POINT SHOTS

So why did Paul Pidutti start crunching these numbers (see page centerpiece)? That’s a pretty cool story.

The Ontario resident grew up playing hockey and as a kid and was fascinated by stats. He said, “My entire life I wanted to objectively compare and rank players. Who has the time, right?” Suddenly, the pandemic lockdowns provided that. Looking to make something positive out of the situation, Pidutti began to build his “Pidutti Point Share” model. He opened his @AdjustedHockey account on Twitter last fall and started to share some of his Hall of Fame analysis. Soon, his work was being mentioned on DailyFaceoff.com, the Athletic and Sportsnet. Pidutti, 37, said he plans to take the next step with his “fun side hustle” and branch out beyond Hall of Fame content on his website, adjustedhockey.com.

Pidutti in July campaigned for former Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar , above,to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. But Gonchar was passed over again.

The PPS model has Gonchar comfortably in the “Qualified” tier (and slightly ahead of Kris Letang for now). Gonchar was also first in the “High Noon” metric at one point. Pidutti believes Gonchar and others from the late 1990s and early 2000s are being overlooked because they played in the NHL’s “Dead Puck Era.”

Pidutti argued the Hall has “slept on an entire generation of greatness,” most notably Gonchar, who won a Cup with Pittsburgh and put up 811 career points.

Who else from Pittsburgh’s recent title teams are Hall-caliber, per Pidutti?

Evgeni Malkin is already in the “Inner Circle,” an all-time great. Marc-Andre Fleury, pictured, is above the borderline and a “great candidate,” he said. Pidutti thinks Phil Kessel has a legitimate case even though the model has Kessel below the borderline. And with five more strong years, Jake Guentzel will get in the mix.

Me talking here: I think

Kessel is a fascinating case. An imperfect player and an imperfect personality, but he has three Cup rings, he holds the league’s “ironman” mark and if he plays this season, he could hit 1,000 career points.