The Prime Time Sports Management Conference was held at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto Monday, presenting an opportunity to hear NHL executives discuss their business. Kyle Connor Jets Jersey . Increasingly, when that happens, there are more questions related to analytics and how they apply in todays National Hockey League. Maple Leafs Assistant General Manager Kyle Dubas, who is somewhat a face of the analytics movement, a young up-and-comer who incorporates the use of analytics in making personnel decisions, got things going on the right foot by expressing an understanding of the central point of Moneyball; that is, that it is about finding inefficiencies in the marketplace, not evaluating all players by on-base percentage. This is one area where analytics in hockey can get derailed. If everything is about Corsi, for example, that wont be the aspect that is undervalued. Were not at that stage yet, but understanding that its about market inefficiencies means that should the day come when puck possession stats are overvalued metrics, teams can find a new edge with whatever is the inefficiency of that particular time. In trying to bring a more analytical approach in Toronto, Dubas emphasized that its not about replacing anyone or making people obsolete, rather Its to add layers to our evaluation process and add greater context. Thats the smart way for an NHL front office to use numbers. Dubas, when asked about the next frontier of analytics thought about digging deeper into current metrics to see if there are more secrets to be unlocked, as well as the inevitable tracking of players movement on the field of play. Many teams added front office personnel this summer to address the use of analytics. The Maple Leafs, most notably, hired Dubas, then added three more members of an analytics team. The Calgary Flames already had Chris Snow working in that role, but have quietly added support staff. Flames GM Brad Treliving said that the Flames have added people with a math background, and without a public profile, which does make it harder for outsiders to evaluate the quality of talent they have added to the front office. Treliving acknowledged that there is an advantage to hiring someone (eg. bloggers) whose work has been done in public and that is that they have a body of work to measure and judge. Tim Barnes (Capitals), Cam Charron (Maple Leafs), Tyler Dellow (Oilers), Brian Macdonald (Panthers), Sunny Mehta (Devils) and Eric Tulsky (secret team) are among those that NHL teams added in the offseason after they had been providing analysis in the blogosphere and analysis that can withstand rigorous public scrutiny tends to from pretty sharp minds. Its evident that analytics are growing in importance around the NHL, but lets not mistake that for universal acceptance either. TSNs Gord Miller moderated a panel with Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin and Calgary Flames President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke and, while analytics werent roundly dismissed as they might have been a few years ago, its not like the Flames or Canadiens go straight to the analytics when making decisions. When asked if analytics play a role in player evaluation and acquisition, Bergevin responded, Its all about balance, while asserting that he prefers to see a player in person. As for Burke, Its more important for amateur than pro, he said. Even though (analytics) should be used, its down the list. Earlier in the day, while moderating the analytics panel, Burke said that the Flames Have the leagues best analytics guy (Snow), and they clearly have a role, yet also said that analytics are grossly overrated. Oh, to be the leagues best in a grossly overrated field. Believe it or not, though, there is real value to using analytics in addition to the eye test and while Burke questions the predictive value of hockey analytics, that is where real value is found. For example, when the discussion veered towards Flames defenceman Mark Giordano - an analytics All-Star - Burke said that you can tell how good he is by watching. Sure, thats true enough, now. In January, 2013, however, Dellow had an article on his website talking about Giordano as being better than highly sought-after trade commodity Jay Bouwmeester and that was far from a universally-accepted opinion at the time. Sometimes, using analytics can steer decisions and evaluations in the right direction before its obvious and thats where an edge is gained. Having an opinion or evaluation that is obvious provides no competitive advantage. But, if Burke is genuine about using analytics as part of a checklist when evaluating players, saying that if numbers dont match their opinions, they double back on their viewings to see if there is something they are missing, then that is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, Burke also referred to players Doppler scores (weather analytics?) in this example, so there wasnt a concrete example of how they might handle a difference in analytics and eye-test evaluation. While Bergevin said that he has full confidence in his knowledge of his own team, because hes there every day, he sees more value in analytics to complement scouts opinions of players on other teams. Both Burke and Bergevin noted that smart decisions require complete information and outsiders often dont have that full information available to them. Bergevin commented that there was a player who had great analytics last season, but no team signed him this year, suggesting that all 30 teams had some reason for bypassing the player. (Incidentally, Andrei Loktionov did have a 55.0% Corsi last season with Carolina, yet no NHL job this season.) DRAFT Miller asked an interesting question about what either would do as a GM if their eye test didnt agree with their Director of Scoutings opinion of a player, and whether they would use, for example, the seventh pick in the draft on a player that they didnt like. Both Burke and Bergevin admitted they would have a hard time agreeing to use a high pick like that. Burke said it would be easier to go with scouts opinion on the 17th pick, but not so easily with a top pick. Bergevin talked about how he liked Ryan Murray and Morgan Rielly - the former NHL blueliner has an affinity for defencemen - but didnt get to see a lot of Rielly and Alex Galchenyuk during their draft years, since both were injured for most of the season, so Bergevin was more inclined to lean on head scout Trevor Timmins. Its an interesting question because the public sees the end result on draft day, which players a team picks, but doesnt necessarily know the process of who is calling the shots and on what basis those potentially franchise-altering decisions are made. When discussing draft decisions, it does sound as though Burke could appreciate analytics as a tool for self-evaluation. He said they start every years scouting meetings discussing mistakes that they have made. The specific example he cited was Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw, who wasnt drafted until the fifth round of his final draft-eligible season, yet has played an important role for the Blackhawks over the past couple seasons. Burke said what stood out in their evaluation was that Shaw was too small, with the problem being that, He doesnt realize hes too small. DEVELOPMENT Miller also asked about player development, and whether teams should send teens back to junior for further development. Im convinced some teams keep kids as a marketing tool, Burke said. I told Sean Monahan he was going back to junior, but he forced us to keep him. Bergevin added, The players make the decision, but the road to Montreal goes through Hamilton. Bergevin comes to this decision with perspective, having played in the NHL as a 19-year-old himself. I played in the NHL at 19, and what happens is that, because you want to stay in the league, you change your game, and maybe not for the best in terms of overall development. Ultimately, both Burke and Bergevin recognized the value of getting contributions from players on entry-level contracts. Burke said, You have to have players on entry level deals, so that you can afford to pay a salary like $9-million to Subban. Burke continued, It costs teams a lot of money to keep an 18-year-old. Based on a study they did when he was in the Leafs front office, they calculated that keeping an 18-year-old would cost $8-10-million more over the course of a players career, due to earlier arbitration and free agency. These are such high-stakes decisions in a multi-million dollar business, it would only make sense to use as much information as possible when making those decisions. QUOTABLE Burke: If you file for arbitration, were going to arbitration. I told Brendan Morrison, You wont like it, but you started this, so you cant complain about getting kicked in the groin. The hardest position to find? Bergevin: Goaltenders. Even if you find one, its so hard evaluating them. I sleep well at night knowing that we have a good one. Public pressure in decision making? Burke: I dont pay attention to anything anyone says in media. If someone in media makes a suggestion and you havent thought of it, then you should resign. Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca Keith Tkachuk Jets Jersey . Catch the action live on TSN2 at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Wild lead the Northwest Division and look to get back into the win column after having a season-high seven-game winning streak cut short with Tuesdays 2-1 loss at Winnipeg in the finale of a five-game road trip (4-1-0). Mark Scheifele Jersey . Just ask last seasons Supporters Shield winners, the New York Red Bulls, who were resoundingly defeated last weekend by a rampant Vancouver Whitecaps in a match which produced two contenders for MLS Goal of the Week from Sebastian Fernandez and Pedro Morales. http://www.jetsauthentic.com/authentic-teemu-selanne-jets-jersey/ . Here is a look at all the moves through the first week of NHL Free Agency. The most significant deals will get the full Numbers Game column treatment, like these:Briere-for-Parenteau trade.ALAMEDA, Calif. - Derek Carr believes he has made steady progress in his rookie season as an NFL quarterback even if it hasnt always been evident in his results.Those subtle steps to becoming a more polished pro passer paid off in a big way last week in the signature performance of Carrs rookie season with the Oakland Raiders.Carr threw three touchdown passes and was in complete control of the game when the Raiders beat their Bay Area rivals last Sunday in a 24-13 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.Carr now looks to follow that up with another strong performance this week when Oakland (2-11) visits Kansas City (7-6) for the second meeting between the teams in less than four weeks.The biggest development for Carr has been the way he has been able to control defences with his eyes or shoulders, creating openings for his receivers. Carr said he did that a little in college but had had to learn to do it more often and with more subtlety as a pro.Its been cool to learn because your eyes can dictate a lot of throws being open, he said Wednesday. You can help yourself out a lot, especially in zone coverages and all those things. Its been nice to be able to progress and do it in games, not just practice.In a season that started with 10 straight losses and included coach Dennis Allens firing, Carr has provided a reason for optimism with his play at quarterback. He threw two touchdown passes in a turnover-free debut against the New York Jets, almost led a late rally at New England, threw four TD passes in a loss to San Diego and threw a winning TD pass last month against Kansas City.But the performance against the 49ers was by far his best. Carr completed 22 of 28 passes for 254 yards with no turnovers, posting the highest passer rating (140.2) for an Oakland quarterback since Rich Gannon had a 141.9 against the Giants in 2001.It came a week after the low point of his season when he threw two intercepptions and got pulled for Matt Schaub in the fourth quarter of a 52-0 loss at St. Laurent Brossoit Jersey. Louis that was Oaklands most lopsided defeat since 1961.But even in that game, Carr saw improvement in the way he was able to control the defence.Ive seen him grow a lot that way, interim coach Tony Sparano said. Hes done a good job. He can use his vision really well. Hes starting to play with the secondary that way with his eyes and has a much more definitive plan on what hes doing with the football before the snap.Those changes helped Carr succeed in crucial situations last week when the offensive line gave him plenty of time to throw. Carr completed 9 of 10 passes for 98 yards and three touchdowns on third down. He even handled the little pressure he faced well, completing 6 of 7 for 93 yards in those situations, according to Pro Football Focus.For the season, Carr has completed 60.5 per cent of his passes for 2,676 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a 78.3 passer rating. He has also been sacked just 16 times as he has shown the ability to get rid of the ball quickly after watching his older brother David get sacked an NFL record 76 times as a rookie in 2002 with Houston.He knows how to move in the pocket, Kansas City defensive lineman Dontari Poe said. He doesnt play like a rookie at all. Hes a real good quarterback. It really wasnt a secret though. We knew that watching film on him.NOTES: CB Tarell Brown did not practice after leaving Sundays game briefly with an injured right leg. ... WR Rod Streater, who is still on short-term IR, did not practice because of soreness in his broken foot. ... WR Denarius Moore (knee, ankle) got hurt away from the building and did not practice. ... RT Menelik Watson (ankle, foot) also was sidelined. ... The Raiders signed WR Kenny Shaw and TE Evan Wilson to the practice squad.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '