Stralman's best offensive season was 09-10 for Columbus when he scored 6-28-34 with a terrible -17. The +/- is mostly a product of playing for a terrible Blue Jackets squad. He is capable of producing, but Torts retooled his game to defense.

We didn't sign Stralman for offense. We signed him primarily for consistency and passing. If he can stay healthy, he should do well in Tampa and his offense might just pick up.

Our offense from the blueline comes from Hedman. If we pair Hedman and Stralman together, I think both will greatly benefit.

Another blog making arguments based solely on "advanced stats" and not watching actual hockey games. To say that Anton stralman is not only better than Marc Staal but that Staal is a product of stralman is absurd. The advanced statistics movement is also absurd. You know who started this whole thing? The Oakland athletics. You know how many World Series they've won because of it? 0.
- mjh609

I think the "absurd" idea here is arguing with proven facts . Proven numbers. If you roll a dice and it lands on 6 are you going to argue with the dice and say " no you landed on 4" ? Because that's what you're doing . You're arguing with 100% facts based on factual numbers ... Are you going to argue that 2+2 does indeed NOT equal 4 next ?

Face the fact that every number indicates staal is worse without stralman , and stralman is better without staal . When you put 2 and 2 together here you can realize that staal drags him down without the (frank)ing diagrams you hate so much . Just use your (frank)ing head

I think the "absurd" idea here is arguing with proven facts . Proven numbers. If you roll a dice and it lands on 6 are you going to argue with the dice and say " no you landed on 4" ? Because that's what you're doing . You're arguing with 100% facts based on factual numbers ... Are you going to argue that 2+2 does indeed NOT equal 4 next ?

Face the fact that every number indicates staal is worse without stralman , and stralman is better without staal . When you put 2 and 2 together here you can realize that staal drags him down without the (frank)ing diagrams you hate so much . Just use your (frank)ing head
- RileyB77

This, right here, is a good post.

No. Just saying he has experience dragging someone around the ice.
- Michael_Stuart

You my fren are unfit to blog.
Please get a clue before misleading more of your
Readers.
Those of us who watched Stralman (and staal) game in and game
Out know exactly what he is. We are not basing it on some
Advanced stat sheet BS. Stralman is a good player -for the past
Year and a half. Not an elite shut down guy (staal is a lot closer to that)
but solid in most areas.
Hes had a few ups and downs -in fact played really badly leading
Up to the playoffs and was taken off the 2nd pair for a few
Games. He played his best in the later rounds of the playoffs
Which has lead to his big payoff. You talk like you just signed lidstrom.
He basically assumed the 4th D spot when it was abdicated by
Del zotto. He is not in the same class as staal -a former all star- but certainly
A good #4.

You my fren are unfit to blog.
Please get a clue before misleading more of your
Readers.
Those of us who watched Stralman (and staal) game in and game
Out know exactly what he is. We are not basing it on some
Advanced stat sheet BS. Stralman is a good player -for the past
Year and a half. Not an elite shut down guy (staal is a lot closer to that)
but solid in most areas.
Hes had a few ups and downs -in fact played really badly leading
Up to the playoffs and was taken off the 2nd pair for a few
Games. He played his best in the later rounds of the playoffs
Which has lead to his big payoff. You talk like you just signed lidstrom.
He basically assumed the 4th D spot when it was abdicated by
Del zotto. He is not in the same class as staal -a former all star- but certainly
A good #4.
- BobbySchmautz

From the Rangers blog at SB Nation:

"The chart clearly shows that he is in the absolute elite of the league with regard to shot generation, suppression, and possession. His scoring numbers are just slightly below average, which is actually more than I expected. All-in-all a fantastic defenceman that you can throw into any situation and he will excel. In fact: the better the competition, the better he performs."

http://www.blueshirtbante...rs-really-have-on-defence

We don't need to agree here, but let's keep the personal stuff to a minimum.

This reminds me of all the Hedman debates with fans who never watch him play, I guess you can never compare players of different teams. Stralman at his cap hit is a good deal for the Lightning, he is 27 and has gotten better each of the last three years so I don't see his productivity falling off - if his trajectory is correct he is coming into his prime. I don't follow the advanced stats too much but I know he drives possession and that's what the Bolts need, we have offensive defenseman so he just needs to get the puck up the ice which he has shown to do. I am not comparing him to Staal, Girardi, McD... all would be great to have on the Bolts but I do feel the Rangers fans who say good riddance are downplaying losing Stralman, the others who see his quality know it will be hard to replace.

