The PuckPedia Hockey Show Episode 48: YZER-GONE! A Wild NHL Offseason ft. Dimitri Filipovic

Episode 48 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest, Dimitri Filipovic, host of The Hockey PDOcast and contributor at Sportsnet. Dimitri has been one of the most influential voices in hockey analytics for over a decade, and Keith has been a longtime listener of The Hockey PDOcast.

We start by getting into Dimitri's background: how he got his start writing for Canucks Army at the Nation Network around 2010-2011, inspired by the Vancouver Canucks' cutting-edge approach under Mike Gillis and Lawrence Gilman, who were using sleep doctors, biometric data, and zone start manipulation before any of it was mainstream (2:00). He talks about launching The Hockey PDOcast in 2015, grinding through the early years when almost nobody was listening, and how the show has evolved from pure analytics into a place that incorporates players, agents, coaches, and GMs while staying true to its data roots.

We then get into Dimitri's analytics process and how he builds holistic analysis by combining PuckPedia for contract data, Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Stats from Jack Fraser, Corey Schneider's tracking data, and tape (7:00).

Then we dive into the NHL offseason. First up is Steve Yzerman being fired as president and GM of the Detroit Red Wings (20:30). Dimitri breaks down what went wrong despite good drafting in Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, and Simon Edvinsson, why Mo Seider was a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate this year, and what the future looks like for a rebuild that has stalled.

We then get into the Anthony Mantha, Cole Perfetti, and Trevor Zegras extensions (25:00). We discuss why Nikolai Ehlers' departure to Carolina hurt Perfetti's production and how Viggo Björck, drafted 8th overall, could be the piece that unlocks him. Then we break down the Trevor Zegras extension with the Flyers, why the $9.125M AAV is reasonable as a percentage of the rising cap, and how his 67-point season and analytics profile made the deal make sense for Philadelphia.

We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: which team will shock the league with a surprise move before the season starts (35:00)? Dimitri points to the Carolina Hurricanes, who have been suspiciously quiet as the reigning Stanley Cup champions, and explains why he expects them to come flying in out of left field before the season begins.

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