Quote:
Originally Posted by FanIn80
I've seen this mentioned a lot about Weegar, and it's got me wondering what it really means...
People used to praise Russell for being the best shot blocking D in the league, until someone pointed out that it's because the rest of his play lead to all the shots that needed to be blocked in the first place.
Is suppression the new blocking? It seems to me that having to suppress a shot really just means that your team doesn't have possession of the puck. Wouldn't a D who excels at helping to get and/or maintain puck possession be more valuable than a D who excels at what happens when you don't have possession?
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I can only tell you my interpretation, but based on that, it’s the exact opposite of what you’re wondering.
Russell blocked a lot of shots because teams had no trouble generating shots against when he was on the ice. Bless him for accounting for that, and making up for it. Dude is a true warrior.
Among defenders who played at least 1400 minutes at even strength, Weegar ranks #1 in shots against per 60 minutes - 21.2. Drew Doughty at 24.89 ranks second.
He’s even better on the PK - he’s on the ice for like 38 shots per 60 - Hanifin, for comparison, is around 53 on the PK (played nearly 100 more PK minutes as well - baffling)
When Weegar is on the ice, opportunities to take shots on Calgary’s net are hard to come by. He excels at denying entry at the blue line, and he’s a fantastic transition player.
He doesn’t allow the puck into the zone, and when it does, he gets it out quick. Can’t shoot if you’re offside.
It’s why he’s also the best D on the team for Goals Against/60, and why he’s 15 shots better than Hanifin on the PK.
He’s the most out of place player on the roster, in that he’s actually better than we’re paying him, and he decided to stay.