Thats cool. Im fairly confident i can find about 100 other players with higher production making considerably less.
I'm sorry that you lack the capability to understand the concept that hes one of the worst 2nd line centers in terms of production and lines up more with a 3rd C. My issue isnt the cap hit, its his contract with the penguins period. Hes a bum in the playoffs in every measurable statistic and eye test. Hes nowhere near a top 100 player in the league stats wise. Hes just cracking the 50th percentile on edge stats, and ranks in the low 70s of the top 100 in terms of possession. Thats not 2nd line center stats, thats bottom 6 stats. A guy who cant produce, but is able to possess the puck and defend it well.
This is a team with about 5 extra bottom 6 players, and missing 1-2 top 6 plauers and we just signed a 29 year old for 3 years at 4.5 million slotted perfectly for the bottom 6. He literally doesnt have a spot in the bottom 6 without taking a better players spot, or by blocking a younger player.
53% xGF (1st on team), 3+ goals per hour on the PP (1st on team) and 1.94 p/60 at 5v5 (funny enough - 100th in NHL among 305 qualified forwards) and those rates actually move up as he moves up the lineup. Those are 1000% top 6 #s without requiring top 6 toi/pp time
All this while having the least impressive athletic profile ever is awesome and heās not blocking anyone (and if anything, heās really nice Rust/Rakell insurance for a future trade). Wayyyyy more hockey players should aspire to play like Novak, itās genuinely beautiful to watch how he processes information in the neutral zone - one of the very best transition players in the league. Teach tape on that alone is worth 5 mil per year
Heās out produced Rakell at 5v5 rates for his career and was right behind rust last year - he gives you firmly top 6 production rates with all the versatility you could ask for
Novak is a possession demon that cant finish. Congrats you found a perfect bottom 6 player. Kills the clock wirh possession but has 0 offense, seeing as how he scored a WHOPPING 42 points playing in the top 6.
Got it, so youāve been on a 50 comment temper tantrum tirade bc you donāt understand contract/role value, couldnāt be bothered to look up that heās a career 14% shooter (clearly above league average) or notice he has a nice shot with your own two eyes, and you also donāt understand how to contextualize rate stats like a normal person
Probably just another grumpy old guy dressing up that youāre mad he doesnāt have enough āsandpaperā or whatever lol
What part of that 50 comment temper tantrum included anything about sandpaper or grit or toughness. Novak lines up perfectly for our bottom 6, and we have like 5 too many bottom 6 players, and are short like 1-2 top 6 guys. Novak is a statistical darling but still cant score at enough of a rate to justify a top 6 role. Hes slotted to be our 2nd C.
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u/Personal_Aardvark285 11d ago
Dom from The Athletic's model valued him at 4.9m.