|
What Happened to Mathieu Joseph? |
|
|
|
|
|
Propulsion suggests power. On November 8th, 2018, Lighting fans watched a young rookie forward exhibit propulsive force as he accepted a pass before the blue line, forced the opposing New York Islanders defenseman in his immediate frame to recede, and lurched towards the outskirts of the home-plate area. Using an adversary as a screen, Mathieu Joseph released a screeching wrist shot on net, beating goaltender Robin Lehner from the top of the left circle.
A propitious sequence now frozen in time, but at the moment, Joseph seemed like another late-round gem the Lightning had unearthed and turned into a valuable contributor. He had power and speed, and hopefully the rougher parts of his game could be smoothed out with care and coaching.
For Joseph, the 2018-19 season was a simpler time. Tallying 13 goals and 13 assists, he had a role in the Bolts’ regular roster, playing minutes on the third and fourth lines. Fast forward a season, and the optics looked very different. Joseph played 29 games in Syracuse this season, and since he is a restricted free agent this summer, it is possible the Lightning will trade him. After all, the Tampa Bay organization has been considerate with players who seem to have reached a dead end, trading them to organizations where they could get another opportunity at the NHL level (Slater Koekkoek and Adam Erne come to mind).
But what happened? How did the Joseph experiment unravel?
In 2018-19, Joseph ranked in the top four among Lightning forwards in expected goals percentage at 5v5. In high-danger-chances percentage, he ranked third. In both categories he faired better than Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Brayden Point. Granted, Joseph was carefully shielded by Coach Jon Cooper, but he played with brio, pinballing around the ice and using his acceleration and physicality to force turnovers on the forecheck.
In open ice he was dangerous, and his explosiveness caught several defensemen and goaltenders by surprise. The aforementioned Islanders goal is emblematic of that phenomenon, as is his most memorable goal, which came on a chip shot against Detroit.
In 2019-20, his numbers dropped. Joseph ranked seventh among Tampa Bay forwards in expected goals and high-danger chances. He also saw his points per game drop precipitously. In 2018-19, he averaged .37 points per game and in 2019-20, that fell to .19. Joseph wasn’t bringing the same pop despite a gracious sample size, and Tampa Bay found other options to fill out their bottom six, players without wild oscillations. In some ways, Joseph was a casualty of a franchise that wanted to make sure its shift-to-shift play had less variance, a mandate achieved through better forechecking and puck management.
The unfortunate thing with Joseph is that, when his scoring numbers decreased, he no longer had positives to overshadow his negatives. In 2018-19, he injected quick-strike scoring and could savage the opponent with a bodycheck. But he also got lost in his own zone, and his awareness on the ice had noticeable lapses in important moments, like in the first playoff round against the Blue Jackets.
Carter Verhaeghe started out very slowly, but he found his scoring groove before the trade deadline. The affable grinder Patrick Maroon proved a reliable forechecker and physical presence for Tampa Bay. Even Mitchell Stephens had strong possession numbers, and while he struggled to score, he could transport the puck up the ice and hem the opponent in its own end. Unlike Joseph, Stephens never proved to be a liability – even if his highs never reached Joseph’s levels. Cooper never trusted Joseph because of his miscues and blown assignments on breakouts and in defensive coverage, and that eroded trust now seems irreparable. With Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow now on the roster, Joseph is marooned in Syracuse until he gets traded.
As much as today’s game orbits around speed and puck control, power exerts influence writ large. The Bruins and Blues advanced to the NHL final last season by besting teams with a rare combo of elite skill and sheer brute force. Joseph can take comfort knowing that the NHL power forward is a valued asset, especially in the postseason.
Joseph doesn’t have Mikhail Sergachev’s inimitable ability to create offense, but one hopes he improves his decision-making and accountability much like Sergachev did this past season. If he does, he could make a nice bottom-six addition to a team’s forward group. The Lightning and Joseph are on different trajectories, but if Joseph’s time with the franchise is ending soon, it would be nice for him to find success elsewhere.
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»