Schneider Acquisition Will Lighten Load Of Overburdened Markov And Injured Komisarek
by Robert L on Feb 16, 2009 8:26 PM EST
12 comments
(Mid-post update: Apparently Bob Gainey shared Carbonneau's conclusions. While I was writing this piece, I learned that the Canadiens had acquired Mathieu Schneider from Atlanta, causing a great shift in where this piece was heading. I was about to give Markov a due roasting! The article was reconstituted some to include this latest aquisition.)
With the Canadiens in such a sad state presently, I watched the Canucks matchup with a distinctly different eye last night. I sought to find exactly what was and wasn't working properly, uniquely on it's own terms in this one specific game. I tried to examine what looked recognizable from earlier parts of the season versus what was all out of whack on the ice on this night. There was an abundance to choose from, but I wanted to pinpoint the one thing, that if fixed correctly, might help make a difference in an area of importance to the team. I believe I found something Guy Carbonneau found as well. Watching the game on RDS, two things that occured in complicity set me in a particular direction. The first was commentator Benoit Brunet pointing out how much difficulty Mike Komisarek was having on the ice. It had been quite evident to that point that Komisarek had been struggling for some time, but when a replayed clip highlighted that his shoulder was hampering him a great deal, much more became clear. In consequence, what I noted next, what the Canadiens seemed to play more fluidly when Komisarek was removed from Andrei Markov and paired with either Roman Hamrlik or Josh Gorges. The move limited the mistakes of two players who often tried to do too much on the ice.
Komisarek for his part, was working with less, while trying to do more. There were certain things he seemed incapable of doing as usual, and in pushing himself, he was committing an uncharacteristic number of turnovers at the worst possible times. Markov seemed to want to make up for the Canadiens crippled offense all by himself. Regardless of Komisarek's predicament, he has of late been taking outrageous chances in the offensive zone - also uncharacteristic decisions on his part. As the Markov and Komisarek pair play the greatest number of minutes on the Habs, these trends could not go on. Markov was a criminal minus 10 in the last eight games, and Komisarek minus 5. Although the Canadiens lost once again in Vancouver, the icetime of Markov and Komisarek dropped greatly, as it was spread across all six defensemen more evenly than in had been all season. The noticable effect was a limiting of errors, but also and absense of scoring chances and offensive risks. During the third period, when the pairing seemed the most settled and Komisarek and Markov were not overextended, the Canadiens game was brought back down to basics, and the forwards seemed to be more in synch with the blueliners that they had been in a good while.
That was the one single positive note that stuck with me after the game, as it was obvious that Carbonneau had had enough and made the adjustment. Often, when questions arise about the Canadiens leadership, the fingers generally point to the coach, the captain, and Kovalev. It is not often underlined that their best paid player, and leader in minutes shares in the blame greatly. Last week, after one particluarly brutal error in judgement found Markov trapped up ice, the cameras spotted a heated exchange between him and assistant coach Doug Jarvis. Recalling the mistake that lead to the resulting odd man break and the incident at the bench, one can only wonder what Markov's argument was. He clearly could not have had a good one. If Markov is that defiant, I gather it helps expose part of the problem.
Back on December 13, I wrote a piece entitled "Komisarek's Absense Robs The Canadiens Of It's Sleekest Wheel". In it, I mentioned that the Canadiens as a whole, and Markov in great part as well, sacrificed offence in order to tighten up during Komisarek's loss. While it hampered both the Canadiens and Markov's production, the result was that the team played better defensively as a whole - something they surely need to do now. The point of the piece then was to examine what Markov had relinquished in terms of contribution to the team, and how it would replace itself upon Komisarek's return.
"With an added focus to employing stricter coverage, Komisarek's absence has strangely affected the team's offence. In the 14 games Komisarek played in, the team netted 46 goals. In 15 games without him, they have counted only 35. Consequently, while Komisarek was dressed, they allowed 38 goals in 14 games for a GAA of 2.71. In the 15 since he was injured, that total has been cut dramatically to only 30 goals in 15 games for an average goals against of 2.00."
In total, Montreal played 16 games without Komisarek, and had a record of 7-5-4, which was hardly convincing. The team lost the final three games of that stretch, a dismal run wherein I wrote the referenced piece.
Upon Komisarek's return on December 18 against the Flyers, the Canadiens hit their best stride of the season, going 11-2-1 in the following 14 games. His return obviously helped correct the situation. In doing so, the Canadeins then outscored opponents 54 - 40, with an average of 3.13 goals scored per game, and an average of 2.85 goals against per outing.
With Komisarek apparently playing with a shoulder injury presently, Markov either needs to reel his game in once more, or be paired on a consistent basis with Josh Gorges. Last night, Markov played a season low 19:23, while Komisarek played only 17:47.
