Anyone who uses GA to evaluate a player's defensive abilities is wrong, regardless of the player.
Ok but is it 100% wrong? Like it's not even an indicative? Isn't the main job for D-men to prevent goals? Of course bounces, forwards work and goaltending have a lot to say in this but over a full 82 games season, doesn't balance out a bit over the same team?
Yes, hockey is a team game, but let's say you have 2 D-men who play about 20 minutes a game on the same team... One has been on the ice for 80 ES GA and the other 40 ES GA. What can we conclude? Bad luck for one and good luck for the other?
To be perfectly honest, I don't trust any of our defensemen when protecting a lead other than maybe Methot/Ceci. That is how poor a season it has been for the D-core.
Sadly, it's also my sentiment.
I'm semi confident with Cowen (young, inexperienced at the pro level, coming back from major injury and missed training camp because of stupid contract negotiations so it was a bit to be expected) and Phillips is unfortunately on the decline (so my confidence in him is also declining).
Gryba as well, semi confident (good in front of the net and to play the body but his lack of speed and overall skill is always risky).
Karlsson just has poor decision making this season, his head is really not entirely into the game (understandably with personal issues) and he is also coming back from a freak injury.
Wiercioch is young and inexperienced and doesn't play a lot (because he can only play Left)
Corvo is uh-oh and is also declining"
It's about being smart with the puck for the full 60 minutes. If he's going to handle it as much as he does, he's going to have to learn to protect the lead throughout the game, especially with 10 to go.
Agreed, EK just takes too many unnecessary risks this season and his decision making has been awful compared to what he can do. How many times I was like "wtf EK? Why you did that? Make the simple play instead of the low percentage of success one..." Isn't why so many people critic Spezza so heavily too? Double standards on this board, I tell you
It's split second decisions out there. You can't expect him to process ''oh crap, I wanted to make that pass there but It's Cowen he screws up a lot so I better not'', then make the decision.
And how many ways that argument works? Ek deserve the split second excuse but Cowen doesn't?
Open your eyes.
Note : I feel I need to explain (sigh). On that play, Karlsson left Cowen in a really bad spot as he had very few time to make a play so he had to rush his decision and move the puck instantly. It struck the end of Gionta's stick and ended up on the stick of a Habs D-man (good bounce for them). Then, it was all Plekanec elite sense of anticipation. Ek is as much to blame as Cowen but Habs deserve credit for that play, as well as a very big amount of luck.
Cowen easily could have put that on net, but he flubbed it. the forwards being ''all covered'' has nothing to do with Cowen screwing up
... No time and space, shot would have probably been blocked (like 90% of EK shots) for an easier breakaway. Cowen basically did the only play he could considering the tough spot EK put him in. Credit on Habs (with their typical luck) for cashing in. Watch the replay again several times (like I just did) and tell me what else he could have done? Everyone was covered and he had no time and space to shoot. If Cowen is entirely to blame for that play and EK has no blame it's just another case of double standards, which I have seen ten thousand times on this board. Or it's because you never really played competitive hockey and can't recognize why that EK pass was not the right play to do.
That transition you speak of IS part of the defense.
Fixed.
A good defensive defenseman retrieves the puck well, covers his assignments in man or zone, takes care of the front of the net through positioning, collects rebounds/loose pucks, wins puck battles, wins foot races, is effective against the rush, has takeways, has good stick positioning when they don't have the puck, and gets the puck out of the zone effectively and consistently on the first try.
Which is pretty much the description of where EK struggle a lot this year. Add that he just takes too much risks all over the place and it ends up in our net many times. Has to get back to better decision making when to risk or play safe, like he did in his Norris season.
EK is FAR FAR FAR superior at that to just about every guy who puts the Sens jersey on each night.
Never said the opposite, his ability is elite and which is why I invested a ton of money in his hockey cards and already made big bucks thanks to him. In 2009-10, I knew that he was going to be real good so I bought just about every hockey card I could. Sold them 2 years later. Profit.
Nothing to do with bias and everything to do with knowing the game. Some of the best parts of EK's game are his superior stick work without the puck, his ability to anticipate the play, his takeways through finesse and his amazing first step.
I don't know the game
Commentators/analysts and ex NHL players don't know as well, so at least I'm not alone
He's one of the best small defenceman in his own end in years - he does it using so little energy too - but people want to call it lazy b/c he makes it look so damn easy - it's like calling Lidstrom lazy because he's a master of angles rather than bashing into a guy to seperate him physically... you want the puck and you don't need anyone on their ass to take it away.
Sens fans know how good EK is defensively b/c they don't just know about the gaffes, which still happen, but shift in and shft out they see hoe good EK is. That's why a knowledgeable Sens fan knows how good EK is defensively. Frankly, he's underrated in that respect. I'm not saying he's Drunk Uncle Denis, but he's good and a hell of a lot better than most of our line-up.
Look, I'm not a Leaf fan trying to bash your player so you don't have to worry about. I know exactly what EK is capable of (and talked about it a bit in this thread already), defensively as well. But if you can't recognize that he has been struggling defensively this year, then we'll have to agree to disagree.