Are highlight reel defensive saves even a positive?

[Dr Jan Itor]

Slavin had a very noticeable game on the defensive end and many commentators were praising him.

Slavin made two amazing saves on Crosby and Jarvis. But they were still dangerous plays that could’ve ended up as goals. What if there was even better defenseman who could have ensured those chances didn’t happen at all?

Surely a defenseman who erases chances before they even happen would be even better? Someone who plays defense so well that you don’t even notice unless you’re a keen observer.

Don’t get me wrong, Slavin is a top defensive defenseman in the NHL. I don’t disagree at all.

That defenseman would be 300x the player that Wayne Gretzky was.

Hey, what if there was a forward that scored every 12 seconds they were on the ice?

 

[Summer Rose]

The more I think about this, the more I love the idea of a player who’s so good defensively that he doesn’t actually make defensive plays. He just suppresses the other team with Presence.

Have… have we finally discovered what that guy meant by “puck poise”?

This post just screams "Scott Stevens" to me. Players would dump the puck in and go off for a line change if facing him on the rush because they knew they weren't getting around him. They'd also adjust their game, particularly not cutting across the middle of the neutral zone towards his side with the puck, because they were afraid of getting blown up with a crushing hit. Stevens didn't even have to make a defensive play in either of those situations, because players were too afraid to engage in a battle they were very likely to lose.