Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman
Is Burns even a d-man? Plays more like a rover.
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Statistically, Burns generates more offense from the actual "blue line" areas than Giordano. He may have been a rover at earlier points in his career but these days he's a prototype defenseman, focusing on keeping the cycle going and getting shots through traffic. His best skill is probably keeping pucks in where other D would let the play go offside. If anything Gio is the rover of the two.
I would be disappointed if Gio doesn't win the Norris - but that doesn't mean Burns is necessarily undeserving of the award.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteMoss
Pretty easy to compare usage these days.
Burns has 63% offensive zone starts vs 52% for Gio.
Dillon, Vlasic and Braun get buried starting in the defensive end constantly so Burns and Karlsson get the easy starts.
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Why true, I wouldn't necessarily knock Burns for playing on a team where this is an option. All the top players have things working in their favour. Gio isn't exempt from some benefits his team affords him.