HIDDEN GEM OR
DIVISIVE PYLON?
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been known for
three things over the past few seasons: speed, scoring, and winning.
Despite their success, one would
not commonly use the word “defense” when discussing the strengths of the Pittsburgh
Penguins. Over these years of success, players such
as Olli
Määttä and Kris Letang have
often seen themselves caught in the cross-fire of some fans’ blame.
Lately, however, it’s been the
newcomer Jack Johnson who has taken the most heat from the Pittsburgh
faithful. When you look at the statistics, it’s easy to see why.
WHY THE BLAME?
When Johnson was acquired by
Pittsburgh at the beginning of free agency in the summer, many were skeptical
of the signing. The skepticism wasn’t solely rooted in the fact that he
was signed to a 5-year deal worth $3.25 million annually, which seemed a bit
excessive. The uncertainty also stemmed from the simple truth that his
statistics just weren’t all that spectacular.
Statistics gathered from hockey-reference.com show
that his plus-minus ratings haven’t been strong over the years. With
a team-worst -11 rating on the season, Johnson currently sits at -120 in
818 NHL games. Though it’s true that the plus-minus statistic is far from
reliable over a short sample period, the consistency of Johnson’s substandard
rating is enough to question his reliability.
Though the statistics provide one
reason why Johnson is so quick to be blamed, it’s the things that don’t show up
on the stat-sheet that have really frustrated some fans.
For one, his positioning is often
less than ideal. Often times you’ll see Johnson take himself out of a
play simply by putting himself in a position where he can no longer affect
anybody or anything around him.
One thing that leads to this is
his apparent indecision, specifically on who he wants to cover.
Sometimes, it appears as though he’s afraid to commit to a defensive play so as
not to make a mistake, but that indecision becomes a mistake in itself.
All these things together make a
strong case as to why the Jack Johnson signing has caused some debate.
WHY HE COULD BE WORTH IT
Pittsburgh General Manager, Jim
Rutherford, wouldn’t have been ignorant to the subpar defensive numbers.
Nor would he have been clueless as to what Johnson’s faults are. The
Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Johnson in the hopes he could add strength and a
veteran quality to the defensive core.
To be fair, that’s exactly what
he’s done, even if it does come at the expense of some poor defensive IQ.
Johnson’s appeared in every game for Pittsburgh this season and, based on his
ice-time, there’s no indication he’ll be drawing out of the lineup any time
soon.
Even though he makes very
noticeable mistakes, Johnson’s absence from the lineup would be far from
positive. Though his skills with the puck on his stick aren’t anything
special, Johnson is one of the best Penguins’ defensemen at knowing when and
where to carry the puck.
The reason carrying the puck up
the ice, rather than only passing, is important is because it feeds the
Penguins’ transition game, backs up opposing defenders, and allows the forwards
more room to work.
He also has the unique potential
to be an energy player on the ice. Much like Patric
Hörnqvist, Johnson has the ability to spark the bench. He
can do this with a hard-fought puck battle, a hard hit, or a great defensive
play 1-on-1. These are the aspects of the game in which he can do really
well; however, he seems inconsistent in these abilities.
No matter where you stand on
Johnson’s presence on the blue-line, he’s not going anywhere just yet.
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