Scouting Tyler Myers

Recently it was put out there by Helene St James that Tatar's improved play may make him a key trade piece as the Red Wings continue to pursue another d-man. Oddly specific, she mentioned that it may take Tatar, Kindl and a 2nd to get Tyler Myers. Initially I felt this was a horrible deal for Detroit, as I discussed on twitter (@D2D43) Myers remains a huge gamble. While everyone loves the combination of size and speed his numbers continue to be horrible. In addition I am generally hesitant of bigger players as management in the NHL has a general fascination with trying to find the next Chara or Lucic. That being said, since Buffalo is historically bad with regards to possession stats it becomes challenging to determine Myer's true value. As a result I took a look for myself and went back to the game tape and reviewed Myers' play over the last season and a half.

When He's On: It's easy to see why coaches, general managers and fans have fallen in love with Tyler Myers. Despite towering over the competition at 6 feet 8 inches, he is still a very good skater which he uses to generate offense by sneaking in from the right point. He also shows a decent level of skill with the puck which he uses to start the breakout. He also possess a rocket of a shot, used heavily by Buffalo when on the Power Play. When things are going well Myers' speed and skill makes him an incredible offensive threat and he uses his size to make it incredibly challenging for the opposition.

When He's Off: Myers prefers to rely only on his size rather than using his other skills. Despite his incredible skating ability, Myers gives forwards a great deal of room when defending the rush, and teams are able to easily gain the zone. He is similarly passive in the defensive zone and regularly finds himself in front of the net waiting for the action to come to him rather than forcing the play away from the net. His decision making is suspect at time as he struggles to determine when to makes the safe play off the glass and when to make the breakout pass.

What it Means: Myers has the raw ability to become an elite offensive defenseman in the NHL. Many of his struggles are those expected of young offensive d-men (see Smith, Brendan). Compounding the problem is the difficulty in separating his play from that of his teammates. While he is generally very passive defensively, this may be due to attempting to cover for his teammates. Particularly in the defensive zone, he acts similar to a center in basketball, waiting in the post to cover for a teammate who gets beat 1-1. If traded to Detroit he may see a huge improvement in his game only due to the increased skill and structure. With more skilled players around him he may be more likely to take advantage of his speed and skill rather than simply relying on his size. In addition, with increased support on the defensive side he will be encouraged to be more aggressive in all areas of the ice. That being said, it remains a huge gamble to believe that his faults could be corrected simply by placing him in a better organization. As a result, while I would love to see Myers wearing the winged wheel I am in no way ready to give up Tomas Tatar in exchange for him just yet.