What about quality of competition? Scheifele's line is consistently paired up against other teams top lines. Maurice normally deploys Lowry's line right after Scheifele's line. So essentially Connor is on a line facing the other teams top line, Lowry goes out and plays against the other teams number 2 line. Leaving Laine-Little-Ehlers to play against other teams 3rd lines, meaning that Laine-Little-Ehlers should be absolutely torching their competition. Have you considered that?

Furthermore, looking at the giveaway/takeaway ratio that was previously posted, Laine is a -9 while Connor is a +27. Thought I would pipe in before I return to my sabbatical.
- TheUltimateJet

Quality of competition always levels out. It’s irrelevant. For every game of Maurice line-matching Lowry against top competition, you have a game of another coach targeting their top guys are Little

said the Atlanta Thrashers when they drafted Zach Bogosian 5th overall
- BookemDano

Said the Jets when they traded up to draft Logan Stanley. When they could’ve had DeBrincat and Girard

Yeah - no other team has ever made a questionable draft selection. Would love to see your fantasy pool picks each year and then make comments !

1. I would love to see Little and Ehlers if Laine was out of the equation
2. most numbers are percentages and as such account for some of the ice time differences as these are not totals.
3. Laine showed little interest in developing his game by finding new ways and places to score from. I agree that he doesn't care about HDSC, but he should.
4. Most of his goals were on the PP, not sure of the goals he is scoring outside the danger areas on a 'regular basis'... though I suppose 0.07 goals per game at 5v5 can be considered regular.
- 2.0

1: agree. Little and Laine make each other worse. Both players suffer dramatically together. Connor, Laine, and Ehlers should all be on different lines.
2: Jesus Christ.
3: He was firing from all over the ice last season. He was just targeted heavily, and had no help.
4: Last season was the only season he even had a 50/50 split, so I don’t know what the hell you're even on about. This is just painfully incorrect.

Yeah - no other team has ever made a questionable draft selection. Would love to see your fantasy pool picks each year and then make comments !
- bennythehat

There’s a difference between questionable and hilariously inept.
Scheifele was questionable.
Stanley is comical.

Not really. When you use the raw totals, you aren’t accounting for either ice time or linemates.
I’d like to see the numbers relative to the team, for both players, as well as their respective rates across the board.
I would especially love to see the comparison if you took Little and Scheifele out of the equation.

As for the scoring chances, you must take these 3 factors into account:
1: Scheifele is a hell of a drug.
2: ICE TIME.
3: Laine doesn’t need high danger chances to score like most players do. We all know Connor is way more of a puck hound in the paint than Laine is, but Laine is a threat all over the ice. He’s scoring outside of the dangerous areas on a regular basis, so HDSC doesn’t mean jack sh*t to Patrik Laine
- Rexypoo

Points 1,2,3 are all bang on! no arguing that. Laine is dangerous from 20' out, and not many players in the league are.......However, defensively, Laine is a lumbering hazard. Not arguing his shot, just his overall ability to play/pass/skate/battle/back-check/takeaways/giveaways. Without the puck, he is simply the worst player I have seen on the NHL ice. That's all.

There are 6 other players from the 1st round of the Laine/Stanley draft year who have yet to play a game in the NHL. Let’s not write Stanley off quite yet.

Points 1,2,3 are all bang on! no arguing that. Laine is dangerous from 20' out, and not many players in the league are.......However, defensively, Laine is a lumbering hazard. Not arguing his shot, just his overall ability to play/pass/skate/battle/back-check/takeaways/giveaways. Without the puck, he is simply the worst player I have seen on the NHL ice. That's all.
- bikeguy99

Connor is actually slightly worse than Laine defensively, so that lifeline can end here.

As for the rest, you’re wrong. He was skating, backchecking, and battling harder than almost anyone down the stretch and through the playoffs. This was obvious, and easily visible. Especially when he was with Scheifele and Wheeler, as they weren’t trying by then.
Literally the only two things you can legitimately criticize Laine for are his skating (specifically, the lack of acceleration), and the giveaways (caused by the enormous stick and lack of acceleration).

On the whole, he’s defensively ass for the same reason he’s a drag on possession: he’s young. This is the same reason Connor is bad at those things. And why Ehlers was for a while. And why Scheifele was for a while. And why Lowry was for a while. And why Copp was for a while. And why Roslovic still is. And why Vesalainen and Appleton will have growing pains, too. Young NHLers almost always struggle with those same two things.
The only two exceptions to that rule we’ve ever had (including all the vets like Buff, Wheeler, Little, Enstrom, etc.) are Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey. They weren’t anywhere near as good as they are now, but they were on the positive side. Trouba carried Stuart to a new contract and a top 4 role while he was still on his ELC, and Morrissey walked onto the top pairing without dying. They’re it.

There are 6 other players from the 1st round of the Laine/Stanley draft year who have yet to play a game in the NHL. Let’s not write Stanley off quite yet.
- bennythehat

*looks around*
*whispers*
None of those players we’re widely considered a 3rd round talent like Stanley was.
The only hockey drugs more powerful than Mark Scheifele are Connor McDavid and being taller than f*ck, and Stanley tall’d himself into round 1.

