LANDER OPPORTUNITY
By Lowetide
7 years agoThe Edmonton Oilers recalled Anton Lander to the NHL today. Again. Another time. One of these times, Lander isn’t going to run to the phone! Just kidding. We know Anton Lander very well, but what has he been doing down on the farm? In one phrase: flattening the competition.
THE BOXCARS
Since heading down to the minors, Anton Lander has been punishing opposition goalies with extreme prejudice. After 13 Condors games, he had 10 goals, 21 points and 43 shots on goal. His points came mostly at evens, but Lander was fantastic on the power play, too.
- Even Strength: 13, 8-7-15
- Power Play: 13, 2-4-6
Two of Lander’s goals were unassisted, one went into an empty net. Looking at those numbers, one could draw the following conclusion: Anton Lander wanted back in the NHL. Good for him, hope he stays awhile.
MORE NUMBERS
Eric Rodgers made himself known to Oilers fans during the time when the farm team was in Oklahoma City. His advanced stats and time on ice estimates gave us another angle in which to view these young prospects. Once the Barons boarded the wagons for Bakersfield, I thought we lost all that information, but Eric has returned with updated stats! Music!
So, here are some additional facts about Mr. Lander’s trip to California, courtesy Eric Rodgers:
- Total GF On Ice: 25
- Total GA On Ice: 8
- GF Percentage: 75.76
- EV Strength GF On Ice: 18
- EV Strength GA On Ice: 5
- EV Strength GF Percentage: 78.26
- PP GF-GA: 7-2
- PK GF-GA: 0-1
- Avg. TOI Estimate: 26:37
- Estimated Points-per-60 (all disciplines): 3.64
Dominant. Absolutely dominant. Anton Lander may never play on an NHL skill line, foot speed being the big issue, but at the AHL level he is a terrific player. Logic and reason suggest the young man should have some NHL success, but his only strong NHL run came when Todd Nelson was his NHL coach.
WHY IS HE BACK IN THE NHL?
Three reasons:
- He can win faceoffs. At even strength, Lander went 59.6 percent while with the Oilers, ranking No. 1 among centers. On the penalty kill, he also holds the best percentage (50), although 32 faceoffs isn’t exactly a large sample size.
- Source
- The Oilers were good, or lucky—or both—on the PK with Lander as part of the rotation. His goals-for percentage relative to team trails only Connor McDavid among Oilers forwards this year.
- Source
- Showcase. Lander could be trade bait at the deadline, or possibly this summer. A team like Las Vegas would certainly have interest in a player with such utility.
Anton Lander is one of those players who will have to fight for every NHL chance he gets, but he also offers an NHL team all kinds of options once on a roster. Welcome back, Mr. Lander. Cheers to you.
Recent articles from Lowetide
