You Should Love Francois Beauchemin

by Bower Power on Jan 17, 2011 8:56 AM EST

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(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images North America)

I’m tired of people ragging on Francois Beauchemin. From the "mainstream media" to the "average fan," it seems like everyone is quick to point out "he’s terrible," and any dissent is met with "have you watched him play?" or "Don’t tell me that you really think he’s good/a bargain/a defenseman!" or some dismissive line in kind.

But the truth of it is not only that Beauchemin has been a workhorse, eating up TOI like it was nothing, he’s also playing against tough competition, getting paid less than his peers, and still manages to send the puck the right way down the rink. He may also be our only ticket to fill the gaping holes on our "top" line.

Beauchemin, quite frankly, should be appreciated just for the sheer number of tough minutes he eats up. Among all defensemen, he ranks 25th in the league for time on ice per game (ATOI) with 23:57, is 9th in the league if you’re just looking at even strength ATOI (19:24). Of the top 30 defensemen in TOI/gm, Beauchemin is 13th in shorthanded ATOI (2:42), and averages the fewest PP minutes per game (1:50).

Beauchemin’s workload isn’t just about standing around on the ice, though. He’s also playing against opponents’ tough lines. BehindTheNet.ca provides statistics regarding the quality of a player’s opponents, called "Quality of Competition," or QoC (it’s tossed around this blog a lot, but if you would like to see what makes up QoC, Behind The Net has explained it here). By itself, this ranking doesn’t work when comparing individuals from different teams, but it’s my understanding that Corsi rel QoC manages to normalize the issue well enough that defensemen can be compared across team. So just how is the competition Beauch is facing?

Among the top 30 players in ATOI, Beauchemin is 6th in Corsi rel QoC, suggesting that even at even strength, he faces top competition for a long time night in and night out. Here are some of the names he's hanging out with:

Not only does Beauchemin face tough competition and play a lot of minutes, but he does seem to play well. His goals against per sixty minutes of play, when subtracted from his goals against per sixty minutes of being off the ice (GAon/60 – GAoff/60), is .22, 18th among the same 30 defensemen polled earlier. And if you want to step outside these rankings, Beauchemin's corsi rating (how often the puck is shot at the opposition net subtracted by how often the puck is shot at the Leafs' net per 60 minutes of play), is a positive 0.7, meaning that even though Beauchemin is seeing some of the best players in the game, the puck is shot for the Leafs than against when he's on the ice.

And yet, we’re not overpaying Beauchemin. Of those defensemen with top 30 in ATOI, Beauchemin has the 14th highest cap hit - 15th, if you use Jack Johnson’s new extension - and three of the players below him (Doughty, Schenn, and Fowler) are on ELCs. Of the top 10 defensemen in Corsi rel QoC with high ice time, Beauch is 8th. He's got just the 44th highest cap hit among all defenseman, yet, there's easily an argument to be made that he's one of the top 20 defensive defensemen in the league.

So what are all them fancy numbers supposed to be mean?

Quite frankly, they mean that when he does get burned, and someone complains about his play, they're probably forgetting about (or ignoring) the rest of his good, if boring, defensive play. This probably stems from some stigma that in order to be a good defenseman, you either need to lay giant, play-stopping hits, or put up a 50 point season. But the truth is that Beauchemin plays a lot of ice time on a bad team, against the League's toughest competition and doesn't do badly. In fact, he does at least as well (if not better) than players who are taking the same amount of ice time. And he does it for a good price.

Even better, it means that we have a player who is a legitimate talent, who probably won't be the same quality talent when this Toronto Maple Leafs team is looking to contend (2-3 years). We have someone who has a good enough cap hit that all but 12 teams could pick him up at the deadline without even sending salary back. We have a very tradeable asset who could qualify as the lynchpin in a trade for an elite forward. As long as Burke is holding out for a good return on the good defenseman... I'll continue to love Francois Beauchemin.

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YES

Wait, that’s weird, I don’t see Hannan or Roszival on this list. It’s like Beauchemin is more valuable than they are.

And: what the hell is Dan Boyle doing, facing the seventh-hardest competition in the league? What?

by Shift on Jan 17, 2011 9:33 AM EST reply actions

Its a good point.
I think SJ has really poor D, so they have to use him there.
Shame though, because hes so offensive. He still has 30pts in 44 games, despite playing against the 7th hardest, and also playing shorthanded time.

by Ben Schnell on Jan 17, 2011 2:14 PM EST up reply actions

just a thought.

