Welcome to 10 Insights and Observations. Every Thursday, we use this space to highlight teams, players, storylines, and general thoughts about the NHL, and possibly the larger world of hockey.
This week we look at lesser-known players like Shane Pinto, Matt Roy and Phil Kessel (!?), the pros and cons of NHL marketing, and more.
Early Sens Outstanding Focus
Ottawa has made a lot of headlines this summer with big trades, big free agency deals and big contract extensions. It’s no surprise, as they were all quite a move for a franchise that has typically run on a tight budget.
Shane Pinto wasn’t bought, but it could have been better. Last season was all in vain for him, with a shoulder injury, coming back, re-injury, and needing surgery.
Unsurprisingly, he started the season with two goals in three games. Including this beauty, in 17 games in his career before the start of the season he scored 1 goal in 1 game.
It’s a little hard to see how good this overall play is from him. and kickstart the breakout before running up the ice to open it and home the puck once.
Both of his goals so far this season have been one-offs. He’s getting tough zone starts heading into the season — nearly 70% defensive his zone starts (non-neutral zone showdowns) — and third his line playing a bit of his checking role. increase. It’s a tough job for players to step into the league, and expectations are high for teams right now, but early returns are promising.
Defensemen are now made differently
The Vancouver Canucks wouldn’t want to hear that, but a comeback in the NHL would be great for the product. Last season, the NHL averaged 6.28 goals per game for him. This was his best league record since 1995–96.
The early 2000s were full of trap hockey. Goals rose after the season-wide lockout ended in 2005, but were ballooned by an increase in power play with the introduction of the “new” rule. Now we simply see the offense and talent fully played out.There are no safe leads.
The types of players we see in the league are stylistically changing. How many shut-down, top-pairing defenses will we see in the mold of Adam Foote or Scott Hannan?
Last season, 19 defensemen averaged 24 minutes or more per game in the league, and all but four scored 40 or more points. Two of the four he was not were Drew Doughty and Chabot. This group of 19 of him doesn’t even include Adam Fox, John Carlson and Morgan Liery, who scored 74, 71 and 68 respectively.
For reference, the pre-lockout season had 25 defenders averaging 24 or more minutes per game, and 10 of them had less than 40 points per game. If you’re clocking big time, you’re on some attack right now.
Lewis aged like fine wine
One of the oldest players in the league is Trevor Lewis, who was drafted 17th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2006. Skills He was drafted in the first round as a player, and it’s hard to think of many other NHLers who have completely reinvented the game. and remained in the league.
Lewis played 10 seasons for the Kings, winning two cups as a role player. After a brief stint in Winnipeg, he reunited with Darryl Sutter in Calgary for his 2021-22 season. He had a strong performance in the playoffs, including five points in 12 games and closing games when the Flames were defending their lead. He’s not a big points producer, but he makes winning plays by doing the little things, like he did here.
In the second half of a tight game, he won the battle along the wall again, leading to an eventual game winner. He didn’t score a point, understandably, not the real reason he scored the goal, but he made a small play that led to a big one, and at 35 he’s still humming in the league with a strong Calgary team. increase.
Successful coaching carousel
In a rare move that might work for everyone, the Bruins fired Bruce Cassidy who went to Vegas. The Golden Knights look strong and he has them humming to start the season.
Vegas had an opening as they fired Peter DeVore, who has become a strong Dallas team likely to be in trouble this season.
And that goes all the way back to Dallas coach Jim Montgomery a few seasons ago. He ended up in Boston. Montgomery was fired by the star for unprofessional conduct, which Montgomery admitted was “understandable.” About ten months later, he returned to the St. Louis Blues’ bench as his assistant coach before leading the team. It’s still early, but Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman has a strong endorsement for him.
“He definitely ordered us the right way. We love him here,” Swayman said via NESN.
I hope he can put the off-ice problems behind him and keep the course.
don’t sleep with roy
The Kings are brimming with talent on the right side of defense. Doughty deservedly gets a lot of attention. Especially after he put together a strong rebounding season last year before he got hurt. While he was out, Sean Durzi joined the team and distinguished himself as a player of legitimate skill.
It’s easy to forget Matt Roy in that mix, but he’s a player. He is 27 years old and is making his $3.15 million in his second year on a three-year deal. He’s rounding out LA’s top four at the moment. He’s averaging nearly 19 1/2 minutes per game, including shorthanded he’s over 3 minutes per game. He too has had a blazing start, in five games he started the season with three goals. He was all over the ice and had great chances even seconds before scoring.
He is usually paired with Durzi this season. They have a few things to work out on defense, but the offense is flowing. Roy is already one goal away from his career high.
Phil is still thrilling to watch
It took until August 24th for Phil Kessel and NHL clubs to come to an agreement. His stats show one assist in four games, but so far he’s been playing in the Golden Knights’ line with Jack Eichel and Lily Smith, and they’re controlling the play.
This is a limited sample of 33 minutes, with the trio going 5-5 with one goal, controlling shot share and nearly 62% of expected goals. What stands out is Kessel’s pack move, as he adds another playmaker to the Vegas roster. His only assist so far this season came off a little puck move here.
Kessel is now 35, and although his playing has its limits, he can still produce. He scored 52 points with the Arizona Coyotes last season. Currently, he’s earning $1.5 million playing in the top 6 role contenders.
NHL Failed Opening Night
I don’t want to sit here complaining all the time, but it’s a shame that nothing is mentioned about the start of this season. ? Who was watching that match? where was it advertised? A few days later, the words “Welcome to Opening Night” were said before the pack drop, but the season had already started.
The reason this is actually brought up is because we all love the game and want to know what’s best to keep growing. An overseas contest nobody knows about, followed by two games on Tuesday night? Let it be opening weekend. i have a lot of games. Make it a total luxury. But this season’s approach was face palm.
new ad not working
Similarly, video advertising has been hit hard. This simply cannot happen.
This is a glitch in the 2008 video game. We all know why video ads appear during games, and they are right. There were examples of all sorts of problems with the display and how distracting it can be.
It’s frustrating when your viewing experience seems to go backwards instead of forwards. Making money makes everyone happy, but it can’t come at the expense of the fans who enjoy the actual game.
reverse retro great success
On the contrary, let’s talk about positive things. The Adidas Reverse Retro looks like a big win. Some great jerseys are back! The Leafs paying homage to their 2006 alternates, the Rangers bringing back the Statue of Liberty, and the Capitals with their screaming eagle all stand out. We’ve also touched on the Predator that Nashville has revived. Nice buffalo head.
Of course there are some flops. that is to be expected. it happens. But the previous reverse retro series from just a few years ago has been disappointing at best.There have been misses, and there are jerseys released by the Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Stars. I can’t wait to see many of these in action.
this chant must go
Finally, one thing that all sports need to get rid of is the “Ref you suck” chant. It’s tired and unoriginal. At this point, we seem to be hearing it in just about every field. Fans love chasing references, and sometimes it’s even justified. But all the arenas chanting the same thing really robbed it of its brilliance and meaning.
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