My guess is if the guys calculating all these advanced stats online knew any more than anyone inside the NHL organizations, they would be employed by said organizations, not writing articles about it. I'm generalizing, but I think a lot of teams have had advanced stats guys since long before we started talking about it. I listened to an interview on the Fan today with Brad Treliving and he was fully aware of our shooting percentage and that it may not be sustainable, and he seems to be very analytical himself. They analyze every win and loss to see what they can adjust to gain an edge in the next game. Maybe I'm a homer, but from listening to him, I have more confidence that he will have discussions with Hartley to find ways to adjust their game. Maybe it's just because I've never heard any other Flames GM be so open about their strategy before, but knowing that he is actually into the advanced stats and willing to talk about it instead of throwing out vague cliches like "our best players need to be our best players", makes me feel pretty good about the Flames chances this year. What I like about the Flames organization overall, is that they know what people are saying about them and yet they just continue to win hockey games. I feel they are very honest with the fan base and not condescending and smug like some previous GM's/coaches. So far, the results speak for themselves. I'm just gonna keep enjoying it. When they regress, I'll shut my yap. But this team IS as good as it's record.
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