The All-Star teams were announced last Tuesday and the Blue Jackets had two players selected in Seth Jones and Sergei Bobrovsky. Many people however thought that Cam Atkinson should have been named to the team, and it’s easy to see why. Atkinson has 21 goals and 20 assists in 42 games this season, putting him in a tie for 11th in league scoring.
Atkinson is having a tremendous season but a lot of his offensive production is being fueled by being a part of the league’s best power play. Atkinson is second behind Cladue Giroux for the league lead with 19 power play points. Atkinson has also scored twice on the penalty kill so over half of his points have come on special teams.
Cam’s resume this season is very impressive, but the other All-Star snub no one is talking about is Brandon Saad. Saad has been fantastic this season but he doesn’t play on the top power play unit so he doesn’t have the gaudy point totals. Saad averages the fifth most ice time among the Blue Jackets forwards, but the second most time at even strength. He's tied for second on the team with 15 goals and fourth on the team with 34 points. Saad, not having the benefit of power play time, has to do the majority of his damage at even strength. He leads the team with 14 EV goals, which is tied for seventh in the NHL with names like Patrik Laine, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Max Pacioretty. His 32 even strength points are tied for third in the NHL with Sidney Crosby and Nikolaj Ehlers.
When you filter it further and just look at 5 on 5 scoring, Saad continues to stand out. Per
Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com his 13 5 on 5 goals are tied for fifth in the NHL, his 16 assists are tied for eighth, and his 29 points are second behind only Connor McDavid. When you look at rate stats, which take into consideration a player’s ice time, Saad looks even more impressive. Among players who have played 300 minutes this season, he is third in the NHL in points per 60 at 3.01, behind Sidney Crosby and Thomas Vanek. They are the only players this season to average more than three points per 60.
Saad’s contribution to the team goes so much further than just his offensive production. His underlying numbers are very good, showing how complete of a player he is. He is far and away the Blue Jackets best possession player. Among regulars his 55.74% Corsi per
Natural Stat Trick leads the Jackets and is 1.93% higher than Lukas Sedlak’s 53.81% which ranks second. If that wasn’t enough Saad also significantly increases the performance of anyone he plays with. Saad has played 10 minutes at 5 on 5 with 18 different skaters this season. Those 18 skaters on average saw a 13.04% Corsi increase when playing with Saad than without him. Limiting it to just players Saad plays regularly with yields similar results.
This is everyone Saad has played at least 100 5 on 5 minutes with. It includes his two line-mates, Alexander Wennberg and Nick Foligno and the six regular defencemen. Saad is a huge boost to Wennberg, Seth Jones, and David Savard. The only player to not see at least a 5% increase is Ryan Murray who gets just a 2.85% boost when on the ice with Saad.
Saad is a force at 5 on 5. He helps everyone he plays with and relative to the rest of the team he’s been the best Blue Jackets skater.
Data via
Corsica
This is showing how Saad has performed when compared to the rest of the Blue Jackets roster. Each bar is labeled with Saad’s rank on the team. He is third in terms of relative scoring chances but first in the other four. When he’s on the ice good things are happening. He generates shots, shot attempts, and goals. It’s not like he’s been super lucky either as his relative expected goals for also leads the team.
After looking at everything Brandon Saad brings to the table whether it is in terms of goals and points or possession he is the best forward on the Blue Jackets and one of the best players in the NHL. Cam Atkinson has the big point total but if you want to talk about All-Star snubs Saad’s name should be right at the top of the list.
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