Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
Hahaha! No.
Tkachuk is a high end offensive talent, and he plays with one of the best defensive centres in the NHL, but it is a huge exaggeration to describe his own defensive abilities as "elite." Maybe he gets there one day, but as of now he most definitely is not.
Tkachuk spent a grand total of 2:56 on the penalty kill in 80 games. He ranked behind twelve other forwards in SH ice time.
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Yeah, among forwards, Tkachuk is middle of the pack defensively on this team (and probably the league). I'd say Backlund, Lindholm, Ryan, Frolik, and maybe even Monahan, Bennett and Jankowski are ahead of him defensively. Dube might even be, but the sample is too small.