Even-strength offensive-zone risk/reward rating is a measurement of how well a player performs in the offensive-zone. Simply put it, the number represents how many more successful plays than unsuccessful plays are made by a player every minute they are on the ice. The higher the number, the better a player performs. Events used in this calculation include passes, dekes, shots, puck-battles, loose-puck recoveries, intercepted passes, etc.
The below graph is a visual representation of each player's offensive-zone risk/reward rating.
Max Pacioretty is the Montreal Canadiens top performer in the offensive-zone. Pacioretty's o-zone rating of 0.53 is the product of a 53% efficiency rating when engaging in offensive-zone puck-battles. He also leads the team with 0.45 recovered loose-pucks in the offensive-zone per-minute played. Expressed differently, this means that Pacioretty maintains puck-possession by recovering loose-pucks an average of 7 times per game, compared to only 4 for his nearest teammate.
Other current players with offensive-zone risk/reward ratings above 0.40 include Scott Gomez, Tomas Plekanec, David Desharnais, Mathieu Darche, Erik Cole, and Lars Eller. Gomez, Desharnais, and Eller have high o-zone ratings thanks to above-average passing-percentages, while Plekanec and Cole get a high percentage of their attempted shots on net. Darche's rating is the product of an impressive success-rate when engaging in o-zone puck-battles.
Tomas Kaberle has far-and-away the top offensive-zone risk/reward rating among Canadiens defensemen at 0.29. PK Subban is the only other d-man with an o-zone rating above
0. 21. Kaberle has both the top offensive-zone passing-percentage on the team, as well as the highest success-rate when attempting to get a shot on net. Subban leads all defensemen in offensive-zone loose-puck recoveries, and has an above-average o-zone passing percentage.
Newcomers Blake Geoffrion and Brad Staubitz have the lowest o-zone ratings. That said, returns are early and limited in regards to these two players. Other forwards with o-zone ratings below 0.30 include Petteri Nokelainen, Rene Bourque, Travis Moen and Andreas Engqvist. All four players have success-rates below 40% when attempting to beat opposing players 1on1 (deke), while Bourque only wins an incredibly low 38% of his offensive-zone puck-battles.
In terms of offensive-zone ratios, ten player have o-zone ratios above 1.70 successful plays for every 1 unsuccessful play. These players include Plekanec, Kaberle, Chris Campoli, Josh Gorges, Desharnais, Darche, Pacioretty, Alexei Emelin, Subban, and Eller.
