Advertisement
Opinion
When pure goal scorers are in slumps, usually they start to get their games picked apart in the press, and Patrik Laine is no exception to this rule.
Former NHL executive and current Hockey Night in Canada / Sportsnet analyst Brian Burke has said Laine gives you goals, but nothing else. Goals are pretty significant in the NHL, and I would say that statement is remarkably harsh.
There are three ways that we can quantify defensive play at this stage of hockey analytics: we can look at what kinds of plays a team allows while a player is on the ice compared to when he’s off the ice; how engaged a player is without the puck in order to get it back from opponents; and how well a player manages the puck to avoid risks.