Perhaps QoC doesn’t give as much credit to defensively sound players as it does offensive point producers? It would make sense that Boyle can put up good numbers against opponents ‘top lines’, if said top lines don’t get back to play defense.

by A Lindros Jaw on Jan 17, 2011 3:31 PM EST up reply actions

Maybe. But Boyle would also have much less time with the puck, since the other top lines are good at controlling it.

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by red army line on Jan 18, 2011 10:51 AM EST up reply actions

I jumped on a hunch, and was validated. Thornton, Heatley, and Marleau# are also playing tough minutes in San Jose. They’re matching firepower against firepower in order to avoid having problems with defensive depth.

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 17, 2011 3:47 PM EST up reply actions

Sharks should have replaced Rob Blake.

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by James Mirtle on Jan 17, 2011 3:57 PM EST up reply actions

Maybe Beauchemin can help them out

by MapleLeafMole on Jan 17, 2011 3:58 PM EST up reply actions

They tried to with Mitchell and Hjalmarsson

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by clrkaitken on Jan 17, 2011 4:44 PM EST up reply actions

Francois Beauchemin is second in the NHL in giveaways (behind Luke Schenn). I’m sure part of that is a product of ice-time, the tough competition he faces, and the Leafs’ less than sparkling collection of forwards, but it’s still telling that the other giveaway leaders are offensive defencemen.

Lies. All lies.

by betterforsome on Jan 17, 2011 9:38 AM EST reply actions

It’s as much a product of his icetime as it is a product of giveaways being a terribly tracked (and overall terrible) stat. What constitutes a giveaway is extremely unclear, and there really isn’t a good guideline that establishes how to mark it down as far as I’ve seen. I would really never want to use giveaways as a measure of a player’s worth, and, especially with all this “advanced stat” movement, the NHL should probably stop tracking it.

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 17, 2011 9:45 AM EST up reply actions

I agree with this. I think the counter at the ACC has a hot counter for giveaways (and while I’m too lazy to try and prove this, I’ve always thought there was a cold shot counter in New Jersey!). There should be some sort of rink adjustment to these stats, similar to park effects in baseball.

by Papa Squid on Jan 17, 2011 11:33 AM EST up reply actions

It doesn’t take much to prove it… just looking at the top 2 (most) and bottom 2 (least) teams in terms of giveaways

Edmtonton has 552 giveaways and 335 takeaways (21HG – 23 AG)
Toronto has 496 giveaways and 294 takeaways (23 HG – 21 AG)

St Louis has 225 giveaways and 232 takeaways (23 HG – 22 AG)
Columbus has 204 giveaways and 291 takeaways (23HG – 21 AG)

Home

Edmonton has 387 giveaways (18.42/G) and 209 takeaways (9.95/G)

Toronto has 325 giveaways (15.48/G) and 190 takeaways (8.26/G)

St Louis has 110 giveaways (4.78/G) and 123 takeaways (5.90/G)

Columbus has 72 giveaways (3.13/G) and 143 takeaways (6.22/G)

Away

Edmonton has 165 giveaways (7.17) and 126 takeaways (5.47)

Toronto has 171 giveaways (8.14) and 104 takeaways (4.95)

St Louis has 115 giveaways (5.23) and 108 takeaways (4.91)

Columbus has 133 giveaways (5.78) and 148 takeaways (7.05)

I can’t claim to have watched enough of these teams to know that 1 team plays a higher risk game than another (which would lead towards more events in this stat). Nor can I comment on how drastically different these teams are on the road vs home, but these stats don’t make a lick of of sense to me.

I don’t believe for a second that the Oilers give the puck away 11 more times per game at home than they do on the road. Nor do I believe that the Leafs do it 8 more times per game.

Nor do I believe that Edmonton gives the puck away more thant twice as many times per game at home than Columbus has giveaway and takeaway events combined per game at home.

You can pretty much throw hits, giveaways and takeaways out the window (The Rangers have almost as many hits at home as Buffalo does all season???).

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by dawgbone98 on Jan 17, 2011 1:31 PM EST up reply actions 7 recs

Throw giveaways down the well!!

by Shield on Jan 17, 2011 1:39 PM EST up reply actions

They make some sense within the context of a single team, which will play in front of the same mix of stat counters over the 82 games. But you’re right that the guy who counts 41 of those games as a ginormous impact.

