Pirri ponders a potential play
Brandon Pirri has been a hotly discussed topic since the very start of this 14-15 season. After being a healthy scratch in the team’s first four games, Pirri is expected to slot into the lineup tonight against the Washington Capitals. However, many people are unsure of what to even expect from Pirri. At age 23, he’s only played 56 games in the NHL with the vast majority of those games coming from last season. Will this be the season that Pirri finally makes an NHL impact? Let’s dive into some numbers and find out.
It’s hard to get a read on Pirri’s production due to him having an incredibly short stint in the NHL. So, we’re going to back up a bit into Pirri’s history in the AHL to get a general idea of how he has produced.
Pirri AHL Production (4 Year Sample)
| Year | GP | G | A | P | Shots | Sh% | Sh/G | Pts/G |
| 10-11 | 70 | 12 | 31 | 43 | 128 | 9.3 | 1.82 | .61 |
| 11-12 | 66 | 23 | 33 | 56 | 213 | 10.79 | 3.22 | .84 |
| 12-13 | 76 | 22 | 53 | 75 | 202 | 10.89 | 2.65 | .98 |
| 13-14 | 26 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 95 | 11.57 | 3.65 | 1.0 |
Note: Led the league in scoring in 12-13
In each of Pirri’s AHL seasons played, he continuously boosted his shot percentage and points-per-game percentage. A similar trend occurred with his shots-per-game but he took a step back in 12-13. Now, what is interesting about that step back in 12-13 is that this drop in shots led to a significant jump in assists. I’m assuming Pirri began to distribute the puck more and look for open teammates before shooting but that is just me spectulating. Pirri ended his AHL career with an exact point-per-game pace which is normally predictive of NHL success. In my opinion, Pirri has paid in his dues in the AHL and his production shows it.
Pirri NHL Production (13-14 Season)
| Team | GP | G | A | P | Shots | Sh% | Shots/G | Points/G |
| CHI | 28 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 34 | 17.6 | 1.21 | .39 |
| FLA | 21 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 46 | 15.2 | 2.19 | .67 |
| TOT | 49 | 13 | 52 | 25 | 80 | 16.3 | 1.63 | .51 |
Note: TOI went from 12:15 in CHI to 13:56 in FLA
Playing a little over half of the season last year, Pirri put up some pretty decent numbers in the NHL. I find it interesting that Pirri’s shots-per-game increased 80% when he arrived in Florida. I’m not sure what exactly caused this but Pirri definitely benefited from it. Pirri’s points-per-game percentage increased as well in Florida, jumping 71%. During his time in FLA, his most popular linemates were Quinton Howden and Jimmy Hayes, flanking him on the wing. They played 13 games together for a total TOI of 1:05:29. It’s believed that Pirri will be switched to the wing this season (due to a jam at center) so it will be interesting to see where he fits into the lineup. Personally, I’d like to see him in a Top 6 role with an opportunity on the second power play unit.
Projecting Pirri going forward is tough. He consistently increased his numbers each year in the AHL and would eventually lead the league in scoring. He put up decent numbers in the NHL last season but began to trend upwards once he arrived in Florida. However, there is just too small of a sample of NHL games played to really see what direction he is developing in. I decided to look up Pirri’s peers (say that five times fast) to see what other 22-year-olds achieved last season and it was an incredibly wide spread.
Courtesy of www.hockey-reference.com
Pirri is pretty much right in the middle of the pack among his fellow 22-year-olds last season. If you were to judge him off of his numbers with Chicago, he would be trending downwards in the PPG category. However, he would jump up a spot or two if you judge him off of his Florida numbers. It’s hard to see where Pirri will end up as a player but I think it wouldn’t be too daft of a decision to have him at around 33-38 points in a full season. His shot percentage is bound to come down but he might be able to counter that if he increases his shot volume. Ideally, I’d like to see Pirri in a top 6 role (with Bjugstad as his center and Huberdeau on the other wing) just to see what offense they could generate. One of the knocks I’ve read about Pirri’s game is that his defensive game isn’t where the team wants it. I feel that by pairing him with Bjugstad, this could alleviate some of that defensive responsibility and he could really blossom into an effective top 6 forward.
Kris M. can be reached for contact on Twitter or via email at thesunshineskate@gmail.com.
