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2017-2018 NHL Thread

Nik the Trik said:
I wonder if maybe generally scoring goes up in expansion years.
Click to expand...

Probably, although this is a weird year with Vegas being one of the best teams in the league.
 
More teams have adopted a higher pace of play this season compared to last, i.e. a general uptick in shot attempts.

Pulling the CF and CA numbers from hockey-reference for All Situations, last season's pace was an average of 7684.533 shot attempts for + against. This season, exempting Vegas' numbers, the average pace is prorated to 9619.388, which is a 25% increase from last season. Obviously, since they're just prorated numbers, these raw numbers should be taken with a hefty grain of salt as teams change behaviour in the second half. I don't have the time to parse the numbers by games played for last season, so we're just going to assume a static slope and linear progression.

For reference, Toronto was the highest paced team last season. This season we are 6th so far, and our pace increase is well below the league's average. Our pace differential is the 6th smallest in the league (i.e. playing most similar to last season).

I can't really tell what effect Vegas has from this view (since I exempted them entirely), but obviously some shots for and against are against them at home.

Here's the table in case anyone wants to play with it. Again, it's All Situations. Probably should've done Even Strength for better stability, but Carlton's observation was raw goals and point paces.

TmSeasonCFCAPaceSeasonGPCFCAprorateCFprorateCAproratePaceCFDiffCADiffPaceDiff
CGY2016-173664359172552017-1849311228885207.8367354832.97959210040.816331543.8367351241.9795922785.816327
FLA2016-173746366474102017-1847283028684937.4468095003.7446819941.1914891191.4468091339.7446812531.191489
STL2016-173595361472092017-1851305629114913.5686274680.43137395941318.5686271066.4313732385
WPG2016-173611370573162017-1850291129964774.044913.449687.481163.041208.442371.48
CHI2016-173974390578792017-1849322728495400.2857144767.714286101681426.285714862.71428572289
TBL2016-173808361674242017-1849301627845047.1836734658.9387769706.1224491239.1836731042.9387762282.122449
ANA2016-173693375674492017-1850277831474555.925161.089717862.921405.082268
NJD2016-173349372470732017-1848263728134504.8754805.5416679310.4166671155.8751081.5416672237.416667
EDM2016-173892386477562017-1849310328185192.775514715.8367359908.6122451300.77551851.83673472152.612245
MTL2016-174149376179102017-1849303429465077.3061224930.04081610007.34694928.30612241169.0408162097.346939
WSH2016-173842364274842017-1849275629684612.0816334966.8571439578.938776770.08163271324.8571432094.938776
SJS2016-173971386478352017-1848299327835113.0416674754.2916679867.3333331142.041667890.29166672032.333333
COL2016-173651380474552017-1848262929004491.2083334954.1666679445.375840.20833331150.1666671990.375
LAK2016-174150343275822017-1849283228784739.2653064816.2448989555.510204589.26530611384.2448981973.510204
CAR2016-174035384178762017-1849315726705283.1428574468.1632659751.3061221248.142857627.16326531875.306122
ARI2016-173617438780042017-1850294930374836.364980.689817.041219.36593.681813.04
OTT2016-173821406378842017-1847267028864658.2978725035.1489369693.446809837.2978723972.14893621809.446809
NYR2016-173735403677712017-1850276830564539.525011.849551.36804.52975.841780.36
DET2016-173576378673622017-1848260027334441.6666674668.8759110.541667865.6666667882.8751748.541667
BOS2016-174147342175682017-1847276225624818.8085114469.872349288.680851671.80851061048.872341720.680851
CBJ2016-173972393779092017-1849290528394861.4285714750.9795929612.408163889.4285714813.97959181703.408163
NYI2016-173856424581012017-1850284731264669.085126.649795.72813.08881.641694.72
NSH2016-174020384078602017-1847269727744705.4042554839.7446819545.148936685.4042553999.74468091685.148936
VAN2016-173592385674482017-1849264328114422.9795924704.1224499127.102041830.9795918848.1224491679.102041
TOR2016-174181408782682017-1851306531094928.0392164998.7843149926.823529747.0392157911.78431371658.823529
PIT2016-174004402480282017-1851312028705016.4705884614.5098049630.9803921012.470588590.50980391602.980392
PHI2016-173999381278112017-1849282927734734.2448984640.5306129374.77551735.244898828.53061221563.77551
BUF2016-173664408077442017-1849266028644451.4285714792.8163279244.244898787.4285714712.81632651500.244898
MIN2016-173845393477792017-1849255329674272.3673474965.1836739237.55102427.36734691031.1836731458.55102
DAL2016-174061402580862017-1850294427554828.164518.29346.36767.16493.21260.36
 
L K said:
CarltonTheBear said:
Last season 8 players scored at a point-per-game rate or higher. This season that number has exploded to 28 (minimum 25 GP).

Marchand, Kucherov, and MacKinnon are all on pace to score 100+ points as well. And Stamkos is close to that too. 100 points has only been cracked 3 times in the 5 previous seasons.
Click to expand...