I did some research on this here if you’re interested. To cull a single paragraph that captures the gist of it:

The Islanders lead the entire NHL with 857 takeaways, a cool 500 ahead of the Stanley Cup champions from Pittsburgh who rank a rank 29th in this “important” defensive category. 99% of their advantage comes in the oh-so-friendly confines, where the Isles have recorded 624 of those takeaways, nearly 5 times as many as the Penguins’ 129 on home ice; on the road, the Islanders’ edge is an inconsequential 233-228.

Reviewing that piece there’s some interesting conclusions in the comments as well.

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by Bruce McCurdy on Jan 17, 2011 2:29 PM EST up reply actions

That’s crazy. I will definitely check out the full article when I’m not swamped in work.

by Shield on Jan 17, 2011 2:31 PM EST up reply actions

The “takeaway” is that road splits are far more meaningful than overall #s in RTSS stats when doing comps across teams, and even then you’ll have schedule issues cuz road skeds are unbalanced. It’s like the Blue Jays playing 9 games a year at Fenway Park and, say, the Twins only playing three.Or the RedSox themselves playing none for that matter (“road games at Fenway”). Road splits will still be a little wonky, just a whole lot less wonky than having some bloody extremist scoring half of your games.

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by Bruce McCurdy on Jan 17, 2011 3:14 PM EST up reply actions

I can’t check it at work but it would probably help a lot if we could see what forwards Beauchemin’s been playing with this year. I would bet that he’s on the ice with our offensive players quite a bit.

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by PPP on Jan 17, 2011 10:56 AM EST up reply actions

Me too, I see him and Dion with the Kessel/Bozak line a lot. Kabs and Schenn with MGK. No confirmation, just from what I’ve watched recently

by MapleLeafMole on Jan 17, 2011 11:13 AM EST up reply actions

Defensemen that handle the puck more will have more giveaways. Just like Letang will have more than Engelland (I would hope!). Plus, giveaways is a bit of a shady stat. It’s not well counted.

by red army line on Jan 17, 2011 11:44 AM EST up reply actions

I had no idea...

That some of these dudes are playing as many tough minutes as they are. Cam Fowler? That kid is a stud. Wow.

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by TheBurnward on Jan 17, 2011 9:55 AM EST reply actions

ANA got a steal in him at the draft. Still confused how he fell that far. I think consensus is that he bombed the interview.

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by nhlcheapshot on Jan 17, 2011 10:16 AM EST up reply actions

Everyone took forward until the Rangers. Then Slats took a big lunk who might not play for five years, and who might be Hall Gill.

by samspade on Jan 17, 2011 11:53 AM EST up reply actions

Not that Hall Gill isnt hella useful, but imagine having Fowler Girardi and Staal as your D Corp.

by samspade on Jan 17, 2011 11:54 AM EST up reply actions

Del Zotto is no slouch either… he’s fallen out and doesn’t play the best D, but he can put up points for sure.

by Ben Schnell on Jan 17, 2011 2:17 PM EST up reply actions

Stall – Fowler
Girardi – Del Zotto

Thats a pretty good looking (if still inexperienced) top 4 D.

by samspade on Jan 17, 2011 2:25 PM EST up reply actions

Del Zotto is in the AHL.

by Shield on Jan 17, 2011 2:26 PM EST up reply actions

Yes I know, as evidenced by:

he’s fallen out

but he is going to be good, and put up lots of points.

Kadri is in the AHL and I don’t think we’ve called him a bust yet

by Ben Schnell on Jan 17, 2011 3:21 PM EST up reply actions

I’m not calling him a bust, I was just replying to the last 3 comments about him being good in a top-4 D and being able to put up points. As someone who had him on my fantasy team I can say that he definitely couldn’t put up points this year.

by Shield on Jan 17, 2011 3:42 PM EST up reply actions

Hockey gods. We lost Pronger and Nieds in back to back seasons. Fowler was a gift..

I rec’d that shit.

by Steven Hida on Jan 19, 2011 1:51 AM EST up reply actions

Look at Keith Yandle’s cap hit!