Next blog ASAP please, Ideas: roster speculation... Stamkos linemates... Bishop's expectations... 2nd year's TJ and Palat potential or struggles... where Drouin starting line this season, expected minutes, etc... if the Bolts get a another veteran winger by trade then who and what possible assets are given up... something Bolts centric so we can discuss the Lightning not other teams like this blog turned into.

Devin Setoguchi... I didn't watch the Jets play much but I remember he was decent with the Sharks and I know he is UFA, if the cap fit would he be any kind of fit with the Bolts if Yzerman does wants another veteran RW. But I assume he probably wants stupid money coming off his last deal.

Devin Setoguchi... I didn't watch the Jets play much but I remember he was decent with the Sharks and I know he is UFA, if the cap fit would he be any kind of fit with the Bolts if Yzerman does wants another veteran RW. But I assume he probably wants stupid money coming off his last deal.
- stammerman

Honestly don't see the room for another UFA forward.

From Jan Levine, NYR blogger here on Hockey Buzz (re : Stralman)

"The second bad deal may be the move from D. Boyle to Anton Stralman. While Stralman may not have been much when he came to the Rangers and resurrected his career here, we saw how valuable he was in the playoffs. To me, he was the most consistent Rangers blue liner in he postseason. I know not everyone loves advanced stats, but they show just how strong Stralman was, based on his Corsi and impact on Marc Staal, not vice versa. The Rangers felt they didn't want to give five years to Stralman and more comfortable in going two with Boyle. hat may be because Girardi and McDonagh each have five years left and they want to block others in the system by going five years with Stralman. That only works if they sign Staal long-term, as has been rumored, if not, then this decision looks worse. In addition, for some reason, AV didn't think Stralman could run the PP, almost like Torts and Hagelin in that regard, so Boyle also fills that need. Last, losing Boyle and Stralman hurts the PK, putting more pressure on Nash, St. Louis, Hagelin, Stepan, D. Moore, Glass up front along with Girardi, McDonagh and Staal on the back line."

Typos are from the original. Somebody get that blogger a spell/grammar-checker. But the points are correct.

You my fren are unfit to blog.
Please get a clue before misleading more of your
Readers.
Those of us who watched Stralman (and staal) game in and game
Out know exactly what he is. We are not basing it on some
Advanced stat sheet BS. Stralman is a good player -for the past
Year and a half. Not an elite shut down guy (staal is a lot closer to that)
but solid in most areas.
Hes had a few ups and downs -in fact played really badly leading
Up to the playoffs and was taken off the 2nd pair for a few
Games. He played his best in the later rounds of the playoffs
Which has lead to his big payoff. You talk like you just signed lidstrom.
He basically assumed the 4th D spot when it was abdicated by
Del zotto. He is not in the same class as staal -a former all star- but certainly
A good #4.
- BobbySchmautz

I wonder if you read the blog at all. It was Was Stralman the smartest signing, not the top free agent not a 7 mil D man, comparative stats don't take into account chemistry and what one D man does to compliment the other but it was used to show solid possession numbers which is what he'll earn 4.5 mil as a complement to Hedman or Carle, something that's a great fit for the Bolts. We'll see what the chemistry is this year and it will take some time to adjust but this is what we needed. This is a great pickup for us a tough spot to fill for the Rangers but I'm sure they have a game plan to fill the slot. So forgetaboutit.

I wonder if you read the blog at all. It was Was Stralman the smartest signing, not the top free agent not a 7 mil D man, comparative stats don't take into account chemistry and what one D man does to compliment the other but it was used to show solid possession numbers which is what he'll earn 4.5 mil as a complement to Hedman or Carle, something that's a great fit for the Bolts. We'll see what the chemistry is this year and it will take some time to adjust but this is what we needed. This is a great pickup for us a tough spot to fill for the Rangers but I'm sure they have a game plan to fill the slot. So forgetaboutit.
- tpd11

They already filled it with dan boyle.

Whatever yo enjoy stralman. No use arguing this shat with people who think hedman is better than mcdonagh (LOL).

