Stop arguing semantics with me man, I just don't care. So what ?- he's 34th, but if he gets 1 point he'll jump to 15th - whatever!

Point is, and I can't stress this enough: MY STATS WERE ALL 100% accurate.

If you want to take a petty approach to how I chose to interpret them, well that is up to you, but the fact is, I was accused of posting outdated stats and the ones I posted were 100% accurate.
- James_Tanner

Accuracy is not semantics. It's not petty to point out you look at a chart saying a player is 34th, and say he's 7th. You ignore the fact Yandle starts in the offensive zone more often then he ends there. You ignore the fact he is playing against weaker competition. You try to spin his stats talking about Coyotes being so terrible the last 5 years, while they made playoffs or barely missed. You talk about him having no help, but ignore the fact many of his points come with OEL on the powerplay, and 2 of the 3 forwards he plays the most with 5v5 you say are incredibly skilled offensively, Gagner and Boedker. Offensive stats are not compelling arguments for why a second pairing defensemen is one of the best D in the league, and you ignore everything but them.

You live in your own little universe, picking one ridiculous claim to make for a blog; cherry pick a few stats that sound good in it; then ignore anything to the contrary and belittle anyone any time you being wrong is pointed out. You claim other people judge based on reputation, but judge everyone other than the people you want to talk about on reputation. It's pretty obvious you need to feel special by saying everyone else is wrong and you're right, even though your outlandish claims are consistently proven false.

Cloutier and Garth used to get a lot of hits with this sort of blog. But look what they get now. Everyone gets tired of this sort of nonsense trolling, and you're increasingly closer to jumping the shark and joining their ignored ranks.

Accuracy is not semantics. It's not petty to point out you look at a chart saying a player is 34th, and say he's 7th. You ignore the fact Yandle starts in the offensive zone more often then he ends there. You ignore the fact he is playing against weaker competition. You try to spin his stats talking about Coyotes being so terrible the last 5 years, while they made playoffs or barely missed. You talk about him having no help, but ignore the fact many of his points come with OEL on the powerplay, and 2 of the 3 forwards he plays the most with 5v5 you say are incredibly skilled offensively, Gagner and Boedker. Offensive stats are not compelling arguments for why a second pairing defensemen is one of the best D in the league, and you ignore everything but them.

You live in your own little universe, picking one ridiculous claim to make for a blog; cherry pick a few stats that sound good in it; then ignore anything to the contrary and belittle anyone any time you being wrong is pointed out. You claim other people judge based on reputation, but judge everyone other than the people you want to talk about on reputation. It's pretty obvious you need to feel special by saying everyone else is wrong and you're right, even though your outlandish claims are consistently proven false.

Cloutier and Garth used to get a lot of hits with this sort of blog. But look what they get now. Everyone gets tired of this sort of nonsense trolling, and you're increasingly closer to jumping the shark and joining their ignored ranks.
- Antilles

Whoa. You lost me at gagner and boedker. Was with you till then.

And cloutier is gone.

Can you write a blog on the Homeland finale? I would enjoy your thoughts on that.

Accuracy is not semantics. It's not petty to point out you look at a chart saying a player is 34th, and say he's 7th. You ignore the fact Yandle starts in the offensive zone more often then he ends there. You ignore the fact he is playing against weaker competition. You try to spin his stats talking about Coyotes being so terrible the last 5 years, while they made playoffs or barely missed. You talk about him having no help, but ignore the fact many of his points come with OEL on the powerplay, and 2 of the 3 forwards he plays the most with 5v5 you say are incredibly skilled offensively, Gagner and Boedker. Offensive stats are not compelling arguments for why a second pairing defensemen is one of the best D in the league, and you ignore everything but them.

You live in your own little universe, picking one ridiculous claim to make for a blog; cherry pick a few stats that sound good in it; then ignore anything to the contrary and belittle anyone any time you being wrong is pointed out. You claim other people judge based on reputation, but judge everyone other than the people you want to talk about on reputation. It's pretty obvious you need to feel special by saying everyone else is wrong and you're right, even though your outlandish claims are consistently proven false.