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by PPP on Jan 17, 2011 10:56 AM EST up reply actions

I want him

by Ben Schnell on Jan 17, 2011 2:18 PM EST up reply actions

Anaheim has only two solid NHL defenseman right now—Visnovsky and Lydman. Along with Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan, they handle all the really tough stuff. Fowler is the only other D there that isn’t fail at this point, I think.

by red army line on Jan 17, 2011 11:45 AM EST up reply actions

Fowler is going to be be really good. He’s probably in the top 10D under 21 right now, along with Schenn, Doughty, etc. As far as top 10, he’s probably 10th, but he’s going to be good for a long time.

by Ben Schnell on Jan 17, 2011 2:19 PM EST up reply actions

I have a favour to request

Stop writing such interesting articles. It is distracting me in class. I just zoned out for 5 minutes reading this!

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by BCapp on Jan 17, 2011 11:01 AM EST reply actions

this

by Ben Schnell on Jan 17, 2011 2:19 PM EST up reply actions

Class shmlass.

by Shield on Jan 17, 2011 2:26 PM EST up reply actions

haha

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by Leafer87 on Jan 17, 2011 5:09 PM EST up reply actions

love Francois

Negative. I am a meat popsicle.

by birky on Jan 17, 2011 11:02 AM EST reply actions

Rec’d for Francois Love, I have this argument with my father nightly.

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by thenumber14 on Jan 17, 2011 11:09 AM EST reply actions

Francois is a very good defenseman...

… that gets an unfair rap. His first ten games in a Leafs uniform were underwhelming and because of that the average fan doesn’t see the improvement in his game since he’s adjusted to playing against the top forwards every game.

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by RJinSoCal on Jan 17, 2011 11:18 AM EST reply actions

I agree. I think the same type of thing befell Kubina, who turned out OK after a poor start, but fans remembered for a LONG time his poor start.

by Papa Squid on Jan 17, 2011 11:30 AM EST up reply actions

he’s ok i guess..

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by Future_considerations on Jan 17, 2011 11:41 AM EST reply actions

I love him for chewing up minutes against opposition’s top lines, I just wish he’d stop giving the puck away so much in the defensive zone. Other than that I have no real complaints

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by Chris Stoikoff on Jan 17, 2011 12:48 PM EST reply actions

Notice that Schenn is #19 on this list. So we have two of the top 20.

I’ve never had issue with Beauchemin…he’s done everything asked and shows up every night. If we had two clones of him and sent Komi and Streak Killer i.e. The Cooler (I dare not speak his name for fear he be inserted into the lineup) packing, I’d be darn tootin happy.

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by torleafsfan29 on Jan 17, 2011 12:55 PM EST reply actions

Just to clarify, that’s two of the top 20 among defensemen with the top 30 icetime. Not top 20 in Corsi rel QoC league-wide.

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 17, 2011 1:02 PM EST up reply actions

Just to clarify, that’s two of the top 20 among defensemen with top 30 EV TOI. Not top 30 in total or ATOI.

So while the Leafs do boast a pair of guys in the top 30 for EV TOI (Beauchemin and Schenn), they also coincidentally have a pair of guys in the top 30 for overall ATOI (Beauchemin and Phaneuf).

Before even addressing how much these guys do with the time they are given, it’s interesting that they see so much ice. Toss in Kaberle, and the Leafs actually have 4 guys in the top 54 ATOI, and 4 guys in the top 40 (!) in EV TOI.

Komisarek gets paid more than the other 29, while seemingly seeing far less ice than any of the 29 other number 5 men. In other words, you should love Beauchemin and reserve your ire for Komisarek (or Wilson, since all I`m talking about is TOI).

by Spezzal Teams Playa on Jan 17, 2011 2:11 PM EST up reply actions

Oh, we hate Komisarek. We hated him before it was cool.

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by PPP on Jan 17, 2011 2:33 PM EST up reply actions

he sure is purty though

Rule #20

by JaredFromLondon on Jan 17, 2011 2:38 PM EST up reply actions

Attaboys’n’girls. Let the hate flow through youse.

by Spezzal Teams Playa on Jan 17, 2011 2:39 PM EST up reply actions

I don’t think we have the same definition of love.

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by Karina on Jan 17, 2011 2:07 PM EST reply actions

trade

“a very tradeable asset who could qualify as the lynchpin in a trade for an elite forward”

Don’t see his value being that high. A second round pick and a lower tier prospect is the most you could likely hope for. And it’s unlikely that anyone is going to trade an elite forward to tor unless more top draft picks are sent away as well.

by rent a goalie on Jan 17, 2011 2:36 PM EST reply actions

I think you are missing the point of the article. It shows that Beachemin is an elite NHL defender, probably would be top-2 on a lot of teams. He is also signed to a very reasonable contract. Why, then, wouldn’t he be able to be a main piece in a deal for an elite forward, especially from a team lacking in defensive assets.

