Personally I am glad that Jokinen is separating himself from the pack, so to speak. The guy doesn’t have nearly anywhere close to the toughest workload amongst the Flames F (that inglorious task is split between Iginla and Langkow if you look at BTN zone starts through 21 games).

But, as maimster said in another thread, it might just be piling on at this point.

Ready? Here’s how the Flames rank in terms of relative corsi rates/60 (from best to worst):

1.) Curtis Glencross
2.) Adam Pardy
3.) Craig Conroy
4.) Robyn Regehr
5.) Rene Bourque
6.) David Moss
7.) Nigel Dawes
8.) Mark Giordano
9.) Dion Phaneuf
10.) Dustin Boyd
11.) Daymond Langkow
12.) Brandon Prust
13.) Freddy Sjostrom
14.) Eric Nystrom
15.) Jarome Iginla
16.) Olli Jokinen
17.) Brian McGrattan
18.) Jay Bouwmeester
19.) Cory Sarich

Obviously that’s for 21 games (and the scoring chance differentials above lack the Blues and Kings game), but things look pretty dame close already. The only guys who seem to be way off are Regehr and Bouwmeester.

So, this is where we say that the guys who are generating more chances, like Connie, are going to start seeing benefit from it correct? I definitely understand that zone time and possession lead to winning games and that more time spent shooting pucks at the bad goalie means greater likelihood of us winning and Flames who are driving possession are players who are likely to start piling up stats.

However, I still think that we fundamentally have too many players chugging along at barely minimum contribution levels from a counting numbers perspective:

I, personally, think we need at least 20-25 goal and 40-50 point (+/- 10%) performances from each of these players:
Boyd – (12g, 25a, 37p) pace 9.7sh%
GlenX – (18g, 18a, 36p) pace 11.4%
Dawes – (16g, 31a, 45p) pace 12.5%
Moss – (20g, 15a, 35p) pace 16.0

and 30-35 goal and 60-70 points from:
Lanks – (27g, 24a, 51p) pace, 19.4%
Joker – (12g ,39a, 51p) pace, 5.6%

I know I’m working backwards here, from counting stats back, but I have also included shooting % beside the numbers the players are projected to get based on the first quarter. To me, the only player looking like he has been shafted with bounces is Joker and likely for an increase in production. The Flames still as a team aren’t generating enough chances…across all lines IMO, and I think that the numbers are pointing to Iggy and Joker and other as corsi disasters because of the quality competition.

So, from a strictly output perspective, I’m not impressed by many of the forwards, less maybe Bourque, Dawes and the late ‘goals-only’ resurgence from Iggy.