Not sure what you meant here. Career totals:

2016-17 : 27 ev/ 9 pp, 0.37g/g ev
2017-18 : 24 ev/ 20 pp, 0.29g/g ev
2018-19 : 15 ev/ 15 pp, 0.18g/g ev
Career: 66 ev/ 44 pp, 0.28g/g ev
- liverpoolnhl

bad math by me. You are correct at 0.18gpg for 18/19 and I was wrong at 0.07. good catch, and fair to look at his entire career rather than just 18/19. I will stand by what I said about his effort after November 2018, it was grossly below expectations, until the first few games of the playoffs.

Connor is actually slightly worse than Laine defensively, so that lifeline can end here.

As for the rest, you’re wrong. He was skating, backchecking, and battling harder than almost anyone down the stretch and through the playoffs. This was obvious, and easily visible. Especially when he was with Scheifele and Wheeler, as they weren’t trying by then.
Literally the only two things you can legitimately criticize Laine for are his skating (specifically, the lack of acceleration), and the giveaways (caused by the enormous stick and lack of acceleration).

On the whole, he’s defensively ass for the same reason he’s a drag on possession: he’s young. This is the same reason Connor is bad at those things. And why Ehlers was for a while. And why Scheifele was for a while. And why Lowry was for a while. And why Copp was for a while. And why Roslovic still is. And why Vesalainen and Appleton will have growing pains, too. Young NHLers almost always struggle with those same two things.
The only two exceptions to that rule we’ve ever had (including all the vets like Buff, Wheeler, Little, Enstrom, etc.) are Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey. They weren’t anywhere near as good as they are now, but they were on the positive side. Trouba carried Stuart to a new contract and a top 4 role while he was still on his ELC, and Morrissey walked onto the top pairing without dying. They’re it.
- Rexypoo

"Connor is actually slightly worse than Laine defensively, so that lifeline can end here."

5v5 Less defensive zone starts, worse corsi/forsi, more giveaways, less takeaways and better defensive linemates who are sacrificing to cover Laine's a$$ does not make him slightly better defensively.

Remember the stat ... the "Statistic" ... you know the one - only one other player has scored more goals than Laine since he entered the league and that's Ovi

That - alone - is the reason you spend a few more seasons developing his game ... that's all it takes ... that one stat

There were many nights that Laine looked God awful ... I mean HORRENDOUS ! ... saw it live and on the tube ... was at the Leafs game and my buddy and I were laughing out loud at how bad Laine played that night

Then there was November ... needn't remind you all

I actually wonder if he was injured during some stretches last year ... it was painful to watch how difficult it was for him to get his feet moving - to get going ... he looked more upright in his stance than he normally did ... we may never know

So ... young, developing, etc ... throw a bridge deal at him and let's go already

*looks around*
*whispers*
None of those players we’re widely considered a 3rd round talent like Stanley was.
The only hockey drugs more powerful than Mark Scheifele are Connor McDavid and being taller than f*ck, and Stanley tall’d himself into round 1.
- Rexypoo

Central scouting had him at 19th among NA skaters.....hardly a 3rd rounder.
Hockey News had him as a 1st rounder.
If he doesn't pan out, it's not as if he will be the only 1st round pick ever to crash and burn.

"Connor is actually slightly worse than Laine defensively, so that lifeline can end here."

5v5 Less defensive zone starts, worse corsi/forsi, more giveaways, less takeaways and better defensive linemates who are sacrificing to cover Laine's a$$ does not make him slightly better defensively.
- 2.0

Zone starts make no difference, as you’ll be defending or attacking based off the result of a faceoff, regardless of where it happens on the ice.

Worse possession numbers are obviously due to playing with negative possession players, and having the gift of Scheifele like Connor does (drink it in, man).

Less takeaways? Fair enough. Connor is the more dangerous player 1v1.

As for the better defensive linemates... who are you talking about? Laine and Connor are both defensive boat anchors, Little and Wheeler are in the negative, Ehlers holds his own, and Scheifele is good. Our only legitimately high level defensive forwards are Lowry, Copp, and Matty P.

Central scouting had him at 19th among NA skaters.....hardly a 3rd rounder.
Hockey News had him as a 1st rounder.
If he doesn't pan out, it's not as if he will be the only 1st round pick ever to crash and burn.
- bennythehat

You couldn’t find a stats nerd that had him anywhere near round 1. Some had late 2nd round, some went as far back as a 5th. Average was somewhere in round 3.
He only has one draft comparable in the last 20 years with more than 100 NHL games, and that’s Tyler Myers. That’s not pretty.

You couldn’t find a stats nerd that had him anywhere near round 1. Some had late 2nd round, some went as far back as a 5th. Average was somewhere in round 3.
He only has one draft comparable in the last 20 years with more than 100 NHL games, and that’s Tyler Myers. That’s not pretty.
- Rexypoo

I guess that is what you are - a stats nerd.
Stats are not everything...someday you will understand.

bad math by me. You are correct at 0.18gpg for 18/19 and I was wrong at 0.07. good catch, and fair to look at his entire career rather than just 18/19. I will stand by what I said about his effort after November 2018, it was grossly below expectations, until the first few games of the playoffs.
- 2.0

I would love some clarification on the rumour that Laine was dealing with back issues for the second half of the season. Whwen and from whom did we hear this ?.....

I would love some clarification on the rumour that Laine was dealing with back issues for the second half of the season. Whwen and from whom did we hear this ?.....
- liverpoolnhl

If true....he should have sat out a few games, because he certainly wasn't helping the team by playing injured.

I guess that is what you are - a stats nerd.
Stats are not everything...someday you will understand.
- bennythehat

That’ll be the day Logan Stanley actually makes the NHL