What's Not Said about Matt Moulson: Doing more with less
by WebBard on Jul 27, 2010 10:57 AM EDT
in This, That & What-Not
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In the discussion here of Matt Moulson's value before his arbitration hearing -- he signed this morning before the hearing for 1 year, $2.45 million -- it seems like everything was mentioned except the actual stats. But when you really look at what Moulson did this season it becomes tough to believe he'll be a one-hit wonder.
Looking at his shots, shooting percentage and time on ice you get a picture of someone that is going to be a competent long term player in the NHL. Break down each stat in comparison to not just other Islander players, but to other 30-goal scorers, and you start to see how Moulson did more with less.
First, his line combos: He played almost 20% of the time with Kyle Okposo and John Tavares, 14% with JT and Blake Comeau and 13% with Trent Hunter and Frans Nielsen. His top production was with KO and JT with 7 (even strength) points followed by Nielsen and Hunter for 5 (even strength) points out of a total of 33 even strength points. Both Hunter (4 5v5 Points) and Nielsen (4 5v5 Points) had their best even strength offensive output while paired with Moulson. Although Moulson spent more of his ice time paired up with JT and someone else, it's key that he created offensive chances when away from JT.
Speaking of the JT/KO/MM line, I went through nhl.com's gamecenter and marked down the position of each of them when they scored a goal. Although my diagram is a little rough and doesn't correspond size wise to the gamecenter rink, it does give a general idea of where their goals came from. Click for full size:
Moulson definitely got his dirty goals right in front of the net, but he also got his fair share of goals from a distance. At 208 shots, Moulson was second on the team in shots. In front of him was Okposo with 249, behind him was Mark Streit at 187 and Tavares at 186. Of Streit, Okposo, Moulson and Tavares, Moulson had not only the lowest time on ice average by nearly 2 minutes but was also the only one to be under 20 shifts a game. Moulson had 19.8 shifts a game, while JT had 20.8, KO had 23.8 and Streit had 26.6. Among 30-goal scorers last year, only Nashville's Patric Hornqvist averaged both fewer shifts a game and less ice time a game.
When talking about Moulson the word "sniper" doesn't seem to come up very often. But among the 24 players who finished with 30 goals in 2009-10, Moulson was tied for 8th in shooting percentage. On the Islanders he led the team in shooting percentage. Only seven Islanders were above 10%, with two of them (Jeff Tambellini, Dylan Reese) having taken less then 100 shots. Moulson not only got a large number of quality shots on net, he got them from everywhere in the offensive zone.
One-Year Wonder?
The poster boy of one-year wonders (for me) is Chris Simon. Simon is the best example of why Adam Oates was such a good player. The big lug firmly planted himself in front of the net and had a career year tipping in beautiful Oates passes. Following his 29-goal (team leading) season in 1999-00, Simon never again got more then 15 goals in a season.
Last season Moulson was a feel good story about how JT's addition helped the Islanders give him a chance, and he proved himself. That somehow got twisted into the idea that Moulson wouldn't be productive away from JT. What's being missed is that Moulson showed he was a sniper with a nose for the net -- an offensive threat no matter who his linemates were.
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A couple more feathers I'd add
Two other things I like to cite when thinking of the “bright side” of this argument:
Shooting percentage: It’s common to check shooting percentage to divine whether a guy’s career year is unsustainable (i.e. if he shot better than he ever has before, he’s likely the beneficiary of luck). But at 14.4% Moulson wasn’t out of range of what he showed in the AHL and even in limited NHL exposure (14.6 on 41 shots with LA), and he was middle of the pack among 25+ goal scorers last year.
The Strength of Even-Strength: Take away Moulson’s 8 PP goals and he still had more goals than anyone on the Isles last year other than JT (whose 24 included 11 PP markers). We don’t know what MM will put up this year, but that adds to the argument he’s a legit player.
