Half season report: Projected player stats and player grades

[FBI]

Challenging first half of the season with a lot of players with points below expected.. Added my player grades as well.. I'll update the stats after today's game.. Let me know if you agree or if I got any wrong..

Lindholm:
40 GP, 13G, 24A = 37 pts
Projected:
80 GP, 26G, 48A = 74 pts

B- : Doing ok scoring wise but eye test shows him not involved nearly as much as last year..

Toffoli:
41 GP, 15G, 19A = 34 pts
82 GP, 30G, 38A = 68 pts

A- : I would say this is one player that has played above expectations this year. Despite hitting 10,000 posts and crossbars, is still leading the way goals wise.

Kadri:
41 GP, 16G, 15A = 30 pts
82 GP, 32G, 30A = 62 pts

B- : Great start, cooled off a bit and to be honest I was hoping for a PPG player. One of the few players on our team that can carry the puck.

Andersson:
41 GP, 5G, 23A = 28 pts
82 GP, 10G, 46A = 56 pts

A- : Pretty good season for this guy.. Still a bit frustrating on the PP, but inching closer to a #1 type D man.

Huberdeau:
38 GP, 8G, 19A = 27 pts
76 GP, 16G, 38A = 54 pts

D : Rough start.. Have seen flashes, but quite underwhelming to what I was hoping for. It has been frustrating seeing his good passes go to players that NEVER finish. Seems to be getting better so here's hoping for a good 2nd half.

Backlund:
41 GP, 8G, 13A = 21 pts
82 GP, 16G, 26A = 42 pts

B: one of the brighter spots for the flames this year.. Has elevated players around him and has been a good defensive force..

Dube:
41 GP, 8G, 13A = 21 pts
82 GP, 16G, 26A = 42 pts

B: exact same stat line as Backlund which I found surprising. Guess he is doing about as expected.

Ruzicka:
31 GP, 6G, 14A = 20 pts
62 GP, 12G, 28A = 40 pts

B: mostly pleasantly surprised with this player except his vanishing spurts.

Mangiapane:
41 GP, 7G, 10A = 17 pts
82 GP, 14G, 20A = 34 pts

F: massive disappointment this year. At least FINALLY looks better with his favorite linemates.

Hanifin:
40 GP, 3G, 13A = 16 pts
80 GP, 6G, 26A = 32 pts

C: about expected I would say

Coleman:
41 GP, 7G, 8A = 15 pts
82 GP, 14G, 16A = 30 pts

C: Hasn't done much until very lately with his new favorite linemates.

Lewis:
41 GP, 7G, 6A = 13 pts
82 GP, 14G, 12A = 26 pts

B: Don't expect too much from Lewis except for defense, so he has been pretty good overall.

Weegar:
40 GP, 1G, 9A = 10 pts
80 GP, 2G, 18A = 20 pts

C: Been a pretty solid defensive defenseman, but was expecting quite a bit more on the offense side of things.

Lucic:
38 GP, 3G, 8A = 11 pts
76 GP, 6G, 14A = 20 pts

D- : Was pretty crap for most of the season, is turning it around a bit lately on line 2, but still overall isn't much of a help for the team this year.

Zadorov:
41 GP, 6G, 3A = 9 pts
82 GP, 12G, 6A = 18 pts

B: I think 12 goals is pretty dang good for Zadorov and a nice little bonus. Like his skating and hitting this year.

Ritchie:
30GP, 6G, 2A = 8 pts
62GP, 12G, 4A = 16 pts

C+: 12 goals is an unexpected surprise. 2 assists so far is pretty poor. Good energy..

Stone:
31GP, 4G, 4A = 8 pts
62GP, 8G, 8A = 16 pts

C+: About as expected, the goals are nice.

Tanev:
33 GP, 0G, 6A = 6 pts
66 GP, 0G, 12A = 12 pts

B: Pretty solid defensively for us again this year.

Sutter:
C- : Some confusing decisions this year and frustrating line combos and lack of youth insertion (my personal opinion).. Still has time to turn it around for a good 2nd half.

Markstrom: .894 sv%, 2.80 GA = C-
Vladar: .906 sv%, 2.76 GA = B

[Kolsch]

Those are some really rough grades. I would give most of them higher grades, but the one I will object to here is Backlund. He has been an absolute rock for us this year. I think he is one of the most underrated players in the league. I give him an A with the caveat that Sutter shouldn't send him out in the shootout. I think Backlund is equivalent to Tanev in the forward corps we have just been lucky *knock on wood* to not see what we look like without him this year.

[FlamesAddiction]

I think Coleman deserves higher. I don’t mind that he isn’t producing more, because is usually contributing in other ways even if he isn’t scoring. Him and Kadri might be my favourite players so far this season, with Zadorov, Tanev, and Andersson closely following.

Based on expectations, Toffoli has been great as well. I’d give him an A.

[dino7c]

Weegar deserves better...he doesn't even play PP and is being graded on mostly numbers...should be equal to Tanev with a B IMO

[DoubleK]

Thanks for taking the time to post this.

I definitely agree Mangiapane, he's taken a step back this year. Not sure if it was just extra lucky last year and this is what he truly is.

