Here is some of the pertinent info on Oiler newcomer Teddy Purcell. He’s a player of interest as a newcomer to the team in general but he has had a history of providing a little offense to go along with the strong possession numbers that he has boasted in the past.
All Stats Courtesy of
ExtraSkater.com and
Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com
THE NUMBERS
Purcell since 2010-2011
291 Games
64 Goals .2199 G/G
130 Assists .4467 A/G
194 Points .6667 P/G
599 shots 2.0584 Sh/G
TOI
2010-2011 14:06/G Lecavalier, Moore
2011-2012 16:07/G Stamkos, St Louis
2012-2013 16:44/G Stamkos, St Louis
2013-2014 16:27/G Killorn, Filpula
P/60 5v5
2010-2011 1.89
2011-2012 2.40
2012-2013 2.07
2013-2014 1.40
CorsiRel
2010-2011 +2.6% (3rd among Forwards)
2011-2012 +3.5% (1st among Forwards)
2012-2013 +2.1% (2nd among Forwards)
2013-2014 +3.5% (1st among Forwards)
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Looking at what Purcell has done in the recent past suggests a few things. First, he’s a player who is more than capable of contributing to the team’s success by adding a touch or scoring or by pushing the puck in the right direction. When the Oilers made the Gagner deal they didn’t lose their 2C and get back an anchor. So in that regard it seems as though they did infinitely better than Philadelphia’s Hartnell for Umberger deal.
The Oilers didn’t get back a Center and now they will be banking on Arcobello or Draisaitl to win the day, but Purcell isn’t a plug. His most consistent asset from year to year has been his possession numbers. He is regularly leading or near the lead of his team in CorsiRel. What’s more is that he didn’t just do that when he was playing with elite linemates, he did it when he was playing with 2nd or 3rd tier linemates as well. This trait suggests that he plays the game in a way that is conducive to keeping the puck out of his zone and that it exactly what the Oilers need.
Purcell’s prior offensive contributions are another great sign that the Oilers are getting a capable player. He has never average more than 16 minutes and change per night but he has put up some decent scoring totals in the past. Considering that the Oilers are loaded with Offensive forwards it might be difficult to find more minutes than what he is already used to. In terms of Power Play time, he’ll be at a disadvantage unless the Oilers start generating more penalties as a result of playing with the puck more. He averaged 3 minutes a night on the man-advantage last season with Tampa, but nobody outside of Hall, RNH, and Eberle averaged more than 3 with the Oil.
The other disconcerting issue is that Purcell’s 5v5 production was great (above 2 points per 60 mins) when he was skating with St Louis and Stamkos but when paired with more human linemates that number dropped significantly. There, of course, exists the chance that he might play with Hall and RNH, but with Eberle, Yak, and Perron also potentially available to play the right side it starts to look unlikely. Eberle will most likely keep that 1RW spot locked down and Perron, who played a lot of RW last year, will probably take the next best set of linemates. That means we shouldn’t slot Purcell for a huge resurgence of even strength scoring. At the same time though, his numbers and past usage suggests he wouldn’t be a terrible choice to play with Edmonton’s top line.
Only Dallas Eakins knows how he plans to use the Right Winger but he appears versatile and with the Oilers’ ability to finally ice 3 lines that have the potential to score he’s exactly what the team needs. He might end up being that utility infielder capable of playing anywhere the club needs him. It’s the kind of depth the team didn’t have before but needs in order to match up against the best of the West. It’s should be easier to move the talent to different lines when the coach wants Eberle playing somewhere else to add offense if it’s Purcell taking that 1RW spot and not Lander.
It’s a luxury the Oilers haven’t had in a long time.
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