Since +/- is the NHL's worst stat, I thought it would make sense to appropriate it and make it useful as we review the best and worst of the past week in the NHL.
PLUS: I don't think that the Coyotes' Louis Domingue really gets enough credit for what he's done. In 12 games, he has let in 13 5v5 goals and is essentially the best goalie in the NHL over that time. His record is 7-2-2 on a team that has put up 45% possession when he's played.
PLUS: The Oilers signing Talbot to an extension. At just over $4 million annually for a starter, along with McDavid and Draisaitl on ECLs and RNH, Eberle and Hall all signed to ridiculously cheap long-term deals, the Oilers have a chance to squeeze the cap and have one hell of a hockey team.
Convo about Talbot's extension would be a lot different w/o 7 "own goals" #Oilers had on him this year. SV% would be .920 if only 4 went in.
Some might look at Talbot's numbers and scoff at the deal, but if you consider his numbers in light of playing behind a team that is under 50% possession, allows the third most shots in the league and has a negative scoring-chance differential, then I think they are OK.
Without Yakupov, McDavid and Klefbom, the Oilers have had to dress some pretty bad bottom-six and bottom three defensemen. As these players come back and moves are made, Talbot should look like a steal at his price.
The Oilers should be able to abuse the salary cap for the next several years and dress an insane team. If they could find someone to take Purcell and Fayne, they would have close to $15 million in cap space.
MINUS: With all due respect to Don Cherry, this John Scott stuff has gotten out of hand. Listen: Obama was born in the USA, the government is not using the pyramid on the one-dollar bill to watch your every move and Don Maloney didn't make a four player trade in order to get John Scott out of the all-star game.
What he did was get a half-decent defensive prospect in exchange for two guys who cleared waivers. To see Don Cherry shaming everyone who voted for Scott was a little bit over the top. This entire situation should have been handled with humour - but the NHL and it's commentators apparently don't understand the word.
In a world where people get so crazy mad /upset about a game played by millionaires in two of the richest countries in the world; countries where the people have absolutely no problem with 20% of the people not knowing when their next meal will come from, then getting mad about John Scott sees like the dumbest thing you can do.
Well, the dumbest thing you can do is hold in your outrage when someone supports a fascist for president, but you get my point.
MINUS: Everyone, for making me write and think about John frigging Scott. Hey Maloney, I could have told you in the summer it was a bad idea to sign him, but you don't listen to me. (Even though I know you never miss a column).
PLUS: The Coyotes - possibly taking my advice, in which case they should know that I would move my family to Phoenix to be an assistant GM if they wanted me to - have recently started skating Domi and Duclair together with Hanzal and the result have been fantastic.
Duclair and Domi = 53% CF and Duclair and Hanzel also = 53% .
They also claimed Kevin Connauton of waivers this week and in his debut game he put up a 77% possession rating, despite being paired with former good player Zbynek Michalek.
the MINUS would be that this team - which usually gets out-shot and outplayed - thoroughly dominated the Devils yesterday (allowed 10 shots 5v5 and had more shot attempts by a 54-18 margin) but could not score on possible best-goalie-in-the-world Corey Schneider.
It was a taste of their own medicine, basically.
MINUS: If you're a Canucks fan and you have to watch both Luongo and Schneider compete for the Vezina as they attempt to drag garbage teams into the Playoffs, you can't exactly be enjoying this season.
If you went back two years to when Vancouver had both goalies (plus Eddie Lack) and made an list of options of what could happen, I don't think having one of the worst teams in hockey while providing 10% of the NHL with their starting goalies would even have made the list - it is just too dumb of a thing to possibly happen.
PLUS: Stamkos appears now like he'll re-sign in Tampa. If you're a secret Leafs fan, or even an outed one, this is the best news you could possibly get. I hope I never have to be proven correct about the fact that it would be an absolute disaster for the Leafs to sign Stamkos as a UFA.
MINUS x Infinity: After making a trade that may or may not make any sense, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford, who is 66, said that even though Perron is probably a better goal scorer, Hagelin 'has better plus/minus.'
A blogger or commenter on a blog mentioning plus/minus in 2016 is pathetic. For a paid TV broadcaster it's just sad, but for an actual NHL GM? That is scary as hell.
It is downright incompetent and inexcusable.
MINUS Pekke Rinne going to the Allstar game is not any better than John Scott. If I was the Ducks or the Lightning or Leafs, I would be looking to peddle a goalie to a team who, with one, could compete for the Stanley Cup.
PLUS: In retrospect, Brendan Shanahan waiting a year to fire Dave Nonis looks brilliant. By doing so, the Leafs - who have been garbage for like five years - somehow seem like they're in the first year of a rebuilding process.
But, they have Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Reilly and Kasperi Kappanen. That is four first round picks that you don't usually have on your roster when you "just start" a rebuild.
Add in Kadri, Gardiner, JVR and Reimer - four players which the Leafs could use to garner another four blue-chip or high-end prospects and you're talking about a team that could be absolutely stacked with potential at the beginning of its rebuild.
Just for fun: Let's say Tampa paid Drouin for JVR, Edmonton gave Yakupov for Gardiner, Minnesota gave Dumba and a first for Kadri and Nashville gave a first for Reimer.
That'd be Nylander, Marner, Drouin, Kappenen, Yakupov, Reilly, Dumba and four firsts in 2016.
Now, I am sure I am making some dumb trade proposals, but let's not focus on that. The point is that the Leafs could, if they wanted to , trade a first line centre, a first line winger, a starting goalie and a top defensemen, all of whom are in their prime, and come away with one of the best collections of young players the league has ever seen.
All the while ensuing a total fresh start and moving forward with none of the players from the Burke era.
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