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
Great points Dom. I think that’s the best point about Moulson, he is a legitimate player even if he’s not going to be a first line player. He’ll make the players around him better, which is a significant piece of the puzzle to add to winning. I just wish / hope they hammer out a longer deal soon. I was optimistic about a 3-4 year length.
I cannot wait for Rakh-tober.
Nicely put Dom. I think the thing is that even if Moulson’s shooting percentage does take a hit – you can expect that if Moulson receives an increase in average ice time (which is likely) that he will record more shots and thus have more opportunities to convert.
Also, if you consider that he is playing with kids that are only going to get better, it is likely that the playmakers will improve their ability to get the him.
I think it is reasonable to expect the same performance or better next year. If so, 2.45 million is good value.
A little confused...as usual
Nice post Webby. My confusion lies in the contract. Doesn’t it seem like this is within 10% or so of the high end we all expected for one year…. could the Isles have really feared a $3M award… and they don’t even get multiple years at the “discount”… if it was a discount to begin with.
Either way, I’m glad he’ll be on the team in 2010-11… not that there was much chance that he wouldn’t be… but with the way things have been going production seems to be the first step to the exit.
The NY Islanders are about to redo the salary cap floor with russian marble!
My guess is that both sides agreed to a number before Arbitration and have spent the last few weeks negotiating a long term deal. Hopefully they hammer out a long term deal (3 or 4 years just in case someone thinks I want to see him sign a 15 year deal) before the end of the season.
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Fear and loathing in arbitration
I’m really not surprised at this number at all. I think particularly after the MacArthur Disaster, it was reasonable to fear an arbitrator would hand Moulson $3 million or more. Maybe in the back of their minds Moulson and agent even feared a walk-away if the figure that high (that seems almost impossible to me, but it is Wang’s World), so they say “You know $2.45 is great, let’s go have a great first half and work on a long-term extension after New Year’s.”
Add Raymond re-signing before his hearing, and this seems the right ballpark. I know we went over a lot of this argument yesterday, but anything around $2.5M just strikes me as an ideal happy medium between the uncertain long-term and short-term bets. If Moulson duplicates 2009-10 then he’s way over a $3M player. If he only hits 20 or even 15 goals, you still look at his two-year record (including overall two-way play, intangibles, etc.) and think he gets bare minimum $2M on the open market and likely more.
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
by Dominik on Jul 27, 2010 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Webby, you should post a video montage {MONTAGE!} of his goals, it would be a nice addition to the chart (imho)
welcome to MSG, where 2 out of 5 vendors are safe to eat from!
I wish I could, I don’t think I can take the video off of NHL.com. I’ll double check over the weekend.
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good points
Very much so, and there are actually a few stats indicating that Moulson was not only productive away from JT, but actually would have been even more productive if he had spent less time with JT. On the ice, that is, of course. Overall, there’s no doubt the two benefited from the presence of each other.
Moulson was -3 with Tavares, but +6 without him. He had a Corsi ratio of 49.3% with Tavares, but 51.6% without him. Moulson was a plus player with every forward, except from JT and Comeau, whereas JT finished plus only with Park and Bergenheim (includes all forwards with at least 100 Corsi total events together with the two).
Regarding the shooting, the stats are very impressive indeed. Moulson actually shoots from far further out than people might think. Even-strength, he averaged 33.6 feet and came in just behind Bailey, Schremp and Hunter, who by the way leads the league for forwards (with at least 5 games) with 40.5. From everyone in the league with more than 22 EV-goals, only Ovechkin and Semin averaged more than Moulson’s 33.6. And only Knuble, Crosby and Kovalchuk had a better shooting percentage than Moulson’s 11.9%.
by BenHasna on Jul 27, 2010 12:25 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
I find it interesting that Moulson shoots his wrist shots from such long range (37.9 feet, only in front of Hunter in this metric), but yet his snap shots are significantly shorter range than most other Isles forwards (26.9 feet, only behind Tavares and Tambellini).
