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2020-2021 NHL Thread

Nik said:
Ah yes, I know what that distribution of colours means. It certainly does explain things. The colours should be different.
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It's less stark in previous seasons (over longer samples and different sets of injuries) but a similar pattern of primarily perimeter play, unless it's on the PP or Arvidsson gets yet another breakaway. Without actually watching their games, it looks like they have trouble coming off the wall on their cycles, so the forwards are left with ineffectual shots or low to high for even less effective shots (but at least it's a shot woohoo).
 
Nik said:
bustaheims said:
He's never really been able to consistently be more than a ~60 pt guy, and playing on a team without much offensive support in Nashville certainly isn't helping him there.
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In a way though, the idea that Nashville doesn't have much offensive support is my point. For some reason talented offensive players there struggle to keep it going. Johansen went there looking like he'd be a perennial 30 goal, 65+ point guy and has struggled to score 20 with regularity. Forsberg seems to have stalled out. Arvidsson had three straight years of looking like a dangerous goal scorer before sputtering. And then with Josi/Ellis on the backend they should have enough talent to form two pretty solid offensive lines and a PP.

But I don't know if it's a system thing or what but even Subban went there and within a couple years went from being one of the more dynamic offensive players in the league to struggling to stay in the game.
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I guess, but, I think there are more straightforward explanations for some of those drop offs. Other than Johansen, there's either a pretty clear correlation with them suffering a significant injury (Arvidsson, Subban, Ellis), or lack of production from linemates (Forsberg - off year last year, scoring goals at around his career norms this year, but not adding much in terms of assists). Josi's drop in production is harder to explain (outside of his teammates not being able to convert to help his assist totals).

The fact that Nashville plays a defence-first style certainly impacts point totals for these guys, but I think it's a smaller factor than the injuries and lack of depth.
 
Turris is another one. His three healthy years in Ottawa he's basically a 60 point a year guy, he gets to Nashville and it looks like he forgot how to play hockey.
 
Nik said:
Turris is another one. His three healthy years in Ottawa he's basically a 60 point a year guy, he gets to Nashville and it looks like he forgot how to play hockey.
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Also looks like it could be injury-related. He produced at roughly the same point/game rate with Nashville post trade, until he got hurt in January 2019. Then, his production collapsed.

I wonder if maybe this has something to do with Nashville's training/medical teams. There's a too many cases of a player's production evaporating after an injury for it to be a coincidence.
 
Nik said:
bustaheims said:
He's never really been able to consistently be more than a ~60 pt guy, and playing on a team without much offensive support in Nashville certainly isn't helping him there.
Click to expand...

In a way though, the idea that Nashville doesn't have much offensive support is my point. For some reason talented offensive players there struggle to keep it going. Johansen went there looking like he'd be a perennial 30 goal, 65+ point guy and has struggled to score 20 with regularity. Forsberg seems to have stalled out. Arvidsson had three straight years of looking like a dangerous goal scorer before sputtering. And then with Josi/Ellis on the backend they should have enough talent to form two pretty solid offensive lines and a PP.

But I don't know if it's a system thing or what but even Subban went there and within a couple years went from being one of the more dynamic offensive players in the league to struggling to stay in the game.
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Its' weird, on paper they look like they should have pretty balanced offense.
 
https://twitter.com/CMDeDominicis/status/1362754077801734146
Recall that Marco Rossi is also back in Austria recovering from prolonged Covid-related symptoms
 
bustaheims said:
Also looks like it could be injury-related. He produced at roughly the same point/game rate with Nashville post trade, until he got hurt in January 2019. Then, his production collapsed.
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I appreciate the instinct to try and find a rational explanation while I'm offering up Bermuda Triangle like nonsense but I think to some extent or another we're now at a point where there are too many cases of it, injury or not, where that is tough to buy as the reason.

I mean, take Forsberg again. Yeah, he's scoring goals at roughly his career norms but my counter to that is that he basically arrived as a rookie as a 30ish goal, 65 or so point guy and has never really progressed outside of one injury shortened year.

Anyways, maybe it's just some sort of issue with them and forwards? The last time they drafted and developed a forward who scored 20 for them was in 2014 when they drafted both Arvidsson and Fiala who did it once. Prior to that you have to go back to 2009 for Craig Smith. Then there's Colin Wilson who scored 20 once and then you have to back another 4 years to get Patric Hornqvist who, as crazy as it is to say, might be the single best offensive forward they've drafted in their 23 year history.

edit: I guess Radulov is the best offensive player they drafted but still, yeesh.
 
I wonder if the Nashville curse applies to Eeli Tolvanen as well or if he's just a bit of a bust. Granted he's only 21 years old (22 in a couple months) but the hype around him was massive in 2018 when he crossed over to NA. He was expected to immediately step into Nashville's line-up and be a difference maker. Since then he's played in just 13 NHL games and his AHL numbers aren't even anything to go crazy over either.
 
https://twitter.com/cotsonika/status/1362849695760932866

This looks pretty cool. It also gives yet another reason why playing on the actual lake itself might have been troublesome. *sigh* maybe one day.
 
I'm not saying he should never coach again but for his next job to specifically be with younger players seems like a curious choice on the University's part.
 
https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1363176250836213764

I cannot pretend to have watched a lot of Devils games over the last few years but it strikes me as a little odd to give this responsibility to a player this young who hasn't really had their breakout season yet.

Maybe he's universally loved in the locker room but if I had a #1 pick who had struggled to get past 55 points per 82 games I'd maybe want them to just focus on getting better without the burden of leadership.
 
Heroic Shrimp said:
https://twitter.com/DarrenDreger/status/1363189318274138115?s=19

Didn't see that one coming...
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https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1363178114705154054

Oh shoot, wrong thread, don't know why I posted this here.
 
It's a very pretty game and makes for great TV but holy goodness does that ice look terrible.
 
They're postponing the game because of the ice for 7 hours, hoping to get in a second period when the sun goes down.
 
Nik said:
https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1363176250836213764

I cannot pretend to have watched a lot of Devils games over the last few years but it strikes me as a little odd to give this responsibility to a player this young who hasn't really had their breakout season yet.

Maybe he's universally loved in the locker room but if I had a #1 pick who had struggled to get past 55 points per 82 games I'd maybe want them to just focus on getting better without the burden of leadership.
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Gabriel Landeskog has 52 points when named captain back in 2012..
 
Guilt Trip said:
Gabriel Landeskog has 52 points when named captain back in 2012..
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I'm not really sure what point you're making here. Landeskog has turned into a pretty good 3rd wheel on his line and Colorado has won 3 playoff series in his career. Feels like New Jersey should be aiming higher on both counts
 
Refs call a goal on the ice where Tkachuk shoves Koskinen. Coach challenges and EDM loses challenge and assessed a penalty. This is a Mickey Mouse league sometimes.
 
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