August 20, 2014
Dobber
2014-08-20
Leafs make waves in the analytics world, MacArthur to get VIP treatment, Ho-Sang stirs it up, and more …
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Ottawa rearguard Mike Mottau has decided to retire.
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Loving it. The advanced stats movement continued yesterday in the NHL, with the Maple Leafs creating an “analytics department” that would presumably be reporting to new Assistant GM Kyle Dubas. This department features Darryl Metcalf who founded Extra Skater. The site has subsequently been taken off the internet and there has been nothing but radio silence from Metcalf. Now we know why. Also in the mix is blogger Cam Charron and Rob Pettapiece. As I already noted after the Dubas hiring, this will put the focus on the best possession players on the team in terms of ice time, situational ice time, and opportunity. Meaning the likes of Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly will see a boost (and Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren will see the press box/AHL).
So the Leafs will be keeping Extra Skater’s stuff in-house. Which is fine – we still have Rob Vollman’s Hockey Abstract site. I used that site quite a bit in putting together information for the Fantasy Guide. Vollman, by the way, will starting his new weekly article here in two weeks. Watch for it – the focus will be on advanced stats of course.
I had speculated that perhaps NHL.com had hired Metcalf to beef up advanced stats on their own site. If I were running NHL.com that is exactly what I would do – bring in one of the bigger sites’ creators and have him set up and run it. I’m not sure why money would be an object here. The profits would be tremendous, with NHL’s marketing clout are you kidding me?
Dobber for Head of NHL.com!
Charles Wang has sold the Islanders. However, he will retain a stake in them for the next two years before bowing out. I have a feeling that he’ll be crying pretty hard when his ownership tenure comes to an end – and the Isles are this kickass powerhouse.
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Tomas Kaberle is interested in returning to the NHL. He is back living in Toronto and is still only 36. He says that he was invited to a camp on a tryout – and it’s not the Leafs, nor the Senators. Even if he were to make a team, drafting him would be a mistake. At some point during the season, he may make a reasonable short-term pickup.
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Some Ryan Malone news per the Tampa Bay Times – he pled no contest to the DUI charges and so his cocaine possession charges were dismissed. So the door is open for a new contract or a camp tryout. I would imagine he gets a tryout invite.
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Rossy accepted my Ice Bucket challenge (Brendan Ross from DobberProspects, and “Dean Youngblood” in the forum):
Speaking of Rossy – and Josh Ho-Sang – he has a lot to say in his prospects ramblings here.
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And, in case you missed it yesterday, I accepted the ALS Ice Bucket challenge, and yes I did donate and this year ALS has already made over $22.9 million – compared to $1 million last year.
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UPCOMING GAMES
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Starting Goalies
Top Skater Views
| Players | Team | |
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| KAAPO KAKKO |
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| DARREN RADDYSH |
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| MARCO KASPER |
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| MASON LOHREI |
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| LANE HUTSON |
MTL
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Top Goalie Profile Views
NYI
COL
LINE COMBOS
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| 20.2 | GABRIEL VILARDI MARK SCHEIFELE KYLE CONNOR | |
| 7.1 | ADAM LOWRY ALEX IAFALLO NIKOLAJ EHLERS | |
| 6.6 | COLE PERFETTI NINO NIEDERREITER VLADISLAV NAMESTNIKOV | |
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