What's the thought for this happening?  The slashing rule changes?  I would imagine that this has cut down not just the slashes to player hands but probably has cut down the hooks that players would get away with on the hands trying to limit shots too.
Click to expand...
It was a lot more then 28 during the first quarter of the season which leads me to believe all of the penalties called to start the season had something to do it with it. I think the game has opened up a fair bit but the penalties called are slowing down as players adjust. Although I believe there will be more then the 8 last year I don't think will finish the season at 28.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7QZ_yGD5t0

The ASG should have just been MacLean and Bettman going at it for 3 hours. Now THAT I would have watched.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7QZ_yGD5t0

The ASG should have just been MacLean and Bettman going at it for 3 hours. Now THAT I would have watched.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, the annual 8 minutes a year when Ron MacLean decides he has a backbone.
 
Well, sort of. There's still no pushback at all on the idea that building arenas with public money genuinely revitalizes an area.
 
https://twitter.com/PierreVLeBrun/status/958380916535013376

I don't think this is going to work until the decision gets taken out of the refs hands and goes to the war room in Toronto. But I do hope this "common sense" provision is applied to offsides too. Anything an inch or less, if it's not called by the linesmen during real time, should just be allowed.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
I don't think this is going to work until the decision gets taken out of the refs hands and goes to the war room in Toronto. But I do hope this "common sense" provision is applied to offsides too. Anything an inch or less, if it's not called by the linesmen during real time, should just be allowed.
Click to expand...

I guess the only problem is I thought the "clear evidence" standard was what they already were using. At least with goalie interference the issue really seems to be a consistent definition. We have that for offsides.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
I don't think this is going to work until the decision gets taken out of the refs hands and goes to the war room in Toronto. But I do hope this "common sense" provision is applied to offsides too. Anything an inch or less, if it's not called by the linesmen during real time, should just be allowed.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It should be used for missed offside calls, not calls that are indistinguishable by the naked human eye. That said, Nik is right too. Offsides are like shots in tennis, they're easily judged by the rules.
 
Bullfrog said:
CarltonTheBear said:
I don't think this is going to work until the decision gets taken out of the refs hands and goes to the war room in Toronto. But I do hope this "common sense" provision is applied to offsides too. Anything an inch or less, if it's not called by the linesmen during real time, should just be allowed.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It should be used for missed offside calls, not calls that are indistinguishable by the naked human eye. That said, Nik is right too. Offsides are like shots in tennis, they're easily judged by the rules.
Click to expand...

Could we make a small fix to the offside rule making it any part of the body over the line counts as staying on-side instead of having a foot on the ice.  It feels like a lot of those plays where the question is whether they picked their skate on the blueline would go away if you amend the rule to just keeping the body over the blue ice.
 
Nik the Trik said:
Bob McKenzie just tweeted that Mike Fisher is coming back from retirement.
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Can't remember the last time something like this happened in the NHL. Kovalchuk obviously, sorta. And then Lemieux back in the day.

I always thought it was a little strange he decided to retire. He's 37 which is up there especially in this day and age, but he scored 42 points on a low-scoring Nashville team last season. Seemed like he still had some good hockey left in him.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
Can't remember the last time something like this happened in the NHL. Kovalchuk obviously, sorta. And then Lemieux back in the day.

I always thought it was a little strange he decided to retire. He's 37 which is up there especially in this day and age, but he scored 42 points on a low-scoring Nashville team last season. Seemed like he still had some good hockey left in him.
Click to expand...

I chalked it up to him having a young family and a wife whose career also meant she travelled but I guess retirement just didn't take for one reason or another.

I'd thought though that there was some sort of December deadline that prevented something like this.
 
Nik the Trik said:
CarltonTheBear said:
Can't remember the last time something like this happened in the NHL. Kovalchuk obviously, sorta. And then Lemieux back in the day.

I always thought it was a little strange he decided to retire. He's 37 which is up there especially in this day and age, but he scored 42 points on a low-scoring Nashville team last season. Seemed like he still had some good hockey left in him.
Click to expand...

I chalked it up to him having a young family and a wife whose career also meant she travelled but I guess retirement just didn't take for one reason or another.

I'd thought though that there was some sort of December deadline that prevented something like this.
Click to expand...

For a free agent, I think he just needs to be signed by the Trade Deadline to qualify for playoffs.

The Decemberish (1st?) deadline is for signing RFAs, I think. They become ineligible to play if not signed by then.
 
herman said:
For a free agent, I think he just needs to be signed by the Trade Deadline to qualify for playoffs.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. I'd thought it was different if he'd actually retired though.
 
Nik the Trik said:
CarltonTheBear said:
Can't remember the last time something like this happened in the NHL. Kovalchuk obviously, sorta. And then Lemieux back in the day.

I always thought it was a little strange he decided to retire. He's 37 which is up there especially in this day and age, but he scored 42 points on a low-scoring Nashville team last season. Seemed like he still had some good hockey left in him.
Click to expand...

I chalked it up to him having a young family and a wife whose career also meant she travelled but I guess retirement just didn't take for one reason or another.

I'd thought though that there was some sort of December deadline that prevented something like this.
Click to expand...

I might be wrong but I think the restriction is only for restricted free agents.  December 1st is the deadline to sign an RFA/Group 2 Free Agent to a new contract.  I don't think there is a limit for UFAs other than "by the trade deadline"
 
If he had retired without yet completing his contract, then he'd have to pass through waivers. As it stands, he finished his contract and declared retirement from the league over the summer, so I'm guessing it's like signing any free agent not currently under contract with a league.

Looks like it was the Preds that hooked him back into the game. They've got about 3M to work with at this moment.
 
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