I think a lot of people undervalue Leafs simply because they are Leafs.

by Shield on Jan 17, 2011 2:45 PM EST up reply actions

If Hannan (right?) can get Wolski, I hope that Beauch can get a good forward… 2nd pick? Doubt that’s all we could get.

by Ben Schnell on Jan 17, 2011 3:22 PM EST up reply actions

Actually, Hannan netted the Avs Fleischmann, while the Rangers scored Wolski for Rozsival, so yeah, I’d expect more than just a second.

I mean, we’re not talking about Domenic Moore, here.

by Spezzal Teams Playa on Jan 17, 2011 3:29 PM EST up reply actions

Oops yeah, that’s who I meant, confused trades there.
Either way, Flieschmann/Wolski are pretty similiar in that they had untapped offensive talent and are relatively young.
And both those defense are defensive…and I think Beauch is better than both, so we should be expecting a top 6 forward for him, for sure

by Ben Schnell on Jan 17, 2011 7:02 PM EST up reply actions

Actually, the whole point of this post is talking about just how undervalued Beauchemin is by Leafs fans. He would qualify to be the top shutdown defender on a good number of playoff teams (Washington, Colorado, Tampa, Atlanta come to mind), let alone other teams (San Jose, Minnesota).

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 17, 2011 2:52 PM EST up reply actions

'lynchpin'

He’d be the big part coming from the Leafs in any trade but I don’t think ‘elite’ is right because that should be reserved for PPG guys.

However, I think a 2nd and a lower tier prospect is probably too little. Not by much.

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by PPP on Jan 17, 2011 3:34 PM EST up reply actions

The tough thing is that you’re never, ever going to get a current first line quality player at the trade deadline. It just doesn’t happen any more – the deadline is about mortgaging the future for right now, so picks and prospects are the first thing to go. But that’s not what Burke is interested in. So we’re either likely to hold on to him until the draft or be taking back a strong prospect who is not currently a major piece on his team.

So it’s a bit of a conundrum: Beauchemin’s value is highest when teams are least likely to offer what we want. But then, if Burke’s job was easy, even talk radio callers would be able to do it.

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 17, 2011 3:52 PM EST up reply actions

I take the post to show he’s a solid defender. The word elite gets thrown around a lot but I’d say elite is being able to get it done at both ends. FB has shown in the past he’s a solid support player but not elite by any stretch. These types of players are rarely moved for elite ones and these days when elite guys are moved you can nearly guarantee draft picks are going the other way.

I’ll put the onus back on you guys, what type of player do you think you could get for him? and if he was worth an elite forward don’t you think “burkie” would have puller that trigger already? Would you consider Fleischmann an elite player?

by rent a goalie on Jan 17, 2011 3:20 PM EST reply actions

No Fleishmann is not an elite player, he’s a good player.
I would consider elite to be synonymous with PPG, or pretty close.
As far as elite D, not to be blastphemous but Schenn isn’t elite until he puts up some points, whereas Phaneuf was elite when he was scoring AND hitting, and he’s not anymore since he does neither.

by Ben Schnell on Jan 17, 2011 3:25 PM EST up reply actions

if he was worth an elite forward don’t you think "burkie" would have puller that trigger already?

That’s pretty faulty logic. Burke can only make the trades that are offered. It’s still 6 weeks from the trade deadline so he’s either not getting calls (he says he has) or he’s not getting the offers he thinks Beauch warrants (more likely).

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by PPP on Jan 17, 2011 3:37 PM EST up reply actions

Fair enough, I just don’t see a team giving up a significant piece of their future for a year and a half of a veteran defenseman. So you’re hoping for a team that’s either desperate or has an unbalanced lineup and could afford to move a vet winger for D. I guess we’ll see how it plays out.

by rent a goalie on Jan 17, 2011 3:56 PM EST up reply actions

In the unbalanced line-up category we have the Washington Capitals! Who have excess young forwards and a dearth of good defensive defencemen.

Like I said, I think your 2nd and a prospect is close to the final deal but that’s as a straight swap.

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by PPP on Jan 17, 2011 4:07 PM EST up reply actions

Caps, Tampa, Colorado, San Jose all easily fit the bill of “need a shut down defenseman.”

Second and prospect would do it straight up, but I think we’re much more likely to see Burke toss in a couple prospects (a la “Stalberg+”) to get who and what he wants.