Cloutier and Garth used to get a lot of hits with this sort of blog. But look what they get now. Everyone gets tired of this sort of nonsense trolling, and you're increasingly closer to jumping the shark and joining their ignored ranks.
- Antilles

You're being a bit hard on the little guy don't you think?

Sure but if I and the 30 NHL GMs had a re draft of all the NHL d-Men , Yandle wouldnt be gone in the top 10. Probably not top 20.
- Jeropotato

Probably because GMs are so misinformed and don't know what Tanner does!

I'd argue not top 30.

First of all, you're 100% off base.

I wasn't involved nor did I care about whether or not being tied for seventh or 32nd is the correct terminology for determining how a player is ranked.

You could say "Player X" is ranked 32nd or you could say "He has the seventh most points" either would be correct and as such arguing over it for pages and pages is ridiculous and it is semantics. To dismiss such meaningless arguing is something I believe I was right to do. TO sit there and say I was dismissing it because I was proven wrong is just disingenuous and not at all accurate - I don't even think I was involved in that argument.

Perhaps you understandably didn't read through all the comments, but at once point I was accused of basing my entire blog and defense on inaccurate and faulty stats. To make sure this wasn't the case, I did my homework and found out the reason for the discrepancy was that the two sites track the even strength points differently.

At the end of the day, I posted no incorrect stats and while people are entitled to their opinions, I was never "proven" wrong about anything, so I would suggest if you're going to be sarcastic and caustic that you at least get your facts straight.
- James_Tanner

Just.....omg...your such a joke it's actually funny

"We had a player that was supposed to be a great, shut-down defenseman. He was supposedly the be-all, end-all of defensemen. But when you did a 10-game analysis of him, you found out he was defending all the time because he can’t move the puck.

"Then we had another guy, who supposedly couldn’t defend a lick. Well, he was defending only 20 percent of the time because he’s making good plays out of our end. He may not be the strongest defender, but he’s only doing it 20 percent of the time. So the equation works out better the other way. I ended up trading the other defenseman to the Flyers."

Don't feel bad for me, I'm having a great night. Hockey, music, Homeland. No complaints here.....I could do without my words being twisted around and being accused of things I didn't do, and be misinterpreted by id........ah who am I kidding, what fun would it be if people were polite, respectful and intelligent?

The best oart of over 3/4 of these posts here today is I predicted the exact response in the body of the main blog......and just where are the people saying I made up stats once I have been vindicated? Writing and mailing apology letters I assume?

Although I am probably being unfair. There were a lot of decent arguments and some great points made, I had a good time overall. Hopefully a few people now realize that Yandle is way better than they thought, and with that, I am out...at least for a while.
- James_Tanner

I think the problem I'm having with this blog is not so much that Yandle is a good player, but the hyperbole with which you express it. I won't dispute the validity of your stats, and I actually checked some of them to confirm them. The issue to me is that your stats are factoring in the peak years of what many believe to be a declining player. So while his stats over the past 5 years may be remarkable, they only indicate what he did during those peak years (averaged with a bad season). How are his numbers since the beginning of his career vs the rest of the league?

I guess what I'm saying is that I didn't so much realize how good a player Yandle is as much as I realized how good a player he WAS.

It really remains to be seen whether he continues to be the player that those stats describe.

"We had a player that was supposed to be a great, shut-down defenseman. He was supposedly the be-all, end-all of defensemen. But when you did a 10-game analysis of him, you found out he was defending all the time because he can’t move the puck.

"Then we had another guy, who supposedly couldn’t defend a lick. Well, he was defending only 20 percent of the time because he’s making good plays out of our end. He may not be the strongest defender, but he’s only doing it 20 percent of the time. So the equation works out better the other way. I ended up trading the other defenseman to the Flyers."
- Marc D

I hate myself for reading all 9 pages of comments.

