What should Huska do after the break?

[SuperMatt18]

What you want is at least one guy you really trust to win that important face off (offensive zone draw on PP, defensive zone draw on PK, etc).

As you guys say in the course of a game it's mostly a toss up, but really you just want a guy you can trust on the big ones.

[FBI]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

I've mentioned this a few times before, while winning faceoffs is not irrelevant, the difference between good and poor face off guys is largely irrelevant.

The difference is 1 a game.

Except our guys who can go 0 for 11 in a period lol

[CliffFletcher]

The problem with relegating Backlund to the 4th line is someone else has to take on matchup responsibilities. Will it help or hurt Zary’s development as a centre to routinely throw him out against the McKinnon, McDavid, and Eichel lines?

[dustygoon]

Just as an aside...this thread is a model of how discussion can be great on this site. Good back and forth. Some stats. Some solid takes. No politics. And no one with a mean streak making snide and personal remarks that sideswipe the debate. And Locke and Reggie dropping some random off-the-wall #### as they should.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

What you want is at least one guy you really trust to win that important face off (offensive zone draw on PP, defensive zone draw on PK, etc).

As you guys say in the course of a game it's mostly a toss up, but really you just want a guy you can trust on the big ones.

There's alos lots of space between a clean win and a clean loss. On a PK a decent tie up can help as well. Just don't let that set play go unimpeded.

[Locke]

Huska is a man of many skills, however it is alleged that he has purchased a unicycle and procured some bowling pins.

How this is expected to turn out or how it relates to coaching hockey is anyone's guess.

Perhaps he is test-driving a new training regimen?

The rumour that he has Trademarked 'Honka, Honka Huska' is, to this point, thoroughly unsubstantiated.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

Just as an aside...this thread is a model of how discussion can be great on this site. Good back and forth. Some stats. Some solid takes. No politics. And no one with a mean streak making snide and personal remarks that sideswipe the debate. And Locke and Reggie dropping some random off-the-wall #### as they should.

I know I'm not taking this seriously but....Huska has been doing a hell of a job working with, lets be honest, not a helluva lot.

So the obvious and more serious answer is...."What should Huska do after the break?"

More or less the same as what he's been doing before it.

Oh, but swear more! I love that! I'd love to have a completely censored 'Huska enters the dressing room' for like 90 seconds...but in a positive and happy way!

It starts with "Great game boys!" and then the rest is just dead air while you try and guess what he's saying.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Kadri’s faceoff stats are bad when you consider he also gets tossed a whole lot.

I think Backs gets tossed even more!

[traptor]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

The problem with relegating Backlund to the 4th line is someone else has to take on matchup responsibilities. Will it help or hurt Zary’s development as a centre to routinely throw him out against the McKinnon, McDavid, and Eichel lines?

The guy is turning 36 soon. Someone else has to take up the reins sooner or later. It's going to be over the next season or two. Probably best to get ahead of it and let these younger work there way up to full time.

Frost is a bit more seasoned. Maybe you can try giving him the hard match ups?

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

What you want is at least one guy you really trust to win that important face off (offensive zone draw on PP, defensive zone draw on PK, etc).

As you guys say in the course of a game it's mostly a toss up, but really you just want a guy you can trust on the big ones.

Even that value is overrated really. What's the actual difference of one center who is 52% and another who is 48% over an 82 game season?

You're talking maybe 50 more wins over the course of an entire season's worth of faceoffs, which doesn't even add up to 1 more draw win per game.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by traptor

The guy is turning 36 soon. Someone else has to take up the reins sooner or later. It's going to be over the next season or two. Probably best to get ahead of it and let these younger work there way up to full time.

Frost is a bit more seasoned. Maybe you can try giving him the hard match ups?

I think you move the matchups to someone else when Backlund is no longer your best center at neutralizing top opponents.

In the meantime, young centers get to watch him work in practice and games.

[Freddy]

I trust Huska to keep following his own intuition and strategy. The Flames have over performed and his willingness to sub in a variety of players throughout the lineup show he isn’t satisfied or complacent with anything. If nothing is working towards the playoff push I would prefer to see the remaining season is used to develop young borderline players like Keirins, Solovyov, Klapka, Morton, Stromgren, etc. In this scenario I would also hope Conroy be a seller at the deadline to find new teams for Barrie, Rooney, Miromanov, and Vladar.

[HighLifeMan]

Backlund can still be our "matchup" center without playing over 19 minutes a game, which is quite frankly far too much. There is zero need to have him out there on the PP. Cut his minutes back, and allow his line to eat defensive zone starts at five on five. I look at a team like Washington and the success they are having with the utilization of Nic Dowd in a shutdown role playing 15 minutes a night with under 12% offensive zone starts at five on five.

[Macindoc]

Originally Posted by HighLifeMan

Backlund can still be our "matchup" center without playing over 19 minutes a game, which is quite frankly far too much. There is zero need to have him out there on the PP. Cut his minutes back, and allow his line to eat defensive zone starts at five on five. I look at a team like Washington and the success they are having with the utilization of Nic Dowd in a shutdown role playing 15 minutes a night with under 12% offensive zone starts at five on five.

Yes, he might be more effective playing 15 minutes (mostly 5 on 5) per game. Leave the PP to the players who are more pure goal scorers.

[GioforPM]

PP:

Huberdeau-Kadri-Zary-Coronato-Weegar
Coleman-Frost-Farabee-Sharangovich-Andersson

You could switch Coleman for a big net front guy like Klapka if you want.

[Kipper_3434]

We really don't need a "defensive match up center" during a rebuild. Especially not a 36 year old one.

[calumniate]

I think the ball's in Bahl's court. Somehow became our glue guy!

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by HighLifeMan

Backlund can still be our "matchup" center without playing over 19 minutes a game, which is quite frankly far too much. There is zero need to have him out there on the PP. Cut his minutes back, and allow his line to eat defensive zone starts at five on five. I look at a team like Washington and the success they are having with the utilization of Nic Dowd in a shutdown role playing 15 minutes a night with under 12% offensive zone starts at five on five.

Agree 100%.

Heck they may get more five on five mileage out of him if they reduce his PK workload too.

[Enoch Root]

Regarding faceoffs...

They are like PPs, the percentage doesn't matter, it's all about winning the key ones.

You aren't changing a game by winning 55% of your faceoffs, when half of them are in the neutral zone anyway. But there are maybe half a dozen draws a game, where the game could be won or lost by the draw. How you do on those ones matters.

Anecdotal of course, but I have always found Backlund to be bad on those critical draws.

[Leeman4Gilmour]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Regarding faceoffs...

They are like PPs, the percentage doesn't matter, it's all about winning the key ones.

You aren't changing a game by winning 55% of your faceoffs, when half of them are in the neutral zone anyway. But there are maybe half a dozen draws a game, where the game could be won or lost by the draw. How you do on those ones matters.

Anecdotal of course, but I have always found Backlund to be bad on those critical draws.

You should patent your new stat HDFO%. I'm kidding about the patent, but why not rank face-offs like they do scoring chances. Maybe team statisticians do... 'shrug'