No team needs someone to clear the front of the net, this isn't 2002. This attitude is what caused the worst defenseman in NHL, Gudbranson, to get paid 4mil a year.
Know what's a better way to keep your netfront clear? Having the best transition defenseman in NHL, Erik Karlsson. Doesn't just clear the netfront, clears the entire defensive zone.
It’s funny cause during the game the other night, the D was so bad retrieving the puck, I counted the next ten dump ins. Just to see how many times the dmen would retrieve the puck and move it without fumbling it, losing the battle to it, or just easing the pressure by chipping it around the net, hoping for the best.
Only 2 out of 10 times, did an Oilers dman retrieve the puck and immediately move it up the ice. Really didn’t matter who the dman was either.
There would be no reason to clear the net, chase the puck around, etc, if the D just made a quick move with their feet and the puck was moved up the ice quickly.
That’s what Karlsson does. But he’s not the only one who can help obviously.
That’s why I think they’ll settle for a Nick Jensen. It’s one of the most underrated plays dmen make. Jensen is one of those dmen who creates his own space when retrieving the puck down low or in the corners, and moves it up the ice quickly. Just a little misdirection and quickness. Kulak and Bouchard are the worst at it but really, nobody’s very good at it.
If you have dmen who can do this, half the battles never even take place. Out of all the dmen available, Jensen is the best at this. Ghost and Chychrun aren’t bad at it. Gavrikov can’t do it at all. Schenn is actually better than you would think at it. To be fair, it does always seem to be his partner who’s chasing down pucks in the corners though.
It’s one of the least talked about things a dman does that coaches and managers appreciate much more than fans and the media.