You my fren are unfit to blog.
Please get a clue before misleading more of your
Readers.
Those of us who watched Stralman (and staal) game in and game
Out know exactly what he is. We are not basing it on some
Advanced stat sheet BS. Stralman is a good player -for the past
Year and a half. Not an elite shut down guy (staal is a lot closer to that)
but solid in most areas.
Hes had a few ups and downs -in fact played really badly leading
Up to the playoffs and was taken off the 2nd pair for a few
Games. He played his best in the later rounds of the playoffs
Which has lead to his big payoff. You talk like you just signed lidstrom.
He basically assumed the 4th D spot when it was abdicated by
Del zotto. He is not in the same class as staal -a former all star- but certainly
A good #4.
- BobbySchmautz

I will be curious to see how stralman does paired with a guy like carle who cheats offensively. Staal and stralman were both stay at home guys on the same line which led to a lot of defensive success. I wonder if stralman will continue to "carry" his partner if his partner cheats every shift offensively.

I think the "absurd" idea here is arguing with proven facts . Proven numbers. If you roll a dice and it lands on 6 are you going to argue with the dice and say " no you landed on 4" ? Because that's what you're doing . You're arguing with 100% facts based on factual numbers ... Are you going to argue that 2+2 does indeed NOT equal 4 next ?

Face the fact that every number indicates staal is worse without stralman , and stralman is better without staal . When you put 2 and 2 together here you can realize that staal drags him down without the (frank)ing diagrams you hate so much . Just use your (frank)ing head
- RileyB77

I would argue that if a dice rolls on a 6, we the people who believe watching the games is more important, will say it's a 6 by looking at it. You, the advanced stats people, would argue that "there was a 17% chance it could've been a 4".

Advanced stats are a good tool to use but should not be the end all be a when discussing a player. It's simply a tool out of many to compare players. NHL teams still send scouts to watch every game for a reason rather than just base their trading, free agent acquisitions, and gameplans off a stats sheet.

When the nhl starts hiring statisticians instead of scouts I will take advanced stats more seriously.

They already filled it with dan boyle.

Whatever yo enjoy stralman. No use arguing this shat with people who think hedman is better than mcdonagh (LOL).
- rangerdanger94

I would put McDonagh and Hedman about even. Its hard to compare beyond that as to who is better as they do different things for their respective teams. I take nothing away from McDonagh he is real good but it annoys us Lightning fans because every other teams fans undersell Hedman, the last two years he has come into his own. They are both to me in the top 15 defenders in the game, and thats all us fans can ask of them.

And on Stralman, not comparing a thing to Staal, Girardi or McD just looking at the Bolts he is a great get and a good cap hit, I do feel the Rangers fans who say good riddance are downplaying losing Stralman, the others who see his quality know it will be hard to replace. We needed him on our team.

I would put McDonagh and Hedman about even. Its hard to compare beyond that as to who is better as they do different things for their respective teams. I take nothing away from McDonagh he is real good but it annoys us Lightning fans because every other teams fans undersell Hedman, the last two years he has come into his own. They are both to me in the top 15 defenders in the game, and thats all us fans can ask of them.

And on Stralman, not comparing a thing about Stall, Girardi or McD just looking at the Bolts he is a great get and a good cap hit, I do feel the Rangers fans who say good riddance are downplaying losing Stralman, the others who see his quality know it will be hard to replace. We needed him on our team.
- stammerman

Good post

I think 90% of the posters in the rangers blog realize how good stralman was for us and how big of a loss his consistency will be. Dan boyle eases the pain a lot though and we have some defensive prospects knocking on the door. I feel as if kevin klein isnt too far away from stralman in terms of.defensive ability too.

Hi Michael,

Be careful putting too much emphasis on WOWYs as they lack context and are influenced by small sample sizes.

For example, what was Staal's competition like when he was apart from Stralman, who was his other defenceman teammate, and what kind of zone starts was he getting? All of that context is missing from WOWY.

Clarke MacArthur is a good example of this. His possession numbers apart from Grabovski looked horrid and thus it seemed like Grabovski was lifting his numbers up and yet MacArthur was a possession beast on Ottawa.

That said, Stralman's individual possession numbers are still fantastic and he appeared to make almost every other teammate he played with better.

They already filled it with dan boyle.

Whatever yo enjoy stralman. No use arguing this shat with people who think hedman is better than mcdonagh (LOL).
- rangerdanger94

Boyle is a downgrade defensively but an upgrade offensively. Same money 10 years older. Who said anything about Hedman except as a pairing? Whatever go back to your McD circle jerk.