Breaking down Moulson’s goal totals – the ratio of goals obtained from the snap shot (6) relative to the wrist shot (7) is far different to all the other Isles forwards (e.g. Okposo is 3:9, Tavares and Sim (!) are 2:8, Bailey is 0:6).
Further, if you look at Moulson’s snap shot shooting percentage (16.7%) and compare it to people who scored +/- 5 even strength goals, his percentage is joint 2nd highest (behind Eric Fehr and tied with Pavelski and Burrows). If any part of Moulson’s game is likely to be affected – it is likely that it will be the number of goals he scores from snap shots.
However, it is likely that any change to his counting stats will correct itself by Moulson getting more ice-time this year.
by HugoAgogo on Jul 27, 2010 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yep, interesting. But I’m not always sure how accurate they are when it comes to categorize shots. Anyway, lots of goals are missing for Moulson there, only 15 of 22 were slap shots, snap shots or wrist shots according to these stats. Most of the other 7 probably were deflections, tip-ins, I assume. That perhaps will be quite difficult to repeat as well as the goals scored from snap shots, as you mention.
Not sure about more ice-time, honestly. He had the 3rd highest EV TOI already, behind just Okposo and Tavares. And that line of course was pushed quite a bit already, played a lot, when they needed a goal or had an offensive zone draw. If anything, I’d expect maybe Bailey breaking through, Schremp and Comeau getting better, Nielsen getting even more responsibilty and thus not much room for JT’s line to get more EV TOI.
So, finally, I’d expect about the same TOI, but his line mates, particularly JT, as well as the whole team improving a bit. If we expect his goals scored from deflections and snap shots to drop slightly, that would mean he could still finish somewhere pretty close to 30 goals again.
That data is always a little wonky — I do suspect a lot of the unaccounteds are tip-ins. I’d want to say those are even more prone to luck (though I don’t know). But Moulson appears to have that knack around the net.
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
I would agree that it is more likely that Moulson keeps that knack around the net and maintains the amount of tip-in’s.
Also, the 7 ‘missing’ goals is hardly anomalous – look at Vancouver’s stats for example. Of the guys with similar EV goal totals: D. Sedin is missing 9 goals, Burrows 7, H. Sedin 5, Samuelsson 5 and Raymond 7. The average is 6.6 for the top five goal scorers – this is not too far away from Moulson’s number.
I agree, most of those 7 probably are tip-ins (as these are difficult to classify as ‘shots’ accurately), and they may be difficult to repeat as well (as the next highest number of ‘missing’ goals is 3).
As far as the ice-time thing goes – I just looked at what WebBard said about him doing the lowest number of shifts and lowest average ice time and presumed he could do with a bump in ice time.
He also had a high total amount of minutes on ice, but I think Time On Ice stats are a bit screwed up for the Islanders because so many players didn’t play a full season.
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Lineup...
Not that Matt’s contract really changes this, but it will be interesting to see where he fits in as the season progresses. Right now you’d have to say that he is the #1 LW. He should get the majority of the TOI at the position and will see the glut of PP time….
Until…
1. Nino proves he is ready… or he gets his 9 non-entry-level-qualifying games.
2. Matt Martin is a MONSTER. I think we’d all agree that Matt looked good in his limited appearences and roles last year. Marting also provides something the team desperately needs… SIZE UP FRONT.
3. Jesse has a break-out camp. This is the least likely, but if it does happen, his size and physicality has to lend itself to a top six role of some sort. Most likely Jesse will get 20-40 games in the NHL at some point to see if he needs to be inthe organization in the future.
4. Parenteau is the 2010-11 Matt Moulson.
5. There are still UFA LWs out there… and a helluva lot of cap space.
More than likely Moulson gets bounced around less than he did last year… but the one year deal, to me, signifies that they are going to try to fill his top six role more permanently with two of the four options above. We know for sure that Nino will be given a chance to make the team this year and next… then we just have to wait and see where Martin, Parenteau and Joensuu fit into the plans.
