Quote:
Originally Posted by Jore
Slept on it and looked through Corey Sznajder's tracking data on how well players did in preventing zone entries last year.
As you can see, he was one of the better Canucks defenders at controlling gaps. Only Gio on the Flames was strong at this. He was also ok at moving the puck out relative to the other Canucks d, though he won't be anywhere near a Brodie replacement in this regard.
These are certainly more encouraging data points than the xG and RAPM metrics that have been posted, but it remains to be seen how he adjusts to the Calgary system and how many competent years he has left.
I can understand the Markstrom deal but this one I understand much less. The main issue with this deal is from a roster construction standpoint. The most obvious holes on this team are at 1C and 1D (with an aging Gio). Instead of using cap space and assets to fulfill those holes, they've downgraded at a position where the player was playing above his caphit and role. If BT makes more moves before the season starts to address those needs, then this doesn't matter, but as it stands they're already at the cap and nothing seems imminent. |
Maybe management think Valamaki will be a top pairing D in 2 years.