As I stated at the top, there weren't many positives against the Canucks, but there seemed to be improved communication and understanding between the forwards and defenseman come the third period. At a time where Vancouver usually shuts down opponents with the lead, the Canadiens came on stronger, outshooting them 12-5. While no miraculous comeback ensued, there were visible indications of a smoother transition game that involved everyone on the ice. Gone were Markov's lone rushes and hail Mary passes that lead to icing calls, and the groups played like units of five in ways that have rarely been seen of late. When coaches speak of teams going back to basics, this method is part of what that involves. In reducing Markov's responsabilities and icetime, the next logical step incurs getting better quality minutes from the fourth, fifth and sixth defenders in the lineup. As Gorges, Bouillon and Brisebois aren't candidates to log big minutes of Markov's PP time - thereby saving his usage at even strength and PK - it only made sense to bring in a player who could help in that regard. Mathieu Schneider, acquired today by the Canadiens, could help lighten the load of expectations on Markov. At 39, he's no longer the player he once was, but as a depth defender, can surely make a noticable contribution. Playing close to 20 minutes per game with the Thrashers, Schneider was minus 10 on what was clearly a weak team. In yesterday's 8-4 Thrashers win over Anaheim, Schneider played 20:02 (including 3:36 on the PP), had an assist, and was plus 2. He had five shots on goal (second best behind Kovalchuk), had three more blocked, committed no giveaways, and had two hits. Schneider had similar numbers in his last meeting with the Canadiens on January 20. In a 4-2 Thrashers win, he played an even 21:00, with 3:04 of PP time, had 2 hits and 2 takeaways with no giveaways On a team where his load is lessened and where he is better surrounded, Schneider should help settle some serious issues simply by playing within his means.
Komisarek's game by game stats.
Game by game stats for Komisarek, Markov, and new acquisition Schneider can be seen below, as well as the 14 games slice prior to Komisarek's November injury, the next 14 games, and the team record since.
Markov's game by game stats.
These are the 16 games played in Koomisarek's absense from November 15 to December 18.
Here are the 14 games upon Komisarek's return from December 18 to January 17.
Komisarek's shoulder was injured in the January 17 game against Ottawa and he hardly been the same since. Here is the Canadiens record since that date.
Here are Mathieu Schneider's stats on the season.
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End of Brisebois?
I still think the signing of Brisebois was a big mistake made by Bob Gainey. I am not sure how many teams actually play with 5 1/2 D-men the entire season. But it has a tremednous effect on the other d-men, most of them looked burned out and consistently making mental errors (including Markov). Although Brisebois was definitely not the sole factor but it is certainly one of the factors.
I was at the game in Vancouver last night and he was a factor in the most critical 3rd goal (only seconds after Koivu’s and with seconds left in the period) and the 4th goal. He was the right D and made a change when they were coming down the right side. It was a critical blow. Besides, he made numerous bad passes and was running around the ice for a long stretch. Boy! I sure hope we will see the last of Brisebois.
More Brisebois bashing?
Yawn
Can people stop hating on him for being miscast as a top pairing defenseman 8 years ago? This whole article did a great job of breaking down the top pairing’s errors and inconsistency in regards to the Canadiens poor performance. Both are All-Stars and will both be earning 5m+ next season and Breezer and his 1.5M salary are being criticized?
You have to love Hab fans!
Yawn
I supposed you are not a Habs fan! To me, it was more execuable when he was the top pairing d-men eight years ago because it was a ‘sad’ 10 years in the Habs’ history. He was forced to play a role he should not have. Besides, I am not bashing Brisebois for his play but rather putting blame on Bob Gainey for signing him.
Brisebois has his flaws, but he should hardly be the lightning rod for the team’s troubles. He comes with the same peaks and valleys as any other sixth defenseman does.
Exactly my point.
Last year in the playoffs people were ripping him and he had more points than Higgins, Markov, Streit, Gorges, Komisarek and Hamrlik and a better +/- than Kovalev, Hamrlik, Andrei Kostitsyn and Maxim Lapierre.
What do people expect from a depth signing? It is the equivalent of signing a 3rd string goaltender and ripping him for poor play. If the 1st and 2nd string goaltender were playing to their potential then you wouldn’t know the 3rd string goaltender’s name.
Brisebois is the least of my concerns and slagging him for poor play was old 5 years ago.
You mustn't allow points to cloud your vision
It’s classic Brisebois to score a floater then turn in some of the worst defence we’ve ever witnessed.
What do you expect from a depth signing?
Personally, I expect not to repeat the same mistakes we have made before. Why go over the same ground so many times with Brisebois? We all knew what we would be getting and we got just that. GMs who do their homework can get more from a depth signing.