Backlund should be rated a bit higher, I think he's played very well this year in all situations.

Stone feels high based on his play. Yes the goals are nice, but he's a liability on the ice.

Lucic deserves better than a D. He's been great since being moved to the Kadri/Huberdeau line.

[Savvy27]

I expect Kadri, Huberdeau, and Weegar to have a better second half. Given what we saw with Gaudreau and Tkachuk in the first season drop off that they had when Sutter came on in Calgary, plus with Zadorov having said that it took him about 40 games or so to get comfortable with the new way to play.

Additionally, Kadri was stuck playing with Dube and Mangiapane on a line that didn't quite work for a lot of the first half. He's with a top end player in Huberdeau who has figured things out to some extent and hopefully they will get another winger that fits and can score.

Adding to that, the Flames offense at 5v5 has picked up over the past 10 games (Ryan Pike put together a review of the first 40 games here https://flamesnation.ca/news/how-do-...after-40-games ).

Personally my grades would be (combination of performance, production, expectations, and role):
Huberdeau: D
Kadri: B
Lindholm: B
Toffoli: A
Dube: B
Mangiapane: D
Backlund: A
Coleman: B
Lucic: D
Ruzicka: B
Lewis: C
Ritchie: C
Rooney: F

Tanev: A
Zadorov: A
Andersson: B
Hanifin: B
Weegar: C
Stone: B
Mackey: D

Markstrom: C
Vladar: A

[Vinny01]

Ultimately this team is not where they would want to be or should be for 4 reasons in my opinion.

1- Markstrom is not as good as he should be. He was an elite goalie last year and just average this year so if he got back to his high end ways this team would likely not be 3-8 in extra time and have an additional 3-5pts on the year and on pace for 100+ and not the 92 they are currently trending for at the halfway point

2- Huberdeau is not playing like an elite offensive dynamic superstar. He is a top 4 scoring player in the league over the previous 4 years. His transition to the Flames has not gone great he looks fairly average with flashes of amazing plays and some frustrating Tanguay like forced passes when he could have shot. He is playing okay for a guy making the $5.9 he is currently making but if he plays like this next year when he is at $10.5 then this is a huge issue. This team has needed an extra goal here or there and he has not provided it

3- Mangiapane is the third highest paid forward on the team and has had a rough first year of his big deal. Pacing to as many points as he had goals last year and is on the third line. For a team that needs an extra goal or two having him struggle to even pace for 20 this year really stings

4 Defense has not lived up to the hype. One of the problems is at the beginning it looked like Weegar in and Gudbransen out which seemed like a clear improvement. What we are living with is Weegar and Stone in and Kylington and Gudbransen out. Stone is better bang for the buck but Gudbransen was definitely the better player than what Stone has been this year. I think Weegar has been solid and out performing his $3.25 cap hit but when he gets a $3M raise next year we will need more offensive production from him. Overall he has been solid defensively but the big gaff has occurred a few times and they are noticeable every time. This team misses Kylington a bunch.

If those 4 areas improve the team will take a massive step forward. I am happy with what Kadri has brought to the team and is pacing for 30+goals and 60+ points which is full value for his $7M cap hit. Toffoli has been solid also pacing for over 30 and 60. I am happy with what Lindholm has been able to do and Dube has stepped up. Backlund and Coleman are expensive but extremely solid third liners. There is a need on the Kadri line and upgrading on the bottom pair would be nice. Hopefully both can be done internally with Pelletier and Kylington returning but if that doesn’t work a trade must be made

[Leeman4Gilmour]

I think those are fair and reasonable gradings. I wouldn't disagree with any of them.

[Textcritic]

I think many of your grades are really low, but I will take direct issue with the following three...

Originally Posted by FBI

Lindholm:

39 GP, 12G, 23A = 35 pts

Projected:

80 GP, 25G, 47A = 72 pts



B- : Doing ok scoring wise but eye test shows him not involved nearly as much as last year.

I think Lindholm has been really good for a little over a month now. He is projecting to be right in line with where I had him for this season.

Kadri:

40 GP, 15G, 15A = 30 pts

82 GP, 31G, 31A = 62 pts



B- : Great start, cooled off a bit and to be honest I was hoping for a PPG player. One of the few players on our team that can carry the puck.

Anyone expecting ppg from Kadri was setting themselves up for disappointment. With the Flames centre depth it was always going to he extremely difficult for any of them to hit the ppg mark this year. Kadri looks like he is also fairly close in line to where I had imagined his production.

Coleman:

40 GP, 7G, 8A = 15 pts

82 GP, 14G, 16A = 30 pts



C: Hasn't done much until very lately with his new favorite linemates.

Coleman is never going to blow up offensively, and I think the reason he was as quiet as he was through Christmas us because of how he amps up his game through the season in order to be ready to play in the playoffs. We saw some of this last year, and I expect him to continue to get incrementally better as April approaches.


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[GreenLantern2814]

Tough to argue with any of those grades.

The lack of any real standout performances this year is what stands out more than anything.

Hopefully they find someone to play with Huberdeau - they really don’t seem to understand how to use him.

