Kris Russell

[AM]

Is he getting paid by Gold's as well?

Golds perhaps, or is that platinum?

 

[Mr Sakich]

I never realized how small he is. I always assumed he was bigger because of the grit he always displayed. A lot of respect for him

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

Rusty is a top25 pick moving defenceman? Lol

 

[McCombo]

Rusty is a top25 pick moving defenceman? Lol

No he isn't. That was just defensive zone area of the puck-moving. Still I was too a bit amazed to see Russell's name. But that "Effiency" number includes also exits without possession, if you just got the puck out without turning it over. And by the way these were made out of last year numbers only. Too small sample size for current season.

"Rounding out the list, we have Kris Russell, who was the poster boy of analytics debates for a number of years. Former Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli cited Russell’s exceptional puck-moving numbers in Edmonton’s internal data collection some years ago to refute criticism his player was taking in the public analytics community. Years later, the hard-nosed defender is still standing strong in this category.
This is where the debate between shot metrics and microstats was really ignited. Many like Chiarelli pointed to microstats like the zone exit numbers while others were steadfast that it didn’t matter because his overall two-way impact still paled. To us, this is a reminder that while zone exits results are really important, they aren’t the only part of the equation. Russell’s been a fine defenseman over the years but it can’t be ignored that his teams got outshot and outchanced by substantial margins when he stepped on the ice regardless of his success on breakouts.
There’s even a logical reason for this. Russell’s defensive metrics are excellent as a result of his rugged play away from the puck and strong work on zone exits. The problem is his offensive impact is so anemic that the team barely generates shots and chances. So yes, Russell’s excelled at transitioning play out of his own zone but the non-existent offense has offset that impact to a large degree."

Nurse were in Neutral zone category ranked 19th overall. No surprise, because transporting the puck up is certainly a strength of his.

"Riskier players in the Klingberg mould like Darnell Nurse, Rielly, Krug, Chabot and Leddy are also no surprise as moving the puck is a hallmark of their game – even if they give back a bit the other way."

No Oilers Dmen were in offensive zone category.

This is the list when everything was taken into consideration.

2020-2021 Top25 puck-moving defensemen

 

[LemmyUlanov55]

Can't have a Krussell thread without this beauty of a gif, haha.
Rusty's a tough warrior, I wasn't very fond of his 4m aav contract but at his current price he's certainly money for us, especially right know with all the missing Dmen.

Regarding the shot blocking.. There're arguments against it for sure but I'll never question or criticize players how are willing to do it AND are good at it. (and yes, it's a skill).

 

[Evgeny Oliker]

I’m glad to see this thread!

I was also upset already this season when Russell was unjustly criticized and said to be worse that Koekkonen(spelling?). He is better! And yes he does sacrifice his body a lot and helps D zone exits.

congrats to him on this record!

 

[joestevens29]

So who had money on us winning a game when Russell played 26:53 in a game?

Heck I don't know that I'd take that bet even if Nurse was his partner, lol.

 

[Stoneman89]

So who had money on us winning a game when Russell played 26:53 in a game?

Heck I don't know that I'd take that bet even if Nurse was his partner, lol.

This has to stop though, and stop soon. You can see in bits and stretches where he's starting to break down a bit now. But good on him for stepping up and punching way above his weight class. (like he's never done that before with this team)