http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/rat...1000&teamid=0&type=goals&sort=A20&sortdir=ASC
Out of 365 forwards who have have played 1000+ minutes over the past three years, Kessel is 348th for GA20 (goals against per 20 minutes of ES icetime), Bozak is 358th, Lupul is 364th, JVR is 342nd. Keep in mind that these guys DONT play shutdown minutes against top scoring lines.
So sure, he's among the most productive offensively, but he and the rest of our forwards are also among the very very worst in the league for the # of goals against they're on the ice for.
The point of hockey is to score MORE goals than the opposition, not just to score a lot of goals.
It's pretty misleading to just say "over the past three years". Like really misleading.
You shorten it to two years and he's 49th, behind Tavares at 48th and ahead of Backstrom at 50. Sure makes it look like he's significantly improved don't it? Oh hallowed defensive stud Ryan O'Reilly is only 54.
Suddenly Kessel is no longer "very very worst" in the league for goals against when they are on the ice. Bozak and JVR are a lot higher than him (and neither are top 20).
But continue to ignore that, and expand the sample size to fit into your agenda to try and discredit Kessel. Is he great defensively? Nope, but he sure isn't among the league worst. He's vastly improved the last two seasons.
I don't understand how many times these numbers will have to be posted before people actually start to understand that calling him "awful defensively" is wrong. He's better than Tavares, Duchene, O'Reilly, Ovechkin, Spezza, Hall, Evander Kane, Skinner, Eric Staal, Eberle, RNH, Stamkos, a host of other less offensively studly players, and oh yeah HE'S BEEN BETTER DEFENSIVELY THE PAST TWO SEASONS THAN STAMKOS/OVECHKIN/TAVARES.
I wonder what the anti-Kessel crowd is gonna do now.He has a higher goals for percentage than Stamkos.