[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Beatle17

Here is the issue, you keep saying this and pointing out the terrible play by others but refuse to see "the underlying numbers" of your favourite players.

Refuse to see it? There isn't enough sample size for me to run around flaunting it, but here are the underlying numbers of Brodie and Hamonic this season:

Brodie W Hamonic - 43.97% xGF
Hamonic WO Brodie - 44.3% xGF
Brodie WO Hamonic - 60.4% xGF

I'm not "refusing to see it" so much as there's no evidence that "it" exists. These numbers are not unlike Hamonic's numbers last year:

Hamonic W Leddy - 42% xGF
Leddy WO Hamonic - 49.4% xGF
Hamonic WO Leddy - 46.8% xGF


Hamonic W De Haan - 48.2% xGF
De Haan WO Hamonic - 54.5% xGF
Hamonic WO De Haan - 42.6% xGF

The drag on the pair is obvious to the eye test, the underlying numbers only indicate what, not why. And no, Mike Stone is not the solution despite the stylistic chemistry, he is also a bottom pair defenseman too and comes with his own, different issues even if he has more chemistry with Brodie - putting those two back together would be gauze on the bleeding at best.

None of that means Hamonic outright sucks or isn't an NHLer. It just means he is way out of his element in a top four role at this stage in his career. And it also doesn't mean Stone is better than him, because other than his point shot, Hamonic is still a better option than Stone. He's just not a very good option.

You want to dismiss the underlying numbers with Hamilton

When did I dismiss the underlying numbers with Hamilton? When have I ever criticized Hamilton for anything except for stupid penalties?

but try to use them with Brodie you can't have it both ways,

I'm not. That's my point. Hamilton is good, despite some mistakes. Brodie is good, despite some mistakes. The players putting either of these guys into tough situations in recent years have been weak partners like Jokipakka, Stone, and Hamonic brought in for fitting an aesthetic of size and perceived crease clearing instead of raw ability. Give me a soft, weak, top four defenseman over these guys. That's how the Predators are a good team despite a "soft" Josi-Ellis second pair.

The underlying numbers - not just for this season but for recent past seasons - make it clear that this team has a clear gap on the defense core from the top 3 defensemen to the others, aside from Brett Kulak who won't get much opportunity because he is treated with kid gloves regardless of his shift-for-shift excellence.