Accuracy is not semantics. It's not petty to point out you look at a chart saying a player is 34th, and say he's 7th. You ignore the fact Yandle starts in the offensive zone more often then he ends there. You ignore the fact he is playing against weaker competition. You try to spin his stats talking about Coyotes being so terrible the last 5 years, while they made playoffs or barely missed. You talk about him having no help, but ignore the fact many of his points come with OEL on the powerplay, and 2 of the 3 forwards he plays the most with 5v5 you say are incredibly skilled offensively, Gagner and Boedker. Offensive stats are not compelling arguments for why a second pairing defensemen is one of the best D in the league, and you ignore everything but them.

You live in your own little universe, picking one ridiculous claim to make for a blog; cherry pick a few stats that sound good in it; then ignore anything to the contrary and belittle anyone any time you being wrong is pointed out. You claim other people judge based on reputation, but judge everyone other than the people you want to talk about on reputation. It's pretty obvious you need to feel special by saying everyone else is wrong and you're right, even though your outlandish claims are consistently proven false.

Cloutier and Garth used to get a lot of hits with this sort of blog. But look what they get now. Everyone gets tired of this sort of nonsense trolling, and you're increasingly closer to jumping the shark and joining their ignored ranks.
- Antilles

You don't get to troll my blogs daily and pretend you don't like me.You just sound jealous,which is understandable -puberty can be hard. Don't lash out so much though, avoid the cliches and try to remember that everyone smarter than you isn't out to get you.

I think the problem I'm having with this blog is not so much that Yandle is a good player, but the hyperbole with which you express it. I won't dispute the validity of your stats, and I actually checked some of them to confirm them. The issue to me is that your stats are factoring in the peak years of what many believe to be a declining player. So while his stats over the past 5 years may be remarkable, they only indicate what he did during those peak years (averaged with a bad season). How are his numbers since the beginning of his career vs the rest of the league?

I guess what I'm saying is that I didn't so much realize how good a player Yandle is as much as I realized how good a player he WAS.

It really remains to be seen whether he continues to be the player that those stats describe.
- Sandus

Not sure who thinks a 28 year old is "declining" and i beleive my analysis only eschews his first 2 years. Theres no hyberbole here at all though, it is simply a case of objective, empirical analysis not matching up with reputation, market driven narratives. If you want hyperbole, I could compare myself to Copernicus.

Sure but if I and the 30 NHL GMs had a re draft of all the NHL d-Men , Yandle wouldnt be gone in the top 10. Probably not top 20.
- Jeropotato

I think he'd likely go in the top 20 if we are basing the draft on talent level right now and not what they may become.

Not sure who thinks a 28 year old is "declining" and i beleive my analysis only eschews his first 2 years. Theres no hyberbole here at all though, it is simply a case of objective, empirical analysis not matching up with reputation, market driven narratives. If you want hyperbole, I could compare myself to Copernicus.
- James_Tanner

You're not objective though. You brushed aside his weak ability to defend like it was nothing. It doesn't work like that.

He's good. Not great. Top 30 or so.

Where have you been all my life? I think I love you. Platonically. Blogger to Poster.
- James_Tanner

I think you mean blogger to alternate user name?

I think you mean blogger to alternate user name?
- camfor

Wow that's original.......your a funny guy

The most amazing thing about this entire thread is, unless I missed it, that no one called the blogger out on his statement that both OEL AND YANDLE are probably both going to the hall of fame.

I'll definitely acknowledge that it's easier to get into the HHOF than say, Cooperstown, but the second they let Keith Yandle into the hall of fame is the second that election into the HHOF ceases to mean anything. Can you imagine walking through the halls ands seeing plaques for Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, Bobby Orr...Keith Yandle.

He's not even the best dman ON HIS OWN TEAM. Furthermore, his team SUCKS. If he's the player he's being made out to be by the blogger, than they should be locking him up for LIFE. You don't trade away hall of fame talent, after all.

One thing is certain, expecting a massive return for Yandle is going to end in nothing but disappointment. I'd say they'll get a solid 2nd line forward and either a good prospect or a 1st rounder (if he goes to a contender) or a 2nd rounder (if he goes to a mediocre team). Nothing more. It's a two component deal, and nothing more.

