Quote:
Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan
Sorry, I wasn't clear: I am not saying Garrison is overpaid relative to other UFAs, just that the premium you pay for UFAs can sometimes lead to unrealistic expectations for them, such that they are criticized even when their performance is actually just fine by their own career-standards. For clarity: I think Garrison is doing just fine.
EDITED to add this: by the statistics you've posted suggesting that Garrison is a key contributor on the Canucks' defence, the two best defencemen on the Flames are.... Dennis Wideman and Mark Giordano. Bouwmeester isn't even close.
I'm no expert, but I'd suggest that most people who've watched all of the games would rank those defencemen differently.
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You have to consider the type of minutes they're getting. Bouwmeester (and to a lesser extent Giordano) has to do all the heavy lifting because Wideman and Brodie need to be sheltered to be effective. So Wideman's numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt. That's not the case for Garrison where he plays the toughest competition on his team.
As for Giordano vs. Bouwmeester, it's kind of the same thing. About 40% of Giordano's ES ice time has been with Wideman and Sarich and his numbers have benefited from the easier competition. Bouwmeester on the other hand has had to play the other teams' top line every single game. Doing that in front of terrible goaltending is going to lead to some pretty ugly numbers that might not be totally deserved based on his own play.
It's similar to why people aren't heralding Chris Tanev as Vancouver's best defenseman. He's put up fantastic defensive numbers in terms of GA, shot differential, and things like Corsi and Fenwick. But he plays much easier minutes than guys like Garrison or Hamhuis so his numbers need to be put into context. Garrison, on the other hand, is excelling while playing against elite opponents.