David, congrats on the surge in subscribers! Very well deserved, your hard work and in-depth analysis is always very much appreciated!
The Suter shit show is what it is, for one more year anyway. I'm fully expecting Lian to take the Harley path this year, 1) because he does need at least a year of marinating (probably, right? when does training camp start? Oh! :), and 2) barring injuries or (god forbid) a major Esa-Nills-or Hank meltdown, we don't have the room.
Maybe GM JN shakes things up with a trade or two in training camp, but right now it sure looks like we're locked in on the blueline this year.
Next year, when Hakanpaa goes UFA and, via buyout, we're FINALLY FREE OF SUTER (!), is when we'll finally get the blueline overhaul this team needs.
(My hopes for this year? Miro doesn't get run into the ground, we see significant strides from Harley and Lundkvist, Esa and Hank don't regress, and Suter finds just enough give-a-shit to put in just enough effort to not be a MF'ing GD boat anchor!
Yes, they call me a dreamer. :) Cheers, Go STARS!)
Thanks Duane! For the comment, and the general input.
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Suter just straight flames out. His deterioration from year 1 to year 2 is extremely noticeable. He was able to mask it for a bit early on in the playoffs, but it caught up to him. If year 3 Suter follows the same trajectory, all the niceties and diplomacy in the world won't shelter Suter from potential consequences.
Because today is a travel day for work I’m going to continue pessimism Thursday... year 1 Suter was not good but passable... played with Miro damn near the whole year. Year 2 he was utterly useless playing mostly next to Nils until he had 1 good playoff round with the Finnish wonder. This year it appears the team is resigned to pairing him again with Miro- I bet this leads to lots of ice time and a almost passable, only somewhat shitty performance leading to the numbnut comments about how great he was because he was essentially breathing for lots of TOI, then leading to running it back next year because “who is going to eat all those Min?” Meanwhile our young wonderkind will finally not have to carry his lazy ass when he’s 26 years old and about to exit his prime having never been maximized. I hate this and need a nap.
I know it gets tiring to keep hearing about the Stars D playing “Weekend at Suters.” But I keep reading about how Miro and Ryan will likely be a thing again but it’s rearely mentioned that Miros breakout happened with predominantly Miller until somehow promoting Harley meant giving Suter his dream again. The charts you posted today show Otter fatiguing but it also shows Miro carrying Ryan’s corpse complete with the sunglasses and 80’s tracksuit. I’m sure lots of factors contributed to the D falling apart late but I wish it were more talked about how the D looked good especially Miro when he was ON HIS STRONG SIDE with a partner that had a pulse.
You and me both. It was what killed me seeing media carry Suter's water. "Who else is gonna play his minutes?" He DIDN'T EVEN PLAY THOSE MINUTES FOR THE BULK OF THE REGULAR SEASON. That was Colin Miller.
But what's done is done. And unfortunately, Suter is not done. All I know is that if he's still on the second power play unit, I better hear the sound of every fan's head exploding.
My head is exploding just considering that petulant little child having anything more than 18-20 min total including 0 on the PP and eating some rubber on the kill.
The team lost the ability to skate 3 RHD, so someone will always be weak side. Really it is a pick your poison for the team. The reality we have to hope for is that Lundvist & Lindell work and that Harley and Hak can produce too.
Sad we can't see more unique looks at this. Lindell on his off side skating with Harley could eat some mean minutes.
For starters, I'd love to get back to hearing about the prospects more frequently. DN set the bar with his updates and clearly has been recognized for what he does (sadly we don't see him as much because of this). Even just a weekly links style update on the kids would be nice to see.
You mention Bichsel bring defense, and that is something the Stars lack. From a team standpoint yes, from a blueline, I'm not convinced. The team can easily tap 4 stout defenders, because they have to manage a PK. Could they tap 4 good offensive players, especially if they swapped out Nils for Lian? It is sad that this is the fight for the last spot, and not Suter or Hakanpaa even getting a hint of doubt in their roster positions.
Riding Oetter into the ground sucks. Is there any data pointing to a strategic coast in the season being better or worse for teams in the playoffs? I'm not talking about having the Presidents trophy sewn up and playing your 4th line the last week (which usually results in a rusty team getting bounced early in the playoffs). Had the Stars been firm about giving him rest and recovery, maybe they drop 5 points in the standings. Does that end up making a material difference in how far the team goes in the playoffs? Given the way road teams seem to be winning in the playoffs, I'm starting to give more credence to just get in and then see what happens than needing to start at home.
Yea. I'll be doing ranking updates at DBD, but here I can hyperfocus on one player since I don't have to worry about some dippy algorithm.
Re: Lundkvist vs. Bichsel, it's stupid they have to be in competition with one another, but that was how it broke down last year right? With Harley taking his spot despite other players being better candidates to sit. But here's another thing, and it's something DeBoer is always talking about: zone exits. Bichsel is good at them despite not being a puck mover. Lundkvist is bad at them, despite being a puck mover. Just saying.
On the playoff front, the data (I'll try to find a link later) is super clear. The teams that win Presidents Trophies tend to be teams that were either lucky, or shot hot. Teams ranked second or third in their division, on average, tend to be more successful in the playoffs.
David, congrats on the surge in subscribers! Very well deserved, your hard work and in-depth analysis is always very much appreciated!
