And to be completely honest, I do think he's more of a 2C than a 1C, career wise. But he's kind of on the fringe there - he's a defacto 1C on most teams, save for teams that have another elite center. B/B- is a pretty accurate grade for this season.
Loving these David! And especially using the roster builder app for quick line impact/chemistry comparisons. One thing I'll point out for those is that the app auto-scales for higher TOI distribution for the top lines, which is likely why the first line scores higher than expected here. I believe the distribution is 19-16-14-11, but you can change this at the bottom of the sheet with the custom TOI allocation option by giving all the lines equal ice time to compare totals in even deployment.
I anticipate the third line being Benn, Duchene and Seguin. If they-move-Johnston-up to play wing on the first line, I would be intrigued by Steel slotting-in as C 2.
Hintz has never been a true 1C, imo, and that's something that needs to be reckoned with in reality very soon. Wyatt could step into the 1C role, but right now looks more like he's ready for a 2C, so that gives us 2 2Cs and no truly elite center talent which is slightly problematic. Hintz's game also unfortunately looks primed to fall of a cliff given where he is on the age curve, playstyle (speed, power), and constant injuries. His playmaking abilities and shot will likely keep him at a solid tweener 2C level as he slows down, but I'm not sure it's safe to reliably predict him as a top six player 2 years from now.
I’d like to submit that Roope’s best parts of 2024-25 were away from Robo. Make Wyatt the top line LW and be done with this discussion. Because the Wyatt for 1C over Roope debate is… frustrating.
Have we forgotten that Wyatt was frankly a step below underwhelming, however you want to label it, after the deadline and throughout the playoffs?
I think it’s worrisome to be relying on a guy coming off signing a big ticket to come into camp and have a breakout year, but who knows. We might see it.
I think Pavelski's impact on Hintz and Robo was more then I expected. Not sure if Pavs played more of a power forward role, retrieving picks, or provided a significant distraction the tied up defenders and opened space for the others.
The effects of Pav missing is something, the question is what about it. Was it the style of play, was it chemistry, was it having consistency, was it having freedom from the coaching staff? Filling the RW slot with a double shifting Johnston isn't quite the same as a dedicated linemate either. It is tough to take that Hintz went from actively good at defense to a liability just because he's a year older.
Also, being the top breakaway threat makes losing Miro on the backend is even more painful. The live to fight another day defense was painful to watch, and I'm sure painful to support as a forward.
that roster builder app is very cool. I'm not so sure about Robo or Duchene on the first line, and although this shows a good increase, what does it do to the other lines that could have either Robo or duchene on it? i.e., is there a bigger minus on other lines by moving one of these guys up to the first, or does it matter? I'm a Sam Steel fan, his rat-terrier attacking would be interesting to see on the first line. I think that's a good complement. I bet he would have 20 goals at least...
Gulutzan is going to have his work cut out - I do hope that there will be some consistency and they'll give guys a chance to coalesce with their (new) linemates. It felt like DeBoer was very impatient around this and never gave things a chance to work. (And then he was too patient on the Power Play for most of the season lol.)
Enigma is the perfect description for Hintz. His speed is superior. But it doesn’t help him in small area battles, where he doesn’t seem quick at stopping and starting. His passing and shooting (and finishing!) can be highlight level stuff, and he can have multiple shifts (periods) where his name is only mentioned because he takes faceoffs.
He has had multiple injuries which have affected him, but he always has great effort to try to overcome them.
He’s not dangerous or seemingly even visible for long stretches then makes a superstar level play.
?
Surprised that his defense score is that low, as I didn't actually notice it in his play - the team defense angle is I think the best explanation.
Though, where I did notice negative things about Hintz this year, was his offensive positioning - he often seemed to take himself out of plays by skating past the net and it hurt his line's possession numbers. He seemed to get visibly frustrated and down on himself when breaks didn't go his way instead of putting his nose down and keeping the faith. Because this is so easily correctable, I think the Gulutzan factor has potential to clean that up.
And to be completely honest, I do think he's more of a 2C than a 1C, career wise. But he's kind of on the fringe there - he's a defacto 1C on most teams, save for teams that have another elite center. B/B- is a pretty accurate grade for this season.
Loving these David! And especially using the roster builder app for quick line impact/chemistry comparisons. One thing I'll point out for those is that the app auto-scales for higher TOI distribution for the top lines, which is likely why the first line scores higher than expected here. I believe the distribution is 19-16-14-11, but you can change this at the bottom of the sheet with the custom TOI allocation option by giving all the lines equal ice time to compare totals in even deployment.
I anticipate the third line being Benn, Duchene and Seguin. If they-move-Johnston-up to play wing on the first line, I would be intrigued by Steel slotting-in as C 2.
Hintz has never been a true 1C, imo, and that's something that needs to be reckoned with in reality very soon. Wyatt could step into the 1C role, but right now looks more like he's ready for a 2C, so that gives us 2 2Cs and no truly elite center talent which is slightly problematic. Hintz's game also unfortunately looks primed to fall of a cliff given where he is on the age curve, playstyle (speed, power), and constant injuries. His playmaking abilities and shot will likely keep him at a solid tweener 2C level as he slows down, but I'm not sure it's safe to reliably predict him as a top six player 2 years from now.
I’d like to submit that Roope’s best parts of 2024-25 were away from Robo. Make Wyatt the top line LW and be done with this discussion. Because the Wyatt for 1C over Roope debate is… frustrating.
Have we forgotten that Wyatt was frankly a step below underwhelming, however you want to label it, after the deadline and throughout the playoffs?
I think it’s worrisome to be relying on a guy coming off signing a big ticket to come into camp and have a breakout year, but who knows. We might see it.
I think Pavelski's impact on Hintz and Robo was more then I expected. Not sure if Pavs played more of a power forward role, retrieving picks, or provided a significant distraction the tied up defenders and opened space for the others.
The effects of Pav missing is something, the question is what about it. Was it the style of play, was it chemistry, was it having consistency, was it having freedom from the coaching staff? Filling the RW slot with a double shifting Johnston isn't quite the same as a dedicated linemate either. It is tough to take that Hintz went from actively good at defense to a liability just because he's a year older.
Also, being the top breakaway threat makes losing Miro on the backend is even more painful. The live to fight another day defense was painful to watch, and I'm sure painful to support as a forward.