Henrik Kesler Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 So, Erik Karlsson catches TONS of flack around here (from the non-hockey watching, narrative spewing crowd) for not being very good at defense. Well, Justin Bourne who works for The Score does a damn good job of killing that notion with this lovely piece http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/581116 When he’s able to get solid possession of the puck in the Sens D-zone, they’re as good as broken out thanks to his quick first step (to go with all the ones after), his ability to read pressure, his agility, and his puck skills. In soccer, they measure how far a player runs over the course of a given game. When I heard that one of the sport’s greatest players, Lionel Messi, doesn’t run a great distance without the ball, I immediately thought of Karlsson’s play in the D zone. He conserves, he’s efficient, then when he touches the puck and hits the nitrous, people get out of their seats. Karlsson compiled the most zone entrances with possession among all D-men, and it wasn’t close. His total was 117. The next closest Sens D-man had 22 (Cody Ceci) and the next closest NHL defender in the league was Brian Campbell, who recorded 46 fewer controlled entries over that same time frame (71). P.K. Subban was behind Campbell by a couple, and everyone else was farther in the rearview. They did well off all those zone entrances too, averaging a shot roughly 70 percent of the time. unreal posession numbers driven by a d-man In terms of zone exits, Karlsson's 36 percent success rate on touches is also unparalleled. Only Kris Letang (33.2 percent), Keith Yandle (32.2 percent) and Ken Hitchcock's three best puckmovers (Shattenkirk, Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester, all over 31 percent) are in the same stratosphere, and even then, not really. Karlsson's 7.9 percent turnover rate is a bit high, but the numbers still clearly point to him as the league’s best escapist blueliner. He’s got a great combination of patience and jump, meaning he doesn’t feel the need to immediately hit the jets the second he gets the puck until there’s an opening. For more, read the link and be in awe at the gifs of Karlsson. This kid is amazing, but since he isn't a 'crease clearer' he's obviously a poor defender #notsrs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Grimes Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 This kid is going to do nothing but get better. Personally, I think he's the next generational player, something truly special, Orr, Lidstrom, and now Karlsson. When Ottawa develops a team around him in a few years, Ottawa will be placed into the same category as LA and Chicago are now - with a little bit of a luck, and proper management of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gross-Misconduct Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 One of the worst Dmen in his zone. Always out of position and can't knock any one off the puck. Great offense, horrible defence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLocke Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 This kid is going to do nothing but get better. Personally, I think he's the next generational player, something truly special, Orr, Lidstrom, and now Karlsson. When Ottawa develops a team around him in a few years, Ottawa will be placed into the same category as LA and Chicago are now - with a little bit of a luck, and proper management of course. One of the worst Dmen in his zone. Always out of position and can't knock any one off the puck. Great offense, horrible defence. The truth is somewhere in between these two posts folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain'tYouSurprised? Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Erik Karlsson is: a "generational" player a puck wizard an offensive wizard amazing unreal efficient solid magician has gre8 puck skillz Hmm.. I don't see nothing new. Guy's a good fellow. Nuff said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRussianRocket. Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 The truth is somewhere in between these two posts folks. ^This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 All that says is literally what everyone already knows. He's a fantastic puck mover. None of those stats address the fact he is a poor checker and/or that he is questionable positionally in the defensive zone. Those are the reasons people say he is not great defensively. Prove me wrong with facts against those points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayRayDown Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 All that says is literally what everyone already knows. He's a fantastic puck mover. None of those stats address the fact he is a poor checker and/or that he is questionable positionally in the defensive zone. Those are the reasons people say he is not great defensively. Prove me wrong with facts against those points. OP will call you someone from the "non-hockey watching, narrative spewing crowd" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gross-Misconduct Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 OP will call you someone from the "non-hockey watching, narrative spewing crowd" Put me in the same crowd i guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 We all know how great he is offensively but defensively is another story. He's atrocious, almost a liability out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain'tYouSurprised? Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 All that says is literally what everyone already knows. He's a fantastic puck mover. None of those stats address the fact he is a poor checker and/or that he is questionable positionally in the defensive zone. Those are the reasons people say he is not great defensively. Prove me wrong with facts against those points. I think people are "over-exaggerating" over his defensive game. It's not as bad as some of you might think. Obviously hes a purely offensive defenseman. He strives off offence. He does however need to work on his defensive game a bit, but he's not a total "liability". