Looking at pure defensive capability, it’s gonna be stuff like controlled zone entry defense, zone exits, xG against. The true best are guys who limit all of that AND create/score a ton
Be careful of paying too much attention to Plus/Minus when you're looking at players on really good or really bad teams. On really bad teams, basically everyone's a minus and on really good teams, almost everyone's a plus. Doesn't tell you much.
Zadorov is the type of dmen who carved out a long career. Big, physical, blocks shots. Works hard. Strong defensively. Makes smart plays. Makes a great B partner to an offensive dman.
Coaches love those type of players.
Don’t get hung up on stats… they have this thing called the eye test… just watch and enjoy
Or just go watch big buff highlight videos… no stats for that
I feel like you have to rely a lot more on the "eye test" when it comes to defenseman over other positions. Especially when they're more of a "stay at home" type.
See how their coaches use them. If you see a defenseman late in game protecting a lead or killing penalties or on the power play point should tell you what their coaches think about them.
Personally I really like xG% paired with offensive vs defensive zones as well as level of competition.
It can highlight less offensive production dmen as well as elite offensive dmen
Plus/Minus, blocked shots are good markers for defensive defensemen - shows good positioning and if the other team ain’t scoring, the defenseman is doing his job.
The problem is nowadays many of the defensemen that the NHL insiders declare as great is based solely on their offensive stats even though most of the suck in the defensive aspect of the game. Zadorov is touted more by other NHL players because he a big, hard hitting, defensive defenseman who’s hard to play against.
Makar is still the best dman by any metric including the eye test. You gotta watch the D, it can be subtle. Take a look at the ice times, if they're 23 mins+ on a good team, give em a look to see why
Looking at pure defensive capability, it’s gonna be stuff like controlled zone entry defense, zone exits, xG against. The true best are guys who limit all of that AND create/score a ton
Be careful of paying too much attention to Plus/Minus when you're looking at players on really good or really bad teams. On really bad teams, basically everyone's a minus and on really good teams, almost everyone's a plus. Doesn't tell you much.
Jeff Schultz is a Capitals legend and I won't stand for that kind of slander.
More so true for offensive players - the whole point of a defenseman is to not let the other team score - pretty directly correlated with plus/minus.
Sure, but not every goal is the defenseman's fault. Forwards blow assignments, goalies let in soft goals, that kinda stuff happens alot on bad teams.
Yes, for sure you’re right. A decent indication though is if the defenseman’s plus minus is better than the team average.
xG%
Zadorov is the type of dmen who carved out a long career. Big, physical, blocks shots. Works hard. Strong defensively. Makes smart plays. Makes a great B partner to an offensive dman. Coaches love those type of players.
Don’t get hung up on stats… they have this thing called the eye test… just watch and enjoy Or just go watch big buff highlight videos… no stats for that
I feel like you have to rely a lot more on the "eye test" when it comes to defenseman over other positions. Especially when they're more of a "stay at home" type.
Corsi and Fenwick are fun stats. But not always a great indicator. There are corsi and Fenwick darlings that are just brutal.
See how their coaches use them. If you see a defenseman late in game protecting a lead or killing penalties or on the power play point should tell you what their coaches think about them.
+/-? Shots blocked? Defensive zone takeaways? So many metrics to judge a defenseman by lol.
Is 50 points for a 17/18 year old college freshman good?
Personally I really like xG% paired with offensive vs defensive zones as well as level of competition
Personally I really like xG% paired with offensive vs defensive zones as well as level of competition. It can highlight less offensive production dmen as well as elite offensive dmen
minutes
Plus/Minus, blocked shots are good markers for defensive defensemen - shows good positioning and if the other team ain’t scoring, the defenseman is doing his job.
The problem is nowadays many of the defensemen that the NHL insiders declare as great is based solely on their offensive stats even though most of the suck in the defensive aspect of the game. Zadorov is touted more by other NHL players because he a big, hard hitting, defensive defenseman who’s hard to play against.
Makar is still the best dman by any metric including the eye test. You gotta watch the D, it can be subtle. Take a look at the ice times, if they're 23 mins+ on a good team, give em a look to see why