I think rookies vs vets are another part of the 20% decline, as you previously mentioned. I think Vey and Etem would have more points in the last few games if Burrows even got shots on net from the pucks they feed him. Man I hope that pairing keeps getting better.
TBH, I also really hope they get better. Vey has been a lot better since we acquired Etem. Etem is also very very good at producing scoring chances and I have nothing but good things to say about the trade. I thought it was terrific at the time and I think it's great now. Same with the Baertschi trade.
Depending on how long Benning was talking to Pitts about Sutter, it's possible they wanted Dorsett as a winger and Sutter as a center for the whole mentorship, culture thing and they knew Sutter would be replacing Richardson at center. Because we can't see into the locker room, my argument goes on the assumption that Dorsett is better than Richardson in that regard, but it's something we can't measure. It's not that Horvat plays with Dorsett to learn, it's that, while stapled to the bench early in the season, the rookies watch what guys like Sutter and Dorsett do on the ice. It's better than video because you can feel the energy in a game. I know Richardson is a better player, but the timing wasn't right and I think Virtanen/McCann takes the Richardson spot. I'd rather Dorsett over some of the other bruisers in the game, including Prust. I wonder if he would have gave a shit if his ankle was still in good condition.
Yeah, again it's something we really can't measure as you say. I just think that on ice effectiveness is more important then how good of a guy you are off the ice. The logic being that these guys are paid to play hockey not to be the players friends. Hockey skills come first and being a nice guy comes second.
And yes, I totally can see Sbisa is shitty on the stats sheets. The thing I have always said is he replaces Bieksa in a few categories, be them positive or negative. I see in both players physical, passionate, reckless. Both make you cringe in the defensive end, and both, I believe, excell when they have a partner who can cover up mistakes. The article a few posts down that dives into rebounds shows Bieksa and Sbisa are not too far apart. I wouldn't say it's a good thing, but having two players who need a strong defensive partner and putting them on the same line last year... was quite the head scratcher. I think Sbisa has looked a lot better with Hutton this year, but we will have to see what happens down the stretch. I really hope I'm right in thinking Sbisa will be better with a stable partner. He looked alright vs Calgary.
I'm completely fine with you seeing it this way. I see it the other way.
Maybe Lack would have more trade value a year or two down the road, but I think he is gone because he fetched the best return at the time.
I'd rather keep the cheaper/younger duo just mainly due to the value of goaltenders being so low I saw no reason to trade Lack for a lackluster return just because he had the most value out of the 3. The difference between a 3rd and a 4th-5th rounder isn't that much in my opinion.
Again with Sutter, I think the leadership thing is a huge part of it. the cornerstone comment from Benning supports this in my mind. Bonino has one hell of a sick contract, but that's just for one more year. It will be interesting to compare the two after Bonino gets his well deserved pay bump. Also in my argument, I mentioned Sutter is almost 1 goal per 60 better than Bonino this year, but then Bonino is almost 1 goal per better than Sutter last year. Since you could argue they swapped positions, they seem about even.
I see what you are saying. I just don't get why Benning had to say that Sutter was a foundational player during negotiation. Makes little sense to give up negotating power. Also, I don't get why he signed Sutter so quickly before watching him play in Vancouver.
I personally think Sutter is overpaid for a 3rd line center. Which is what I think he is. Statistically speaking you could say he is a bottom 6 player.
Also, using Bonino's goals for 60 for this year can be really misleading. It really isn't a big enough sample size. If you look over his entire career it paints Bonino with a better brush and includes a much better sample size.