The Stepanian Season

[Fighting_Emu]

So it was a great rambling this morning which cited how dependable Derek Stepan was for 55ish points with 200 or so sogs year in, year out until last year. that means theres a reasonable chance we can bank on that this year right?

Wrong. I think we can bet on more!

So heres the crux of my position. Tocchet who is occasionally referred to as the Kessel whisperer has to know what he has in the thrill and he'll also be going out of his way to keep him happy. Traditionally the coyotes have played a very tight checking, defensive system which has actually resulted in more success than most fans could have hoped for BUT it came at the expense of personal stats/accolades. I think they have to at least modify that this year. My supposition is that Arizona employs the same tactic Colorado used last year, and the one Alain Vigneault has built his career on- which is to pick one line and give them the coyotes share of the offensive zone starts- like basically all of them. that leaves the rest of the team to employ the tight checking system they had success with but it plops whoever plays with Kessel in the most favorable position to score. It also puts pressure on said line to score which at the very least will mean more shots, and shot attempts. I think Keller will be in tandem with Kessel through thick and thin and whoever the third wheel is will stand to benefit by association. I know many people had Schmaltz pegged to be that association but so far its been Stepan. Also Im not positive but I believe I had read that Schmaltz is a pretty impeccable defensive player. His passing acumen certainly supports that as he'd have the skillset to make stretch passes and clear the zone. In any case- if Stepan does stick on that line- I feel like we could even add 10 or so points on to the 55 we were ready to pencil him in for. typing it out loud feels high- so im just gonna call a 60 point season which allows for some variance in his deployment. either way- in most leagues a 60 point player with faceoff wins and decent sogs is one heck of a free add. Im buying!!

[RevRath]

As someone who is banking on a bounce back from Stepan and drafted him in two leagues, I am happy to read your assessment!

A goal, 4 shots and 20 minutes of ice time in game 1 is a good start. Hell even if he can be a 50-55 pt guy with 200+ shots I’m a happy camper. Let’s go Derek!

[lucafen4]

Tocchet doesn't have a choice but to loosen up with this line... Kessel has never played a two way game. He'll have 20-30 great back checks throughout the year... but two-way forward to Kessel means shoot AND pass

[Eleasha]

I sure hope you are correct because I have him on my team and expect big things from him this season with Kessel who I also have on my team. If he does shoot that much I think it is a win for the Coyotes and also for my team.

[lucafen4]

I sure hope you are correct because I have him on my team and expect big things from him this season with Kessel who I also have on my team. If he does shoot that much I think it is a win for the Coyotes and also for my team.

I think you'll see a bump in Kessel's SOG totals this year. On a PP with Crosby, Malkin, Letang - lot more pressure to pass off.

[hockeymanG23]

It’s a good theory, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see it pan out.

[Fighting_Emu]

As someone who is banking on a bounce back from Stepan and drafted him in two leagues, I am happy to read your assessment!

A goal, 4 shots and 20 minutes of ice time in game 1 is a good start. Hell even if he can be a 50-55 pt guy with 200+ shots I’m a happy camper. Let’s go Derek!

Id be happy with that too- lol! Im thinking if this theory pans out it tightens up his floor as well as adding that upside. And yea what a great game to start the theatrics!!

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I think you'll see a bump in Kessel's SOG totals this year. On a PP with Crosby, Malkin, Letang - lot more pressure to pass off.

i totally agree- historically hes been more of a volume shooter as well before the last couple seasons.

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Tocchet doesn't have a choice but to loosen up with this line... Kessel has never played a two way game. He'll have 20-30 great back checks throughout the year... but two-way forward to Kessel means shoot AND pass

Lmao- Im gonna steal that- haha!

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I sure hope you are correct because I have him on my team and expect big things from him this season with Kessel who I also have on my team. If he does shoot that much I think it is a win for the Coyotes and also for my team.

Yea Im in a similar boat only I own Keller and Stepan which is what started the wheels turning in my brain- lol!

[RevRath]

So far things are looking a lot like last year....

Still averaging 19 min per game but just 4 pts and 22 shots in 12 games. Meh. It doesn’t look like he’s been skating with Keller/Kessel as of late either, so that’s no good. I’m losing hope on this bounce back to being a solid 55 pt fantasy depth option...

[stevegamer]

I grabbed him off the wire last year, and he was useful in spurts. He's on my bench now, as I have less roster flexibility, and he's not good enough to crack through.

I'm hoping either he or Coyle can get hot enough that I can get something for them besides dropping them. Both have been good in the format before, and aren't old, but I can find guys who can do almost this much on the wire who are cheap enough to be flexible.