Matt Irwin is Bad at Hockey

[IKnowPhysics]

Matt Irwin is bad at hockey.

When he was signed as a UFA, we were warned he was going to be bad.  Real bad. 

https://www.ontheforecheck.com/2019/8/30/20839903/2018-2019-nashville-predators-player-reviews-matt-irwin

He was one of the 30 worst defenders in the NHL in Goals Above Replacement:

And we believed the analysis.  His stats were going to be bad.  Many were stunned that we signed him to a one-way contract.  We didn't know what Kevyn Adams or Ralph Krueger saw in this guy.

We still don't.

https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20202021&thruseason=20202021&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=oi&rate=y&team=BUF&pos=S&loc=B&toi=0&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL

Matt Irwin allows more shots per 60 minutes than any defender we have.  He allows more High Danger Corsi Against per 60 minutes than any defender we have, a staggering 16.33 HDCA/60.  Of all defenders that have played more than 30 minutes, this is 9th worst in the league.  For reference, McCabe, Risto, Dahlin, Joker, Montour are all in the respectable 6.5-9 range; Miller is at 10.8.

The stats say he's real bad.  The eye test looks worse.

Just in the 5-3 loss to NJ today, several goals were straight up his fault.  Several exquisite NJ scoring chances were a result of him being out of position.  He makes bad decisions on pinches and his legs can't bail him out of trouble.  He gets beat hard.  His accidental tripping penalty was a result of poor stick control (read: if he were more skilled, it wouldn't have happened).  Watch this *****.

The opening goal 20 seconds into the game was his terrible read. 

https://www.nhl.com/devils/video/mcleod-opens-scoring-on-breakaway/t-320765148/c-7383909

The go-ahead goal to make it 4-3 was a bad read leading to a worse pinch and terrible recovery in which he got close to being back in on the play, but then put himself out of position by diving for the puck. If he doesn't pinch, he covers the play.  If he skates through until the end instead of diving, he takes away the rebound.

https://www.nhl.com/devils/video/woods-buzzer-beater/t-277437418/c-7384622

These goals aren't good bounces or good redirections and screens by NJD with some element of luck.  Matt Irwin's bad play is making players like McLeod and Wood look like All-Stars.

I'm not surprised that Matt Irwin's stats said he was going to be bad and that his stats continue to be bad.  I'm surprised that he looks so visibly and obviously bad in real time and he continues to get ice time.

Right now, Ralph Krueger has the luxury of choosing to not call up Matt Irwin.  But down the stretch, injuries will happen, and Matt Irwin will be relied on to be top-six, and it will continue to cost the Buffalo Sabres dearly.  They cannot expect to ice Matt Irwin and win hockey games.

 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2021 by IKnowPhysics

[Scottysabres]

They see his physical play.

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, IKnowPhysics said:

Matt Irwin is bad at hockey.

When he was signed as a UFA, we were warned he was going to be bad.  Real bad. 

https://www.ontheforecheck.com/2019/8/30/20839903/2018-2019-nashville-predators-player-reviews-matt-irwin

He was one of the 30 worst defenders in the NHL in Goals Above Replacement:

And we believed the analysis.  His stats were going to be bad.  Many were stunned that we signed him to a one-way contract.  We didn't know what Kevyn Allen or Ralph Krueger saw in this guy.

We still don't.

https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20202021&thruseason=20202021&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=oi&rate=y&team=BUF&pos=S&loc=B&toi=0&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL

Matt Irwin allows more shots per 60 minutes than any defender we have.  He allows more High Danger Corsi Against per 60 minutes than any defender we have, a staggering 16.33 HDCA/60.  Of all defenders that have played more than 30 minutes, this is 9th worst in the league.  For reference, McCabe, Risto, Dahlin, Joker, Montour are all in the respectable 6.5-9 range; Miller is at 10.8.

The stats say he's real bad.  The eye test looks worse.

Just in the 5-3 loss to NJ today, several goals were straight up his fault.  Several exquisite NJ scoring chances were a result of him being out of position.  He makes bad decisions on pinches and his legs can't bail him out of trouble.  He gets beat hard.  His accidental tripping penalty was a result of poor stick control (read: if he were more skilled, it wouldn't have happened).  Watch this *****.

The opening goal 20 seconds into the game was his terrible read. 

https://www.nhl.com/devils/video/mcleod-opens-scoring-on-breakaway/t-320765148/c-7383909

The go-ahead goal to make it 4-3 was a bad read leading to a worse pinch and terrible recovery in which he got close to being back in on the play, but then put himself out of position by diving for the puck. If he doesn't pinch, he covers the play.  If he skates through until the end instead of diving, he takes away the rebound.

https://www.nhl.com/devils/video/woods-buzzer-beater/t-277437418/c-7384622

These goals aren't good bounces or good redirections and screens by NJD with some element of luck.  Matt Irwin's bad play is making players like McLeod and Wood look like All-Stars.

I'm not surprised that Matt Irwin's stats said he was going to be bad and that his stats continue to be bad.  I'm surprised that he looks so visibly and obviously bad in real time and he continues to get ice time.

