[Signing] Flames sign Jiri Hudler - 4 Years, $16 Million

[kirant]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

If we are basing projections on shooting percentage whatever decline Hudler has should be made up by with increased goal totals from Comeau

Because I was bored...

Hudler shoots on average of 1.63 shots/game in the last 4 NHL seasons he's played (in other words stats based on 4 of the last 5 seasons). His shooting % in them is 13.7%. He played an average of 79 games.

Comeau shoots an average of 1.92 times/game in the last 4 NHL seasons and has an average shooting % of 10.4% at an average of 79 games (I had to make a small projection using his AHL game totals here, as he shuffled between Bridgeport and the Islanders a bit).

If Hudler keeps up his pace from last year, he'll score 25 goals. If he returns to his regular pace, he'll score 17.

If Comeau returns to his average pace, he'll score 15. If he keeps up with last year's pace, he'll score 6.

So, if we return to averages, the two SHOULD cancel out. But there's a lot of assumptions in this sort of calculation.

[Erick Estrada]

I would assume that Hudler will get more than the 15 minutes per game he averaged with the Wings which may also help cancel out any reduction in shooting percent.

[kirant]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I would assume that Hudler will get more than the 15 minutes per game he averaged with the Wings which may also help cancel out any reduction in shooting percent.

It would probably increase his shots/game.

I'll try to look that up later and adjust to a shots/minute count instead of shots/game.

[FAN]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Only 90 players scored 50 points last season, 50 points means you are a top line player in this league (30 teams + 3 forwards on top line= 90 Players)

I hear this argument a lot and I think that anyone who watches hockey and follows the NHL knows that that argument is flawed.

Pascal Dupuis (59 points) and Mike Fisher (51 points) had more than 50 points last year. Mike Richards had 44 points. Do you really think Dupuis and Fisher are first-line players in the NHL while Richards is not based on the 50 points threshhold?

[Kipperking]

Dupuis had 59 points? Wow.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by Kipperking

Dupuis had 59 points? Wow.

Not shocking when you play most of the season with the NHL MVP.

[Hells Bells]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

Not shocking when you play most of the season with the NHL MVP.

Weren't Neal and Kunitz on Malkin's line?

I'm sure he likely played a bit with Malkin but didn't he play almost exclusively with Staal?

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Hells Bells

Weren't Neal and Kunitz on Malkin's line?

I'm sure he likely played a bit with Malkin but didn't he play almost exclusively with Staal?

He played with Sid when Sid came back

Edit: crazy. He finished with a17 game point streak. Coincidentally, Crosby returned right when that streak began

[Hells Bells]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

He played with Sid when Sid came back

Edit: crazy. He finished with a17 game point streak. Coincidentally, Crosby returned right when that streak began

Getting off-topic but he was doing pretty good with Staal before Crosby came back.

My point that he didn't play with the MVP still stands, regardless if Crosby is an MVP calibre player.

[Ashasx]

I've never really understood the "his shooting percentage is unsustainable" argument.

The Flames already have the two top guys in the league in shooting percentage in Glencross and Tanguay. Sometimes players are just naturally good shooters, or they simply get higher percentage scoring opportunities.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I've never really understood the "his shooting percentage is unsustainable" argument.

The Flames already have the two top guys in the league in shooting percentage in Glencross and Tanguay. Sometimes players are just naturally good shooters, or they simply get higher percentage scoring opportunities.

if a guy scores on 10 percent more of his shots than in his previous 6 year NHL career, it is unsustainable.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

if a guy scores on 10 percent more of his shots than in his previous 6 year NHL career, it is unsustainable.

Did Glencross's shooting percentage not jump in 10/11, and people used this as a reason as to why his contract was questionable?

People said he could not sustain that shooting %. Then he comes into 11/12 and shoots even higher.

Players improve.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Did Glencross's shooting percentage not jump in 10/11, and people used this as a reason as to why his contract was questionable?

People said he could not sustain that shooting %. Then he comes into 11/12 and shoots even higher.

