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!