[TheDebaser]

I think it should be mentioned that this could be a watershed year for the advanced stats guys. For the first time in the history of the nhl, all games will be monitored with player tracking technology. One of the main failings of things like Corsi is that it's what statisticians call a "noisy" stat. Teammates, opponents and zone starts all greatly affect a players Corsi, but even the better statisticians out there don't even try to decipher things like a players average shot quality. Even though it's obvious to anyone that watches hockey that some chances are better than others, Corsi blindly ranks a one timer from the slot and a lazy shot into the pads as equal quality events.

Player tracking should give statisticians access to immense amounts of data for the first time in history. Instead of being limited to just tracking shots they can start tracking things like "what percentage of the time does a defenceman successfully touch the puck and clear it into the neutral zone." There is an opportunity this year for massive leaps in the statistical assessment of hockey players. If someone rises to the task, what Bill James did for baseball someone else could do for hockey this season.

I, for one, am excited.