Quote:
Originally Posted by Knightslayer
I was wondering why this hasn't been bumped in a while. 6 points in last 15 games.
Is he getting off the trade high and coming back down to earth?
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Considering he is still the centre of a potent line, that's an unlikely answer. If you look at his IPP of 33.33% this is the lowest mark of his career. That's pretty much unsustainable actually - even in his worst years in Calgary his own IPP was always in the mid-70s. The average top9 forward usually has an IPP in the mid-60s.
It's also possible that the upper body injury has affected his shot a bit. He has one of the highest shot rates in the entire NHL, and leads the Panthers in this category, but his iSH% is the lowest it's been since 2017-18. Actually, it's even lower.
Ultimately though, individual
stats aren't what it's ever been about. His line scores nearly four goals a game and allows fewer than two when he's on the ice. He's doing his job as the 200-foot centre. The Panthers (including Huberdeau!) are much worse when he's off the ice. It would take someone actively looking for problems to actually take him off that line for "not producing". There aren't many centres in the NHL posting a CF%/xGF%/GF% over 60%