How will Father Time weigh these salacious, high-profile cases? Is there hope any of them can get off with good behavior? Or will these impact veterans face ongoing dates with decline?<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udcbc On the Docket<\/p>\n
Before we begin, here are the common criteria that bring the accused to court today in front of Father Time. For those asking, Father Time is not Lou Lamoriello\u2019s side hustle as he transitions from GM to consultant with the New York Islanders<\/a>.<\/p>\n No major injuries or significant missed time<\/p>\n Between the ages of 28 and 32<\/p>\n Signs of statistical decline over multiple seasons<\/p>\n Played in at least one All-Star Game<\/p>\n Earning $6 million or more this season<\/p>\n The five cases will be assessed a concern level on a four-point scale. A single hourglass (\u231b) leaves the most hope for recovery. The dreaded four hourglasses (\u231b\u231b\u231b\u231b) screams that Father Time\u2019s icy grip appears irreversible \u2014 the player could be headed to the Nashville Predators<\/a> at any moment.<\/p>\n Age: 32 \ud83d\udd3c The Exhibit: Miller scored at a 91-point pace over parts of five seasons in Vancouver<\/a>. After an ugly divorce with the Canucks in January, he was productive (35 points in 32 games) in Manhattan. But it\u2019s been a frustrating start this season: Miller\u2019s point rate has been slashed by more than half from two seasons ago.<\/p>\n The Prosecution: We understand the defendant is an elite setup man and power play specialist. About that\u2026 he\u2019s on pace for only 31 assists and has four power-play points in 29 games. Worse yet, the Rangers\u2019 captain has zero primary assists with the man advantage. [One juror passes out]. This is the same guy that was third in the NHL with 62 primary power play assists over the previous four seasons.<\/p>\n The Defense: New head coach Mike Sullivan has New York playing low-scoring games, so Miller is the victim here. He\u2019s battled lingering ailments since training camp. [Miller enters the court on crutches]. The team is averaging only 2.2 power plays, and he\u2019s factored on just 44% of power-play goals when on the ice. This is more a function of opportunity and bad luck on touches. Get off this gritty warrior\u2019s back already.<\/p>\n Father Time\u2019s Verdict: \u231b\u231b\u231b \u2026 There\u2019s enough physical evidence not to write off Miller. We should also expect a point bump soon as on-ice power-play shooting percentages regress. But 14 years into a hard-nosed career, there\u2019s little reason to hope for 30 goals or 80 points in his future. A diminished version is still creating enough offense to be a difference maker. The court\u2019s ruling: stayed charges. Father Time has one year to resume prosecution, allowing the defendant to return to full health.<\/p>\n Age: 32 \ud83d\udd3c The Exhibit: It\u2019s been a brutal first two months for Binnington. By allowing -14.8 goals above expected \u2014 the worst mark in the NHL \u2014 he\u2019s been a key factor in the Blues\u2019 derailed season.<\/p>\n The Prosecution: Canada\u2019s 4 Nations Face-off hero has looked lost. Of Binnington\u2019s 18 starts, eight were \u2018Really Bad\u2019 per Hockey-Reference (save percentage below .850). He hasn\u2019t won consecutive games yet on a team that\u2019s been tight defensively. Having ice in your veins doesn\u2019t help if you take your team from the playoff hunt in November. [Please stop slashing your lawyer, Mr. Binnington, or you\u2019ll be held in contempt.]<\/p>\n The Defense: Streaky play is common for the defendant. He\u2019s notoriously hot and cold. Only once in his last seven seasons has Binnington been notably above average statistically. On a team that\u2019s been a hot mess and one of the lowest scoring in the NHL, he\u2019s hardly been the only problem in St. Louis. With an Olympic roster spot all but assured, Binnington will flip the switch soon.<\/p>\n Father Time\u2019s Verdict: \u231b\u231b 1\/2 \u2026 Binnington\u2019s a confident athlete who can carry a team for a while, not an elite starter. It means the 32-year-old has less margin for error should his physical skills erode. Since the 2019 Stanley Cup, Binnington\u2019s 7-14 in the postseason, poking holes in his clutch reputation. But he\u2019s typically much better in the second half. So, despite the spooky start to 2025-26, Doug Armstrong has agreed to supervise the defendant closely through the Olympics in February.<\/p>\n Age: 28 \ud83d\udd3c The Exhibit: McDavid is competing for a scoring title with the worst 5-on-5 output of his 11-year career. That\u2019s a truly prolific player. But the numbers don\u2019t lie. In hockey\u2019s most common game state, he\u2019s comfortably been his least productive ever.<\/p>\n The Prosecution: Order, order, in the court room. We\u2019re not here to criticize the best player of this generation. McDavid\u2019s second in the NHL in points (44) while scoring goals around his career average. He could get 30 points this month and be the frontrunner for major awards by January. But there are reasons to doubt that. McDavid\u2019s 44 points look like this: 18 on power plays; four into empty nets; two in overtime; two with an extra attacker. To be clear, these all count. But that only leaves 18 points at 5-on-5.<\/p>\n That\u2019s despite playing his most 5-on-5 minutes since he was 22. By nearly every possible measure below, the Oilers\u2019 captain has stopped creating offense like the second coming of Mario Lemieux at 5-on-5. From basic stats to advanced measures, it\u2019s mostly been a five-year fade.