Shutdown Pair

Tag: Jordan Leopold

  • Top 10 Defensemen of the Northeast Division

    Japers’ Rink has a list of the top 10 D-men in the Southeast, and I was curious about who we would have on a similar list here the Northeast, so I decided the best way to find out was to compile the list myself.  All stats unless otherwise noted are for last season.  I also reference GVT (explained beginning here) which is a decent way to compare the dropoff from a particular guy to an average replacement.

    10.  Jordan Leopold, Buffalo Sabres (11G 15A 26pts -2 21:55 TOI)

    The newest Buffalo Sabre split time between Florida and Pittsburgh last season, tagging along with the Pens into the second round of the playoffs.  He played against top competition for them in his short stint in Pitt.  Leopold has never seemed to take hold in a city, despite quality if not spectacular offensive numbers.  Is there something we’re missing on him?  Aside from the usual ‘doesn’t like contact’ rap that big-ish puck movers get.  Easily off the list if he goes for 3 goals this season.

    9.  Mike Komisarek, Toronto Maple Leafs (0G 4A 4pts -9 19:56 TOI)

    Komisarek missed the second half of the season with shoulder surgery, but you wouldn’t expect too much from his offensive numbers.  He’s a bruising stay-at-home defenseman who can block shots.  It ain’t pretty, but the job gets done.

    8.  Jaroslav Spacek, Montreal Canadiens (3G 18A 21pts +9 21:47 TOI)

    Former Sabre Jaroslav Spacek is still my favorite square-headed defenseman, who I wish we still had if only for his epic accent during interviews.  Also, he likes to throw the occasional hip-check which is old-school and awesome.  He contributes at both ends of the ice, and is a good power play point man.

    7.  Francois Beauchemin, Toronto Maple Leafs (5G 21A 26pts -13 25:27 TOI)

    A cup winner in Anaheim, Toronto imported him in last season to add a little ‘truculence’.  Noted for an excellent shot, he used it often, piling up 170 of them.  He generates scoring chances quite well.  Francois will be a good example for the youngsters the Leafs are rolling with, especially if he can reduce the turnovers.  A goalie that can bail you out helps with that too, though.

    6.  Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens (6G 28A 34pts +11 23:48 TOI)

    Markov’s numbers are solid considering he only played 45 games.  He’s had double-digit goals four times, and his Defensive GVT of 4.1 shows he cares behind his own blueline.  Gets dinged for not using his size more, but he does well against the best competition.

    5.  Chris Phillips, Ottawa Senators (8G 16A 24pts +8 22:20 TOI)

    Solid performer, if in the second tier of defensemen in the Northeast.  8 goals is nothing to sneeze at, with 2 game-winners.  With Volchenkov gone, he’s the only D-man on the Sens who had a positive plus/minus last season.

    4.  Sergei Gonchar, Ottawa Senators (11G 39A 50pts -4 24:23 TOI)

    While on the downslope of his career at age 36, Gonchar still gave the Penguins great offensive production, 6th in points amongst D despite only playing 62 games.  Injuries will be an ongoing concern, his power play prowess.

    3.  Tomas Kaberle, Toronto Maple Leafs (7G 42A 49pts -19 22:21 TOI)

    Kaberle is a consistent, high-level performer for Toronto, so of course he’s been the target of trade rumors for years.  But he’s still there, and chugging along.  He was second on the Leafs in points to Phil Kessel’s 55.

    2.  Tyler Myers, Buffalo Sabres (11G 37A 48pts +13 23:44 TOI)

    Trying not to be a homer here, but those numbers don’t lie.  He and Hank played against the best competition as the top D pair, and Myers still managed a Defensive GVT of 6.9.  He’s a great skater that can push the play offensively and yet still get back to cover if that play fizzles.  Tyler is working on getting stronger this offseason, which might just improve his ranking.

    1.  Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins (7G 37A 44pts +19 25:22 TOI)

    An off year for Chara goal scoring-wise, nevertheless big Z stands tall at the top of this list (pun intended).  He’s a beast to play against behind the net and along the boards, where his massive frame (and ‘incidental’ elbows) often stop smaller forwards in their tracks, if they don’t end up on their asses.  His defensive GVT is 8.9, matched only by Chris Pronger.

    Well, there you have it.  I’m sure there are some slotting changes, and if I’m lucky I just offended the rest of the Northeast, and maybe even some Sabres fans.  It was hard to make, but I feel like I learned a bit more about the enemy.  Guys who just missed the list:

    Dion Phaneuf, Toronto Maple Leafs (2G 8A 10pts -2 26:21 TOI)

    The above numbers don’t count Dion’s contributions in Calgary (10G 12A 22pts +3), but it remains to be seen whether or not he can continue with those types of numbers as Captain of the Leafs.  I waffled on him making the list, but his goal totals have been declining, not increasing (20, 17, 17, 11, 12).  A rebound year can put him right back in.

    Roman Hamrlik, Montreal Canadiens (6G 20A 26pts -2 23:26 TOI)

    I edged him out in a comparison with Spacek – who I feel gives you a bit more on the defensive side.

    And a special note for Steve Montador, who doesn’t show up on the scoresheet or the advanced stats, but who played well with Lindy’s musical partners.  We noticed you, Steve, and appreciate it.

