Actually false. He is not regressing. His advanced stats numbers actually show that he is no-where near what his goal + assist numbers suggest. Puck Luck, pressing a little too hard, etc. I'm guessing that if you were an LAK fan, you would have been the ones calling to dump Kopitar when he had a 12 goal season.
- TheTrob

Can we stop with these albatross comparisons? Kopitar, Hossa, Kane are all Hall of Famers, Saad will never be. These are not the same type of situations. This is a guy who makes 6 mil a year and is not understanding that he cant just show up. This wake up call is for motivation and instead of being poopy pants, he needs to kick it in gear.

Okay for the love of god Saad isn’t Kopitar, he’s not Kane, he’s not Hossa. He’s an average winger that’s currently a healthy scratch because of how much he’s regressed. I do believe in advanced stats but at times they can also be misleading. The Hawks as a team last year finished 4th in 5v5 CF%. But as we all know the actual results were that of a below average team. Saad was brought here to “reform a connection with Toews on the top line and produce offense”. Not get demoted to the bottom 6 and spark rumors of attitude/lack of motivation issues.
- SimpleJack

thank you, very nice synopsis

The seemingly positive Corsi possession numbers merely SUPPORT the eye test observation that the Hawks play a soft offensive style dominated by keep away perimeter passing with precious little to show for it.

Can we stop with these albatross comparisons? Kopitar, Hossa, Kane are all Hall of Famers, Saad will never be. These are not the same type of situations. This is a guy who makes 6 mil a year and is not understanding that he cant just show up. This wake up call is for motivation and instead of being poopy pants, he needs to kick it in gear.
- nickmo2699

No one is comparing Saad to any of those players. What is being said is that you have a player that HAS played to a certain level before, and earned a contract based on that level of play. Because recently he has not been playing to that level is not a reason all of a sudden to discard him. Plenty of players, of all abilities, have had down seasons (or more) and then come back strong. To trade him when his value is at it's lowest is foolish, especially when he is 25 years old.

No one is comparing Saad to any of those players. What is being said is that you have a player that HAS played to a certain level before, and earned a contract based on that level of play. Because recently he has not been playing to that level is not a reason all of a sudden to discard him. Plenty of players, of all abilities, have had down seasons (or more) and then come back strong. To trade him when his value is at it's lowest is foolish, especially when he is 25 years old.
- TheTrob

Yes.

Can we stop with these albatross comparisons? Kopitar, Hossa, Kane are all Hall of Famers, Saad will never be. These are not the same type of situations. This is a guy who makes 6 mil a year and is not understanding that he cant just show up. This wake up call is for motivation and instead of being poopy pants, he needs to kick it in gear.
- nickmo2699

Yes,, future HOF'ers who fans were screaming to be traded because their numbers were down. Luckily mgmt was a little smarter than that.

why is Q demoting him from Line 2 to Line 4 to White Shirted
- glennjpawlak22

I know ... it's after labor day. Wtf

To whoever mentioned dealing Schmaltz, take a lap.

To everyone pondering dealing Saad, are you high?

We are 5 games into the season. Not 30 games, not halfway... 5. Players go through tough patches. Saad struggled last year, as did his most frequent linemates: Jonathan Toews and Player 4 from a teenager's NHL 18.

Saad was a 58% Corsi player last season, that is outstanding. You can write-off advanced stats all you want, and you'll be looking for work along with Brian Burke and other dinosaurs of 20 years ago. Saad drove play to the other end of the ice, and this was on a team that struggled to do just that.

He's on a 33 point pace right now, and that is bad. His Corsi is down so far, and that is bad. He hasn't forgotten how to play well, and 5 games is not enough to indict him for the rest of his career.

We've learned the hard way multiple times (Saad, Panarin, Terravainen, Ladd) that trading a good winger well before the age of 29 is a bad idea. Saad is 25 and will be relied on more once Toews starts declining more and Kane starts to decline. He's locked up at $6MM per, while there are plenty of forwards out there that don't deserve $6MM+ but still get it (Parise, Spezza, Ryan, Krejci, Kesler, Stepan, Eberle, Backes). If Saad keeps up his poor play 30 games into the year, then yes he isn't worth it. Give him time.