<\/p>\n 5v5 Stat*2021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26Primary A\/601.080.921.561.200.69Primary PTS\/602.072.392.481.981.62Shots\/609.359.598.567.396.94ixG\/601.031.000.930.950.83iHDCF\/605.114.683.894.163.47Takeaways\/602.982.572.771.401.04Faceoff %54.951.351.847.546.3On Ice GF%59.354.761.254.847.1On Ice xG%59.057.761.960.652.9<\/p>\n *Natural Stat Trick Glossary<\/a><\/p>\n The Defense: The only Kryptonite for this generational star is his own teammates. Another glacial start by Edmonton has forced McDavid to play big minutes to keep the team afloat. That\u2019s after consecutive soul-sucking Cup runs. And who cares how he gets points or how much he plays? Despite the shakiness and constant line shuffling around him, McDavid finds the scoresheet. NHL Edge<\/a> says he has the fastest peak speed in the league (24.6 mph) this season and more than double anyone else\u2019s speed bursts of 22+ mph.<\/p>\n Father Time\u2019s Verdict: \u231b 1\/2 \u2026 McDavid clearly isn\u2019t dominating at 5-on-5 like he used to. This doesn\u2019t mean he can\u2019t win another Art Ross Trophy or lead Canada to Olympic gold or carry the Oilers to a Stanley Cup. This summer, I forecasted that he could still be the best player<\/a> in the world in 2030. He\u2019s that special. McDavid just isn\u2019t the same cheat code he was in his mid-20s at even-strength. Ruling? Father Time offers four months of parole to prove he\u2019s still better than Nathan MacKinnon.<\/p>\n Age: 31 \ud83d\udd3c The Exhibit: Two seasons ago, Forsberg finished sixth in the NHL in goals (48) and was named to the second All-Star team at left wing. He\u2019s currently trending for 28 goals and the worst points-per-game (0.69) over his dozen full-time seasons.<\/p>\n The Prosecution: The Swedish sniper has zero goals and four assists on the power play in 29 games. He hit double-digit goals the last two seasons, showing how much touch he\u2019s lost with the man advantage. Forsberg\u2019s averaging 3.1 shots per game, a 36% drop from his signature season. NHL Edge shows his speed bursts over 20 mph are way down: 88 in 2023-24; 58 last year; a pace of 42 this year.<\/p>\n The Defense: Can the court stenographer read back the prosecution\u2019s statement? [The Swedish sniper has zero goals and four assists on the power play in 29 games.] See, your Honor: Nashville\u2019s lifeless power play is draining Mr. Forsberg\u2019s stat line. Opposing goalies have a preposterous .934 power play SV% when he\u2019s on the ice. That can\u2019t last. Forsberg\u2019s furiously driving 5-on-5 play (55.5% xGF) and creating scoring chances at his usual rate. He\u2019s simply on a terrible team (7-14-8 in regulation) with a bottom-third power play.<\/p>\n Father Time\u2019s Verdict: \u231b 1\/2 \u2026 Forsberg has to wear some of Nashville\u2019s struggles, and those speed numbers are a little eerie. But that man-advantage dam is about to burst with points. His output has a lower ceiling now given the state of the franchise. Between Ryan O\u2019Reilly, Steven Stamkos, Roman Josi, and Jonathan Marchessault, Forsberg\u2019s playing on a great power play unit \u2014 in 2021. He\u2019s sentenced to five years of hard labor in a rebuild, but not a rapid decline. The court also requests that he maintains his fun moustache.<\/p>\n Age: 32 \ud83d\udd3c The Exhibit: While no one expects Ullmark to repeat his brilliant Vezina-winning 2022-23 season in Boston<\/a>, his early-season struggles are part of a four-year dip by GSAx. That\u2019s second-worst in the NHL.<\/p>\n The Prosecution: Ottawa has been elite defensively but are allowing goals at a bottom-third rate. They can\u2019t make any ground in the Eastern Conference with Ullmark\u2019s shaky play. [Someone shouts \u201cJustice for Travis Green!\u201d from the balcony.] Ullmark has a ghastly .739 high-danger SV% vs. an NHL average of .809 this season. It\u2019s a clear sign he isn\u2019t making The Big Save, which was once his calling card.<\/p>\n The Defense: Mr. Ullmark has still been a reliable No. 1 goalie over the previous two seasons (.912 SV%). Let\u2019s not overreact from two clumsy months. He\u2019s kept it to two goals or less in five of his last eight starts, so the tides are turning for him in the Senators\u2019 crease. Give a Vezina winner some patience, would you?<\/p>\n Father Time\u2019s Verdict: \u231b\u231b 1\/2 \u2026 Ullmark\u2019s never been asked to carry a true starter\u2019s workload. It hasn\u2019t gone well this season giving it a spin at 32. Compared to his peak, Ullmark\u2019s plainly not that guy anymore. But his recent track record suggests a rebound to capable goaltending should be in the cards. The court sentences him to light duty with reasonable grounds for rehabilitation this winter.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2696\ufe0f Court is now adjourned.<\/p>\n Data from\u00a0Hockey-Reference<\/a>,\u00a0Natural Stat Trick<\/a>, HockeyStats.com<\/a>, NHL Edge<\/a>, Puckpedia<\/a><\/p>\n Recently by Paul Pidutti<\/p>\n POST SPONSORED BY bet365<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All rise. Court is back in session. The Honorable Father Time is presiding. We know that Father Time…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":337060,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-337059","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/337060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Contract: Year 3 of 7 ($8 Million AAV)
The Evidence: 51-point pace<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Contract: Year 5 of 6 ($6 Million AAV)
The Evidence: .875 save percentage<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Contract: Year 8 of 8 ($12.5 Million AAV) + 2-year extension ($12.5 Million AAV)
Evidence: Lowest 5-on-5 point production of career<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Contract: Year 4 of 8 ($8.5 Million AAV)
The Evidence: 57-point pace<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Contract: Year 1 of 4 ($8.25 Million AAV)
Evidence: .877 save percentage<\/p>\n<\/p>\n