The Detroit Red Wings already have a department of analytics, but MLive’s Ansar Khan echoes a familiar refrain that’s gaining traction in Red Wings Land this morning. Khan suggests that the Red Wings should emulate the Detroit Tigers in emphasizing analytics even more in hiring their next GM–who Khan believes should work under a president of hockey operations, like, for example, one Brendan Shanahan:
Hockey analytics aren’t as advanced as baseball analytics, but hockey seems to be changing with the times. Stats like Corsi, expected goals and zone entries are gaining in prominence.
NHL front offices are hiring analytics specialists, if not as their head of hockey operations, then at least high on the management depth chart.
It’s one of the reasons the Red Wings might go outside the organization for their next GM rather than promote one of Yzerman’s assistants, Kris Draper or Shawn Horcoff.
Successful teams like Stanley Cup champion Carolina, Colorado and Buffalo rely heavily on analytics. The Red Wings might look to one of those teams for their next GM, someone like Hurricanes assistant GM Tyler Dellow or Sabres vice president of hockey strategy and research Sam Ventura.
But you also need a good hockey mind, someone who relies on the eye test as much or more than advanced stats to evaluate talent.
That’s why the Red Wings might be inclined to combine the best of both worlds – an old-school president of hockey operations and an analytics-driven general manager.
When you reject the “eye test,” you’re negating half of the data streams available to you. In any decision-making role, a good organization melds the good old-fashioned eye test with analytic tests to determine the best options.
This, “Gosh, if the Wings were more analytical, they’d be even better!” line is just creative thinking at this point.
