There has been trade speculation about Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal recently – and even though he has a no-move control

There has been trade speculation about Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal recently – and even though he has a no-move control, it’s impossible to resist considering the possibilities. Pierre-Luc Dubois Blue Jackets Jersey . The organization appears headed towards a full-fledged rebuild, and Eric Staal – whose $8.2-million AAV contract expires at the end of the 2015-2016 season – is an asset that could be shopped to potential suitors. If Staal’s ever made available, expect numerous playoff-hopeful teams to show interest. A lot of this is because Staal has been durable for most of his career and has been a regular point-producer for as long as he’s come into his first-line, twenty-minute-a-night role. He’s averaged about 2.1 points per 60 minutes over the last seven years at five-on-five, which is in the upper echelon of forward talent. Like most players inching toward their 30’s – he actually turns 30 Oct. 29 - Staal’s underlying numbers have been in decline. It’s the type of trend less concerning if you’re buying Staal as a true rental at some point this season, but far more concerning if you are considering negotiating a new contract. Let’s focus on basic numbers at 5-on-5 for Staal since the 2007-2008 season to capture where things have slowed. In the table below, you’ll find his per 60 scoring rates and shot-attempt rates. So, for example, in the 2007-2008 year, Eric Staal scored 2.1 points and attempted 17.2 shots for every 60-minutes played at even-strength. Staal Shooting Year Per 60 Scoring (EV) Per 60 Shot Attempts (EV) 2007-08 2.1 17.2 2008-09 2.1 22.4 2009-10 2.1 18.9 2010-11 1.6 16.9 2011-12 1.9 14.8 2012-13 3.3 13.9 2013-14 2.0 14.3 The year-to-year, downward trending shot-attempt rate is alarming. Further, consider this: from 2007-2010, only six forwards in the league generated more shot-attempts per 60 than Eric Staal. From 2010-2014, 75 forwards have been better in the shot generation department. Only Alex Ovechkin, who still ranks first in the league over that span, has experienced a bigger decline in the individual shot-share. The point-scoring hasn’t caved yet, but it’s interesting to note that his high-scoring 2012-2013 was created almost entirely by unsustainable on-ice shooting percentage. That year, Eric Staal and his linemates – primarily Jiri Tlusty and Alexander Semin - shot a ridiculous 12.8% at 5-on-5, masking his individual shot generation numbers. One wonders where the point-scoring will go in a year where the percentages slide unfavorably, particularly since the shot generation has started to slide. Let’s look at a couple of additional data points for Eric Staal. In the table below, I have compiled Eric Staal’s RelativeCorsi% and Relative Offensive ZoneStart% over the same time span. RelativeCorsi% is simply a comparison of a team’s Corsi% with the player on the ice, versus a team’s Corsi% with the player off of the ice. The higher the RelativeCorsi%, the more favorable the numbers are when the player is on the ice. As for Relative Offensive ZoneStart%, it gives us a quick glance to how the player was deployed. Players with high numbers here start a lot of shifts in the offensive zone relative to the team average, deployed in a more offense-oriented role; players with low (negative) numbers here start a lot of shifts in the defensive zone relative to the team average, deployed in a more defense-oriented role. Staal Relative Stats Year Relative Corsi% Relative Offensive Zone Start % 2007-08 +4.6% +2.5% 2008-09 +15.2% -1.0% 2009-10 +6.7% +4.1% 2010-11 +11.3% +1.4% 2011-12 +6.6% +2.1% 2012-13 -4.2% +5.3% 2013-14 +6.8% +16.8% The RelativeCorsi% has held up for the most part, but the last two years make you wonder. The acquisition of Jordan Staal in Carolina has really given the coaching staff the luxury of deploying Eric Staal in big, offense-heavy minutes, but raw point-scoring aside, Staal’s 2012-2013 season wasn’t impressive – the Carolina Hurricanes were actually 4.2% better in Corsi% with Eric Staal off of the ice. These poor possession numbers in 2012-2013 were followed by extremely high offensive zone start numbers (+16.8%) in 2013-2014, which does raise the question of whether or not the coaching staff identified a problem and felt the need to insulate Eric Staal’s line. Is there something to the radical change in deployment, or are the last two years simply noise? If I’m a front office considering trading for and extending a player like Staal, it’s precisely the kind of question I need to find an answer to prior to making a move. There’s one other metric I like to glance at when it comes to pinning down whether players are losing a step via aging, and that’s penalty differentials. It makes intuitive sense that players who aren’t as fleet of foot will see a spike in penalties taken, and a drop in penalties drawn. Staal Penalty Differential Year Per 60 Drawn Penalties Per 60 Taken Penalties Per 60 Differential 2007-08 2.1 0.7 +1.4 2008-09 1.6 0.7 +0.9 2009-10 0.9 1.1 -0.2 2010-11 1.1 1.1 0.0 2011-12 1.1 0.9 +0.2 2012-13 0.9 1.5 -0.6 2013-14 0.7 1.2 -0.5 The early years of Staal’s career saw him drawing penalties like a maniac and basically never being shuffled to the penalty box. Put six years of mileage or so on Eric Staal’s body, and the story has