it is rather comical.
- hammarby31

Its going to be funny watching Uncle Lou deal with the media in Toronto. He's had it easy in NJ, as no one in the NY media gives a wet rats fart about the Devils.

Everyone is on the Leafs thread discussing our favourite uncle.
- mayorofangrytown

he's not my uncle, and he's certainly not my favorite. but it is discussion worthy.

Its going to be funny watching Uncle Lou deal with the media in Toronto. He's had it easy in NJ, as no one in the NY media gives a wet rats fart about the Devils.
- BiggE

will certainly be a change of scenery in that regard, but i think he'll be able to handle himself just fine.

will certainly be a change of scenery in that regard, but i think he'll be able to handle himself just fine.
- hammarby31

Probably, but it will be much more scrutiny than he's used to. Lets face it, if Lou and his wife go out to dinner in north NJ or NYC, odds are no one recognizes him. Good luck with that in TO.

he's not my uncle, and he's certainly not my favorite. but it is discussion worthy.
- hammarby31

Hmmmm... I was sure he was your favourite uncle.

Adv stats reward players that repress attempts as much as they reward players that push play.

It's an oft-repeated fallacy that defensive players aren't valued by stats -- just because some players like Grossmann get shelled in the spreadsheets.
- Tomahawk

No, it's not a fallacy at all, it's a reality. Stats like Corsi/Fenwick are simply a shot differential +/-. A player can be very good at shot suppression, but play in a role, or with other players, that don't generate a lot of shots for. A player like that likely won't look great in the Corsi/Fenwick column. Bill had it dead on with his statement. He understands that.

No, it's not a fallacy at all, it's a reality. Stats like Corsi/Fenwick are simply a shot differential +/-. A player can be very good at shot suppression, but play in a role, or with other players, that don't generate a lot of shots for. A player like that likely won't look great in the Corsi/Fenwick column. Bill had it dead on with his statement. He understands that.
- MJL

Bill is the best writer on this site.

Bill is the best writer on this site.
- benjichronic

One of the best hockey writers, period, anywhere, in my opinion.

Bill is the best writer on this site.
- benjichronic

we love him

They can, but it's tougher to defend on the off-side -- more back to play, more pucks on backhand, more playing the stick across the body, tougher to seal the wall, etc. You lose a split second here and there -- it's not ideal.

I don't think anything precludes us from seeing Schenn, Gudas and Schultz in the lineup all at the same time. One of the 'puck movers' could be eating the popcorn nightly.
- Tomahawk

True, but when I look at the cap situation I just don't think LSchenn will still be a Flyer on opening night.

True, but when I look at the cap situation I just don't think LSchenn will still be a Flyer on opening night.
- Feanor

Maybe, though unless Hexy gets an offer they really like, I think they just waive Manning.

Also, if Laughton has a great camp/preseason, I think they may just waive Umberger as well. They would only save 925K if he clears and is demoted, but thats enough to cover Laughton.

It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out. Flyers have some chips that they can trade at some point. What will Hextall do if the time around the deadline comes, and the Flyers are solidly in the playoff hunt?

Mexicola is my fave song of theirs.
- benjichronic

Hells yeah. Mine too.

Hells yeah. Mine too.
- ThirdEye

Regular john is great too

One of the best hockey writers, period, anywhere, in my opinion.
- MJL

Truly. We are very lucky to have him.

Maybe, though unless Hexy gets an offer they really like, I think they just waive Manning.

Also, if Laughton has a great camp/preseason, I think they may just waive Umberger as well. They would only save 925K if he clears and is demoted, but thats enough to cover Laughton.
- BiggE

Waive Umberger
Sit Vinny until we play Boston, match him up against Rinaldo.
Argue value of analytical stats
Win Super Bowl

Waive Umberger
Sit Vinny until we play Boston, match him up against Rinaldo.
Argue value of analytical stats
Win Super Bowl
- jmatchett383

Zac rinaldo's first nhl hat trick.

No, it's not a fallacy at all, it's a reality. Stats like Corsi/Fenwick are simply a shot differential +/-. A player can be very good at shot suppression, but play in a role, or with other players, that don't generate a lot of shots for. A player like that likely won't look great in the Corsi/Fenwick column.
- MJL

Line mates, while important, aren't as influential as you may expect.

Take Grossmann for example... his top linemates last season were Streit (55.25 CF60), Giroux (61.37), Voracek (60.29)... yet they didn't exactly drag him up with them and he was still 3rd-worst CF60 on the team. That's with balanced zone starts and average competition faced, too.

Meanwhile, a guy like Scuderi managed to be a positive Corsi player despite also being one of the worst CF60 players on his team and playing mostly w/ Depres, Spaling and Sutter... because he was near the top of the league in suppression.

Bill is a great writer, that we can agree on.

But some of the nuances about stats, he still misses.

So do you think Them Crooked Vultures will eventually release another album?
- Fryman4

I remember hearing that album for the first time and couldnt believe I had heard of it sooner. Also just discovered EODM within the last month and they do have a "fun rock" sound if that makes sense. Dave has so many things going on I could see a Vultures' album being delayed on his part.. Plus you know, the whole broken leg thing

Maybe, though unless Hexy gets an offer they really like, I think they just waive Manning.

Also, if Laughton has a great camp/preseason, I think they may just waive Umberger as well. They would only save 925K if he clears and is demoted, but thats enough to cover Laughton.
- BiggE

Beyond ready for this new wave of players to come through the o&b on a regular basis

Line mates, while important, aren't as influential as you may expect.

Take Grossmann for example... his top linemates last season were Streit (55.25 CF60), Giroux (61.37), Voracek (60.29)... yet they didn't exactly drag him up with them and he was still 3rd-worst CF60 on the team. That's with balanced zone starts and average competition faced, too.

Meanwhile, a guy like Scuderi managed to be a positive Corsi player despite also being one of the worst CF60 players on his team and playing mostly w/ Depres, Spaling and Sutter... because he was near the top of the league in suppression.

Bill is a great writer, that we can agree on.

But some of the nuances about stats, he still misses.
- Tomahawk

What I appreciate about bill the most, is he doesn't shove charts & graphs down our throats every morning like the writers for the pens, kings, sens, etc. Nothing wrong with charts and graphs, but it makes my head hurt after a while

What I appreciate about bill the most, is he doesn't shove charts & graphs down our throats every morning like the writers for the pens, kings, sens, etc. Nothing wrong with charts and graphs, but it makes my head hurt after a while

- benjichronic

I don't really want him to go full stats either... that's what BSH is for.

But he does choose to mention them from time to time, so it's still worth clarifying a few of the finer details.

Line mates, while important, aren't as influential as you may expect.

Take Grossmann for example... his top linemates last season were Streit (55.25 CF60), Giroux (61.37), Voracek (60.29)... yet they didn't exactly drag him up with them and he was still 3rd-worst CF60 on the team. That's with balanced zone starts and average competition faced, too.

Meanwhile, a guy like Scuderi managed to be a positive Corsi player despite also being one of the worst CF60 players on his team and playing mostly w/ Depres, Spaling and Sutter... because he was near the top of the league in suppression.

Bill is a great writer, that we can agree on.

But some of the nuances about stats, he still misses.
- Tomahawk

They were his top linemates, not his only linemates.
It's not just linemates, it's a number of factors, including the player himself. Bill doesn't miss it at all in my opinion. In fact, he's spot on, the same way he was today.

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Luke Schenn, Teryshny and Mickey, Alumni and More
- bmeltzer

A dime a dozen #6 whose making 3x what he's worth.