Could Martin Brodeur be as great a general manager as he was a goaltender?
The Buffalo Sabres won't get to find out for sure, as their attempt to speak with Brodeur about the team's open GM position was rebuffed, John Shannon told WGR 550.
Brodeur currently serves as assistant GM of the St. Louis Blues, a position he's held since May 2015. He moved into a management position with the club after finishing his playing days with the Blues during the 2014-15 season.
The search for the next GM in Buffalo has been a far-reaching effort, with reports indicating the Sabres have contacted Los Angeles Kings assistant GM Mike Futa, Columbus Blue Jackets assistant GM Bill Zito, as well as Jason Botterill and Bill Guerin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, among other potential candidates.
Could Martin Brodeur be as great a general manager as he was a goaltender?
The Buffalo Sabres won't get to find out for sure, as their attempt to speak with Brodeur about the team's open GM position was rebuffed, John Shannon told WGR 550.
Brodeur currently serves as assistant GM of the St. Louis Blues, a position he's held since May 2015. He moved into a management position with the club after finishing his playing days with the Blues during the 2014-15 season.
The search for the next GM in Buffalo has been a far-reaching effort, with reports indicating the Sabres have contacted Los Angeles Kings assistant GM Mike Futa, Columbus Blue Jackets assistant GM Bill Zito, as well as Jason Botterill and Bill Guerin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, among other potential candidates.
There's plenty of intriguing components to the deal, so without wasting any time, let's get into them.
The past
Zaitsev, 25, just concluded his first NHL campaign after joining the Maple Leafs last offseason. He suited up in all 82 games as a rookie, and logged the second-most ice time (22:01 per game) among all Toronto defenders.
Additionally, he chipped in with 36 points (four goals, 32 assists) and quarterbacked the Leafs' top power-play unit.
Despite solid offensive numbers, Zaitsev struggled possession-wise. Deployed primarily with Morgan Rielly until a switch to Jake Gardiner's pairing late in the season, Zaitsev - though not alone on Toronto's roster - was not on the right end of the shot count.
Zaitsev was assigned mostly unfavorable matchups as a freshman against opponents' top lines on Toronto's No. 1 pairing, so with more time to adjust to the league, the Leafs are hoping for positive development in that area.
The present and immediate future
While seven years is undoubtedly a lot of term, at this point, Zaitsev is Toronto's best right-handed shot.
Roman Polak is an unrestricted free agent July 1, and at 31, is coming off a gruesome leg injury suffered in the playoffs. Elsewhere, Toronto's depth chart isn't particularly flattering.
When it comes to salary, Zaitsev's AAV of $4.5 million ranks second among Leafs blue-liners, ahead of Gardiner ($4.05 million through 2019) and below Rielly ($5 million through 2022).
That said, upgrading the Maple Leafs' blue line will be a priority this offseason for general manager Lou Lamiorello.
Lamoriello says the Leafs will focus on getting better on defence this summer. "We have to add to that group."
In Zaitsev, Toronto has a viable option to slot in the top four, and rather than go to arbitration, the club opted to lock him up, which is completely sensible.
The long-term future
Zatisev's contract will take him to age 32, which is typically an age of steady decline among NHL defenders. In that sense, his new contract can go one of two ways.
1) Zaitsev develops in his remaining peak years, provides stability to the Leafs' D-corps for years to come at a reasonable price.
2) Zaitsev's mediocre possession numbers don't improve, and the Leafs are stuck with a burdening contract as he ages until 2024.
Of course, this is an oversimplified breakdown. It's impossible to predict what the Maple Leafs' top six will look like next season, but if they add quality pieces, and perhaps include Zaitsev in a more favorable role, he could certainly help Toronto on its quest to contend in the East.
In all, Leafs' management took a calculated gamble on what Zaitsev brings to the table, and put its faith in a 25-year-old rookie. Now we wait.
There's plenty of intriguing components to the deal, so without wasting any time, let's get into them.
The past
Zaitsev, 25, just concluded his first NHL campaign after joining the Maple Leafs last offseason. He suited up in all 82 games as a rookie, and logged the second-most ice time (22:01 per game) among all Toronto defenders.
Additionally, he chipped in with 36 points (four goals, 32 assists) and quarterbacked the Leafs' top power-play unit.
Despite solid offensive numbers, Zaitsev struggled possession-wise. Deployed primarily with Morgan Rielly until a switch to Jake Gardiner's pairing late in the season, Zaitsev - though not alone on Toronto's roster - was not on the right end of the shot count.
Zaitsev was assigned mostly unfavorable matchups as a freshman against opponents' top lines on Toronto's No. 1 pairing, so with more time to adjust to the league, the Leafs are hoping for positive development in that area.
The present and immediate future
While seven years is undoubtedly a lot of term, at this point, Zaitsev is Toronto's best right-handed shot.
Roman Polak is an unrestricted free agent July 1, and at 31, is coming off a gruesome leg injury suffered in the playoffs. Elsewhere, Toronto's depth chart isn't particularly flattering.
When it comes to salary, Zaitsev's AAV of $4.5 million ranks second among Leafs blue-liners, ahead of Gardiner ($4.05 million through 2019) and below Rielly ($5 million through 2022).
That said, upgrading the Maple Leafs' blue line will be a priority this offseason for general manager Lou Lamiorello.
Lamoriello says the Leafs will focus on getting better on defence this summer. "We have to add to that group."
In Zaitsev, Toronto has a viable option to slot in the top four, and rather than go to arbitration, the club opted to lock him up, which is completely sensible.
The long-term future
Zatisev's contract will take him to age 32, which is typically an age of steady decline among NHL defenders. In that sense, his new contract can go one of two ways.
1) Zaitsev develops in his remaining peak years, provides stability to the Leafs' D-corps for years to come at a reasonable price.
2) Zaitsev's mediocre possession numbers don't improve, and the Leafs are stuck with a burdening contract as he ages until 2024.
Of course, this is an oversimplified breakdown. It's impossible to predict what the Maple Leafs' top six will look like next season, but if they add quality pieces, and perhaps include Zaitsev in a more favorable role, he could certainly help Toronto on its quest to contend in the East.
In all, Leafs' management took a calculated gamble on what Zaitsev brings to the table, and put its faith in a 25-year-old rookie. Now we wait.
Niskanen was handed a major penalty and a game misconduct following the incident. It was announced Tuesday he will not receive supplemental discipline, while Crosby is sidelined with a concussion.
The Capitals took Game 3 with a 3-2 overtime victory, bringing the series to 2-1 Pittsburgh.
The Penguins, meanwhile, likely don't care for Carlyle commenting on their series, but he's speaking from experience. Prior to his coaching career, he starred as an NHL defenseman for 17 seasons, spending the majority of his playing days with the original Winnipeg Jets.
Niskanen was handed a major penalty and a game misconduct following the incident. It was announced Tuesday he will not receive supplemental discipline, while Crosby is sidelined with a concussion.
The Capitals took Game 3 with a 3-2 overtime victory, bringing the series to 2-1 Pittsburgh.
The Penguins, meanwhile, likely don't care for Carlyle commenting on their series, but he's speaking from experience. Prior to his coaching career, he starred as an NHL defenseman for 17 seasons, spending the majority of his playing days with the original Winnipeg Jets.
The Nashville Predators (6-1) and Pittsburgh Penguins (6-2) have been arguably the two most dominant teams this postseason. A major reason for that success has been their ability to generate quality shots on goal, despite ranking lower in terms of overall shot count.
Among the 16 teams that qualified for the postseason, Pittsburgh ranks 11th in shots per game, while Nashville ranks 12th. Five of the top six were eliminated in the first round, providing further evidence that quality is more important than quantity.
And interestingly enough, the Predators and Penguins have generated their quality shots in very similar manners.
Avg.DISTF
According to Corsica Hockey, Avg.DISTF is a team's average distance of unblocked shots. Obviously, the team taking shots closer to the net has a greater chance of scoring goals.
As you can see, Pittsburgh and Nashville rank first and second, respectively, when it comes to the closest Avg.DISTF thus far in the postseason. Only teams that are still active are included in the chart.
Team
Avg.DISTF (5v5)
PIT
32.18
NSH
32.19
EDM
33.51
NYR
34.06
ANA
34.57
WSH
35.49
STL
37.25
OTT
39.66
Stat junkies often get caught up in the amount of shots a team has taken, while the actual quality of those shots flies under the radar.
Thru%
Thru% is the percentage of a team's shot attempts that actually make it on goal. A stat such as Corsi, for example, is helpful, but it gives a team credit if it attempts a shot, even if it gets blocked or misses the net completely.
Both Pittsburgh and Nashville have done an outstanding job of getting pucks through to the net so far in the postseason.
Team
Thru% (5v5)
PIT
54.2
NSH
52.8
STL
51.6
NYR
51.1
ANA
50.1
OTT
49.9
WSH
47.9
EDM
45.3
Nashville has been especially impressive when you consider that much of their shot generation comes from Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, and Ryan Ellis - all defensemen. The three-blue liners rank second, fourth, and sixth on the team in shots on goal during the playoffs, respectively.
One-timers
Part of why Nashville and Pittsburgh are able to get shots through with success is that they may be the two best teams at executing the one-timer. A one-timer not only gives defenders minimal time to get in the shooting lane to block the shot, but also gives goaltenders less time to find the puck and react.
Unfortunately, the statistical evidence for one-timers is bare, but anyone who has watched either team play this postseason with regularity would likely agree.
The Penguins have the skill up front to take one-timers off the rush. They lead the postseason with 75 snapshots, according to NHL.com. The next most? Washington with 56.
Furthermore, both of Pittsburgh's goals in the waning minutes of Game 3 came off one-timers from Evgeni Malkin and Justin Schultz. Those goals came on a six-on-five man advantage with the goalie pulled - not off the rush - but nonetheless, the one-timers still count.
The Predators, as mentioned, like to take shots from the point with their defensemen. As a team, they lead the playoffs in slapshots per game with 5.57.
If you've tuned into many Predators games this postseason, you'll routinely find Josi, Subban, or Ellis blasting one-timers from their off-hand side - at even strength and on the power play.
If both the Predators and Penguins continue to find ways to get quality shots through to the net, it wouldn't be surprising at all if they meet in the Stanley Cup Final.
While there's no timetable for his return, his absence from the Penguins' lineup and from the game as a whole can't be understated, with nary a silver lining to be found.
Perhaps the only positives here for the Penguins are that they maintain a 2-1 series lead over the Capitals, and the steady presence of another superstar center in Evgeni Malkin, who's been quite brilliant when Crosby has been forced out of the lineup in the past.
According to Craig Custance of ESPN, Malkin has played 118 games without Crosby, registering 66 goals and 88 assists for a total of 154 points. That works out to a point per game average of 1.31, which is higher than his overall career regular-season mark of 1.18.
In these playoffs, Malkin leads all players with 15 points through eight games (four goals, 11 assists), including a strike and a helper within the final two minutes of Game 3 to send it to overtime, where Washington eventually came out on top.
Malkin will need to continue at that clip for however long Crosby is out in order for the Penguins to defend their Stanley Cup title, and history suggests that should not be a problem.