    One final thing:  I get the feeling this list is WAY different next year.  Kaberle is probably out, Gonchar is an injury away from falling off, probably at least one or two new guys via trade, and some young players who will be pushing.  Especially in Toronto, where things have been bad long enough that no job is safe.  Let me know how I screwed up, and if you make a strong case, I’m down with changing it up.

  • Buffalo Sabres: A Look At The Depth Chart

    With training camp less than a month away, and the Buffalo Sabres roster looking pretty much set, I thought now would be a good time to investigate the lines and defense pairings for the coming season.  Starting up front:

    Ennis – Connolly – Pominville
    Vanek – Roy – Stafford/McCormick?
    Gerbe – Gaustad – Kaleta
    Hecht – Niedermayer – Grier

    It’s an odd mix of diminutive players and size/grit, to be sure.  Zack Kassian could make things interesting when he’s off his time-out from GMDR and gets to sign.  I’m not sure what happens if McCormick gets one of the RW spots, Stafford really is the only one that can come out.  I don’t think you play anybody out of position to try and keep him in the lineup.  Gerbe, I suppose, could end up on the fourth line if Lindy wants to keep Hecht up on the third, though my hope is with cagey vets like Grier and Niedermayer taking over the fourth line will get more than 6 minutes a night.  It’s a lineup that has some scoring potential, but should help out the revamped defense core quite a bit as well.  Speaking of:

    Myers (RH) – Morrisonn (LH)
    Montador (RH) – Leopold (LH)
    Rivet (RH) – Sekera (LH)

    Butler (LH)

    Obviously Myers is the top dog, and I slotted Morrisonn next to him as he’s another more stay at home type as Tallinder was for Tyler last year.  You get a similar Off/Def pair with Montador/Leopold, leaving Rivet and his bad shoulder to mentor Sekera and Butler in the third pair.  This keeps the left hand/right hand balance, and keeps Rivet healthier so he can bulldoze some guys in front of Miller.  If Leopold can chip in points to balance the Myers pairing, the offense from the backend will be right where it needs to be.  Now, Morrisonn may not fit in as a first pair guy which blows all this up but I think this works the best.

    I don’t HAVE to go over the goalies, do I?  Miller gets more work than we like (without the Olympics thankfully), especially considering the TWENTY TWO back to back game situations.  Does Lalime get 15 games?  Lalime and Enroth combined for 14 starts last year, I’d like to see that at 20 with all the back to backs but I can’t predict it.

    Look, it’s not the wholesale changes in the top 6 we were looking for, but as we’ve investigated before, there aren’t a lot of guys available who are a for-sure improvement.  Stempniak might be a one-hit wonder, and there’s that self-imposed cap…

  • What to Expect: Ryan Miller

    What can we expect next season for Ryan Miller?  He’s coming off his best year so far, with a 2.22 GAA, .929 SP, 5 shutouts, an Olympic silver medal, the Vezina trophy, and a super-hot girlfriend.  There are some causes for concern, no question.

    First thing to look at is that the D in front of Ryan will be quite different.  Gone are Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder, in is Jordan Leopold (and most likely Mike Weber).  Definitely a few wild-cards there, barring additional signings or trades.  Tyler Myers has to mesh with a new partner and continue to progress.

    Secondly, the workload comes into play.  Since Patrick Lalime is back as the backup (with some potential spot starts for Jhonas Enroth), you can rest assured Ryan sees 65-70 games again barring injury.  Really feels like a non-issue to me now as Miller had a tighter schedule last season and did well.

    Why there is hope:  Miller’s game is about positioning, knowledge of the game and quickness.  All of which he’ll still have.  His even-keeled attitude is exactly what is needed for long term success.  For numbers, I’m thinking GAA in the 2.35 range, .920 SP.  43 wins.

  • Get to know Jordan Leopold

    Meet your new defenseman, Jordan Leopold.  He is a 29 year old former 2nd round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks.  You may know him best as being on the Calgary team that went to the Cup finals the year before the lockout, which was his best year for point production (33).  He bounced around a bit after that, going to Colorado for parts of three seasons, going back to Calgary, then splitting last year between Florida and Pittsburgh.  He had a solid season last year, with a career high in goals (11) between the two teams.

    As pointed out by Mike Harrington over at the Buffalo News, Leopold’s playoff numbers are not awe-inspiring – 15 points, all of them assists, in 54 games, with 10 of those during that 03-04 flames run (26 games).  He got squeezed a bit in ice time, averaging 4 min less per game with Pittsburgh for instance this year.  He led the Flames in ice time in the playoffs last year, however, so that’s no excuse.  He is more of puck-mover than a big hitter, though he is big enough that it should be part of his game, so that’s a knock against him.  Still, he can play a lot of minutes and is young enough that he could get slightly better.

    I know a lot of you are thinking 3 years, $3 million per is a bit high, but it doesn’t really bother me.  Yes, it’s the same deal that Lydman signed, but Leopold is 3 years younger, and they should be prime years.  If Jordan can notch 8-10 goals, nailing down the second pairing and second PP unit, $3 million is just right.  A solid, Darcy Regier-type pick.  I hope it works out.  Hit the jump for a few videos of Leopold: (more…)