Currently, I’d have to say the LW depth chart looks like this:
Moulson
Parenteau
Martin
Joensuu
Gillies
The NY Islanders are about to redo the salary cap floor with russian marble!
#5 is a possibility but few LW left.
Many of the rumors are on RW like Stepniak, Afenogenov. Who else is out on LW that could be top 6? Poni, Kariya if he’s healthy, Torres and ??? Of these who is signing here? I think that’s a reason they signed Parenteau. There are a lot more RW on the market then LW and we just cannot attract the big names. We could land a RW but it will be because there are many on the market.
...and scratch Poni off the list
He is now a King.
Moulson Orange?
Looks more “golden” than orange.
Im happy at the $ and quite thrilled that they didnt go through arbitration.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
One Day I'll figure out
how to do a fan shot or post but….
THN reports Janks hired as a scout by the Canadiens.
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Jul 27, 2010 3:07 PM EDT reply actions
Cap floor
So, how much more do we have to go to get to the cap floor? Frolov was signed by the Rags, by the way, leaving one less useful person who could help bridge the remaining gap to the salary minimum.
Warning: This post may cause Yashin Rashes, Spano Spasms, and Dingle Milburys.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Jul 27, 2010 3:11 PM EDT reply actions
~$4 million?
Depending on who you include on the roster, I reckon we’re around $4-5 million short? Add a bonus-laden Weight contract, Lawson and a Nino/de Haan type making the team and we’re probably there … by a hair. I refuse to consider Witt in this scenario, but I guess you never know.
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
I wouldn't be surprised if...
The NHLPA will scream and yell that such an incentive-heavy contract circumvents the cap floor, but you can’t have it both ways. If the Devils’ contract with Kovy is legal, than so would an incentive-Weighted deal (see what I did there? I slay myself sometimes!).
The other players might not be too pleased. They’d have some bonus money if he signed a normal deal (assuming no more free agents are signed).
Warning: This post may cause Yashin Rashes, Spano Spasms, and Dingle Milburys.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Jul 28, 2010 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Difference is
IF the Isles or any other team gives a rookie or 35+yo player a bonus-laden contract, it is done with every intention of paying it out should the player achieve those bonuses. The Kovalchuk contract on the other hand was created with every intention of terminating the contract when the fake years begin and eliminating a cap hit that they rightly should have. to bear. One is fair, somthing that all teams do, and one isnt.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Jul 28, 2010 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I do think that is a real (if subtle) difference, though if the Weight bonuses were insane (like $2 million for winning the Conn Smythe or something) it would certainly be a circumvention.
This is a side tangent, but I’m amazed at the vitriol toward the league from some corners (well, I expect the same old tripe from Larry Brooks). I understand the thought they should have drawn the line earlier (although Ilya’s is more extreme than prior cases, and the league did issue warnings, and you have to draw the line somewhere). But people are fighting the CBA battle all over again, “We’re within the rulez!!1” and all that.
I just want to shout from the rooftops: “LOOK! Whether you liked the salary cap idea or not, both sides agreed to it. It’s the reality now. It was designed to serve a purpose. Deals like this are deliberately designed to undermine that purpose.” A tool like Brooks will claim the cap never worked, when in reality (if more junk like this goes through) it was never allowed to work.
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
by Dominik on Jul 29, 2010 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Understood, but...
… I can see the NHLPA saying that it’s just a way for a team to not have to spend as much as the floor, which takes money out of players’ pockets. Whereas the salary cap should include every bonus, because you’re calculating the maximum you’d pay a player, it should be the opposite when considering if a team makes it to the floor: only count the base salaries, and assume no bonuses are met. Not that I’m complaining in our case, but giving Weight lots of unattainable bonuses is just as much a circumvention as bogus cheap years on the tail end of a long contract.
Thankfully, the CBA doesn’t explicitly state that the floor considers the minimum a team would pay a player (no bonuses), so we don’t have to worry about it. But it’s just as much a loop hole on the low end as a Kovy deal would be to the high end. Technically, both loop holes should be closed.
