Comments - Fuck the Modern NBA
I regret to inform you that every NHL team has a full analytics department, and the hockey has been “solved” in a similar manner to basketball already. Things are harder to implement because the speed of the game brings more randomness. There are also old school personalities (ie Torts the coach of my flyers) who are, for better or worse, stuck in their ways. However make no mistake, the same phenomenon has overtaken the NHL and changed the game in meaningful ways (including shot selection like the NBA). Whether you think that’s made the game better or worse is an opinion, but I think it’s a mixed bag.
For one thing, the enforcer/goon as a defined role is pretty much extinct. To the extent that they still exist, it’s normally a highly skilled player who just so happens to also be a tough guy. Gone are the days where guys would be brought up through the system primarily based on their physicality. 4th lines are pretty much less skilled versions of the 1st line, or young guys developing into top 6 forwards.
Also, very similarly to the NBA, the game has evolved towards more “positionless” play with systems being looked at fluid 5 man units rather than distinct wingers, center, and defensemen. Because of this, there’s way more offensive defensemen than there used to be, and scoring ability is heavily emphasized in defensemen. Teams were built around guys like Lidstom and Pronger who rarely cracked 50 pts in a season but rarely made mistakes. It makes perfect sense why, but today it’s trending towards the defensemen who can get you 65 points even if he gives up a few goals in the process.
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