Right now, Ralph Krueger has the luxury of choosing to not call up Matt Irwin.  But down the stretch, injuries will happen, and Matt Irwin will be relied on to be top-six, and it will continue to cost the Buffalo Sabres dearly.  They cannot expect to ice Matt Irwin and win hockey games.

 

 

 

The attention to Irwin is misplaced. If he is ineffective then the solution is simple: Don't play him. Bring up Borgen or whoever. There are bigger issues that need to be addressed before being sidetracked over a marginal player. Our top scoring guns such as Eichel, Hall and Skinner are not scoring goals. Eichel and Hall are accumulating points from assists but these high cost players are performing under their salary status. 

A bigger problem than the ineffective play of a low cost marginal defensemen is that our net presence in the offensive zone is negligible. When there is a modicum of net presence good things happen. I'm not saying that Irwin doesn't deserve criticism because he does. But he is a problem that merits less concern compared to the big guns constantly misfiring.   

[inkman]

I will never care how much a player makes 

[IKnowPhysics]

10 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The attention to Irwin is misplaced. If he is ineffective then the solution is simple: Don't play him. Bring up Borgen or whoever. There are bigger issues that need to be addressed before being sidetracked over a marginal player. Our top scoring guns such as Eichel, Hall and Skinner are not scoring goals. Eichel and Hall are accumulating points from assists but these high cost players are performing under their salary status. 

A bigger problem than the ineffective play of a low cost marginal defensemen is that our net presence in the offensive zone is negligible. When there is a modicum of net presence good things happen. I'm not saying that Irwin doesn't deserve criticism because he does. But he is a problem that merits less concern compared to the big guns constantly misfiring.   

The top line not scoring is a problem, but this in no way means that Matt Irwin is not a problem.  If the trivial solution is to bench Irwin, then let's see it.

But don't think for a second Matt Irwin's negative contribution doesn't affect game outcomes.  His high danger scoring chance differential was -7 (1 HDCF, 8 HDCA) in his 12 minutes today.  This negates Hall/Eichel/Olofsson's +7 (12 HDCF, 5HDCA) in 21 minutes tonight.  12 minutes of Matt Irwin sucks the life out of 21 minutes of top line hockey.

29 minutes ago, Scottysabres said:

They see his physical play.

Understood, but it's simply not good enough.

https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20202021&thruseason=20202021&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=std&rate=y&team=BUF&pos=S&loc=B&toi=0&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL

He's on the upper end of Hits Given/60 among Sabres defensemen (about the same as Ristolainen), yes, but he's the lowest on the team in Hits Taken/60 by far.  Why?  He's by far the worst defenseman on the team in Giveaways/60 and he has zero Takeaways.  Opponents don't have to hit Matt Irwin to separate him from the puck.  This does not punish teams nor does it make the Sabres "hard to play against."

[dudacek]

Irwin’s debut surprised the heck out of me. His past two games have not. 

I hope a lesson was learned by the coaching staff that our starting six is far better than Irwin, and the next time someone falters, it would be a good idea to give someone else (Borgen) a chance.

[inkman]

I have zero faith that this coaching staff can get this right. 

[IKnowPhysics]

4 minutes ago, inkman said:

I have zero faith that this coaching staff can get this right. 

I have faith they can do it, but I'm worried they'll wait until Rochester gets going a few games before making any callups.

[Weave]

35 minutes ago, IKnowPhysics said:

I have faith they can do it, but I'm worried they'll wait until Rochester gets going a few games before making any callups.

Its pretty clear Ralph values experience more than skill.  I don’t have faith that they select someone else next time.

[Taro T]

Just now, Weave said:

Its pretty clear Ralph values experience more than skill.  I don’t have faith that they select someone else next time.

Irwin was benched shortly after the team went down 4-3.

If Jokihaju can't go on the Island am expecting Borgen or Davidson.  Irwin was significantly worse than any other D-man today.  And he had a bad game in his last outing as well.

[IKnowPhysics]

20 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Irwin was benched shortly after the team went down 4-3.

Good data point.  Shift chart confirms this.

[Andrew Amerk]

Who the hell is Matt Irwin?

[DarthEbriate]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

Irwin’s debut surprised the heck out of me. His past two games have not. 

I hope a lesson was learned by the coaching staff that our starting six is far better than Irwin, and the next time someone falters, it would be a good idea to give someone else (Borgen) a chance.

You and I were both commenting and pleasantly surprised by his first game. He played positionally sound, made a couple hits, and chipped the puck out. The more he plays though...  his hands are exposed. Any bounce gets away from him and he doesn't have the speed to recover. Today with Montour (who's been kinda gross all season) was an absolute mess.

Play Borgen, put Miller on the left side like he was to start the year and roll with that for a few games.

[pi2000]

Irwin played pretty well his first game in the lineup.   Its been a dumpster fire since then.

[PerreaultForever]

maybe he's playing hurt? 

 

[Mustache of God]

7 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

maybe he's playing hurt? 

 

He just needs to cut his hair and he'll find his game.