Warning: This post may cause Yashin Rashes, Spano Spasms, and Dingle Milburys.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Jul 29, 2010 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions
I can see the NHLPA saying that it’s just a way for a team to not have to spend as much as the floor, which takes money out of players’ pockets.
I see what youre trying to do here and its interesting to explore as an idea, but once you do that you cannot really make the case that giving players bonuses takes money out of players’ pockets. ALL 30 teams have players with bonuses in their contracts- every single one of them. Once you really do the math, you will see that comparing bonuses to contracts like the intentionally cap circumventing kovalchuk contract in no possible way the same thing. Your idea that “both loop holes should be closed” when you actually crunch the numbers, will not add up. If you dont believe me, please by all means- do the math. See what the NHL is are losing and gaining because of the ultimately unachieved bonuses on all 30 teams each season.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Jul 30, 2010 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Two separate issues
I think ti’s worth exploring for the cap circumvention part only. Idea being a ridiculous unachievable bonus made by a team just to meet the cap floor would be circumvention — not that every (or even most) teams’ bonuses are circumvention.
you cannot really make the case that giving players bonuses takes money out of players’ pockets.Agreed, this is a non-starter — but not because the bonuses don’t amount to much in the grand scheme. Rather, player compensation is tied to revenues, period. Every contract is actually just a general in-season paycheck guide, because at the end of the year players either have to give back more or receive some of what the league stashed away (via the much-derided yet little-understood escrow) to ensure that the players have received their percentage of overall Hockey Related Revenues.
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
Nova Scotia is a time zone or two ahead of Brooklyn right?
That would explain how you beat me to the Frolov news. ;-)
Warning: This post may cause Yashin Rashes, Spano Spasms, and Dingle Milburys.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Jul 27, 2010 3:12 PM EDT reply actions
More on 2010/11 Lineup
First, I am thrilled Moulson is signed. Now, in regards to the islander lineup, the Isles have alot of centers. Is there any thought to moving Nielsen or Bailey to the top line and pairing them with Tavares at a wing with Moulson or Okposo? This could improve the scoring potential and give the best players the most ice time. What do you guys think?
The Bailey Question
That is wild card #1 to me. I can’t look at this lineup without figuring Bailey starts out at LW again. And in that role I bet he pairs with Frans on the Defensive Conscience Line.
Another variable is Comeau: Remember when he was on the left with JT and KO? Or does he float on the right with JT and Moulson, pushing KO to another line? Although the depth on the wing overall is a worry, I am enticed by the options to play around in Gordon’s version of EA NHL 11.
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
Tavares/Schremp/Nielsen down the middle, with Bailey and Weight on the wings. (Those two spent a lot of time on wing last year, as well.) Perhaps we see Schremp in more of an offensive/scoring line role, given a) his skill set, and b) his progression during the second half of last season.
Hopefully we see more of a traditional lineup (two scoring lines, two-way/defensive line, energy line), but with the lack of depth [and perhaps consistency], I wouldn’t hedge my bets on it. I think it’ll be the first line (Tavares/Okposo, perhaps), then whichever one of the 2nd/3rd lines happens to be scoring at any given moment.
Not only are we loaded at center
…there are rumors http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=29497 that we are looking at Boston C Marc Savard. I’m not sure who we would be sending over but Boston is salary dumping so it would probably be picks and/or young prospects (Boston has about $4 mil left with more players to sign). If this goes through then you have a real log-jam at center (assuming we do not send over someone).
Because of the logjam you mention (not to mention the salary and age involved), I can’t see that happening.
Also as always consider the dubious source…
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
I think whenever someone has a high salary, we’re just going to be the default team now that’s mentioned as possible future home.
