Tom Renney's Forward Deployments

man, if i had a nickel for every time somebody quoted that phrase…

i’d have about 40 cents, all of it from you.

What you see in the chart above was first suggested by oilerBC

I’m flattered (and amazed at your memory!)

This chart says volumes about the situation in which the Oilers are being placed, and their resulting performance.

• The upper-left quadrant is the most challenging assignment from the coaches (tough opponents, lots of defensive zone faceoffs), and yet Smyth, Horcoff, and Jones are thriving. No real surprise there for anyone who has watched the games.
• I am surprised that Belanger isn’t taking more defensive draws.
• The separation of Eberle from Hall/NH is small, but interesting as it speaks to his slightly better defensive skills. It will be interesting to see how that separation evolves over the season with a larger sample size.

Suggestions and Wish List Items:

• Adding to the axis labels (e.g. “[-ive = poor opponents] … Quality of Competition … [+ive = good opponents]”) or adding similar annotations (like the Broad Street Hockey chart)
• Create a similar charts for other teams. The differences between the Oilers and Flyers are striking, and I wonder if this is more a case of coaching philosophy, or the coaches just doing their best with the players they have.
• Create a similar chart for defenders

Please continue to present charts like this!