As we continue our shift to the offensive side of the game, we begin our center breakdown series with the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs have long been searching for a true number 1 center. Can Galchenyuk fit that role? Is Danault on a strong upwards track? We dive into those questions, and more. ***NOTE: for … More Center Breakdown Series: Montreal Canadiens
Our focus to date has been on defensemen, with emphasis on puck movement. As we shift to offense (and centers, first), it is important that we re-visit quality of competition and understand the slight differences when comparing forwards. The quality of competition that a defenseman faces is based primarily on the forwards they play against. … More Center Breakdown Series: How QoC requires a 2-pronged approach
The Winnipeg Jets finished 2016/17 with 40 wins and 87 points, although it wasn’t enough to clinch a playoff berth. With emerging stars up front (Laine, Scheifele, Ehlers), defense and goaltending likely hold the key to a post-season appearance in 2017/18. NOTE: For other team deep-dives and methodology explanations, feel free to click here. Puck … More Puck moving defensemen series: Winnipeg Jets
To date, we’ve focused on 5v5 play which makes sense since the majority of a game takes place at even strength. In our quest to build complete profiles on defensemen, we introduce our power play ability metric. We’ve approached our analysis on power play ability from 2 angles, and built proprietary metrics for each one. … More Introducing our Power Play Metric for defensemen
The Ottawa Senators made quite the run in the 2016/17 Stanley Cup Playoffs, dropping game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual champs. Erik Karlsson was his usual excellent self during the playoff run – driving possession and offense for his team. Behind Karlsson, however, what does the 2017/18 outlook have in store? … More Puck moving defensemen series: Ottawa Senators
After a strong 2015/16 season, the Stars failed to make the playoffs in 2016/17. They allowed 262 goals against during the regular season, 2nd most in the entire league (trailing only Colorado). The Stars did not get great goaltending – 5v5 SV% in the bottom tier of the league. But how did their blue line … More Puck moving defensemen series: Dallas Stars
An interesting exercise to test the applicability of our puck moving approach is to go back in time and look at previous free agency periods (as we now have evidence as to how some of those deals turned out). Would our puck movement metric have led GMs to different decisions? We explore by looking at … More Anton Stralman and Dan Hamhuis Case Studies: Using our puck movement metric to navigate free agency
One of the big uncertainties facing the Habs this off-season is who will join Weber, Petry, and Alzner in the Habs top-4. Last year, that void was filled by Andrei Markov. While the Habs are interested in re-signing Markov, the two sides have yet to arrive at an agreement. Reports have Markov asking for 2 … More Assessing Andrei Markov’s Market Value
Led by Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers finished 4th in the West (103 points) before losing to Anaheim in round 2 of the playoffs. While there’s no doubt that Edmonton boasts one of the top offensive lineups in the league, where does their blue line stack up against the West’s best? We … More Puck moving defensemen series: Edmonton Oilers
While the San Jose Sharks reached 99 points in the regular season, they were eliminated by the Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With Norris winner Brent Burns leading the charge on the blue line, who else will play a key role in helping the Sharks make a cup run in … More Puck moving defensemen series: San Jose Sharks
Cerebral Puck 