Not deceiving at all if it's applied properly. Benn isn't some 3rd or 4th liner that I'm projecting and prorating to the moon. He played 2 minutes less per game at even strength than Richards. And that includes the entire season. I bet he was getting right up around the same 16 minute mark per game down the stretch that was the norm for Richards when Crawford was relying on him (and he was delivering). Then add to that the fact that Benn had a higher 5v5 QUALCOMP than Richards and it's completely appropriate to project his rate scoring as holding at that level at the very least. And once again, I'm not discounting Richards' PP points, just saying that when one guy plays 3 more minutes a night with a man advantage than another, well, there's one place to look to account for a discrepancy.
The problem with equalizing the two is that a fairly close 5v5 and even a fairly close PP points per 60 minutes (which was something of a down year for Richards probably thanks to his blow to the head) doesn't equalize the two overall. Like you said, Richards got an extra three minutes a game of PP time. That's going to lead to a lot more points at the end of the year.
Even if they both have the exact same production per minute played, the guy with the extra minutes will still produce more. Since Benn won't get those extra three minutes of PP time a game, it's not right to look only at a production per 60 minutes stat and ignore the actual time played.
Also, why do you think Benn has a great defensive game? Do you think just because someone is relatively feisty that makes them good defensively?
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Frugal Gourmet
What intagibles does Benn possess? He's not particularly good defensively and doesn't share the puck at a high level. His instincts as far as where to be on the ice are sub-Ribeiro level. I do think he's tough minded and a hard player. He has the ability to create his own offense which is something very special. Very few players have that.
And I do expect him to improve. I would be overjoyed if he hit 70 points with his uptick in ice time this season.
The intangibles that may one day make him an NHL captain.
Not particularly good defensively? To answer your question not directed at me... knowing where to be on the ice, getting sticks in passing lanes, breaking up offensive plays with anticipation, size and footspeed, winning puck battles along the boards, winning physical battles in general...all of these are attributes of good defensive players. Benn does all of those things and some at a very high level.
There are very few players in this league whose offensive insticts and knowing where to be on the ice are not sub-Ribeiro. If Ribeiro played in Detroit he would be deified, instead he plays in Dallas and is thought of as just some guy. He's ****ing good. The sooner we can get a coach in there who knows how to best utilize his skill-set the better.
Last edited by glovesave_35: 08-05-2011 at 06:15 PM.
I'm so glad I can't read French. Google Translate takes Robidas' quote about Benn an translates it to saying that he "has everything it takes to be a dominant player: size, skating and shooting lightning."
I'm so glad I can't read French. Google Translate takes Robidas' quote about Benn an translates it to saying that he "has everything it takes to be a dominant player: size, skating and shooting lightning."
Too early to say. Ryder's problem has never been skill, its consistency. He's Neal 2.0.
That being said his ToI should be well higher in Dallas than in Boston, so 30 goals isn't out of the question.
I just think Ribs will thrive with Ryder to his right. He finally has the type of winger he's needed for the past few years. It seems like a natural fit. An inconsistent Ryder could still put up 30 with a playmaker like Ribeiro.
So...it's coming to the end of the season and I figured it would be a good time to bump this thread. Ryder has been on fire lately and has had a remarkable year for you guys. He has played a major role in where you guys are positioned in the standings and IMO has earned every dollar of his salary thus far.
Being from Ryder's home province I've been keeping track on how he has been playing and have watched as many games as I could this year. One thing I've noticed about Ryder is that he has been a little streaky just like he has in the past. If he could somehow manage to be more consistent I have no doubt in my mind that he could score 40 for you guys.
Also I just wanted to mention that just about every one of you guys that posted in this thread were spot on about Ryder. He's well on his way to a 30 goal campaign and possibly even the best of his career. Being an Oiler fan and given our past rivalry in the playoffs, I normally wouldn't say this to Dallas fans but congrats on this great signing and I'll be rooting for you guys to make the playoffs this year just so you can see how Ryder can step up his game when the games matter most. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. Cheers!!
What's interesting about Ryder is that if you look at his shooting percentage just from his first 5 seasons it's 12.6%, which is in line for a skilled goalscorer. But then the past 2 years where he's scored only 18 it's dipped below that number to 9.4% and 10.9% respectively. Now you hear about people projecting certain players to come back down to Earth who have an unsustainably high shooting percentages, well, the same applies in the other direction. I'd expect him to rise back to around the 12 and a half mark, which interestingly enough is also his career playoff shooting %, where everyone says he plays particularly well.
The second point is the disparity between his TOI in Boston and his likely TOI here. He only played an average of 15 minutes a game the past 2 years. Ribeiro, on the other hand, plays about 20 a night. That's a big difference. I won't say Ryder will match that, but you have to assume they'll be somewhat close, or at least closer.
So Ryder last year had 165 shots over 1,144 minutes. Now let's say next year that TOI number goes up to 1,500, barring injury. (I'm still being conservative here, Ribeiro played 1,637) That projects to ~215 total shots. Give him his previous shooting % on those and you're looking at a 27-28 goal season. And that's not even factoring the effect Ribeiro will have in terms of creating high-quality chances like we know he will, or the chemistry they had in Montreal.
I spent a grand total of about 6 hours thinking about hockey between Jan 2010 and Jan 2012, and when I checked in on my most-recent stay in Dallas, Ryder was one of the "... huh?" names on the roster (Dvorak was the other big one). I was in the house for Coyotes / Flames / Wild and saw almost each February game on TV and was impressed; he's certainly been better than I perceived him to be a few years ago when he was 1/3 of the Montreal Canadiens default trade offer.
TSN today - Dallas moves up in the rankings from 15th to 10th, and the comment is:
6-0-1 in the last seven games, the Stars hit a home run when they signed RW Michael Ryder. With 11 goals in 17 games since the All-Star break, Ryder is three away from tying his career-high.
Key Injuries: LW Brenden Morrow (neck).
TSN today - Dallas moves up in the rankings from 15th to 10th, and the comment is:
6-0-1 in the last seven games, the Stars hit a home run when they signed RW Michael Ryder. With 11 goals in 17 games since the All-Star break, Ryder is three away from tying his career-high.
Key Injuries: LW Brenden Morrow (neck).
Best quick release in the NHL. Despite the Bruins winning the cup they dropped the ball playing Ryder in the slot on powerplays as a "decoy" as opposed to coming off the half boards or playing the back door.
Dallas is utilizing him properly and results speak for themselves. Best snapper in the NHL.
