On the Forecheck
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Leggy on a leash
by Forechecker on 11/21/08 at 07:55 AM ET
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David Boclair of the Nashville City Paper portrays a Predators front office frustrated with the production of David Legwand, who received a 7-year contract extension just months ago:
Nearly one-quarter of the way into his 10th NHL season, the 28-year-old has to show that franchise officials were right nearly one year ago when they signed him to the longest contract in team history, coach Barry Trotz said Thursday.
“Is he a cornerstone? Not yet,” Trotz said. “But he’s a useful player. A cornerstone has to be … the go-to guy all the time. David’s not there yet, but I have the belief that someday he can be.
““Right now is David producing at a rate we want him producing? No, not at all. The best way I can say it is that the leash is very short right now.”
“Someday he can be” is an awfully odd phrase to use about a 10-year veteran, usually at that point you know what you’ve got in a player. Typically for Legwand, that has meant only moderate offensive production, paired with good defensive work against top opposing lines, and reliable special teams play.
The following, however, portrays a guy who, at least in 5-on-5 action, is getting stifled offensively and outshot by a wide margin.
| GF On/60 | GA On/60 | GF Off/60 | GA Off/60 | Rating | Corsi | |
| 2007-8 | 3.06 | 2.68 | 2.67 | 2.7 | +0.41 | -3.2 |
| 2008-9 | 2.23 | 2.51 | 2.73 | 3.06 | +0.05 | -10.6 |
The “GF On” and “GF Off” numbers represent, per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play, how many Goals For or Against Legwand is on the ice for, or comparatively, how those numbers fare when he’s off it. “Rating” summarizes his impact on the GF-GA figures. The Corsi number is the net of Total Shots For and Against (including Missed & Blocked) while he’s on the ice, also expressed per 60 minutes of play.
Last season his presence boosted offensive production moderately, while holding Goals Against the same, resulting in a net postive influence; that’s all but disappeared this year, and appears to be what Trotz and Poile are criticizing. In terms of differences from last year, Legwand has still been paired with Martin Erat most of the way, with the third spot on that line changing often. Ryan Jones has seen plenty of action there, and it should be noted that his Corsi number is 3rd-worst on the team at -21.2, so it will be interesting to see how Leggy plays this week with Jones down on the farm.
To me Legwand seems like a player whose legs are ahead of his hands. His skating ability puts him into situations that he just can’t finish, and that’s what generates all the frustration. If they could somehow combine Legwand’s legs with Radulov’s hands, we’d have an All-Star....
Filed in: Nashville Predators | On the Forecheck | Permalink
Tags: David+Legwand,
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About On the Forecheck
Dirk Hoag is the Forechecker, churner of NHL stats and analysis. Having started over 10 years ago writing for websites like In the Crease and e-Sports, Dirk launched On The Forecheck in 2005 to cover the Nashville Predators as well as apply statistical analysis to NHL hockey.
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