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: The Swamp Thing. Are you down with the Swamp Thing? No? Get yourself to the nearest online retailer you can stomach sending money to - or better yet, a real life comic shop - and spend the $20 the Swamp Thing demands.
It will be worth every penny.
(Get the Alan Moore version).
MINUS: Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Sweedish Dreamboat, ghostwriter of Dragon Tattoo books, the second best defensemen in the NHL and my favorite player - left the game, returned to the game and then left again.
He is - of course - 'day to day with a body injury.'
Is it upper? Is it lower? tellmetellmetellme.
He'll supposedly join the team on their season ending 5 game road trip. After losing 7 of 10 its' time to sell, baby, sell.
MINUS: I missed last night's Coyotes game in order to watch Black Mass. this turns out to be a terrible decision. Domi scored 2 goals and ten were scored in total. The movie.....well I wouldn't say it sucked. But I would say that it adds nothing knew to a stale genre and well, you'd be better off just re-watching Goodfellas instead.
MINUS: People complaining about Bettman not reducing Wideman's suspension.
Use yer head, dog: The Flames are out of playoff contention and Wideman's suspension doesn't affect anything important so it's an easy call: don't piss off the ref's union. The guy did cross check a ref in the back. Stop looking for conspiracy theories everywhere.
MINUS: Just curious: Have Bettman and Spacey ever been seen together at the same time, in the same room? Is Bettman actually the only sports league commissioner with an Oscar?
PLUS: I don't know why they wouldn't give Dave Hodge (on TSN if that shows in your house) a seat on his own show where his feet can touch the ground, but they didn't and that ___ is hilarious.
MINUS: Since I live in Toronto, I am privy to a just insane amount of Steven Stamkos to the Leafs speculation.
No one is talking about how stupid it is to throw max money at a declining player. The Leafs just got rid of Kessel and Phaneuf and their bloated contracts. Giving a player who - let's face it - is not the same guy since he broke his leg max money is just the same thing over again?
Do you know what they say about doing the same thing over again? They tell a stupid cliche is what they do but you should know that the definition of insanity is completely different and the dumb old cliche comes from a 1980s Narcotics Anonymous pamphlet.
Also, that club is not as much fun as it sounds like.
PLUS: If there is one hockey player who is capable of pulling a Jose Bautista - i.e breaking all the development rules and becoming a superstar in his late-twenties, it is Nazem Kadri. His breakout year has coincided with some of the worst luck and linemates ever and he deserves so much better.
He currently has 200 shots which, if he had shot his career average 10% would give him 20 goals and put him top 30 in the NHL. Instead, he has 11 on just 5% shooting.
This might turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to the Leafs though: They can probably re-sign him for cheaper than he deserves and have one of the best allround centres in the NHL on one of the best contracts.
Lost in Kadri's season of terrible luck: 52.71 CF%, (a wild 10.17 relative CF) +112 high-danger scoring chance differential, +245 scoring chance differential, and of course, 200 shots.
One thing that is most impressive about Kadri, is that despite playing on the absolute worst team in the NHL, he ranks equal to Kopitar as the 20th best centre in the league at preventing shots.
Kadri's 27.14 Shots Against/60 is 20th among centres with 1000 minutes played. Think about how everyone on LA is just absolutely ridiculous at puck possession, and then think about how while playing for the LEAFS Kadri is allowing the same amount of shots against as defensive monster Anze Kopitar.
MINUS: Speaking of defensive centres, why is no one talking about Joe Thornton? He is still elite in all facets of the game and is especially amazing at defense. He should win the Selke.
PLUS: Since I took so much abuse yesterday for saying that Brodie and Muzzin are superior to Duncan Keith, here's the stats:
Brodie 48 games 23 5v5 pts 4.2 Relative Corsi 25.94 Shots-against / 60 Keith 51 games 16 5v5 pts 4.04 RC 31.22 Muzzin 57 games 15 5v5 pts 1.15 RC 26.66
Brodie +31 Scoring Chance diff. +4 High Danger Scoring chances Keith +63 +6 Muzzin +123 +45
Brodie 19.61 TOI / game (5v5) Keith 18.41 Muzzin 16.47
MINUS: It's 2016 and teams still want to aquire Roman Polak.
PLUS: The trade deadline is 8 days away. I am so pumped.
MINUS: Yet again, no team I cheer for will be going to the Playoffs. I have three teams I cheer for and since I started writing for the Buzz, they are a combined 0-9 for making the Playoffs.
MINUS: The idea that the Arizona Coyotes are "working hard" to sign Boedker. Just trade him already he doesn't help this team.
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