Players improve.

So then you think Glencross will score 30 next year?

Edit: I'm not trying to put words in your mouth, either. It's a real question of your expectations of Glencross as a player.

[JurassicTunga12]

[FAN]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I've never really understood the "his shooting percentage is unsustainable" argument.

The Flames already have the two top guys in the league in shooting percentage in Glencross and Tanguay. Sometimes players are just naturally good shooters, or they simply get higher percentage scoring opportunities.

Another reason is that some players are considered reluctant shooters who will only shoot when there is a quality scoring chance. Both Tanguay and Hudler are considered reluctant shooters. In the case of Hudler, I heard from Wings fans that he scored a lot of goals by going to the dirty areas this past season.

[Enoch Root]

I haven't seen enough of Hudler live to feel prepared to make any kind of useful analysis. But I do want to make one comment, based on the writeup from the Wings fan above...

Reading comments about his skating, his inabilty to get to the pointman quickly, or skate out of trouble in the defensive zone, and contrasting that against the comments about his vision, intelligence and creativity in the offensive zone, I couldn't help but think what a disaster he would have been under Sutter, but also how Hartley might be the perfect coach for him (allowing him the chance to do his thing and not benching him for an inability to 'stick to the system').

We shall see. And sorry, that was a long sentence.

[Husky]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npvym...eature=related


Enough said.

This guy is going to score between 60-80 points in his prime if given legit top 6 time and decent linemates. Unreal skill.

[dobbles]

wanted to drop my 2 cents here since i spent so long as the resident wings troll in years past!

i am torn on hudler. he was widely hated by the fan base the last couple years but i feel much of that was emotional due to him screwing the team over for the khl. i do also think its funny that wings fans are so excited he is gone, yet we brought in samuelsson for 3 mil? i would have rather given hudler 4 myself...

i do feel his numbers were sometimes the product of his linemates, however, this year, as mentioned he was the one going to dirty areas to finish the play. hard to fault the guy for playing his role and getting points for it.

i feel one of his strengths was his even strength play. lots of players can pad numbers on the PP, but jiri was one of the most consistent 5on5 players for the team this year. its also hard to fault him for lack of PP production; the wings team was definitely off this year and his 2nd unit never found any chemistry. personally, i think the scheme was bad and not anything hudler was doing. also, he spent a lot of time on the point which didnt help his numbers. though the thing it did bring out was that his footspeed was so terrible. he gave up many shorthanded chances when coughing up the puck and getting beat down the ice.

many wings fans didnt want hudler back at all. then again, most of them were penciling in parise to replace him in the top 6... personally, i would have welcomed him back at a reasonable salary. for me, 4 mil was the top end of that. i was hoping the wings could bring him back for 3.5ish.i think most reasonable wings fans were close to my opinion where they would want him back but had a specific price they thought was too much.

[dobbles]

Originally Posted by Husky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npvym...eature=related


Enough said.

This guy is going to score between 60-80 points in his prime if given legit top 6 time and decent linemates. Unreal skill.

prepare to be disapointed then. hudler is a 40-60 point guy most likely. and decent linemates? all due respect to iginla, but hudler played all year with zetterberg and calgary has no one as good as him to play with. also on that line was filppula who has become a pretty legit top 6 guy... so its not as if he was playing with scrubs. sure the extra minutes will help, but at least in detroit he was sheltered behind datsyuk, zetterberg, franzen, and filppula. i dont think he will be able to hide in calgary as well.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by FAN

I hear this argument a lot and I think that anyone who watches hockey and follows the NHL knows that that argument is flawed.

Pascal Dupuis (59 points) and Mike Fisher (51 points) had more than 50 points last year. Mike Richards had 44 points. Do you really think Dupuis and Fisher are first-line players in the NHL while Richards is not based on the 50 points threshhold?

I'm not necessarily challenging your argument, but I would like to point out that Mike Richards was not a first line player last year. Mike Fisher did appear to be the Predators top centre based on ice time.