Chicago’s Blackhawks have some of the NHL’s worst defense pairs in terms of expected objectives% (XG%). This is partly a combination of the bad global game by the team at night, but also how D-Men work together.
Among the defensive pairs to play more than 200 minutes together at 5 against 5, Seth Jones and Alec Martinez have the lowest XG% on Blackhawks and the third worst of the League at 38.3%. The only two couples that are worse are Henry Thrun and Cody this with 31.3% of San Jose and Ivan Provorov and Denton Mateychuk Sharks with 33.3% of Blue Jackets Columbus.
Martinez has already spent enough time with Jones on the upper couple. This cannot continue. Martinez has exceeded his peak and while the Blackhawks broadcast things on the back-end, Alex Vlasic must again be replaced next to Jones.
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In terms of XG%, Vlasic associated with Connor Murphy or Louis Crevier also did not work either. It’s time to return to a reliable old because Vlasic has more than proven that he can play the best minutes and he could possibly stabilize Jones.
Vlasic with Crevier is a 43.9 xg% while Vlasic with Murphy, the second current pairing, is a 44.1 xg%. Although the staff is a good reason to blame the position in the Blackhawks classification, the decisions also play a factor.
Now, by reducing the time played together, there is a new worst defensive appearance that emerges on the Blackhawks this season, Nolan Allan and TJ Brodie. Allan is just a recruit and this season is his very first in the NHL. Brodie is 34 years old and has been around the NHL for a long time, but he has exceeded his peak well and was not great for Chicago. Although there was a rotating door of young D-Men, it is Brodie and Martinez who must take more rear seat at this stage. The Blackhawks came out, so let the children play.
Some of the defensive pairs may be better, but the real need to look at these figures is to learn more. Coaching and Blackhawks management did not really do it and the results have not changed. We will see how the rest of the season takes place, but unless the players are exchanged, it is difficult to see the pairs change a lot at all.
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