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Originally Posted by Saqe
I don't think it's a surprise now that he has been asked to play responsibly and more defensively that his defensive stats are better. But he was acquired and will get paid to not only put up big numbers but to also be a difference maker and it's very concerning how far he is from that right now. It's not even close.
He's always been a PP wizard so I don't doubt he'll keep racking up points there. Even strength though I think you are seeing an offensive player trying to re-invent his game and to me currently he doesn't look good at all.
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Has Huberdeau really been that good defensively though? From what I’ve seen, Lindholm is the guy that really drives the strong defense from that line. He’s the best checker on the team, he’s extremely hard to play against in all zones and he never seems to be caught in a compromising situation. I think I remember hearing one of the assistant coaches say that they single Lindholm out in video sessions for always being in the right spot.
Even Backlund who Huberdeau played with a lot is having a heck of a season defensively as well. So it could just be circumstance. Regardless though, his defensive stats are very good, so that area of the ice, he’s probably doing just fine relatively speaking.
Where he and whatever line he plays with will get judged the most though his ability to produce. The team counts on his even strength production and it’s not even close to enough. I find good top lines generally have that ability to be offensively dangerous shift after shift.
But our top line doesn’t seem to have that quality, they’re sort of just mixed in the shuffle. They can go an entire game and not be noticed which shouldn’t be the case. The PP production has certainly helped out Huberdeau’s cause, but he didn’t earn an $84M extension by being a PP specialist. He had 72 EVP last season and right now, he’s on pace for 26, that would just be an unfathomable drop, like a fraction of his previous total. So that’s where he needs to pick it up the most ro help this team win.