If you deal Saad, how terrible is our left wing depth?
Debrincat, Fortin, Kunitz, Kruger. That might make us the worst left wing team in the league. Granted that Fortin is on a bit of a try-out and Kruger is in the amorphous 4th line. Swap him for Sikura, Johnson, Martinsen, or whoever and it's still terrible.


Dealing Saad is a bad idea. You guys need to chill out. When he scores his first goal or puts up 2 assists in a game this place will be an echo chamber of 'glad something finally lit a fire under him'.
- ObeseOprah

how did advanced stats work for fla a couple years ago? They rehired dale pretty quick

No one is comparing Saad to any of those players. What is being said is that you have a player that HAS played to a certain level before, and earned a contract based on that level of play. Because recently he has not been playing to that level is not a reason all of a sudden to discard him. Plenty of players, of all abilities, have had down seasons (or more) and then come back strong. To trade him when his value is at it's lowest is foolish, especially when he is 25 years old.
- TheTrob

100% agree. Although I agree with nickmo calling Saad a poopy pants and needs the motivation.

It could be that Saad is just so hard on himself, that it is a vicious cycle. To the point where the coaching staff has to sit him, just so he can try to get his head straight.

It could be that Saad is just so hard on himself, that it is a vicious cycle. To the point where the coaching staff has to sit him, just so he can try to get his head straight.
- ToewsdNKanefusd

I'm still trying to coin the newlywed effect. Duchene had a down year after getting married, now it's happening to Saad.

Yes,, future HOF'ers who fans were screaming to be traded because their numbers were down. Luckily mgmt was a little smarter than that.
- TheTrob

You mean perimeter fans, the ones that cheer cause its the cool thing to do? People who know the sport wouldn't call for a trade of those players unless it benefited the team now and in the future. Saad cant make a difference in the game the way those three guys could. His down year at 6mil is a problem because of the lack of scoring depth up front. I am on board with holding out to game 25-30 to really evaluate and decide what should be done. My issue stems from the off ice representation. Interviews, missing skates, etc. You want to see a guy that is a big piece to the offense show more fire when challenged in this way.

It could be that Saad is just so hard on himself, that it is a vicious cycle. To the point where the coaching staff has to sit him, just so he can try to get his head straight.
- ToewsdNKanefusd

I eat because I’m unhappy....I’m unhappy because I eat....it’s a vicious cycle.

how did advanced stats work for fla a couple years ago? They rehired dale pretty quick
- vandymeer23

You serious clark? Florida were a bunch of idiots who relied ONLY on advanced stats for that season, they sidelined Dale (dumb), fired Gallant (very dumb), and let that munster family looking oaf Rowe get behind the bench (submarine alarm dumb).


One anecdote to the contrary does not prove a hypothesis incorrect, advanced stats aren't going anywhere dude. Either climb aboard the train or be prepared to be on the tracks. Look at who is getting hired by teams in increasingly large roles: Dubas, Chayka, and dozens of guys who've had to take their websites down once they get hired by a franchise.

Dubas is running arguably the biggest franchise in the league, and I guarantee you he's not calling up Brian Burke, Mike Milbury, or Garth Snow asking for who can bring the most 'truckulence' to the team. Advanced stats are regularly cited by nearly every lead hockey writer (McKenzie, Lebrun, Burnside, etc.), and if you think it'll go away I have a really bad forecast for you.

Some numbers obviously don't tell a whole story, but it's pushing towards the right idea of being able to quantify things that used to be nebulous feelings about a player. There will always be an eye test element to player evaluation, but if you're a rebuilding GM who is trading away a top player for picks and prospects, you'll be thankful you have an analytics department who can tell you who among that team's prospects is most likely to turn into the next Patrick Sharp.

I eat because I’m unhappy....I’m unhappy because I eat....it’s a vicious cycle.
- SimpleJack

That's a fat bast. line in Austin Powers.

I'm still trying to coin the newlywed effect. Duchene had a down year after getting married, now it's happening to Saad.
- I Am The Breadman

I forgot that he got married. That could definitely contribute to him not being 100% ready this year.