Oh and the John Lennon comment. Just stop man. It's intentionally antagonistic and it just makes come off like a mouth breather. Be biased, that's fine. It's the only way that anyone would ever read anything about the soon to be moved Arizona Coyotes. But when you start inflating yourself like that, expect people to take you down a few notches, if for no other reason than pointing out how ugly it is to have such an inflated sense of self worth.

The most amazing thing about this entire thread is, unless I missed it, that no one called the blogger out on his statement that both OEL AND YANDLE are probably both going to the hall of fame.

I'll definitely acknowledge that it's easier to get into the HHOF than say, Cooperstown, but the second they let Keith Yandle into the hall of fame is the second that election into the HHOF ceases to mean anything. Can you imagine walking through the halls ands seeing plaques for Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, Bobby Orr...Keith Yandle.

He's not even the best dman ON HIS OWN TEAM. Furthermore, his team SUCKS. If he's the player he's being made out to be by the blogger, than they should be locking him up for LIFE. You don't trade away hall of fame talent, after all.

One thing is certain, expecting a massive return for Yandle is going to end in nothing but disappointment. I'd say they'll get a solid 2nd line forward and either a good prospect or a 1st rounder (if he goes to a contender) or a 2nd rounder (if he goes to a mediocre team). Nothing more. It's a two component deal, and nothing more.

Oh and the John Lennon comment. Just stop man. It's intentionally antagonistic and it just makes come off like a mouth breather. Be biased, that's fine. It's the only way that anyone would ever read anything about the soon to be moved Arizona Coyotes. But when you start inflating yourself like that, expect people to take you down a few notches, if for no other reason than pointing out how ugly it is to have such an inflated sense of self worth.
- the_terror

Thank you.

Desert Dogs are rolling James 3 in a row

The most amazing thing about this entire thread is, unless I missed it, that no one called the blogger out on his statement that both OEL AND YANDLE are probably both going to the hall of fame.

I'll definitely acknowledge that it's easier to get into the HHOF than say, Cooperstown, but the second they let Keith Yandle into the hall of fame is the second that election into the HHOF ceases to mean anything. Can you imagine walking through the halls ands seeing plaques for Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, Bobby Orr...Keith Yandle.

He's not even the best dman ON HIS OWN TEAM. Furthermore, his team SUCKS. If he's the player he's being made out to be by the blogger, than they should be locking him up for LIFE. You don't trade away hall of fame talent, after all.

One thing is certain, expecting a massive return for Yandle is going to end in nothing but disappointment. I'd say they'll get a solid 2nd line forward and either a good prospect or a 1st rounder (if he goes to a contender) or a 2nd rounder (if he goes to a mediocre team). Nothing more. It's a two component deal, and nothing more.

Oh and the John Lennon comment. Just stop man. It's intentionally antagonistic and it just makes come off like a mouth breather. Be biased, that's fine. It's the only way that anyone would ever read anything about the soon to be moved Arizona Coyotes. But when you start inflating yourself like that, expect people to take you down a few notches, if for no other reason than pointing out how ugly it is to have such an inflated sense of self worth.
- the_terror

I second that.....Thank you!

Allrighty then.....

Read 9 pages of that and handed out a few bans.
You want to argue/debate/call out/criticize fine, BUT respect the blogger and other posters.

Thank you.

James Tanner: Why Yandle Is One of the NHL's Best Defensemen
Often underrated as a one-dimensional player, Keith Yandle has been one of the best for a long time.
- James_Tanner

Allrighty then.....

Read 9 pages of that and handed out a few bans.
You want to argue/debate/call out/criticize fine, BUT respect the blogger and other posters.

Thank you.
- braidan

Yeah I felt bad for Tanner....normally I initiate or pile on but this was harsh.

Wow that's original.......your a funny guy


- SJSharks39

So only you and Tanner can't seem to figure out how to read stats, And I'm funny?

James get over yourself already.