Taylor Hall helps address Arizona’s biggest flaws
The Arizona Coyotes are a very good team.
They are deep up front, excellent defensively, and Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta quietly make up one of the league’s best goaltending tandems in the league. *The* best if you’re looking at the save percentage leaders this season.
What the Coyotes needed was another high-end offensive player. Ideally, one who can also help tilt the ice in the team’s favor.
They’re scoring 2.15 goals per 60 minutes at 5v5, which slots them 28th in the NHL. The Coyotes are also only controlling 47.98% of the shot share (24th) and 48.91% of the expected goals (28th).
Luckily, their newest addition – Taylor Hall – should help make a big difference.
Hall has appeared in 64 games since the beginning of 2018-19. He’s averaged 2.20 points per 60 minutes during that time, good for 50th among 402 eligible players (500+ minutes).
Hall’s been as efficient as Mark Stone and more so than Claude Giroux, Mark Scheifele, Vladimir Tarasenko, Sebastian Aho and Tyler Seguin to name but a few.
He’s also made a very positive impact on the team’s underlying numbers. The Devils controlled noticeably more of the shot attempts (3.23%), expected goals (4.12%), and actual goals (7.27%) with him on the ice than without.
Hall should make a massive impact in the areas the Coyotes are weakest, making him well worth the middling prospects and lottery tickets they invested to get him.
Tyler Toffoli a prime target for contending teams
Contenders are always looking for two things at the trade deadline: depth on defense and more scoring pop.
Tyler Toffoli of the Los Angeles Kings should be high on the list – perhaps at the top – of any team looking for the latter.
The 27-year-old had a down year in 2018-19 but he’s back with a vengeance this season.
Toffoli has produced 21 points in 35 games for the offensively strapped Kings. While his production doesn’t pop off the page, per se, the story is much different when looking at efficiency.
Toffoli is averaging 2.31 points per 60 minutes played at 5v5. That puts him just below Evgeny Kuznetsov, and ahead of stars like Max Pacioretty, Steven Stamkos, Elias Pettersson, and Andrei Svechnikov.
He’s full marks for it when you consider how much he generates individually. Toffoli sits 21st – just ahead of John Tavares – in shot attempts per 60 minutes and 37th when it comes to scoring chances.
Toffoli has been one of the league’s best when it comes to creating opportunities to score and, clearly, he has the talent to capitalize.
He’s not an empty calorie scorer either. His on-ice impact is positive across the board, as the Kings control more of the shots, chances, expected goals, goals, and anything else you could think of when Toffoli is on the ice.
Despite an extremely impressive statistical profile across the board, Toffoli ranks 6th among Kings forwards in 5v5 ice per game. He’s not even playing one (1) minute more than Trevor Lewis, who ranks 11th on the Kings in that category.
One would think a Kings team in the midst of a rebuild would give a pending UFA like Toffoli every opportunity to produce; thus, raising the cost of acquisition come February. Apparently not.
As such, his totals aren’t as eye-popping as they could be and the asking price will almost certainly be reflective. Any team looking for scoring would do well to take advantage.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
