from Matt Porter of the Boston Globe,

Bruce Cassidy said he has “no idea right now” how the NHL’s promised player tracking data might affect the Bruins’ preparation for games and practices. Among coaches, he is not alone.

“We get our analytics, so we’ll continue to use those,” Cassidy said. “Whatever they add to or subtract from — which I can’t imagine they’ll subtract anything, information never seems to get subtracted — we’ll find a way to mix it in. But no, I haven’t thought about it.”

The NHL will collect a massive amount of data this season, thanks to sensors implanted in pucks and in the shoulder pads of players, which will send information collected by in-arena antennae and cameras. This will supplement the team of data keepers at every league game, which track events such as shot attempts and hits.

Until the league has at least a few months of tracking data to assess, the Bruins’ analytics department won’t be able to make hay with whatever numbers the NHL’s venture will provide. Like nearly all teams around the league, the Bruins are already tracking their own data — sometimes with the help of outside vendors — then distilling and distributing relevant readouts to Cassidy and his staff. The coaches translate it for the players, keeping it simple and usable.

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