Midseason Report Card: Forwards (Part 2)
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Jan 26, 2009 3:11 PM MST
23 comments
I'd like to close out the Midseason Report Card category for $500, Alex...
(sorry for going all Top-19 on this one, folks - my little stint on the IR came before I could finish)
Keeping in mind the Joe Sakic Rule...Super Joe's didn't have the same zip over the first 41 games, and there's now no doubt at all that he's lost a couple of steps. But, he still makes things happen offensively, he's our best in the faceoff circle (54.2 %) and he's still strong defensively. In short, we still need him. Desperately.
2008-2009 1st Half Stats: 15GP 2G 10A 12P
2007-2008 1st Half Stats: 24GP 7G 15A 22P
2008-2009 Projection: 25GP 3G 17A 20P
Grade: B
I could be in the minority here, but I actually think Smyth was our most consistent player during the first half of the season. He doesn't have the greatest numbers, but I felt night in and night out, Smyth was the one guy who was going to bring his lunch pail, and I can remember a few games where even Stastny was dragging but Smyth was working hard. Personally, I would have chosen him over Hejduk for the All-Star team. But, I think that's just me.
2008-2009 1st Half Stats: 41GP 13G 16A 29P
2007-2008 1st Half Stats: 36GP 11G 17A 28P
2008-2009 Projection: 82GP 26G 32A 58P
Grade: A-
SOS had a great first half compared to the rest of his teammates, but, maybe for the first time as an Av, he struggled a bit here and there. From October 25th through November 25th, Stastny had just 6 points in 16 games and was a -10. He signed that big extension on the 17th, so perhaps the contract negotiations were affecting him. Whatever. He's, like, good and stuff.
2008-2009 1st Half Stats: 34GP 10G 21A 31P
2007-2008 1st Half Stats: 41GP 15G 29A 44P
2008-2009 Projection: 58GP 17G 36A 53P
Grade: A-
Stewart has been terrific lately, but some of his better games have come after the midway point so the grade may be a tad lower than you might expect. Still, Stewart was the best of the Holy Trinity in the first half.
2008-2009 1st Half Stats: 16GP 3G 2A 5P
2007-2008 1st Half Stats: N/A
2008-2009 Projection: 57GP 11G 7A 18P
Grade: C+
I wish Svatos would just make up his mind and just bust already so that everyone can just move on. He'll have a couple of invisible games, and you start to feel like you can let Svatos go. Then he goes and has a big game and sucks you right back in. Svatos has been okay in the first half - not good enough to play on the top two lines, not bad enough to bench or trade. At times, Svatos was good defensively, but, like everything else, not consistently so.
2008-2009 1st Half Stats: 34GP 6G 9A 15P
2007-2008 1st Half Stats: 38GP 16G 2A 18P
2008-2009 Projection: 75GP 13G 20A 33P
Grade: C
Terrible defensively, slower than paint drying, gets knocked on his ass all the time, takes stupid penalties, and tends to get in the way offensively. But, he's really good at tip-ins when he's not covered in front of the net. Too harsh? Maybe; Tucker does get some big hits in. But he's been a disappointment even compared to our low expectations. In general, I have been very pleased with the way Tony Granato has handled his personnel this year, but I don't understand why he keeps using Tucker late in the game. Plus, I almost got all the way through this without mentioning Andrew Brunette...
2008-2009 1st Half Stats: 30GP 5G 4A 9P
2007-2008 1st Half Stats: N/A
2008-2009 Projection: 71GP 12G 9A 21P
Grade: D
Is anyone 100% sure this isn't Wyatt Smith wearing a different jersey number?
2008-2009 1st Half Stats: 10G 0G 1A 1P
2007-2008 1st Half Stats: N/A
2008-2009 Projection: 20GP 0G 2A 2P
Grade: D
Only three of Double Dub's first half games were at center, so my man-crush gushings are mostly focused at his time spent at left wing. Although his point total in the first half was meh (even falling behind last year's disappointing first half performance), I felt Wolski put in his best defensive effort by a country mile. And those luscious shootouts...oh, those shootouts. I still think he needs a major infusion of confidence to get him over the 50-point player hump and headed towards the 70-point player hump. Early returns would seem to indicate that the move to center may just be that needed shot in the arm.
2008-2009 1st Half Stats: 40GP 10G 13A 23P
2007-2008 1st Half Stats: 41GP 13G 13G 26P
2008-2009 Projection: 81GP 20G 26A 47P
Grade: B
Recap:
- Sakic: B
- Smyth: A-
- Stastny: A-
- Stewart: C+
- Svatos: C
- Tucker: D
- Willsie: D
- Wolski: B
All Forwards:
- Stastny: A-
- Smyth: A-
- Hejduk: B+
- Sakic: B
- Wolski: B
- Laperriere: B-
- McLeod: B-
- Stewart: C+
- Guite: C
- Svatos: C
- Jones: C
- McCormick: C-
- Hensick: D+
- Tucker: D
- Willsie: D
- Arnason: D-
- Dupuis: INC
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He’ll have a couple of invisible games, and you start to feel like you can let Svatos go. Then he goes and has a big game and sucks you right back in.
Marek Svatos is the ‘08-’09 Avs!!!
I believe in Peter Budaj
by Jibblescribbits on Jan 26, 2009 3:20 PM MST reply actions
heh
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Jan 26, 2009 3:30 PM MST up reply actions
Thanks for this, DD. I think it might be helpful to us (and also might have you think about slightly revising some of your grades) if you would list the player’s point totals & salaries along with (or instead of) the player’s height & weight.
I’ll just say I don’t understand how you can give McLeod a B- when he totals 13 points and ranks 13th (3 way tie) in offense on the team and give Svatos a C when he is coming off major reconstructive ACL knee surgery and has 20 points, which ranks him 6th on the team.
I also think Smyth and Stastny don’t deserve grades in the “A” range (A-), considering how much money they make (or will make, in SoS’ case) and their respective point totals. I understand they do a lot of valuable things, especially Smyth, but others have written before me and I must agree, that if you make $7,250,000.00 per year, you should do more than just show good work ethic and be willing to go to the net & make things hard for the other goalie, you should produce a fair amount of points. Smyth only has 36 points but that’s only 2 more than Hejduk, who makes $4,000,000.00
*slight style correction:
Smyth only has 36 points but that’s only 2 more than Hejduk, who makes $4,000,000.00.
I don’t take salary into consideration at all. I’m really just looking at what each player has contributed to the team. If someone else wants to take their performance and compare it to their salary, that’s fine. I just don’t do it that way. I’m also not grading based on expectations (or at least I’m trying not to). It’s really just a straight “this is how he did”.
In the case of McLeod vs Svatos, Svatos does have the edge in points (15-7 at the midway point) but I felt that McLeod does more of the other things (hitting, fighting, clumsily killing penalties, getting under the skin of other players) that he warranted a higher grade. It’s just the way I saw it – YMMV.
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Jan 27, 2009 6:57 AM MST up reply actions
Which is part of why your grades are consistently some of the most accurate I have seen, and not just in hockey.
Never trust the lunch lady.
by Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne on Jan 27, 2009 7:27 AM MST up reply actions
Smyth’s cap hit is 6.25 and Hejduk is generally considered an incredible bargain at 4.
Never trust the lunch lady.
by Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne on Jan 27, 2009 7:25 AM MST up reply actions
you're definitely not alone on Smyth
He’s played exactly like the guy I thought we were getting in UFA since the start of the playoffs last year. our best forward this year so far.
Agreed
I think Smyth is a player who’s true value doesn’t show up in the numbers. I’ve seen at least 10 goals this season that were a direct result of him standing in front of the net screening the goalie and he doesn’t get a point for them, but there’s no way the goal goes in without him there. And it’s not just screens. When he plays in front of the net he creates holes in the defense and he distracts the goalie.
Smyth’s only hit 70 pts once and he’s only broken 60 a handful of times, but those points numbers don’t tell the true value. Look at Holmstrom (there I’ve fulfilled the requirement that every time someone talks about smyth or Holmstrom the other needs to be mentioned) he’s never had more than 59 points in a season, and is easily one of the most important Les Ailes players.
Now if only Smyth would stop that Slapshot from the left boards as he comes down the ice that either goes wide and back to center ice or goes to the goalie for a face-off (which the Avs won’t win) I’d have no complaints about his game at all.
I believe in Peter Budaj
by Jibblescribbits on Jan 26, 2009 4:00 PM MST up reply actions
You aren't kidding about that slapshot
I’ve even felt the need to mention it a few times because it’s so consistently annoying and never accomplishes anything. Ever.
I am Jack's unbridled optimism.
by SlamDunkTheFunk on Jan 26, 2009 4:11 PM MST up reply actions
Darcy Tucker and Tyler Arnason
Proof that DDC does not hand out Fs. You are more kind than me, sir. Much.
MHH: Shagging Dater one contributor at a time.
Tucker hits people and the game-tying goal against Edmonton bumped him from an F to a D.
Arnason has, for the first time as an Av, played some defense this year. It’s not great defense, but it was enough to get him to D-.
I think you guys are right, though. Even Wyatt Smith got a D-.
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Jan 26, 2009 7:04 PM MST up reply actions
Thank you. I rest my case. “And Willsie was skating hard one time, so he got bumped. And Dater never set himself on fire, so Wyatt Smith got bumped.”
The possibilities are endless.
MHH: Shagging Dater one contributor at a time.
by Bob in Boulder on Jan 26, 2009 7:11 PM MST up reply actions
Not completely unrelated
But tonight in the AHL Allstar game Cumiskey had a goal, an assist and was a +6 in a losing effort.
Weiman was by far the worst goalie (at least stats wise) giving up 7 goals on 15 shots.
I'm The Canary - but I'm not cute nor cuddly, and I don't sing.
Now and then we had the hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be PIRATES.
-Mark Twain-
I accidentally found this on MSG (Madison Square Garden channel) tonight, where they put the skills contest from yesterday on air right before the game. Weiman did great in the skills contests last night but he unfortunately got put in the game today during the third period when the score was tied or close, so each team just kept scoring, to try to get the game-winner. I think that’s how he got seven scored on him.
It was NESN’s production and even though I didn’t know the players except Cumiskey, Weiman, Chris Bourque & Cory Schneider, the producers made it pretty entertaining with tons of interviews and video. It definitely felt less slick than a broadcast of an NHL game, but it was so much better produced in terms of substance, and it was really nice that the producers of the broadcast actually knew about hockey and what hockey fans would want to see. It was much better than anything by Versus or Altitude.
I’ve been on the Smyth bandwagon for a few months now. Look, we probably overpaid a little and it’s only been recently that he’s even looked close the playing for that contract, but he’s gone from being an moderate underachiever to a slight underachiever, or even an achiever.
And on this team, this season, that just about makes him our best.
We’re so mediocre :-(
I agree. Smyth has been our best player for long stretches this season. Would shaving $1million off of his salary result in the Avs suddenly being better? No. Would it allow them a significant upgrade at other positions, given the current market? Hell no. It seems that the argument of Smytty’s worth vis-a-vis his salary is a moot point, counselor.
Colorado Avalanche: Gellin' and Propellin'!!!
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