I genuinely think Mark Scheifele is an exceptional player. I think he's getting a bit of a bad rap because he's playing against other top lines (McDavid / Matthews, etc) and his internal wiring is to go score goals rather than defend. His defensive woes have been discussed ad nauseam so I'm not looking to spark old debate.
This is what I need to get off my chest - and it's a pet peeve of mine! Selfishness.
Certainly not saying he's a selfish guy in everyday life, perhaps he's wonderfully generous with his friends / families / charities / etc ...
I'm talking on ice selfishness. With his ice time so high over the last few years, I've really noticed a pattern of always being the last guy (on his line) to change. No matter the situation, he's ALWAYS the last guy to come off the ice. It's one thing to lurk for an extra offensive chance when the opportunity presents itself. It's another to constantly *hope* an offensive chance will come your way as justification to extend your shift.
It's even worst on the Power Play. He'll always find a reason to not change unless there's a whistle. The puck can be dumped out three times, all other players have changed, and he'll *involve* himself just enough to justify not changing. The PP1 unit has remained the same all year, so their PP ice time should be relatively similar. Yet Scheifele has played 57 mins while Wheeler / Stastny etc are at 47 mins ... that's purely *stealing* time from the 'next guy up'.
Lastly, if the Jets are ever in a situation where they have the lead late in the game and the opposing net is empty, HE WILL NEVER COME OFF THE ICE UNTIL A WHISTLE. Watch Lowry in contrast ... plays 40 secs, they chip puck out of zone (not icing) and he bolts to the bench. Sheifele will ALWAYS play 90-120 secs straight even with multiple dump outs. Again, the *pretend involvement* as justification to not change in hope's of scoring an empty net point.
Not sure if this ever bothers the Centre's playing behind him ... but I know when I play, if the guy in front of me does that crap, it absolutely eats away at me. *Stealing* ice time from teammates is just selfish after awhile.
Again, I think he's a great hockey player ...