Dirk - A Flash in the Pan?

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Since the expose on the Unknowns on the Lynx, there have been radical line changes.  Both "Socrates" and the "True Unknown" have been cut, and Arnold and Annie now both play only D, on alternating lines.  In the forwards, Dirk now plays LW on all 3 lines, opposite Bobby Ricky at RW with an alternating center. In theory, this is a good thing. 

 

Stats, on the other hand, are not as favourable. When the expose was first published, there had been 9 games played. Now, the team is at 18. As a team, the win rate has remained constant at 2/7 since Dirk's signing with the team. In the first 9, there were 4 blowouts (a loss by 4 or more goals), while in the back nine, with "better lines", there have been 5. And of their two wins, one of them was won in overtime, which was not necessary in the first 9.  So what changed?

 

While Dirk's play time has increased, and his +/- has been dropping a much slower pace, his individual stats gain has slowed down. In the first 9 games, he scored 12 points. Now at 18 games, he's sitting with 21, dropping from an average PPG of 1.334 to 1.000. While this isn't a huge change, it does mean that instead of improving with the better lines, Dirk is personally tapering off. 

Was Dirk a flash in the pan? Was his early success simply beginners bumbling? Will he be able to adapt his awkward left handed shot to his new home at LW?  Or will he be out shown by the better players on his lines?  Only time will tell. 

Tune in next week... Same Lynx time, same Lynx channel.