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 17, 2011 4:17 PM EST up reply actions

Who would be realistic guys to get out of any of those teams?

by Shield on Jan 17, 2011 4:25 PM EST up reply actions

He has a no trade clause

by ATARI on Jan 17, 2011 6:45 PM EST up reply actions

Limited no trade clause.

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by PPP on Jan 17, 2011 6:53 PM EST up reply actions

You’re not getting anyone from the Caps, unless you do something like Beauchemin for Hannan + pick/prospect. Washington is short on top-end offensive talent in the system (only Kuznetsov right now). But there’s no “need” for a “shut-down” defenseman, between Green-Schultz-Hannan-Poti-Alzner-Carlson-Erskine.

I don’t think Tampa will be giving much up. Maybe Simon Gagne.

San Jose definitely has a need for another blueliner. But I don’t think they’re shopping anyone on the NHL roster.

I think Minnesota, Florida, Carolina, Boston, and even Philly may be willing to move an NHL roster player.

by red army line on Jan 18, 2011 10:53 AM EST up reply actions

But there’s no "need" for a "shut-down" defenseman, between Green-Schultz-Hannan-Poti-Alzner-Carlson-Erskine.

Yes there is. No one in that group has shown an ability as a Capital to do the heavy lifting when it counts. You guys have three of the Russians from the WJHC right? They looked great.

Also, as an aside, Bruce Boudreau himself said he matches lines in 24/7 so please mention that to Caps fans.

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by PPP on Jan 18, 2011 11:38 AM EST up reply actions

Look at behind the net. Check out John Carlson and Mike Green. Positive Corsi, tough comp. Karl Alzner’s been decent too. A heavy lifting forward, maybe, but not D.

Two Russians. Galiev was left off. Kuznetsov and Orlov were both on the All-tourney team. Orlov I’m feeling can be had for the right price moreso than the others.

by red army line on Jan 18, 2011 12:26 PM EST up reply actions

Link. Did you miss the 13th player above?

by red army line on Jan 18, 2011 12:32 PM EST up reply actions

You can make stats say anything!

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by PPP on Jan 18, 2011 12:42 PM EST up reply actions

I wouldn’t trust any of Green, Schultz, Hannan, or Poti to really keep the front of the net clear. In terms of Behind the Net, the Caps have their highest Corsi Rel QoC defensemen (Schultz, Carlson) also have the second and third highest offensive zone starts (behind only Alzner), all three of whom are above 50%. Beauch, in comparison, (who has the highest Corsi rel QoC), has offensive zone starts below his offensive zone finishes, both of which is below 50%.

So if the puck is in the Caps’ end and the opposition is putting their top line out, who are the caps playing as that “shut down pairing” that will get the puck down to the offensive zone? The answer seems to be “Ovechkin.” From what I’ve seen (limited, though I’m in Arlington so I get to watch my fair share of Caps games), the Caps are extremely dependent on forwards to get the puck moving the right way – which works fine, more often than not, because your forwards are freaking amazing at it – but I just don’t think it’s a good plan for the playoffs. I think it leads to, well, games like Friday’s loss against the Canucks.

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 18, 2011 12:50 PM EST up reply actions

Maki at G&M reporting that the Caps have been looking for a veteran defenseman. Hannan was an attempt to fill that. I’m not sure anyone would say he’s been a resounding success.

Also, lolsutter.

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 18, 2011 1:04 PM EST up reply actions

Washington’s team zonestart is 52%. That means only Carlson and Alzner are above team average.

My theory is that against most teams the Caps dictate the matchups, more or less. Backstrom’s zone starts, while still high, aren’t in the 58-60% range anymore. That means lesser centers and lines are getting offensive zone starts. That’s when the other team would want to send out its top line, in most cases, I’d guess, and Boudreau makes sure a lesser line goes out with Green or Carlson.

by red army line on Jan 18, 2011 10:21 PM EST up reply actions

I think Beauch would be an incredible asset for a team looking to make a long playoff run this year. I would hope that he netted us a ripe top prospect who would be contributing in a years time.

by A Lindros Jaw on Jan 17, 2011 3:38 PM EST up reply actions

The word elite gets thrown around a lot but I’d say elite is being able to get it done at both ends.

This probably stems from some stigma that in order to be a good defenseman, you either need to lay giant, play-stopping hits, or put up a 50 point season.

