Cerebral Puck

The amounts of data that are readily available in hockey pale in comparison to some of the other sports. A primary reason for that is the continuous nature of hockey. It’s non-stop. Baseball, by comparison, is “one play at a time” (e.g., the game ‘stops’ between each pitch). Corey Sznajder (@ShutdownLine), who manually compiles micro … More Using micro data to understand the correlation between production and zone entries

We analyzed some of the best value top pairing defensemen (link here) and 2nd pairing defensemen (link here). While getting top production at strong market value is paramount, finding good value throughout the lineup is also important. Today we take a quick look at some of the better value contracts of 3rd pairing defensemen. A couple things … More Overview of some the top value 3rd pairing defensemen

The Predators recently signed C Ryan Johansen to an 8-year $64M contract (cap hit of $8M per season). Today we break down RJ across our 3 criteria for evaluating centers and analyze his relative market value: Possession driving ability (i.e., be a strong possession player and elevate your teammates) Offensive ability (i.e., scoring chance generation) … More Ryan Johansen: Predators wise to lock up RJ long-term

We analyzed some of the best value top pairing defensemen here. While getting top production at strong market value is paramount, finding good value throughout the lineup is also important. Today we take a quick look at some of the better value contracts of 2nd pairing defensemen. A couple things to note: + We rank … More Overview of some of the top-value 2nd pairing puck-moving defensemen

Assessing value is still very rudimentary because many simply rely on points produced and use metrics such as $ per goal scored or $ per primary assist achieved. While there are no ‘perfect’ approaches, the one commonly used as described above has two major flaws: 1. Goals and assists limit you to evaluating forwards and … More Using QoC adjusted puck movement to assess the value of defensive contracts

Quality of competition makes player analysis difficult. It tilts the scale. You can’t compare two players if one has faced tough opposing players while the other plays against 3rd and 4th liners. We’ve continuously refined our QoC metric. We started by using average opponent corsi weighted by ice time against. While this is directional and … More Using QoC to create defensive ‘tiers’ for more accurate comparison and evaluation

We introduced our defensemen power play metric over a week ago (link here), and used a Shea Weber vs Erik Karlsson example to breakdown the 2-lens approach we took towards evaluating special teams ability. 1. Power Play QB / Play Making ability – this measures a defenseman’s ability to control possession, generate scoring chances, make … More 2016/17 Power Play Rankings – Defensemen

The Florida Panthers have a solid young defense group led by Aaron Ekblad. Down the middle, former 2nd overall pick Aleksander Barkov leads the charge. But given Barkov’s injury history, depth down the middle is paramount for Florida. Today we take a look at – and break down – their top 4 pivots. ***Note: For … More Center Breakdown Analysis: Florida Panthers

Defensive centers are often tasked with shutting down the opposing top line. As a result, these players often fly under the radar because they won’t produce as much offensively as the scoring leaders around the league. That said, there are exceptions. Some defensive pivots are still the team’s “1C” so to speak. Today we look … More Bergeron, Kesler, Kadri, and J. Staal: Looking at 4 defensive centers

Led by Auston Matthews, the Leafs clinched the playoffs and gave the Capitals a tough run for their money, before finally being eliminated in round 1 of the 2016/17 playoffs. Matthews, the Calder Trophy winner, was dominant offensively, scoring 40 goals and chipping in another 29 helpers. But was his overall game just as sound? … More Center Breakdown Series: Toronto Maple Leafs