[JohnC]

13 hours ago, IKnowPhysics said:

The top line not scoring is a problem, but this in no way means that Matt Irwin is not a problem.  If the trivial solution is to bench Irwin, then let's see it.

But don't think for a second Matt Irwin's negative contribution doesn't affect game outcomes.  His high danger scoring chance differential was -7 (1 HDCF, 8 HDCA) in his 12 minutes today.  This negates Hall/Eichel/Olofsson's +7 (12 HDCF, 5HDCA) in 21 minutes tonight.  12 minutes of Matt Irwin sucks the life out of 21 minutes of top line hockey.

 

 

As @dudacek pointed out he was benched during the game. So the trivial solution of benching (your words) was activated. Irwin is a #7 defenseman with other options available such as Borgen. I didn't say that Matt Irwin isn't a problem. What I did say is that our #7 defenseman isn't one of our bigger problems. 

 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

As @dudacek pointed out he was benched during the game. So the trivial solution of benching (your words) was activated. Irwin is a #7 defenseman with other options available such as Borgen. I didn't say that Matt Irwin isn't a problem. What I did say is that our #7 defenseman isn't one of our bigger problems. 

 

???

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, Taro T said:

???

I may be getting mixed up here. Did Irwin play yesterday? I don't recall that he did? 

[inkman]

4 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I may be getting mixed up here. Did Irwin play yesterday? I don't recall that he did? 

Yes and he was awful 

[JohnC]

Just now, inkman said:

Yes and he was awful 

And as was previously mentioned he was sat down. As I stated in previous posts I'm not overly bothered by the ineptitude of the #7 defenseman. The solution is simple: bench the player and find another option such as Borgen. This marginal player isn't a major source of this team's struggles. 

[inkman]

Just now, JohnC said:

And as was previously mentioned he was sat down. As I stated in previous posts I'm not overly bothered by the ineptitude of the #7 defenseman. The solution is simple: bench the player and find another option such as Borgen. This marginal player isn't a major source of this team's struggles. 

This is predicated on the fact that the coaching staff actually takes him out of the lineup 

[bob_sauve28]

He wouldn’t be in the line up if Joki was playing the way he did last year. He’s taken a step back, IMO 

[Taro T]

4 hours ago, JohnC said:

I may be getting mixed up here. Did Irwin play yesterday? I don't recall that he did? 

Wasn't questioning whether Irwin was sat down.  Had already pointed out that he was.

[JoeSchmoe]

On 31/01/2021 at 6:52 PM, IKnowPhysics said:

Matt Irwin is bad at hockey.

When he was signed as a UFA, we were warned he was going to be bad.  Real bad. 

https://www.ontheforecheck.com/2019/8/30/20839903/2018-2019-nashville-predators-player-reviews-matt-irwin

He was one of the 30 worst defenders in the NHL in Goals Above Replacement:

And we believed the analysis.  His stats were going to be bad.  Many were stunned that we signed him to a one-way contract.  We didn't know what Kevyn Adams or Ralph Krueger saw in this guy.

We still don't.

https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20202021&thruseason=20202021&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=oi&rate=y&team=BUF&pos=S&loc=B&toi=0&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL

Matt Irwin allows more shots per 60 minutes than any defender we have.  He allows more High Danger Corsi Against per 60 minutes than any defender we have, a staggering 16.33 HDCA/60.  Of all defenders that have played more than 30 minutes, this is 9th worst in the league.  For reference, McCabe, Risto, Dahlin, Joker, Montour are all in the respectable 6.5-9 range; Miller is at 10.8.

The stats say he's real bad.  The eye test looks worse.

Just in the 5-3 loss to NJ today, several goals were straight up his fault.  Several exquisite NJ scoring chances were a result of him being out of position.  He makes bad decisions on pinches and his legs can't bail him out of trouble.  He gets beat hard.  His accidental tripping penalty was a result of poor stick control (read: if he were more skilled, it wouldn't have happened).  Watch this *****.

The opening goal 20 seconds into the game was his terrible read. 

https://www.nhl.com/devils/video/mcleod-opens-scoring-on-breakaway/t-320765148/c-7383909

The go-ahead goal to make it 4-3 was a bad read leading to a worse pinch and terrible recovery in which he got close to being back in on the play, but then put himself out of position by diving for the puck. If he doesn't pinch, he covers the play.  If he skates through until the end instead of diving, he takes away the rebound.

https://www.nhl.com/devils/video/woods-buzzer-beater/t-277437418/c-7384622

These goals aren't good bounces or good redirections and screens by NJD with some element of luck.  Matt Irwin's bad play is making players like McLeod and Wood look like All-Stars.

I'm not surprised that Matt Irwin's stats said he was going to be bad and that his stats continue to be bad.  I'm surprised that he looks so visibly and obviously bad in real time and he continues to get ice time.

Right now, Ralph Krueger has the luxury of choosing to not call up Matt Irwin.  But down the stretch, injuries will happen, and Matt Irwin will be relied on to be top-six, and it will continue to cost the Buffalo Sabres dearly.  They cannot expect to ice Matt Irwin and win hockey games.

 

 

 

I'm beginning to think you don't like Matt Irwin.