Michael Stuart: Was Anton Stralman the Smartest July 1st Signing?

Blog is messing up. Not posting the whole thing. Give me a minute or two to get this sorted.

EDIT - Fixed.

"the entire hockey world stood up and applauded the move"
sarcasm?

I agree with most of this, good $ and term, but cant forget that Stralman was a guy who a year or two ago was struggling to find work in the NHL...hopefully it works out because TB is building something nice down there now

Michael Stuart: Was Anton Stralman the Smartest July 1st Signing?
- Michael_Stuart

Yes it is. He drives possession #'s and is very responsible defensively.

"the entire hockey world stood up and applauded the move"
sarcasm?
- nightmare3020

Of course you think the hockey world is Toronto but then again people in Toronto don't get to applaud very much anyway.

For term and money for his type of play I like it but I'm a Lightning fan, of course most fans will say their team did the best or disagree with another team. Knowledgeable fans will look at a lot of signings and see good and bad but applying the best to anything is a tough slog. Let's see what the year brings before assigning the best to anything. Thanks for all the stats and you make a good argument for what we can look forward to this year.

Good signing - bit pricey for what he brings. I get he drives possession but i still dont know if he's worth that money. That said - with the cap going up and the way ppl are being paid i dont think its a hindrance and will probably look much better in the coming years.

Based on how cheap Niskanen went compared to what people thought hed get id say him over stalman.

Of course you think the hockey world is Toronto but then again people in Toronto don't get to applaud very much anyway.
- tpd11

I don't see where he said anything about Toronto?

This is a signing people seem to either love or hate. Some people feel it's a bargain and some feel it's a major overpayment. I've heard from analysts that it was both the best and worst signing more leaning towards good than bad. Even at 4.5 mill if it doesn't work out the cap hit won't be terrible in a few years

Of course you think the hockey world is Toronto but then again people in Toronto don't get to applaud very much anyway.
- tpd11

Congrats ....Enjoy ya lifetime ban from Toronto.





No Ford crack for u

For term and money for his type of play I like it but I'm a Lightning fan, of course most fans will say their team did the best or disagree with another team. Knowledgeable fans will look at a lot of signings and see good and bad but applying the best to anything is a tough slog. Let's see what the year brings before assigning the best to anything. Thanks for all the stats and you make a good argument for what we can look forward to this year.
- tpd11

I think of all the teams in the NHL, the Lightning did the best to improve themselves. No, they didn't sign the big names. No, they weren't "flashy" signings. But they improved in all the areas they needed to improve in order to take another step forward. The stabilized the defense tremendously. In my opinion, having Gudas on the 3rd pairing will do wonders for him in the same way it did for Brewers game. Boyle brings MUCH needed size and grit to the bottom 4. I liked Thompson like every other lightning fan, but I think Boyle is a slight upgrade on him. Thompson will be missed, but Boyle will quickly let us forget about him.
With what was done by SY, the Bolts are one step closer to being Cup contenders.

Even if it's not the "best" signing from around the league, it is a great signing for the Tampa Bay Lightning and honestly that is all that matters. He fits very nicely into our top 4 and is a huge upgrade to Salo from last season. Stralman coupled with Garrison allows Gudas to bang away from the bottom pair and help keep from wearing down.

Even if it's not the "best" signing from around the league, it is a great signing for the Tampa Bay Lightning and honestly that is all that matters. He fits very nicely into our top 4 and is a huge upgrade to Salo from last season. Stralman coupled with Garrison allows Gudas to bang away from the bottom pair and help keep from wearing down.
- uf1910

Yes best FA signing I think just like val last year!

Based on how cheap Niskanen went compared to what people thought hed get id say him over stalman.
- jake24242

Question of fit has to be considered. Niskanen thrived in Pittsburgh, but now moves to a Trotz based defensive system in Washington. Yes on paper his deal looks great from an AAV perspective, however the Trotz factor is a big question mark.

Comparing the 2 deals is a waste of time IMO as the contracts only matter to 2 teams, the Bolts and the Craps

OK but question: who did Staal play with and against when apart from AS? and same questions for AS? this is why it's dangerous to blindly assume everything about a player through stats only. there is always going to be missing context.

i'm not criticizing this signing. $4.5 million is the going rate for a top-4 d man. but this is also a guy who scored 1 goal and 13 points in 81 games and was only +9. those are horrific offensive numbers for a second pairing dman, especially one who had a relatively high off start %.

so again, this is a guy with decent (not great) possession stats who provides absolutely no offence. i am not saying this was a bad signing. but i think the whole "applause" thing is a bit farfetched.

Anton Stralman was a borderline NHLer who played well once he was paired with Marc Staal. It wasn't the other way around.

OK but question: who did Staal play with and against when apart from AS? and same questions for AS? this is why it's dangerous to blindly assume everything about a player through stats only. there is always going to be missing context.

i'm not criticizing this signing. $4.5 million is the going rate for a top-4 d man. but this is also a guy who scored 1 goal and 13 points in 81 games and was only +9. those are horrific offensive numbers for a second pairing dman, especially one who had a relatively high off start %.

so again, this is a guy with decent (not great) possession stats who provides absolutely no offence. i am not saying this was a bad signing. but i think the whole "applause" thing is a bit farfetched.
- DoubleDown

His zone start % was relatively lower than that of his teammates.

And he was a great possession defender.

Anton Stralman was a borderline NHLer who played well once he was paired with Marc Staal. It wasn't the other way around.
- jimbro83

The numbers clearly show that to be false. His CF% is better away from Staal than with Staal. Staal was a drag on Stralman.

His zone start % was relatively lower than that of his teammates.

And he was a great possession defender.
- Michael_Stuart

am i crazy or does that chart not show him with a lower % than only Falk and Moore? and right on par with Diaz and Klein?

am i crazy or does that chart not show him with a lower % than only Falk and Moore? and right on par with Diaz and Klein?
- DoubleDown

Check here with all teammates included: http://www.extraskater.co...ct_rel&min_gp=25&team=nyr

Michael, what is WOWY CF? I've been seeing the WOWY a lot and have no idea what that stands for.