Don't listen to the haters - put points to passing!

[jRuutu 2,464]

Instead of participating in a LR discussion, I will share commentary here to earn TPE. The topic of discussion is passing and defenders. A look into the past was given as well-known pass-first defender Bo Johansson and their success was brought up. Haters say they were good because they played in a team that did not have that much going on in terms of quality, so it is not surprising they put up solid numbers as most of the offense went through them. Haters might be right for the the early seasons of Johansson's career, but interestingly Johansson played mostly with a bot in season 86 - their best season in terms of points. The team finished 3rd in the regular season.  The season before Johansson appeared to play with a pass-first D next to them, "double passers" on the same pair, Johansson got 88 points and dirty 15 powerplay goals. The team finished 5th in a tight NA division.

 

Comparison to the current season, Stone for Malmo is being played with a bot, even on a powerplay they roll around with a bot next to them. Stone is having a very solid season and the same can be said about the team they play in. Stone is not a pass-first defender, but both elite defenders perform well with a bot.

 

Should you invest in passing if you are a defender? I think so, you can make things happen in the offensive end even if you are heavily into passing. You can make things happen even if play with another passing-first defender. 

[jacobcarson877 2,528]

Thank you for your great insights oh mighty lurker