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Probably right
Who has cap space + who might do something unexpected = “I’m hearing Islanders…”
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
Maybe I'm jaded
but I don’t discount anything when it comes to this team. When you cannot attract free agents you start trading for talent instead. I’m not sure where he would fit in so I’m not really buying it but just the thought that we would even consider trading for someone to fill what is our strongest position makes it interesting. Plus it’s the offseason; what else is there to do than to speculate wildly?
If I remember right he has something like 7 years at 4.2 mil per (cap hit wise) and is 33. Not really bad for a guy who has been 20-60-80+ each of the 3 seasons before last seasons concussion. Sure he will taper off in the closing years but if they got him cheap enough (no top tier prospects) I’m all for it. I just wish we could have picked up a top 6 LW, I think that would have served our needs the most.
Jaded is understandable ;)
His contract is definitely cap-friendly for his talent level, there’s just that concussion concern. I do think there will come a time when Snow makes a move like that — packages some parts for a skilled vet whose team can no longer fit him in — I just doubt he’s near that point yet.
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
I like Bailey at wing. Seemed to me to be too tentative at C, thinking to much about his responsibilities. Maybe he grows into it, but from what I saw think he fits better on the wing.
So far, I definitely agree with that. Could see him (hopefully?) growing into it, maybe ultimately pushing Schremp out.
I guess another wild card is, although they never tried an alternative last year, we still can’t be 100% certain that Tavares’ future is at center.
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
Dom, I agree on Tavares. I absolutely could see him on the wing as well, I would say his natural talents make him a better fit there. He is a very good passer tho, and if his skating and overall game continue to develop he can play C no problem.
Tavares’ passing almost excites me more than his shooting. It’s fun: There is a lot to like about his game that has a chance to grow in leaps and bounds.
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
....
With Bailey, he just doesn’t shoot enough or with enough efficiency to be a goal scoring winger. But, he skates well and can pass. Plus, he is defensively sound in his own end. The way I see it, Tavares is still very young. He is not an elite skater or defender. In fact, his defensive ability is still a work in progress. I’d like to see him at wing with Nielsen at center and paired with Moulson or Okposo (depending on whether Tavares can play LW or RW). Bailey could play on the 2nd line, Weight on the 3rd line and Konopka on the 4th. Then they could mix in Shremp at wing and center. To me this optimizes the Islanders available talent and puts the best offensive players on the ice.
Bailey has a nice wrister
He started to shoot the puck allot more at the end of last season and he had some nice results…Hopefully he will continue to do that next season…
Bailey had the highest shooting percentage on the team after Moulson and he seemed to be progressing nicely when he went down.
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by WebBard on Jul 27, 2010 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
""MATT MOULSON", the EPITOME of CONSISTENCY"
"MATT MOULSON" wasn’t just consistent, he was the the "EPITOME of CONSISTENCY"…He scored 15 goals thru the 1st half games and then 15 more in the 2nd half…He never went into a slump because he stuck to what works for most goal scorers in this league, and thats getting your nose dirty and paying the price in front of the net…I believe he shouldve gotten a couple or 3 years…I can appreciate the fact that he only did it in 1 season and its important to evaluate over a longer span but its not like he was hot and cold all season like Bergy…I, for one, doubt he will be in an Isles uniform after this season, especially if he has a great year…Isles will not sign him when he becomes a UFA…Last time the Isles had a decent season it was under Ted Nolan and most of our UFA’s left, including guys like Kozlov, and Blake among others…We ended up with the UFA left overs like Comrie and Fedetenko…The only way this team will have any chance to keep players is if they start winning but more importantly, if they have a new arena in the works…Until then, we are doomed…Sorry to be negative but Ive been positive this whole time but this latest news coming out with Jaffe and Jankowski and the LHP being shut down, I am having a hard time seeing a bright spot…If any of you guys think Im wrong all the power to you, this Isles fan has had it up to here!
I’ll always argue that winning trumps the condition of the arena.
