In my looking at Zbynek Michalek article, I used QCOMP, QTEAM, Corsi QoC, and Corsi QoT as the primary statistics to assess the quality of competition and teammates. I think that most people on this site are familiar with the formula for QCOMP and QTEAM. For those who would like a refresher on Corsi QoC and Corsi QoT, here's my description:
Corsi QoC measures comeptition just like QCOMP, but instead of using adjusted +/- as a base, it uses the Corsi ON statistic. What this is measuring is how well your competition out-attempted opponents. High Corsi QoC's mean that your competition was out-attempting opponents and controlling possession, making them very formidable players. Corsi QoT uses the same logic, but applies it to your teammates. If you're Corsi QoT is low, then you're on the ice with a bunch of guys who get out-attempted, which makes your job more difficult.
The reason I'm bringing this up is that stoopidful remarked in a comment that he or she thought the Penguins could have re-signed Jordan Leopold at around $2M a year before July 1st. I went through the stats again in my article and noticed that Leopold and Michalek weren't too far apart; in some measures, Leopold was better, while in others Michalek prevailed. But was there a $2M difference between these two players?
I've thought all along that one of the biggest upsides to Michalek's play has been that he's succeeded against really tough competition while dragging around terrible line mates. His QTEAM is ridiculously low and his QCOMP is really high. Leopold has a similar QCOMP but a much better QTEAM. Advantage: Michalek. But when you look at Corsi QoC and Corsi QoT, Leopold looks a lot better.
Fortunately, behind the net reports two other competition and teammate metrics: Corsi Rel QoC and Corsi Rel QoT. The only difference between these stats and Corsi QoC and QoT is that they're relative to your teammates (hence the "Rel"). The formulas:
Corsi Rel QoC = On-ice Corsi QoC - Off-ice Corsi QoC
Corsi Rel QoT = On-ice Corsi QoT - Off-ice Corsi QoT
Let's say that your on-ice Corsi QoC (which is the same as your plain old Corsi QoC) is 0.56, and your off-ice Corsi QoC is -0.32. What this tells us is that you saw some stiff competition, while your teammates saw a bunch of slouches. Your Corsi Rel QoC would be 0.56 - (-0.32) = 0.88. Corsi Rel QoT is calculated the same way.
Corsi Rel QoC helps to illustrate how tough your minutes were, or in other words, how much of the heavy lifting you did for your team. A high Corsi QoC means you not only saw tough competition, but were the go-to shutdown guy for your team. Corsi Rel QoT helps to illustrate the level of help you had on the ice relative to your teammates. A high Corsi Rel QoT means that you were on the ice with not only good players, but the best on your team.
I'm now going to look at these numbers for the same 20 defensemen I looked at in my original article. And for those interested, the adjusted^ +/- stat is calculated this way: (adjusted +/-) + (Corsi Rel QoC) - (Corsi Rel QoT). The numbers:
Yup, Michalek is second in this group. Though Leopold came in 9th in adjusted^ +/-, his 0.8 pales in comparison to Michalek's 3.226. Among this group, Michalek ranks 6th in Corsi Rel QoC and 19th in Corsi Rel QoT.
Overall, the point is clear: the Penguins are getting a defenseman that put up a positive +/- on the year while literally playing the toughest minutes in the NHL. If he could survive under these conditions, imagine what he can do when he's flanked by guys like Paul Martin, Kris Letang and Brooks Orpik. Oh, and he'll also have some guys named Crosby and Malkin to pass to.