[gvitaly]

My grades are based on the player's performance compared to my expectations, the player's contract and so on.

Ruzicka: A
Andersson: A
Vladar: A/A-
Toffoli: A-
Lewis: A-
Zadorov: A-/B+

Dube: B+
Lindholm: B+
Tanev: B+
Backlund: B+
Kadri: B
Ritchie: B
Coleman: B-
Weegar: B-
Stone: B-
Huberdeau: B-/C+
Hanifin: B-/C+

Mangiapane: C
Markstrom: C-
Lucic: C-

Mackey: D+
Rooney: F

[The Cobra]

Not getting the high grades for Vladar.

2.76 GAA with a .906 save percentage is decidedly average.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Not getting the high grades for Vladar.

2.76 GAA with a .906 save percentage is decidedly average.

Almost exactly the same numbers as Rittich with the Jets.

Both guys remind me of Karri Ramo.

I might low-key be most disappointed in Connor Mackey. Easily the worst D who received playing time in the 1st half, and has done absolutely nothing to justify waiving Valimaki to keep him.

[Sylvanfan]

When fans grade players it's always a moving baseline relative to expected performance. Reminds me of when I used to have to rate employees and after asking other evaluators I found out that the ratings really were useless because the baseline was so inconsistent.

I think the team is still struggling to figure out what they are, and play to that strength. It doesn't have that top end top line to carry it like it had in the last 50 games last year.

Top 3 centers have produced to my expectations, although Lindholms goals are down. Wingers have been below expectations in terms of offence. Defence is slightly below in terms of production and defensive play. Goaltending has not measured up.

Overall been a down year so far. Not sure they can gain enough to get significantly better as this group is a bit old and not as skilled as other teams. Unless they change how they officiate playoff games, this is a middling team who might make the playoffs with a second round appearance as their ceiling. Last year I think they overachiever...it's balancing out this year to slight underachievement.

[FlamesAddiction]

Huberdeau: D+

Hasn't been good enough by a long shot. He played most of the season so far with Lindholm and Toffoli. If the worry is that we need to find someone more talented to play with him, then that isn't a good sign. Most superstar players would find those line mates more than adequate to work with. He is trending up however and I think he and Kadri stand a good chance to build some real chemistry. Kadri is more the kind of player he played with on his line in Florida.

Kadri: B+

Would have been nice to see him continue going more than a PPG like last year, but it was always unlikely to happen. Still, I think he has been great and came in as advertised. No regrets over the signing.

[boogerz]

Players like Kadri, Backlund, Hanifin, Tanev, Zadorov, and Coleman have been good, but they are ultimately doing exactly what they're being paid to do - i.e. they should be a C grade.

Can we really say that Kadri is punching above his weight and should be given higher than a C? He is the highest paid forward on the team and the 28th highest paid centerman in the league. He is more or less delivering what should be expected of a $7M top6 centerman.


The players punching above their weight right now (higher than a C grade) are: Ruzicka, Andersson, Toffoli, Dube, Valdar, Lewis, and Ritchie.

The players punching below their weight right now (less than a C grade) are: Huberdeau, Weegar, Mangiapane, Lucic, Markstrom, Mackey, and Rooney.

Sutter is underforming as a coach and has been a solid D grade this season. His strategy and roster utilization/player management has been very underwhelming.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Not getting the high grades for Vladar.

2.76 GAA with a .906 save percentage is decidedly average.

My high grade is based on my expectations. I graded him as a backup goalie, in his essentially 2nd year in the league. I thought he gave the Flames a chance to win every start, in addition he took over for Markstrom as the number 1 for a spell. Essentially he more than exceeded my expectations.

[Macho0978]

If you are factoring in expectation vs production IMO most of the team is a plus and close to an A. Ruzicka on pace for 40 points is an A no questions. Lewis numbers compare to Mangiapane? That's an A for Lewis. Lindholm is pacing close to last year with no Gaudreau or Toffoli. That;s at least a B+. The problem is there are 3 F's on this team right now.

Mangiapane
Huberdeau
Markstrom

I think these 3 will turn it around but Huberdeau on pace for 53 points when he had 115 last year? Markstrom is well short of a .900 save percent? Mangiapane is on pace for 14 goals and 35 points? Not sure what gets these guys F's because if you told me this before the season this would be what they were producing, I would be guessing we are going hard for Bedard not sitting in a wildcard position.

[FBI]

I forgot the goalie grades too..
Markstrom I would say C-.. Very disappointing with a bit of hope lately.
Vladar: B, doing decently so far.

I think the reason for my grades being relatively low for the players is how the team has performed so far this year.. I'm not going to give a bunch of A's and B's for a team that is barely scratching to be relevant.

I'll update the stats soon but CP seems to be not working very well for me today.

[Flamesfan05]

Exceeded: zadorov, lewis, Toffoli, Ritchie, ruzicka
Met: Dube, tanev, backlund, Andersson, Vladar, Coleman
Need improvement: Kadri, Lindholm, Hanifin, Stone, Weegar
Failed: Markstrom, Huberdeau , Mangi, Lucic