Is Brent Burns an elite defensemen?

[Sureves]

Yeah no. The only real time he leaves the point is if he is circling around the blue line with the puck and he sees an opportunity to blast past the defense for a shot on net.

Like I said, I just don't agree with this assessment. Not sure where the discussion goes from here.

I don't watch him a lot, but EVERY time I have watched a Sharks game I am blown away by how aggressive he is in the offensive zone.

I've never seen a defenseman play that aggressive. The closest that comes to mind is Byfuglien, and he's a clear step below Burns in terms of aggressiveness.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Ok, he got the **** kicked out of him during the finals too.

Yet he scored as many points as Conn Smythe Crosby.

Derp

 

[2advanced4u]

Well he's above average defensively based on the most of the common defenseive metrics (Shots, Fenwick, Corsi, Scoring Chances against)

uhh no he is not.

 

[Mattb124]

What the fancy stat box score internet GM types probably do not understand was how much better Burns got last year as the season goes on - a lot better. Funny how learning to play with a new D partner and under a new coach's system will do that to a player. Burns was -14 or -15 about 2/3 of the way through the season and then ended a -5. That last ~3rd of the season he may have been the best d-man in the league considering all 3 zones. During that stretch his defense was really good and his offense was other worldly.

 

[authentic]

"How many players have gone from being a defenceman, to a winger, to a defenceman again, then nearly score 30 from the back end? It might be impossible to replicate his career year last season, after all Burns put the puck on net 108 more times than his previous career high, but no one has had as big an impact on their team’s offence from defence as Burns the past three seasons. Burns is below average in transition mainly because he is very haphazard with the puck, boasting the lowest pass success rate in the NHL among regular defencemen, but he makes up for it by being surprisingly strong away from the puck, using his speed and physicality to win the puck back."

That's the quote from the top 20 defensemen article. Seems odd that he has the lowest pass success rate among regular NHL defensemen, and it says he's surprisingly strong away from the puck. Seems to go against the opinions of most.

 

[Brent Burns]

Chicago - No
Nashville - No xxxxxxx
LA - No
St. Louis - No
Tampa - No xxxxxx
Montreal - No
Minnesota - No xxxxxxx
Ottawa - No
Calgary - No xxxxxxx
Arizona - No xxxxxxx
Pittsburgh - No

?????

Marked X's next to teams where he would absolutely be the the number one defenseman

 

[Regal]

"How many players have gone from being a defenceman, to a winger, to a defenceman again, then nearly score 30 from the back end? It might be impossible to replicate his career year last season, after all Burns put the puck on net 108 more times than his previous career high, but no one has had as big an impact on their team’s offence from defence as Burns the past three seasons. Burns is below average in transition mainly because he is very haphazard with the puck, boasting the lowest pass success rate in the NHL among regular defencemen, but he makes up for it by being surprisingly strong away from the puck, using his speed and physicality to win the puck back."

That's the quote from the top 20 defensemen article. Seems odd that he has the lowest pass success rate among regular NHL defensemen, and it says he's surprisingly strong away from the puck. Seems to go against the opinions of most.

I can see it. One of the things they were looking at for defense were defensive plays per 60. Burns is a very proactive type and I'm sure he scored well in terms of puck recoveries, hits, etc. Part of this is his somewhat haphazard play results in turning the puck over then gaining it back. Essentially he's getting credit defensively for not maintaining possession as well as some smoother transition players. They didn't look at things like positioning and gap control that are going to make truly great defensive players difficult to play against. It's surprising his percentage would be lowest among regulars but not that it would be low among top defensemen. He's very good in the offensive zone and his speed and size allows him to get through the neutral zone unimpeded when he carries the puck, but he seems to struggle with his decision making in the neutral zone and tends to force plays that aren't always there.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Marked X's next to teams where he would absolutely be the the number one defenseman

Burns better than Hedman