Even if Moulson has a great year, I don’t see why the Islanders won’t bring him back. They’ll have a ton of cap space open up when contracts like Witt’s (3 Mill) Rollies (2.5 Mill) Jurcina (1 Mill) Martinkek (1.5 Mill) and need to spend money somewhere. Personally I believe the Islanders are going to sign him to a long term deal during the season at some point. But whats to stop them from throwing the kitchen sink at Moulson and him realizing that the Islanders gave him a chance when no one else would.
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God love Blake for all his effort and ascension, but I thought they got out of that stock at the right time and I’ve yet to see anything from him since to change my mind. Maybe they could have signed him for less mid-season instead of the $$ he got from Toronto, but somehow I suspect an agent was whispering, “You’re having a great year, we can hold out for more.”
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
KO needs to get his nose dirty
Your chart shows what I noticed all season long…KO should be crashing the net more but I wonder if thats partially Gordos coaching….He has KO on the perimeter on the PP, meanwhile the kids a forward…I think he should be playing his natural position on PP and not on the point…Thats wasted talent IMHO..Maybe he would’ve scored 5 or 10 more goals
KO also had a very low shooting percentage and a ton of shots. I think luck kept him from ending up with more goals, or a matter of inches. So hopefully next season either luck or those few inches are there for him
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KO
I also harbor a pet worry that Okposo had too much ice time in too many difficult situations. Not that he isn’t effective in that role, but when you’re constantly burning the wick at both ends it might take a little zip off your shot, a little oomph out of your drive to the net.
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
Yup.
If youre a little less dog tired from being an all-situation wearing a letter no less, maybe more of those 34958 “just wide of the net”s are actually SOG and- maybe- some of those SOG they actually go in!
Hitting posts aside, that boy went “just wide of the net” in like every game!
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Jul 27, 2010 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions
On that note, this was an interesting quote
At FanHouse:
“What you see with Zach is all the talent, of course,” said Okposo, “but you also see that goal scoring is a mindset. This is what I’m working on. I don’t care if it’s a game of shinny; if I’ve got a chance to score, I have to bear down and finish the scoring chance. Plays around the net, breakaways, loose pucks … it’s like having a killer instinct. You see the way Zach plays, whether it’s a crucial moment like at the Olympics or a regular season game. I’ve learned from watching him and I’m working to improve my scoring touch every time I’m on the ice.”I dare say that kid is self-aware!
Lighthouse Hockey: Adapting forecasts to the disturbance known as Nino.
Its so nice to see Kyle talking like that.
Thumbs up.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Jul 28, 2010 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions
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Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Jersey
|
82 | 48 | 27 | 7 | 103 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
82 | 47 | 28 | 7 | 101 |
|
Philadelphia
|
82 | 41 | 35 | 6 | 88 |
|
New York Rangers
|
82 | 38 | 33 | 11 | 87 |
|
New York Islanders
|
82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 |
(updated 4.12.2010 at 9:21 AM EDT)
Islanders Schedule
Next 5 Games
|
@
Philadelphia
|
Wed 09/29 | 7:00 PM EDT |
|
Calgary
|
Wed 09/29 | 8:00 PM EDT |
|
@
New Jersey
|
Fri 10/01 | 7:00 PM EDT |
|
New Jersey
|
Sat 10/02 | 7:00 PM EDT |
|
Montreal
|
Sat 10/02 | 7:00 PM EDT |
Last 5 Games
|
Pittsburgh
|
Sun 04/11 | OT - L 5 - 6 |
|
@
New Jersey
|
Sat 04/10 | L 1 - 7 |
|
@
Pittsburgh
|
Thu 04/08 | L 3 - 7 |
|
Montreal
|
Tue 04/06 | SO - W 4 - 3 |
|
Ottawa
|
Sat 04/03 | W 4 - 1 |
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
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- Donald Fehr aware of Kovalchuk drama, mum on everything else
- Puck Headlines: Savard's agent rants on Bettman; Halak in Montreal
- Boudreau, Crawford placed on the coaching hot seat
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