Hi Michael,

Be careful putting too much emphasis on WOWYs as they lack context and are influenced by small sample sizes.

For example, what was Staal's competition like when he was apart from Stralman, who was his other defenceman teammate, and what kind of zone starts was he getting? All of that context is missing from WOWY.

Clarke MacArthur is a good example of this. His possession numbers apart from Grabovski looked horrid and thus it seemed like Grabovski was lifting his numbers up and yet MacArthur was a possession beast on Ottawa.

That said, Stralman's individual possession numbers are still fantastic and he appeared to make almost every other teammate he played with better.
- panek

That's why I'm inclined to put a little bit of faith in them. But I completely agree with your post.

Plain and simple, Stralman was one of the players shift in and shift out you NEVER worried when he went for the puck. Never worried in a puck battle, never worried on a loose puck, never worried when he carried it, passed it, got it at the point. Fact is, 99.9% of every single play he was involved in, he got the puck, possessed it, and moved it smartly to a team mate or to an area around the ice that had 0 danger against his own team.

Similar to Zuccarello, every time these 2 players had the puck, you breathed a sign of relief knowing that the next pass or play was going to be a smart one that kept the Rangers in possession...no matter which of the 3 zones the play was in.

Author Message
mjh609
New York Rangers
Location: Omg our b team would win!!!, YT
Joined: 01.21.2009

Posted: Today @ 1:16 PM ET
You really should watch a hockey game and not just blindly follow a no talent blogger who does nothing but reference meaningless obscure stats.


Tehe .

Oh right - the title of the message " you're a (frank)ing idiot "

Author Message
mjh609
New York Rangers
Location: Omg our b team would win!!!, YT
Joined: 01.21.2009

Posted: Today @ 1:16 PM ET
You really should watch a hockey game and not just blindly follow a no talent blogger who does nothing but reference meaningless obscure stats.


Tehe .

Oh right - the title of the message " you're a (frank)ing idiot "
- RileyB77

Classy.

From the Rangers blog at SB Nation:

"The chart clearly shows that he is in the absolute elite of the league with regard to shot generation, suppression, and possession. His scoring numbers are just slightly below average, which is actually more than I expected. All-in-all a fantastic defenceman that you can throw into any situation and he will excel. In fact: the better the competition, the better he performs."

http://www.blueshirtbante...rs-really-have-on-defence

We don't need to agree here, but let's keep the personal stuff to a minimum.
- Michael_Stuart

Ok fair enough but you are taking numerous
Shots at M Staal that dont seem to be based
In any reality other than stat sheets. We Rags fans
watch them actually play the games and really dont
appreciate it.
Nor would his mother, who i might have to call if you
Continue.

Ok fair enough but you are taking numerous
Shots at M Staal that dont seem to be based
In any reality other than stat sheets. We Rags fans
watch them actually play the games and really dont
appreciate it.
Nor would his mother, who i might have to call if you
Continue.
- BobbySchmautz

I'm not taking shots at him. He's a player I'd love to have on the Lightning. I'm saying that he was a drag on possession for Stralman, which he was. Stralman drove the possession bus on that pairing. It's not meant to be a shot. It is what it is.

I wonder if you read the blog at all. It was Was Stralman the smartest signing, not the top free agent not a 7 mil D man, comparative stats don't take into account chemistry and what one D man does to compliment the other but it was used to show solid possession numbers which is what he'll earn 4.5 mil as a complement to Hedman or Carle, something that's a great fit for the Bolts. We'll see what the chemistry is this year and it will take some time to adjust but this is what we needed. This is a great pickup for us a tough spot to fill for the Rangers but I'm sure they have a game plan to fill the slot. So forgetaboutit.
- tpd11

My beef w yer blogger is all his posts
Slagging Marc Staal as he touts Stralman.
Lay off our boy.
I would still pose a civil argument that he is
Overrating Stralman but when he
Starts saying he was 'dragging
Marc staal around' its not
Only totally false but
Insulting to a really good player
Who helped revive stralmans career.

I'm not taking shots at him. He's a player I'd love to have on the Lightning. I'm saying that he was a drag on possession for Stralman, which he was. Stralman drove the possession bus on that pairing. It's not meant to be a shot. It is what it is.
- Michael_Stuart

Kind of like saying "I'm not insulting you, I'm just telling you
That I am a 10 and you are a zero -it is what it is."