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General Leafs Talk: Post-Olympics Edition

Good read on the Blackhawks and relevant re: the Leafs' apparent 'unused' analytics budget: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/27179980-419/advanced-analytics-are-the-blackhawks-secret-formula-for-success.html

 
Potvin29 said:
Good read on the Blackhawks and relevant re: the Leafs' apparent 'unused' analytics budget: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/27179980-419/advanced-analytics-are-the-blackhawks-secret-formula-for-success.html

If it's good enough for what has probably been the best team in the league over the last 5 years . . .

Seriously, though, it's getting to (or has already arrived at) the point where not using some sort of advanced analytics puts you at a disadvantage. The way people look at the game has changed. It's time for the Leafs to adapt.
 
bustaheims said:
Potvin29 said:
Good read on the Blackhawks and relevant re: the Leafs' apparent 'unused' analytics budget: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/27179980-419/advanced-analytics-are-the-blackhawks-secret-formula-for-success.html

If it's good enough for what has probably been the best team in the league over the last 5 years . . .

Seriously, though, it's getting to (or has already arrived at) the point where not using some sort of advanced analytics puts you at a disadvantage. The way people look at the game has changed. It's time for the Leafs to adapt.

Yeah, I don't care if it's corsi or whatever, but they should be doing something with the money they have.  Would be a drop in the bucket to get additional intel.
 
Potvin29 said:
Yeah, I don't care if it's corsi or whatever, but they should be doing something with the money they have.  Would be a drop in the bucket to get additional intel.

Yup. Take the same approach the Hawks have. Come up with their own advanced stats. Employ a bunch of people. Track everything - and I mean everything. Have your own people around on the road to track things like hits and giveaways the same way you track them at home, so, at least, you get consistent numbers. Once you have enough data, take a deeper look at what looks like it lines up with being an indicator of future success and what doesn't. Start with everything and narrow it down to what works. Don't just dismiss it because you don't like what's available. There's value out there somewhere. Find it.
 
bustaheims said:
Potvin29 said:
Yeah, I don't care if it's corsi or whatever, but they should be doing something with the money they have.  Would be a drop in the bucket to get additional intel.

Yup. Take the same approach the Hawks have. Come up with their own advanced stats. Employ a bunch of people. Track everything - and I mean everything. Have your own people around on the road to track things like hits and giveaways the same way you track them at home, so, at least, you get consistent numbers. Once you have enough data, take a deeper look at what looks like it lines up with being an indicator of future success and what doesn't. Start with everything and narrow it down to what works. Don't just dismiss it because you don't like what's available. There's value out there somewhere. Find it.

Yep, and like Bowman says, it's all complementary they're not throwing everything else away by going with this approach.  They are just coming at evaluation from as many angles as possible.
 
pmrules said:
What was St. Louis', San Jose's or Detroit's budget?

The Blues and Sharks have both been using analytic firms for quite some time now. Ken Holland says that they're slowly getting into them more in Detroit.
 
bustaheims said:
If it's good enough for what has probably been the best team in the league over the last 5 years . . .

Then the relevant question should probably be what Dale Tallon is doing.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
pmrules said:
What was St. Louis', San Jose's or Detroit's budget?

The Blues and Sharks have both been using analytic firms for quite some time now. Ken Holland says that they're slowly getting into them more in Detroit.

And, really, if there are teams whose shoes you want to be in right now, it's the Blues and the Sharks.
 
Nik the Trik said:
CarltonTheBear said:
pmrules said:
What was St. Louis', San Jose's or Detroit's budget?

The Blues and Sharks have both been using analytic firms for quite some time now. Ken Holland says that they're slowly getting into them more in Detroit.

And, really, if there are teams whose shoes you want to be in right now, it's the Blues and the Sharks.

Playoff failures of the Blues/San Jose aside, the first step to being a solid Cup contender, is being a team that is consistently one of the better regular season teams.  So those two organizations at least have that going for them.  And even with their play in the postseason it isn't like they are losing because of a fundamental clash in playing style.  I honestly can't pinpoint what is wrong with San Jose.  St. Louis this year might be a reasonable argument for not trading for the shiny goaltender who hasn't been all that good.

ut you are right, the organization that you should probably look to for "good Cap management" is indeed Chicago.  Yes, they were fortunate to suck at the right time and draft a plethora of fantastic players (Keith, Seabrook, Toews and Kane).  But the Blackhawks have made shrewd moves with their roster each year, getting rid of pretty solid 2nd/3rd line players to maintain the ability to have their star players and still have some pretty decent team depth.  Whether
 
Nik the Trik said:
And, really, if there are teams whose shoes you want to be in right now, it's the Blues and the Sharks.

I never said good teams use analytics and bad teams don't. Somebody asked about three specific teams. The Oilers and Sabres both have analytics people on their staff too. It's not going to magically make your team better.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
Nik the Trik said:
And, really, if there are teams whose shoes you want to be in right now, it's the Blues and the Sharks.

I never said good teams use analytics and bad teams don't. Somebody asked about three specific teams. The Oilers and Sabres both have analytics people on their staff too. It's not going to magically make your team better.

My comment there was more a joke re: pmrules asking about those teams specifically, not accusing you of anything.
 
L K said:
Playoff failures of the Blues/San Jose aside, the first step to being a solid Cup contender, is being a team that is consistently one of the better regular season teams.

Don't get me wrong, there's any number of reasons as to why I'd prefer the Leafs to be more like those teams/organizations. That some analytics firms have talked them out of some money, however, isn't super-high up on the list.
 
Nik the Trik said:
Then the relevant question should probably be what Dale Tallon is doing.

Make 2 very good choices when drafting in the top 3, sign one of the best UFAs to ever hit the market and rely heavily on the depth that was created by your predecessor and supplemented largely by the guy who took over for you?
 
bustaheims said:
Make 2 very good choices when drafting in the top 3, sign one of the best UFAs to ever hit the market and rely heavily on the depth that was created by your predecessor and supplemented largely by the guy who took over for you?

Sure. You know, get Patrick Sharp for a 3rd round pick, draft Nik Hjalmarsson, hire Joel Quenneville, be a major part of the staff that builds the aforementioned depth...
 
Nik the Trik said:
Sure. You know, get Patrick Sharp for a 3rd round pick, draft Nik Hjalmarsson, hire Joel Quenneville, be a major part of the staff that builds the aforementioned depth...

A staff that was already well into the process of using the analytics system they started developing in 2001.
 
bustaheims said:
A staff that was already well into the process of using the analytics system they started developing in 2001.

As in:

Bowman ? then a 29-year-old with a famous last name and a business background ? actually got his foot in the door with the Hawks in 2001 by bringing some statistical analysis to a franchise that hardly had any.

Given that Tallon came to the team before 2001 I think it's pretty safe to say he didn't have a ton to do with any of that and given what they describe as the early model of this "statistical analysis"(which was about as scientific  as our MotM voting) I think it's safe to say it didn't have a lot to do with the depth the team was building between 2001 and 2004.

And while I can't think of a reason as to why Bowman's top-secret, his eyes only methodology that cements how valuable his contributions to the team have been would be something he'd want to trumpet, I'm still thinking that if we're giving anyone the lion's share of the credit for the success of the Blackhawks over the last five years, it'd be the guy who brought in Kane, Toews, Hossa, Sharp, Hjalmarsson, Quenneville, Niemi and so on.
 

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