Comments for The Anatomy of a Slump - Datsyuk, Boyes, Morrow, and Vanek at http://hockey.dobbersports.com , comment 1 to 8 out of 8 comments http://hockey.dobbersports.com Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:25:44 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/2570-the-anatomy-of-a-slump-datsyuk-boyes-morrow-and-vanek#comment-4465 Some other potential reasons for Morrow's decline, courtesy of the rumor mill in Dallas: Morrow hasn't bought into Crawford's system and dislikes Crawford as a coach. I'm not certain which is the horse and which is the cart, but the current rumor is that Crawford will clean house in the off season, getting rid of the "old guard" including Turco (who we all know is on the block) and his good friend Morrow, then turning the captaincy over to Brad Richards. Whether Crawford's plan to find players who fit his coaching style caused the rift or the friction between the coach and the captain is leading to a major upheaval, I think the fact that they feel unappreciated and ostracized is having a significant impact on Morrow and Turco both. While neither may return to their previous best, I think they'll both improve once they find a new team. I call all this rumor because I'm taking it second-hand from my friend who is a Stars fan and local to Dallas. It may be misperception, but I figured it had enough potential to warrant discussion. - pucknut2k1 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 06:11:32 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/2570-the-anatomy-of-a-slump-datsyuk-boyes-morrow-and-vanek#comment-4435 Hi Jeff, Fatigue is interesting. Everyone suffers from it at some point. If you slow down your pace, you don't contribute as much. If you push yourself through it, you risk injury...like the dreaded groin. You will notice that most NHL players turn it up during play-offs, so fatigue over the long season would not appear to be an issue. Interesting enough, though, I expect a guy like Ribeiro to perform at a better pace going forward after having his injury break. maybe we will see an increase in points from Morrow. - Rad64 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:17:44 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/2570-the-anatomy-of-a-slump-datsyuk-boyes-morrow-and-vanek#comment-4405 Discussion/feedback is great, even if it contradicts what I have written. I always welcome criticism and opinions. As for Cheechoo, 100% of his decline is attributable to his double hernia surgery. He simply cannot skate well enough at the NHL level any more. Obviously Thornton made him a 50 goal scorer, but even Cheechoo's biggest fan would admit that much. He should still be a solid 20-30 goal guy without Joe, but his lack of speed has sapped him of any offensive upside. I'd like to do some digging with regards to the fatigue factor. The Oilers of the 80s aren't a good comparison just because things have changed so much these days - faster, bigger, more physical, etc. Comparing different time periods is tough at best. - angus Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:51:45 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/2570-the-anatomy-of-a-slump-datsyuk-boyes-morrow-and-vanek#comment-4404 Two years ago Datsyuk was playing with Zetterberg and Holmstrom. Zetts scored 92 points that year, one more than Datsyuk. Datsyuk played EV with Zetts 44% of the time two years ago as compared to 17% this year. Zetterberg and Datsyuk have similar PPG totals this year which is not surprising! As for fatigue, I would like to see some evidence for other players that show decreased production after multi-year cup runs. Saying that line combos is 'too easy an explanation' for production loss doesn't make much sense. Tell that to Cheechoo. I think line combos make a lot more sense than multi-year fatigue. - Nigel Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:48:30 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/2570-the-anatomy-of-a-slump-datsyuk-boyes-morrow-and-vanek#comment-4400 Really interesting insight re: the % of Detroit goals that Datsyuk has been involved in from one year to the next... and Vanek's production dip compared to the Sabres as a whole. Numbers like this could be valuable insight - Jason Hasson Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:24:48 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/2570-the-anatomy-of-a-slump-datsyuk-boyes-morrow-and-vanek#comment-4399 Interesting article, though I respectfully disagree with the point Nigel brought up: the central part of the article stipulates that linemates are at the core of all four "slumpers". That's too broad and too easy an excuse. Two years ago who was Datsyuk playing when he potted 97 points? There was no Hossa in Detroit. And Vanek & Roy's 3 years together should provide increased synergy and productivity, while Connolly's season should provide extra space for them. To really analyze each player's slump, here are other factors worth considering: PPTOI vs previous seasons, PP, ES & SH Pts vs previous seasons. I also think that Morrow's slump is different from the others as he seems more reliant on Ribeiro to produce. I strongly agree with your point about Datsyuk's number of games played. I think 80 games is too long, the 100 required to get to the SCF is ridiculous and adding an olympic tournament makes it stupid. Another aspects worth pondering: each player's points as related to the team's GF. For example, Buffalo's GF per game is 2.77 compared to 3.05 last year. What does Vanek's pts represent as a portion of that? How does it compare to his historical importance to the Sabres offence. Another example: this year, Datsyuk's has points in 30.2% of Detroit's GF, compared to 32.9% last year. So essentially, Detroit's overall slump explains Datsyuk's tough year. Wow, that went on. Sorry. Angus, I'm a huge fan and I didn't mean to second guess what you did. I think the article is solid and enlightening, just wanted to give some feedback. - Ttigers Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:09:51 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/2570-the-anatomy-of-a-slump-datsyuk-boyes-morrow-and-vanek#comment-4394 Nice article. Notice the common trend of linemates - this is probably the biggest factor in these players' slumps. Morrow's knee injury and the emergence of the young wingers also makes sense. The only thing I don't agree with is Detroit's fatigue. In the Oilers dynasty of the 80's we never saw slowed production by players like Gretzsky or Kurri. Same goes for the late-90s Redwings (Yzerman, Fedorov, Lidstrom, etc.). I could understand players getting fatigued if there was no break between the playoffs and the following season, but all these guys should be well-rested from the few months break over the summer. - Nigel Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:23:24 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/2570-the-anatomy-of-a-slump-datsyuk-boyes-morrow-and-vanek#comment-4391 i agreee vanek will definitly bounce back. hes already turning it on sort of with 12 points in his last 12 - RNS Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:03:52 +0100