Pilot's Logbook 2011-12: Eric Fehr

The Pilot's Logbook looks at the performances of regular Jets players over the course of 2011-12, primarily through time on-ice and Gabe's player performance charts.

I'm going to betray the theme a bit here by bringing up Eric Fehr, if only because he's been a hot topic of conversation in AIH circles. There's a rich amount of division concerning his future value, but I think what Alex and I have frequently tried to convey is just how little ice time he received last year, and how that might have affected his contributions. Worth taking a look, I'd say...

The guy could hardly get less ice time out there, unless he'd been a goon. Alex likes to also point out his extremely unlucky on-ice shooting percentage (2.74%), which was the 7th worst in the league among forwards over 20 GP. Let's have a look at the TOI over his time with the team this year...

It was no secret that Fehr wasn't used on the kill, but the powerplay numbers were dismal as well. And the 5v5 numbers only gets above 10 as other players wore down. Though there are some questions of sample size with a player that's on the lower end of playing time this year, it's worth having a look...

via behindthenet.ca

That goal ratio is just ridiculously low considering he appeared to play solid hockey shot-wise. Yes, Fehr received favorable zone starts, but the indication here is that he did not waste them - he just received horrendous puck luck.

Performance/Usage Grade: B-

Nothing extraordinary given the favorable time, but the positive hockey despite spotty PT and questionable teammates is promising. I refuse to downgrade a guy for bad luck.

Performance/Contract Grade: D+

I can't completely blame Fehr for this, but I can say that the continued injury trouble and sparse usage made him a poor expenditure at $2.2 million. Had he received the kind of minutes of a, say, Nik Antropov, we might have seen a different season out of him (and a better grade here).