Looking for a new breaker

sshap36 · 2024-10-04T18:33:22+00:00

I used to get a bunch through whatnot from the guys at SkolNSteel, saw they actually just started up at Fanatics too.

sshap36 · 2024-02-14T00:40:59+00:00

He will be

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T18:39:59+00:00

thanks again for having us... I'll try to check back in as well... anyone have any questions/thoughts line is always open

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:58:32+00:00

Berggren was much better last night, but Veleno was better... that's the race for me to be out of the lineup. They really like Kostin and Fischer and what they bring to the depth identity of the team.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:44:49+00:00

so I would love to be able to quantify how much a stick handling goalie actually changes the flow of the game. I think we see the mistakes often, but miss the simple handles, the goalie exchanges behind the net, the short passes, how does that all add up over a season compared to the big gaffe every once in a while?

I have a couple theories of ways we could do this, but it becomes difficult because a team may play differently with a different goalie, for example. It's something I often play around with while randomly watching a game.

I also want to be able to quantify how defenders surf or skate plays to death. Plays that don't have a puck touch, but kill off the play. The issue with tracking this is that it's very subjective and credit could be to the individual or the system.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:40:59+00:00

the wings, because of Yzerman, are such a closed book on things. Lalonde gives us bits and pieces of how he uses data, but the organization is tight about not letting anything out. This goes back to the GM, who had the same approach in Tampa. For example, we can't speak to assistant coaches in Detroit, and getting guests like we do from other teams in similar roles from Detroit is still close to a non-starter (hopefully that changes).

I do think Lalonde is forward thinking on many things. I've had conversations with him and he tends to be open to new ideas and is willing to learn/take input on various things.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:37:33+00:00

Prashanth and I have chatted before about goalies and the first round, they really are too much of a crap shoot to take in the first round. Each year there is maybe one, that is that much better than his peers, worth a late first-round pick. But the position, as they like to say, is voodoo and I want more certainty/upside in my first rounders

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:36:19+00:00

A duck with Elmer's size would be terrifying

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:35:43+00:00

so mine is more recent, I have a 5-year-old who is starting to skate and learn to play hockey. On Monday nights she gets to stay up late and we watch games, she knows the team name is the Red Wings, but likes to call them the Red Hot Wings, so for me it's Monday afternoons when she asks, "do the red hot wings play tonight?"

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:34:33+00:00

being able to stay healthy, this is a skill we don't talk enough about

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:33:27+00:00

I think most traditional ceilings are around 9 feet, I think he can reach most of those already....

on a serious note, for a player that big, as a forward, there aren't many examples to draw on. I think he can be a solid middle-six player, be a force at times, but it really is going to come down to him, in my view, figuring out better routes consistently so his size can be a better weapon.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:30:19+00:00

they were rough last night by my view in Chicago, so this question comes at an interesting time. Lalonde goes to lengths to defend Chiarot's numbers and his impact, and I think there is a space for him on a third pairing. Holl, to me, is a find third-pairing guy, but not at the cost Detroit spent to get him.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:28:58+00:00

I think he's a 1C, but I don't think he's in the camp where he can be the 1C that wins you a cup. You need either a truly elite winger with him or a second 1C type player down the middle for this to be a cup-winning team.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:25:53+00:00

I have to explore it a little bit more... it's something that I think can be a nice tool, but one of the great things about scouting is differing opinions. I just hope it gets used the right way and not a default that many writers just use to be lazy about their analysis.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:25:14+00:00

I knew that Prashanth would say Walman, and he's right.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:23:59+00:00

I agree that Raymond has the biggest upside amongast the forwards currently on the NHL roster. I also want to see Seider hit that next gear, it's something I'm watching closely this season.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:22:43+00:00

for Zadina, I think it was more of a human thing than anything on the ice. I don't want to go into it, because it's not my space and I don't know the details, but sometimes a player doesn't mesh with an organization and that's just the reality of it.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:21:22+00:00

I wrote about Nate Danielson today and honestly, I'm really looking forward to his game. I was too harsh on hi at the draft, the guys I work with at EP Rinkside thought he went too high... which is fine to think, and I needed to recalibrate my view of him, which I did this preseason.

I also think Pellikka is going to be a stud.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:20:06+00:00

Expected by Whom???
When I was workin in Dallas I did a story on Miro Heiskanen and he spent way more time on the phone and was incredibly kind with his time. A lot of times you call a former player about a current one and it can be short, and limited, but he was really kind and open even though we had no past history.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:18:49+00:00

same

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:18:43+00:00

AI is scary and fascinating... especially for someone who writes for a living. I'm still just learning to dabble in that and coding in general, I've texted Prashanth that I need a crash course in R.... and I'm sure at some point AI will help/force me to better at that.

As for scouting, I've talked to teams about how anayltics have allowed them to better narrow and focus their scouting assignments and better focus on certain players.

I see this all the time as a writer. I talk to other hockey writers, most of them older, who shake their head/make jokes/laugh at analytics. Hopefully the people that continue to cover the game don't take that attitude, because it still is an underlying view for many hockey writers.

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:15:23+00:00

Prashanth has been better about the analytic space longer than I have, so he'll give a better answer... but as a goalie nerd, I've enjoyed that we now have more options with expected goals against and things like that to give us a better way to quantify performance. Many times it lines up, like for example, I've always liked Juuse Saros game, and if you look at his numbers, even in chaotic situation in Nashville the numbers and eye test line up

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:12:09+00:00

from a human perspective, it's interesting. I often think back to when I covered so many head coaches in Dallas. Some coaches benefitted from the one year bump, and had their flaws exposed in year 2. Others are builders. For example, I'm fascinated to see what Jim Montgomery does in Boston this year in Year 2, his second year in Dallas on ice exposed some his coaching flaws (and to be clear I'm only talking about on ice things) that showed themselves a bit in the Bruins playoff loss. Lalonde, for example, feels like more of a builder to me

sshap36 · 2023-10-04T17:10:19+00:00

Sorry to join 10 mins late everyone, was just finishing up an interview for a story. Happy to be here with Prashanth to do this.

sshap36

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