Pilots Logbook 2018-19: Tyler Myers
By KB
4 years agoWith rumours swirling around Tyler Myers, nobody knows where he’s going to end up next season. Does that mean he’s played his last game in Winnipeg? While that’s definitely a possibility, we will have to wait until next week to know for certain. In the meantime let’s take a look at his past season in today’s Pilot’s Logbook.
Tyler Myers
57 – Defense
6’8″ / 229 lbs / Age: 29
The Numbers
| Season | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TSA | ATOI | BLK | HIT | TK | GV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | WPG | 80 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 11 | 63 | 156 | 5.8 | 301 | 20:21 | 99 | 97 | 32 | 63 |
| Career | 10 yrs | 635 | 74 | 191 | 265 | 9 | 468 | 1043 | 7.1 | 2174 | 22:22 | 904 | 735 | 284 | 526 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
| Cors | Cors | Cors | Cors | Fenw | Fenw | Fenw | Fenw | PDO | PDO | PDO | PDO | PDO | Zone | Zone | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | TOI | CF | CA | CF% | CF% rel | FF | FA | FF% | FF% rel | oiGF | oiSH% | oiGA | oiSV% | PDO | oZS% | dZS% |
| 2018-19 | 80 | 1365.4 | 1308 | 1374 | 48.8 | -0.2 | 970 | 1052 | 48.0 | -1.2 | 65 | 9.1 | 59 | 92.2 | 101.4 | 56.7 | 43.3 |
| Career | 635 | 11076.6 | 9833 | 10602 | 48.1 | -1.0 | 7375 | 8054 | 47.8 | -1.5 | 472 | 8.7 | 469 | 91.9 | 100.6 | 49.3 | 50.7 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Contract Status
The clock is ticking for Tyler Myers who is approaching unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. He just finished the final year of a massive seven year contract that he signed all the way back in 2011. With some big names already signed to new deals, Myers is looking to cash in as one of the best defensemen available on July 1.
Player’s Season in Review
On the surface, it was another average season for Tyler Myers. Almost everything he did fell exactly in line with what we should expect given his history in the NHL. He scored 31 points, which is roughly average for his career. He played 20:21 per game which is slightly lower than any of his previous seasons, but nothing truly out of the ordinary.
Even when looking at the advanced stats, they look fairly consistent to prior years. He finished the year near the middle of the pack with an on-ice xGoals% of 47.4%. He also finished near the middle of the squad in SCF% with 47.82%. All of these average numbers coincide with his shot maps as both offensively and defensively he was slightly below average.
With all of these numbers being fairly close to normal, it becomes extremely helpful to use the eye-test in determining how the season actually went for the lanky defensemen.
I truly believe Tyler Myers provides one of the most polarizing eye-tests of the entire Jets lineup. His stature helps him to be noticeable on the ice, but that goes both ways as his turnovers are magnified just as often as his goals.
In the defensive end, Myers is flat out bad. He often has trouble defending in the crease because opposing players are able to get position on him in front of the net and box him out. Sometimes the tall frame can be a hindrance, and trying to get around other players showcases that difficulty. If someone gets on the inside of Myers, they will likely beat him to the spot and Myers has to rely on his long reach to knock the puck away.
To make matters worse, Myers gives up far too many turnovers in his own end. It seems like a struggle to get the puck out whenever he and Kulikov were on the ice together. The last thing to mention about Myers’ defensive ability is that sometimes he just forgets to play hockey.
Remember this goal? Myers took away the option of the player sitting in the corner, who didn’t even have the puck, rather than trying to stop the person who walked right into the middle and scored.
All of this isn’t to say that Myers is a bad defenseman. He certainly has his lapses on the defensive side of things, but his offensive output is where he really shines. Myers is excellent at beating his man at the blueline and keeping the puck in to prolong offensive zone time. Although those plays tend to be risky, Myers handles the pressure well and is usually able to generate scoring chances by walking the puck into dangerous areas.
The reason why Myers is so polarizing is because of the defensive liability paired with the offensive prowess. If someone watches one and not the other, it paints either a very negative or a very positive picture of Myers when in reality his game lies somewhere in between.
The Playoffs
| Scor | Scor | Scor | Shot | Shot | Shot | Ice | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TSA | ATOI | BLK | HIT | TK | GV |
| 2018-19 | WPG | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 0.0 | 24 | 18:28 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Career | 5 yrs | 39 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 34 | 72 | 9.7 | 165 | 21:36 | 38 | 65 | 18 | 36 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
| Cors | Cors | Cors | Cors | Fenw | Fenw | Fenw | Fenw | PDO | PDO | PDO | PDO | PDO | Zone | Zone | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | TOI | CF | CA | CF% | CF% rel | FF | FA | FF% | FF% rel | oiGF | oiSH% | oiGA | oiSV% | PDO | oZS% | dZS% |
| 2018-19 | 6 | 110.8 | 92 | 101 | 47.7 | -2.6 | 68 | 77 | 46.9 | -3.1 | 2 | 3.8 | 4 | 92.6 | 96.4 | 45.9 | 54.1 |
| Career | 39 | 842.5 | 802 | 858 | 48.3 | -1.9 | 597 | 665 | 47.3 | -3.8 | 36 | 8.6 | 36 | 92.3 | 100.9 | 46.3 | 53.7 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
The playoffs didn’t go well for Myers as he finished with no points and didn’t crack the 20 minute mark in any game. He wasn’t necessarily bad, but his biggest strength is chipping in offensively which wasn’t happening during the round against St. Louis.
What We Said A Year Ago
“The biggest issue with Myers is he is a bit of an adventure in his own end of the ice. He at times gets indecisive with the puck which leads to turnovers. Offensively Myers isn’t half bad, but therein lies more frustration because his brilliant moments on the offensive end of the ice can be few and far between.And that really is his entire game in a nutshell anyway. He has the size, reach, is one of the smooth skaters on the ice, and you would think he should just be dominant on the ice, but his hockey instincts doesn’t seem to match his physical ability.”
Future Outlook
It seems as though the future is going to be awfully rich for Tyler Myers. Some people reported Myers was looking for a possible deal worth around $8 million per season. If you think that’s far too much, you’re right. Here’s all the defensemen that would make more than him if he gets an $8 million contract.
The Jets obviously can’t compete with that sort of money so if someone offers Myers a decent contract, he will likely be leaving town. If other teams become wary of his defensive struggles, Cheveldayoff might try to re-sign him for the right price.
Unfortunately, with the reports coming out in recent weeks, it seems that the chances of re-signing Myers are getting very slim. Look for Myers to sign a deal elsewhere and slide into a top four role in his new destination.
FINAL GRADE: B
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