I actually never called Beauch an elite defenseman. If we were to qualify it by specifying only the defensive side of the game, sure, I’d start tossing that word around, but I’m not about to make a Norris bid for the guy. That said, it’s pretty tough to progress in the playoffs without a pair of shutdown defensemen, and that (plus picks and prospects) is where we get our leverage up into that level of an “elite” forward.

I would rather not turn this post into an HFBoards-esque “WHO COULD WE GET FOR HIM?,” but he’s a better player than Hannan is, and should be worth more than a gamble on Wolski’s ability to return to 65-point form (especially when there have been reports of Wolski having questionable work ethic).

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 17, 2011 3:44 PM EST up reply actions

I would rather not turn this post into an HFBoards-esque "WHO COULD WE GET FOR HIM?,"

Sorry. I went there.

by MapleLeafMole on Jan 17, 2011 3:52 PM EST up reply actions

What type of Player could Beauchemin net, in a trade?

Ryan Clowe

by MapleLeafMole on Jan 17, 2011 3:49 PM EST up reply actions

not with the way he is scoring and the way the rest of the sharks are scoring
last off season, sure, now? not so much

Rule #20

by JaredFromLondon on Jan 17, 2011 3:53 PM EST up reply actions

It’s too bad.
Sharks really need help defensively

by MapleLeafMole on Jan 17, 2011 4:03 PM EST up reply actions

I still

think Clowe is a possibility… but Setoguchi and a pick is more likely.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve Burtch on Jan 17, 2011 6:04 PM EST up reply actions

Clowe is having a career year. I doubt it. As for Setoguchi…..pass.

Negative. I am a meat popsicle.

by birky on Jan 17, 2011 11:07 PM EST up reply actions

Setoguchi – Cheechoo 2.0?

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."

Winston Churchill

by Say *plan the parade one more time*... on Jan 18, 2011 4:06 PM EST up reply actions

nah, he’s just too similar to versteeg, we dont NEED players like that, players like Clowe however

Rule #20

by JaredFromLondon on Jan 18, 2011 4:08 PM EST up reply actions

big strong winger who gets his nose dirty? Yes I would love another Kulemin.

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."

Winston Churchill

by Say *plan the parade one more time*... on Jan 18, 2011 4:10 PM EST up reply actions

Isn’t Clowe a RW? Could we play him at left? I mean, RW is the only forward position we have fairly locked up: Kessel-MacArthur-Armstrong-Brown.

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 18, 2011 4:17 PM EST up reply actions

I think he plays both wings

Rule #20

by JaredFromLondon on Jan 18, 2011 4:19 PM EST up reply actions

hockey db has him as a LW, so does TSN and NHL.com

Rule #20

by JaredFromLondon on Jan 18, 2011 4:20 PM EST up reply actions

Ah. Hockey-reference has him as a RW.

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 18, 2011 4:23 PM EST up reply actions

The further San Jose slips in the standings, the less likely they’re willing to be a trading partner with the Leafs.

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 17, 2011 11:12 PM EST up reply actions

great article. Rec’d

The universe moves depending on where Sidney Crosby is on the ice - IHeartPenguins
Certified Grabbo lover. GET WELL SOON, SID

by Leafer87 on Jan 17, 2011 5:09 PM EST reply actions

If I could sum up Beauch I would say he’s a good d-man, but people would actually recognize it if he was able to slot in as a second pairing guy rather than being the number 1 guy.

Five Minutes For Fighting
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by Five Minutes For Fighting on Jan 17, 2011 6:32 PM EST reply actions

Wilson’s been able to bring down his minutes a little this year, but not enough. I agree that as a second pairing guy, he’d be better.

Blogging on hockey at The Globe and Mail

by James Mirtle on Jan 17, 2011 6:48 PM EST up reply actions

Neat!

@mirtle
James Mirtle
Brian Burke on Francois Beauchemin: “We have never offered him in a deal. We believe in him.” http://bit.ly/i3WUcK

20 miles to Legoland!

by nhlcheapshot on Jan 17, 2011 9:01 PM EST reply actions

As for all those trade rumours, Burke has been approached by two teams interested in adding Beauchemin for a playoff run but both offers were turned down.

From mirtle’s article. Burke is listening, and teams are already offering. Think they might start to bid higher once the deadline gets closer?

The experiment failed: Get rid of the trapezoid.

by Bower Power on Jan 17, 2011 9:19 PM EST up reply actions