I really don't think they are demoting/sitting him as a wake up call. I really think there is something to him being hard on himself. The coaches have probably been telling him that he is doing the little things right, and to just keep doing those things and everything else will fall in place, but he just gets so stuck on how he isn't producing that he gets so down on himself, which leads to worse play. Eventually the team needs to bench him just to get him out of the way of his own head.

EDIT: Or...the wife wants a baby, and she has been taking all of the energy out of him every night!!

Quoted from Eklund's rating: Who's for real and who's in real trouble.

#3. The Chicago Blackhawks...for real?

Yes.. I picked them 3rd in the division for a reason and again from my whacky predictions...#9. Cam Ward will have the Blackhawks in the playoff hunt into January This team is still too close to being called a dynasty to just be discarded and DeBrincat is proving 100% to be the real deal.

The Hawks are...for real
- I Am The Breadman

Ah ... they're actually 2+ years away from "dynasty talk" and more importantly there are some "dynasty talk" ingredients missing - namely, Hossa, Hjalmarsson, Sharp and several other players that provided better depth scoring and defending than currently in the lineup. Not to mention more mileage on the old core guys still in the lineup. Yeah DeBrincat, Schmaltz and Joki - but those new core guys aren't quite to the level of 2013/2015 Hossa, Hjalmarsson and Sharp - at least not yet.

It could be that Saad is just so hard on himself, that it is a vicious cycle. To the point where the coaching staff has to sit him, just so he can try to get his head straight.
- ToewsdNKanefusd

Actually it sounds like he's a really laid back guy, who is a bit dense, reporters said when he was demoted to the 4th line he seemed not to care?

I eat because I’m unhappy....I’m unhappy because I eat....it’s a vicious cycle.
- SimpleJack

Hahaha hahaha

Sometimes when the Blackhawks make me sad I just go to this page and it makes me very happy: https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/mapleleafs

Sometimes when the Blackhawks make me sad I just go to this page and it makes me very happy: https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/mapleleafs
- ObeseOprah

Holy crap, they're screwed

I forgot that he got married. That could definitely contribute to him not being 100% ready this year.

I really don't think they are demoting/sitting him as a wake up call. I really think there is something to him being hard on himself. The coaches have probably been telling him that he is doing the little things right, and to just keep doing those things and everything else will fall in place, but he just gets so stuck on how he isn't producing that he gets so down on himself, which leads to worse play. Eventually the team needs to bench him just to get him out of the way of his own head.

EDIT: Or...the wife wants a baby, and she has been taking all of the energy out of him every night!!
- ToewsdNKanefusd

Hahaha, you scallywag

Ah ... they're actually 2+ years away from "dynasty talk" and more importantly there are some "dynasty talk" ingredients missing - namely, Hossa, Hjalmarsson, Sharp and several other players that provided better depth scoring and defending than currently in the lineup. Not to mention more mileage on the old core guys still in the lineup. Yeah DeBrincat, Schmaltz and Joki - but those new core guys aren't quite to the level of 2013/2015 Hossa, Hjalmarsson and Sharp - at least not yet.
- EbonyRaptor

I think I've seen 1 Hossa on my lifetime, there will never be one again. Hopefully we see coach Hossa down the line ...

I forgot that he got married. That could definitely contribute to him not being 100% ready this year.

I really don't think they are demoting/sitting him as a wake up call. I really think there is something to him being hard on himself. The coaches have probably been telling him that he is doing the little things right, and to just keep doing those things and everything else will fall in place, but he just gets so stuck on how he isn't producing that he gets so down on himself, which leads to worse play. Eventually the team needs to bench him just to get him out of the way of his own head.

EDIT: Or...the wife wants a baby, and she has been taking all of the energy out of him every night!!
- ToewsdNKanefusd

bring in Sharpie!!!!![/img]

Sometimes when the Blackhawks make me sad I just go to this page and it makes me very happy: https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/mapleleafs
- ObeseOprah

So Matthews get 10+, Marner is probably at 8, Kapanen at 6mil and Connor Brown in a couple years will get 4-5. Holy.......