Today, there has been a lot of chatter involving the RJ Umberger, Scott Hartnell trade. Lots of fans wishing the transaction never happened; lots of fans comparing the two players from a skill perspective. They see Hartnells 11-points and Umbergers 3-points... and all hell breaks loose. The Fancy Stats enthusiasts have broken down how much Umberger is hurting our possession game from an analytical level. It seems all the Hindsight Warriors have their ducks in a row. Food for thought: The trade was never about acquiring a better skill player. It was about acquiring a contract that expires two-years earlier than Hartnells. And before that mission could be completed, we had to find a trade partner, and a destination Hartnell would agree to waive his NMC to land. The planets had to align, and our management made it work while the window of opportunity was small & closing. . More food for thought: Lets think outside the box. Lets remove the blinders and try to look at this from another angle.... Think about how many even-strength points (ESP) the Flyers have probably scored because they werent killing a Hartnell penalty. The Flyers are ranked 3rd in least amount of minor penalties taken (36), and Jakub Voracek leads the League in ESP with 13. Giroux is ranked 21st with 8 ESP. Thats not a coincidence. FYI, Hartnell has taken seven minor penalties, good for 15th in the NHL. Umberger has one, good for 428th. Both have played in 11-games. . So, I guess in a way... the trade *was* influenced by skill. Only it was meant to keep our best skill players in offensive situations, rather than killing off penalties.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 21:17:20 +0000
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