There is an abundance of player data available to everyone and anyone interested in the National Hockey League. One only has to visit and explore the Stats page on NHL.com to appreciate the bigness of this repository of information. Nonetheless, the volume of information made public is small in comparison to the amount of data every NHL team collects.
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Those with experience in the arena of big data and artificial intelligence will attest there are a vast number of companies spending inordinate amounts of time and money collecting data. It is excessive because many of the hoarders allow the data to go stale. The experts point out; unless the information is used it is useless.
The objective behind the collection requires mastering the art of converting big volumes of data into artificial intelligence.
The Maple Leafs Have a Bottom Six Problem that Must be Solved
One thing the Toronto Maple Leafs has that a significant majority of other NHL teams’ lack is superior access to the highest caliber data analytic geeks; those who create sets of rules that use big data to solve specific big problems.
Kyle Dubas needs to get the biggest bang for the buck out of his re-build of the bottom six forwards, through free agent signing or otherwise. The cap motivated bang he’s looking for is a bottom six that fully compliments the Maple Leafs highly skilled top six.
Creating an Image of the Leafs Bottom Six
The set of rules matches NHL players to the criteria established for the bottom six forwards that the Leafs need to compete for the Stanley Cup in 2020/21. Ultimately, the analytics process produces a short list of bottom six players the Leafs need to compete for the Stanley Cup.
The end game is to assemble a cap compliant roster that matches up to teams that made it to the final four over the past three or four years; Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, and Vegas Golden Knights, for starters.
Who’s on the Leafs’ AI Masterpiece Illustrating the Bottom Six?
Everyone one of the Leafs bottom six must be capable of playing an impactful 12:00 to 14:00 minutes but remain totally positive when faced with long stretches where they play less. I almost hate to say it but the Maple Leafs need all that stuff Brian Burke spoke of when he arrived in Toronto.
“We require, as a team, proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence. That’s how our teams play.”
Spoiler alert: it didn’t happen. But it needs to now.
Coincidentally, a couple of names at the top of the short list were on the teams that made it to the 2020 Stanley Cup finals; free agents Pat Maroon and Cory Perry. Maroon is 32 and in 2019/20 had a cap hit $900,000. Cory Perry is 35 and tipped the cap scales at $1,500,000.
There are more free agents of the same ilk. Wayne Simmonds, age 32. He’s coming off of a contract that had a cap hit of $5.0 million. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic spoke recently with Wayne Simmonds.
“Of course it’s crossed my mind. I know they’re in a bit of a salary cap situation and things of that nature, but you know I’m open to everything, Toronto’s got a great core of players and I think that’s definitely a team where I could go in and make an impact right away.”
Maybe the short list was a little longer than Dubas expected. He wouldn’t be surprised to see former Leafs and now likely affordable free agents Matt Martin (31), Brian Boyle (35) and Gregg McKegg (28) on the shopping list. It put the Jason Spezza (37) question into perspective; he and Kyle Clifford (29) were on the on the list too.
The Endgame is a Roster that Competes for the Stanley Cup
Once again, we saw during the 2020 playoff final how it takes a total team effort to compete and ultimately win the Stanley Cup. We saw more of it, again, during the post-game celebrations, on-ice and in the dressing room. We witnessed next level love and respect up and down the roster. Coaches and trainers and all of the other staff matter too, but they don’t lace them up and pass, hit, shoot, score and block shots.
Can Kyle Dubas orchestrate his back-office operation to produce the shopping list he needs? Can he successfully assemble a bottom six that fully compliments the Maple Leafs highly skilled top six? Can the players he puts on the ice execute and compete for the Stanley Cup? If the answer to all of these questions is yes, he will have demonstrated his mastery of the art of artificial intelligence.
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