How does having Tyler Myers playing 18:35 of ice time affect the Winnipeg Jets? There are a lot of variables that go into how a player affects the game. Breaking down a player’s game by one stat line is unfair, unruly and just plain rude. So let’s break down how good the giraffe on skates is basing the opinion on the most controversial stat line in hockey: +/-.
Through the 24 games of October and November, Tyler Myers has accumulated a total of -3. Seven of those games he was in the plus, another seven games he has a 0 rating, and a total of ten games in the minus. Quick note to remember is that the plus minus stat has no effect on a player while they are on the penalty kill or powerplay. For comparison, Trouba has had seven games with a minus rating and a season total of +9, Morrissey has had minus in seven games and a season total of +6, and Byfuglien has had six games in the minus and a total of +2 on the season.
What about his defensive partners? For the better part of the season Myers has been playing with Joe “the sniper” Morrow. Joe has totaled six games where he was a minus player and is -1 for the season. The other left handed partner Myers has been paired with is none other than Dmitry “the candlestick” Kulikov. He has only had one game in the – and a total of +1 through a total of six games played this season.
“Yeah, but he plays good when it matters most!” The table above shows all ten games that Tyler Myers has played in where he was a negative player. In all but two of the matches, the games were either a win by one goal or a loss. This shows how crucial mistakes can be. These losses aren’t his fault – more blame belongs to Hellebuyck the way he’s been playing as of late – but it shows that he has had a negative impact on close games, which is not acceptable when your team is a potential Stanley Cup contender. Tyler Myers hasn’t been great with his -3 for the year which is the worst amongst Winnipeg defenseman.
Seven of the games where Myers is a minus player are in the Western Conference and five of those were against divisional opponents. In October and November, the Jets have played divisional opponents eight times which means that Tyler Myers is performing poorly when it matters most.
“But he’s an offensive defenseman. He makes up for it with his effortless passes and a good eye for the twine.” Looking at the 10 games where he has been on the ice for goals shows that he helps the opposing team more than the Jets to put goals in the net. He has a staggering 0 points in each of the ten games in the table. Half of his points this year came against the powerhouse that is the Arizona Coyotes.
Three things that everyone can take away from this controversial stat line of +/- is that Tyler Myers is hurting the Jets in crucial games and he is the worst amongst his peers. The only question left is what are the Jets to do with Mr. Myers. Moving on may be the Jets best option going forward.
