In Defense of Our Overpaid Bottom Six

[granpappy]

i would rather, actually watch erickson than beagle. at least he makes me laugh . . . and cry. beagle just makes me cry. rousel makes me sick

[AK_19]

On 3/1/2021 at 9:00 AM, Provost said:

If we didn’t have Beagle already committed... maybe.  But we don’t have the money to spend on Sutter unless we get out from some bad cap.

 

There are going to be a lot of UFAs that are squeezed by the flat cap again this summer.  On the radio they keep talking about how agents are already looking forward and that it is going to be ugly for their clients.

 

We should be able to find another 3C in that market for pretty cheap.  I think it is clear we need to change the makeup of the bottom 6 and pay them less.  
 

Sutter is having a good stretch after a bunch of bad stretches... discretion is the better part of valour and we should try to escape from that contract if we can.

I mean end of they day we still need a third line centre and Gaudette simply isn't getting it done. It would have to be filled through the UFA market or re-signing Sutter. We don't have the depth at centre to fill from within unless you want to move Miller to it. 

[khay]

On 2/27/2021 at 11:01 AM, AK_19 said:

I don't think the reason we are losing is due to the on-ice performance of the FA's we signed to our bottom 6 (Beagle, Sutter, Roussel) and to a lesser extent, even Louie. I believe the largest issues with our team is 5 on 5 performance and our PP. Our PK has been better than league average  (currently sitting at 12th) after its atrocious start which is mostly manned by our overpaid bottom six guys. The PP is the responsibility of our top 6 which is at an atrocious 23rd place. The worst +/- on our team is by a long shot the players on our top 6. Our worst +/- forwards are:

 

Horvat -9

Gaudette -6

Miller -6

Pearson -6

Hoglander -4

Boeser -4

Virtanen -3

 

Our best +/- players are:

 

Antoine Roussel +3

Olli Joulevi +3

Benn +2

Macewan +1

 

It's also worth noting on defense that Hughes is by a long shot the worst with a -14. 

 

My takeaway from these numbers while also watching every game is that:

 

1. Our worst line 5 on 5 is actually Horvat's line. They have done an atrocious job of containing other team's top lines. The best player defensively on that line is Hoglander. There needs to be more of a shake-up on this line or a serious re-evaluation on whether we want to move long-term with Horvat/Pearson. Horvat is simply not this defensive stalwart he is advertised as.

 

2. The worst parts of our bottom 6 is Gaudette. The guy only averages 10 minutes a game, only produced 2 points, and he is second worst for +/-. He is simply not playing at an NHL level. 

 

3. Macewan should be playing in over Gaudette and he should have a permanent role on our team.

 

4. Sutter, Beagle, and Eriksson all hover around 0 to -2. For a team that is as a whole a -17, that's not bad. They may not score but they aren't getting scored on either. EDIT: As another poster pointed out, Sutter is actualy 2nd/3rd on the team for even strength points.

 

5. Tanev was not a player this team was equipped to lose. It's clear now Tanev masked a lot of problems in Hughes game. Of the players who left in free agency, I believe this one had the biggest impact. Demko has been at worst a small downgrade from Markstrom and the same for Hoglander for Toffoli. But more importantly we had internal replacements who needed more ice time to develop, we had nothing to replace Tanev. Tanev was absolutely affordable if we had just not signed Virtanen and signed a cheaper back-up than Holtby. It would also relieve the need to get Hamonic. 

 

Look, end of the day if our top players aren't performing against other teams top players, there is an issue at our core. It is possible that the issue with our forwards is the weak D pairing with Hughes as well. 

The point #1 is on cue. I hate to say it but Horvat is not a defensive stalwart and is no where near Selke caliber players. Bo is a scoring line center and should be matched up against opposition’s bottom lines and he will feast on them. 
 

EP and his line should be used to match up against the opposition’s first line. EP’s production will decrease but our goals against should also decrease. EP should be groomed to be more like Datayuk type player. 

 

Sutter-Beagle along with Motte when he returns, should form a line whenever we are defending a lead against the opposition’s first or second line along with EP’s line. While Motte is out, Pearson should join Beagle and Sutter. 

Gaud can’t win board battles and that’s the end of anyone’s career at the NHL level. If he improves on that he will be back on 50 point pace. At the moment, Gaud should be sheltered and be matched up for offensive opportunities.