The Suter shit show is what it is, for one more year anyway. I'm fully expecting Lian to take the Harley path this year, 1) because he does need at least a year of marinating (probably, right? when does training camp start? Oh! :), and 2) barring injuries or (god forbid) a major Esa-Nills-or Hank meltdown, we don't have the room.
Maybe GM JN shakes things up with a trade or two in training camp, but right now it sure looks like we're locked in on the blueline this year.
Next year, when Hakanpaa goes UFA and, via buyout, we're FINALLY FREE OF SUTER (!), is when we'll finally get the blueline overhaul this team needs.
(My hopes for this year? Miro doesn't get run into the ground, we see significant strides from Harley and Lundkvist, Esa and Hank don't regress, and Suter finds just enough give-a-shit to put in just enough effort to not be a MF'ing GD boat anchor!
Yes, they call me a dreamer. :) Cheers, Go STARS!)
Thanks Duane! For the comment, and the general input.
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Suter just straight flames out. His deterioration from year 1 to year 2 is extremely noticeable. He was able to mask it for a bit early on in the playoffs, but it caught up to him. If year 3 Suter follows the same trajectory, all the niceties and diplomacy in the world won't shelter Suter from potential consequences.
What do I need to sacrifice to the hockey gods to make this happen?
Because today is a travel day for work I’m going to continue pessimism Thursday... year 1 Suter was not good but passable... played with Miro damn near the whole year. Year 2 he was utterly useless playing mostly next to Nils until he had 1 good playoff round with the Finnish wonder. This year it appears the team is resigned to pairing him again with Miro- I bet this leads to lots of ice time and a almost passable, only somewhat shitty performance leading to the numbnut comments about how great he was because he was essentially breathing for lots of TOI, then leading to running it back next year because “who is going to eat all those Min?” Meanwhile our young wonderkind will finally not have to carry his lazy ass when he’s 26 years old and about to exit his prime having never been maximized. I hate this and need a nap.
I know it gets tiring to keep hearing about the Stars D playing “Weekend at Suters.” But I keep reading about how Miro and Ryan will likely be a thing again but it’s rearely mentioned that Miros breakout happened with predominantly Miller until somehow promoting Harley meant giving Suter his dream again. The charts you posted today show Otter fatiguing but it also shows Miro carrying Ryan’s corpse complete with the sunglasses and 80’s tracksuit. I’m sure lots of factors contributed to the D falling apart late but I wish it were more talked about how the D looked good especially Miro when he was ON HIS STRONG SIDE with a partner that had a pulse.
You and me both. It was what killed me seeing media carry Suter's water. "Who else is gonna play his minutes?" He DIDN'T EVEN PLAY THOSE MINUTES FOR THE BULK OF THE REGULAR SEASON. That was Colin Miller.
But what's done is done. And unfortunately, Suter is not done. All I know is that if he's still on the second power play unit, I better hear the sound of every fan's head exploding.
My head is exploding just considering that petulant little child having anything more than 18-20 min total including 0 on the PP and eating some rubber on the kill.
The team lost the ability to skate 3 RHD, so someone will always be weak side. Really it is a pick your poison for the team. The reality we have to hope for is that Lundvist & Lindell work and that Harley and Hak can produce too.
Sad we can't see more unique looks at this. Lindell on his off side skating with Harley could eat some mean minutes.
For starters, I'd love to get back to hearing about the prospects more frequently. DN set the bar with his updates and clearly has been recognized for what he does (sadly we don't see him as much because of this). Even just a weekly links style update on the kids would be nice to see.
You mention Bichsel bring defense, and that is something the Stars lack. From a team standpoint yes, from a blueline, I'm not convinced. The team can easily tap 4 stout defenders, because they have to manage a PK. Could they tap 4 good offensive players, especially if they swapped out Nils for Lian? It is sad that this is the fight for the last spot, and not Suter or Hakanpaa even getting a hint of doubt in their roster positions.
Riding Oetter into the ground sucks. Is there any data pointing to a strategic coast in the season being better or worse for teams in the playoffs? I'm not talking about having the Presidents trophy sewn up and playing your 4th line the last week (which usually results in a rusty team getting bounced early in the playoffs). Had the Stars been firm about giving him rest and recovery, maybe they drop 5 points in the standings. Does that end up making a material difference in how far the team goes in the playoffs? Given the way road teams seem to be winning in the playoffs, I'm starting to give more credence to just get in and then see what happens than needing to start at home.
Yea. I'll be doing ranking updates at DBD, but here I can hyperfocus on one player since I don't have to worry about some dippy algorithm.
Re: Lundkvist vs. Bichsel, it's stupid they have to be in competition with one another, but that was how it broke down last year right? With Harley taking his spot despite other players being better candidates to sit. But here's another thing, and it's something DeBoer is always talking about: zone exits. Bichsel is good at them despite not being a puck mover. Lundkvist is bad at them, despite being a puck mover. Just saying.
On the playoff front, the data (I'll try to find a link later) is super clear. The teams that win Presidents Trophies tend to be teams that were either lucky, or shot hot. Teams ranked second or third in their division, on average, tend to be more successful in the playoffs.
We are the Monster Squad! Btw, Wolfman has nards.
Still the best Goonies movie.
“(Cough) Suter” is gonna be a thing. He should have that stitched on the back of his sweater.
It's frustrating with a capital F and the team is intent on learning the hard way I guess.