flipped. He doesn’t draw virtually anything these days, and he’s committing penalties at nearly double the frequency. I think there’s merit to conducting this sort of multi-level data evaluation to any player, but it’s infinitely important when you’re talking about trading likely multiple assets for a player nearing the end of his long-term contract. In the case of Staal, you’d like to think that the trading team would like to extend him, too. In Staal’s case, I don’t think there’s any question he’s still an impact player. On the other hand, knowing what we know about the aging curve and the deterioration of players in their 30’s, there’s reason to be concerned about Staal before you even get into the declining shot rates and increased insulation and growing predilection for taking penalties. Thus, teams looking to go for it may be right to pursue Staal as a hired gun at the trade deadline. Teams looking to improve long-term? There may be better options. Nick Foligno Blue Jackets Jersey Authentic . Serves hit by her surgically repaired shoulder often missed the mark, resulting in 12 double-faults. William Karlsson Blue Jackets Jersey . The 27th-ranked Austrian underwent surgery on a torn tendon in October and needs more time to recover, the Austria Press Agency reports on Saturday. http://www.hockeybluejacketsauthority.com/david-savard-blue-jackets-jersey-c-13/ . The Austrian ski federation said Morgenstern was "conscious and well responsive" and his condition would be monitored in the intensive care unit of a Salzburg hospital for the next 72 hours. The federation said it was "way too early" to judge Morgensterns chances of competing in Sochi, and that an update on his condition was not expected before Monday. MIAMI -- The game had all the earmarks of low-stakes September baseball, with a small crowd and two spot starters in a matchup of first- and last-place teams. Bring on Freddy Garcia. The well-travelled 36-year-old right-hander earned his second NL victory since 2007, and his first since he joined the Atlanta Braves last month, pitching six innings to help beat Miami 6-1 Thursday. "Freddy wore the MVP pants today," teammate Freddie Freeman said. "What he did was pretty awesome." Freeman had three hits on his 24th birthday, including his 20th home run. Chris Johnson also had three hits to raise his average to .330. Garcia (1-1) allowed five hits and one run. What was working for him? "Everything," he said with a smile. "Hes a veteran guy," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He knows how to manoeuvr himself through a major-league lineup -- put a little on it, take a little off and never give you the same look." Garcia made his first start for the NL East leaders in place of rookie left-hander Alex Wood, whose turn was skipped to give him a breather. A two-time AL All-Star, Garcia lowered his ERA since joining the Braves to 1.32 in 13 2-3 innings. He could be valuable in October, when the games become much more important. "Hopefully Ill continue to pitch the way Ive been pitching," he said. "Whatever they need me to do, Im ready for." Three relievers completed a seven-hitter. Jordan Walden, who had been sidelined by a groin injury, pitched a scoreless seventh in his first appearance since Aug. 21. "We wanted to give him an inning and make sure hes OK," Gonzalez said. "Thats a big piece we havent had. That will take a little burden off some of the other guys we have been using a lot." There were no testy encounters less than 24 hours after a bench-clearing confrontation during the Braves victory Wednesday night. Curtis McElhinney Blue Jackets Jersey Authentic. The crowd of 15,274 was the Marlins smallest at home since July 1. Theyre last in the NL in attendance. Brian Flynn (0-1), making his second major-league start, walked six and allowed six runs in four innings. "After an emotional night last night, we needed somebody to go out there, really pound the strike zone and put up some zeros," Miami manager Mike Redmond said. "And that just didnt happen." Flynn was given the start in place of Nathan Eovaldi, who was scratched because of a stiff back. Eovaldi wont pitch until Monday at the earliest. The Marlins went 2-5 on their homestand. They have the NLs worst record and have lost 27 of their past 38 games. Evan Gattis and Johnson hit consecutive two-run doubles in the third after Flynn walked the bases loaded to start the inning. Freemans two-out, two-run homer in the fourth made it 6-1. Freeman reached the 20-homer milestone for the third year in a row, leaving him 11 seasons behind former teammate Chipper Jones 14-year streak. "We always jab at each other," Freeman said. "Three down, 11 more to go. I guess I can shoot him a text message, and thats another one down. But Ive got a long ways to go." Donovan Solano had a two-out RBI single in the third to score Miamis run. Notes: Marlins LHP Brad Hand will make his first start of the year Friday when the Marlins open an 11-game trip against the Mets. RHP Henderson Alvarez and RHP Jacob Turner will start for Miami in a doubleheader Saturday. ... Atlanta won the season series 13-6. ... In the past three games, the Braves have hit .158 (6 for 38) with runners in scoring position. ... Solano improved his average with runners in scoring position to .371. China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Authentic Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2018 ' ' '