Slagging him gets us nowhere, but that doesn’t mean he is playing well. We’re slagging Markov now, that gets us nowhere too – except into discussion…
Possibly OB to the minors
Looks like OB might be the odd man out. I think Carbo will keep Breeze over OB. Breeze still needs a few games to reach 1000. After that it all depends on the Breezer’s performance.
Interesting analysis
You analysis is interesting and perhaps a healthy Komisarek is some kind of talisman.
However, you completely ignore his start to the season. He was absolutely terrible for most of the stretch before his injury. And despite that the Canadiens won. For that reason, i don’t think a Komisarek injury is the answer to all our woes.
For his part Komisarek must learn (again) that defence is about winning the puck and ushering players away from dangerous positions. It is not about racking up hits and playing second goalie most of the time.
Markov has had a weak couple of games, but generally speaking is still the class of the defenders we have. Asking him to become the best on defence and continue to stimulate the offence is a lot considering some of the others aren’t even fulfilling their duty to play to a professional standard. This is a microcosm of the whole team.
For example, we ask Kovalev to win a couple of games on his own. When he merely plays well, we are disappointed. We ask Koivu to inspire every comeback. When he doesn’t we are disappointed. These players can get tired too (understandably) when what is asked of them is so much and the underlings still can’t put together three half decent games in a row.
It would certainly help if the stars of our team played like superstars for a few nights, but it would also help if the lesser lights played like average NHLers.
You are right about Brisebois bashing not being a solution. We are stick with the squib. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a solid signing though…
At about $750 grand a season, for what he brought when the team had all it’s elements in the proper place, I’d call it solid – nothing more. On a weakened lineup with reduced elements, he’s obviously more exposed, but that shouldn’t take away from the inetent of the signing in July. The real failing we are discussing, is that of O’Byrne, who failed to take the next step.
I respect your take on things, but Komisarek’s start to the season wasn’t terrible, it was just average or below par. Markov on the other hand, hasn’t had just a couple of bad games, he’s had a miserably inconsistent season. As I see it, when Komisarek is not at 100%, in game head or health, the two have become less compatible.
Love them numbers
Ok, I will rant a bit now.
Let’s say, for exepdiency’s sake, that the season’s turnaround is Price’s injury in the TB game on the 30th of december. Let’s have a look at a set of numbers I like a lot, the +/- components of the Corsi number, that is the difference in goals, shot saved, shot blocked and missed while a player is on the ice.
The numbers are presented thusly: +/- for goals at even strength, shots saved, missed shots, blocked shots, sum total of those +/- (sum total per game). Because timeonice.com also compute it, I’ll add the team save % and the shooting %. Here we go:
Before January 1st:
Team total: 36gp, 17,-23, -42, -27, -75 (-2.08), .935 , 8.6%
Komisaurus:20 gp +2, -10, -11, -20, -39 (-1.95), .928, 8.9%
Markov:36gp, +12, -15, +5, +22,24 (+0.6), .927, 11.5%
Price: 25gp, +19, -20, -3, -41,-45 (-1.8), .940, 9.5%
Halak: 12gp, -2, -3, -39, +14, -30 (-2.5), .926, 6.8%
Not very strong, but you can rationalize it using the Kovalev philosophy: They shoot when they have a quality chance, that’s it, that’s all (I’m not sure it’s a good philosophy, beut hey, what do I know?). Still, those save% are simply out of this world (the league sits around .905 I think…)
Since then, things went, uh…
Team: 21gp, -17, -10, -11, -15, -53 (-2.5), .892, 8.0%
Komisaurus: 21gp -3, 9, +5, -21, -10, (-0.45), .920, 6%
Markov: 21gp, -7, -3, -8, +2, -16 (-1.23), .908, 5.5%
Price: 11gp, -11, +39, +13,25, 66 (6), .880, 6.1%
Halak: 12gp, -5, -54, -24, -41, -124 (-10), .903, 10%
Nice s% for Halak; too bad he’s slumping. Just kidding; actually, shots while Price is on the ice: +229/-190 ; Halak +224/-278.
Holy christ! What has Halak done? Is he a leper? Seriously, that’s as brutal a split as can be. I’m kind of loosing my english trying to comment on that! My point is, we can talk all we want about the defense, but Komisarek and Markov are overachieving compared to the team. Maybe not enough, but still. Georges did implode, tough (36gp/2 before January, 20gp/-60 after), and Hamrlik went from ugly (35gp/-90) to bad (21gp/-34; he is actually outperforming the club at this point). O’Byrne? 22gp/-70 and then 7gp/15. My point is, there are some ugly, ugly numbers in there. But at the end of the day, you look at Price’s line, and his 2 wins / 7 losses… Well… Y’know…
The gruesome details are here:
Up to january:
http://www.timeonice.com/playershots.php?team=MTL&first=20001&last=20558
Since then:
http://www.timeonice.com/playershots.php?team=MTL&first=20559&last=20840
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