Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
I'm not dictating anything. But the group that thought Backlund should just go to the fourth line haven't though through either of a) the time that fourth lines generally get and b) his current level of affectiveness.
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Well, no, that’s not really a fair summary. I’ve given plenty of thought around how the fourth line is structured and how we can deploy it differently (and mentioned as much in my post) and shown that Backlund’s current level of effectiveness does not justify his minutes.
Of the top 32 centers for shorthanded TOI/GP (guys we can effectively categorize as the top “shutdown” centers on their team), 8 played more than 14 minutes EV in addition to their SH time.
Ryan McLeod - 79gp/20g/33a/53p
Mikael Backlund - 76gp/15g/17a/32p
Vincent Trochek - 82gp/26g/33a/59p
Nico Hischier - 75gp/35g/34a/69p
Anthony Cirelli - 80gp/27g/32a/59p
Shane Pinto - 70gp/21g/16a/37p
Chandler Stephenson - 78gp/13g/38a/51p
Dawson Mercer - 82gp/19g/17a/36p
Pinto and Mercer are the closest, but Backlund averaged more EV and PP time than either of them and their both younger/developing at 23/24 (the kind of guys you add time and responsibility for) vs Backlund at 36.
You look at guys like Lowry, Lundell, or Norris who did more with less or even Kerfoot who was a little worse with far less minutes EV/PP as a 4th liner and I do think it’s reasonable to question whether his effectiveness justifies his EV minutes. It certainly doesn’t justify his PP minutes.