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gross-Misconduct Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I think people are "over-exaggerating" over his defensive game. It's not as bad as some of you might think. Oh yes it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I think people are "over-exaggerating" over his defensive game. It's not as bad as some of you might think. Obviously hes a purely offensive defenseman. He strives off offence. He does however need to work on his defensive game a bit, but he's not a total "liability". I agree somewhat. I would say he is subpar, but he isn't garbage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombieksa Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Edler - Karlsson. I just feel like it would be a killer pairing for them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2SKATES1STICK Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 This kid is going to do nothing but get better. Personally, I think he's the next generational player, something truly special, Orr, Lidstrom, and now Karlsson. When Ottawa develops a team around him in a few years, Ottawa will be placed into the same category as LA and Chicago are now - with a little bit of a luck, and proper management of course. Ottawa plays with a $15m handicap due to their location, Karlsson's not winning a cup there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rey Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 The problem with Karlsson is the fact that he has the green light to go, and when he "goes", he can sure as hell go. He's a one in a lifetime defender, with superior speed that is going to drive the offense. Easily, the best scoring dman in the league. The way he just goes end to end, is amazing. With all the skill in the world, you want him to play his style because you know he can do it. For the past few years, I always like to compare Karlsson and P.K Subban. While, Subban may have more outspoken and physical, Karlsson has always been better both offensively and defensively. Both, are arguably top 5 defenders in the league and are probably 1 and 2 most exciting defenders in the NHL. If you like Subban, then It's impossible to talk bad about Karlsson, imo. At times, I've considered Karlsson the best player in the NHL. He's no doubt, a generational player but because he's not Canadian, you can thank the media for taking his game apart. For me, he's easily the most entertaining player in the league. He's like Pavel Bure, you know he's going to create something every time he's on the ice. You gotta enjoy a player like this while you can, even the best player in the game - Crosby, doesn't give you the same feeling. Maybe, he did a few years ago but certainly not now. I just wonder how long Karlsson is going to stay this way, because in the modern NHL, it's just too much of a grind. He's already had an injury a year ago. You also wonder how he is going to develop in Ottawa. I'd be more comfortable with him, playing in Detroit. He'll tidy his defense as he becomes more mature because it's unlikely he keeps up this kind of point production throughout his career. He has all the tools to be great defensively and still put up 50-60 points. I don't think that's the same case with P.K Subban. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanTSN Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 The eyeball test reveals that he's often a total non-factor in his own zone. Esp. in tight around his own net. Did you know that Karlsson was on the ice for more goals-against than any other player in the league last season? That's right. His head was down in disgust more often than ANYBODY. Yes, he played a lot of minutes, but so did Brian Campbell. But Campbell, on a horrible Florida squad, gave up 27 fewer goals. Keith Yandle (awful in his own right): 25 fewer. Even Travis Hamonic on the Islanders gave up 20 less. Did you know that he plays only 1:30 sh mins/g? That's because he's awful on the pk. He lets in a pp goal every 6 minutes. For comparison, our own 'god-awful' defenseman, Alex Edler, let in a pp goal every 9 minutes (Tied with Hamhuis) Weber, Chara, Subban: 9 minutes. Campbell: 10 minutes. Doughty & AP: Every 11 minutes. Keith: Every 12 minutes. Even Ehrhoff on a HORRIBLE Buffalo squad had 8 minutes. (I'm trying to find a worse top defenseman than Karlsson on the pk, but it's difficult.) Zone entries? How about "Holy crap he's awful at defense!" But he's fast. Very fast. And that's why he's exciting to watch for fans. So he's given the green light pretty much all the time and deployed to suit his strengths. Karlsson is a defender who'll dazzle and disappoint in seconds. He's a high-event defenseman. You notice him a lot. You notice the good as well as the bad. This article is another example of how you can use 'advanced' stats to boost a flawed argument. Yes, he's good at doing things with the puck. We know all about that. But he's pretty much a negative factor without it. One of the most one-dimensional offensive defenseman to come along in a long time. Paul Coffey would be proud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gross-Misconduct Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 The problem with Karlsson is the fact that he has the green light to go, and when he "goes", he can sure as hell go. He's a one in a lifetime defender, with superior speed that is going to drive the offense. Easily, the best scoring dman in the league. The way he just goes end to end, is amazing. With all the skill in the world, you want him to play his style because you know he can do it. For the past few years, I always like to compare Karlsson and P.K Subban. While, Subban may have more outspoken and physical, Karlsson has always been better both offensively and defensively. Both, are arguably top 5 defenders in the league and are probably 1 and 2 most exciting defenders in the NHL. If you like Subban, then It's impossible to talk bad about Karlsson, imo. At times, I've considered Karlsson the best player in the NHL. He's no doubt, a generational player but because he's not Canadian, you can thank the media for taking his game apart. For me, he's easily the most entertaining player in the league. He's like Pavel Bure, you know he's going to create something every time he's on the ice. You gotta enjoy a player like this while you can, even the best player in the game - Crosby, doesn't give you the same feeling. Maybe, he did a few years ago but certainly not now. I just wonder how long Karlsson is going to stay this way, because in the modern NHL, it's just too much of a grind. He's already had an injury a year ago. You also wonder how he is going to develop in Ottawa. I'd be more comfortable with him, playing in Detroit. He'll tidy his defense as he becomes more mature because it's unlikely he keeps up this kind of point production throughout his career. He has all the tools to be great defensively and still put up 50-60 points. I don't think that's the same case with P.K Subban. Can't argue with most of your points. He's exciting, great break out of the D zone when he has the puck, great natural offensive abilities. But his defensive skills? Horrible. This thread claims he's a great 2 way wizard. lol, thats laughable. He is generally lost in his own zone. He can't bump anyone off the puck. He can't muscle people away from the net. He is in the wrong spot more often than not. Nothing he has shown so far says he will be anything but a great offensive defenseman who can't play defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whale Tail Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Maybe Karlsson and Tanev would make an awesome pairing than. Karlsson can go to town and Tanev can keep bailing him out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Me_ Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 VAN Karlsson OTT Matthias Hansen Horvat 1st '15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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