New York Islanders Jordan Eberle Impact Was Underrated in 2017-18

Even though New York Islanders winger Jordan Eberle put up 59 points on the season, he was still underrated. Here’s why.

There’s no question that Jordan Eberle had a great 2017-18 season for the New York Islanders. With 59 points on the season, he finished fifth on the team in scoring. And all it cost the Islanders was Ryan Strome.

So how is a guy who’s fifth in scoring “underrated” exactly? If anything he seems well rated. His production was aptly celebrated this season.

The answer has to do with the effect he has on those around him. Not simply with the production he puts up, but with how his underlying shot metrics show he made his linemates better.

They Should All Want To Play With Him

I’ll come right out and say it. When you look at Corsi and score adjusted shots per 60, Jordan Eberle had a clear positive impact on his teammates.

First look at the Corsi numbers for the lines Eberle was on. Pay attention to the second-ranked line and the eighth-ranked line.

That’s an eight percentage point difference between Eberle and Bailey on the top line. Sure, there’s also a 578 minute time of ice difference between the two lines. But there isn’t a single line with Eberle on it with less than 50 percent Corsi-for 5on5. That’s how impactful he’s been.

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Corsi isn’t the be all end all if it was Carolina would be in the playoffs and not looking for answers out on the golf course. But it’s an important measure for how teams control the game.

Then look at Eberle’s WOWY chart. WOWY stands for With Or Without You. WOWY measures the score-adjusted shots a combination of players have. In this case, it’s every player with over a 100 minutes played with and without Eberle.

Jordan Eberle made almost every single player he played with better. Only Seidenberg was better without Eberle, oddly.

When Jordan Eberle was on the ice the New York Islanders created chances and were able to keep the play at the other end. Which is important to winning hockey games.

Eberle absolutely benefited from playing with Mathew Barzal, but it wasn’t all Barzal. Eberle brought his own elements to the success of the partnership. His hockey IQ allowed him to exploit gaps on the ice created by Barzal and even create space himself for teammates to get shots on net.

Get Out Of Edmonton

Jordan Eberle rejuvenated his career when he came to Long Island. Maybe Edmonton was the problem. Look what former Oilers teammate Taylor Hall and Eberle have done now that they’re out of Canada’s oil country.

Jordan Eberle was underrated for the impact he had on the lineup that wasn’t measured in terms of goals and assists. There’s no doubt that he was great in that regard. But he added so much more than that.

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Jordan Eberle got a ton of praise for scoring 59 points and the partnership he struck with Mathew Barzal, as he should. But he deserves more credit for how he makes everyone around him better.