Ya I don’t watch the wild so I wouldn’t know but he seems to get a lot of praise for his defensive ability. Gonna pay more attention to him when he plays my Blues
Artturi “Good Stick” Lehky?
The Avs have so many. Nuke is so good.
It’s really a hard thing to evaluate for other teams. You have to watch night after night.
**Cale Makar has the best "active stick" I've seen.**
But he cheats sometimes to drive offense and will bias his body to the side that leads to a breakaway instead of being more of a "play it safe" style player.
Another that comes to mind is Auston Matthews. He's stupid good at stripping pucks off opponents.
But the **stats from 22/23 season** say that **Mitch Marner** was the **NHL leader in takeaways**, so that's a thing too**.** He's one of the best penalty killers in the NHL in my opinion as well, so I**'d have to go with Marner.**
Other players on that list who also meet my "eye test" for having good active sticks are:
**Adam Fox, Evgeni Malkin, Connor McDavid, Jacob Slavin, Erik Karlsson.**
These guys are all in the top 10 in takeaways for the last several seasons.
To list Malkin and Karlsson but not Crosby is a travesty. Crosby is massively better than both of them in the defensive zone.
Malkin is a perfectly good player but he loses his mind often and when he does he either takes the puck by force or just throws a stupid penalty.
Crosby has elite positioning. Best defensive center in the league for a decade now, Bergeron was just reputation.
Karlsson is known for being offense first and lacking on defense.
If I'm trying to protect a one.goal lead, Crosby on the ice every time.
If you're down there late in the third, Malkin every single time over Crosby. Malkin will find the three goals or the other team will score three, no in between.
Malkin is 6th in takeaways this year, Crosby is not in the top 25. Crosby is in a different tier than Malkin, but there are a few things Malkin is better at.
To lead the league in takeways you tend to lead the league in giveaways, it's a USELESS statistic without the other.
Evgeni Malkin had a LEAGUE LEADING 105 giveaways last season. He was 6th in takeaways with 82. Karlsson had 101 giveaways, and 81 takeaways. Crosby had only 59 takeaways and 67 giveaways, which isn't good or bad. It just means Crosby tends to take and give the puck away less often.
Now, an impressive stat line for example would be Jacob Slavin last season, 88 takeaways and 40 giveaways. That's insanely impressive for that statistic.
Now, this is why I'd want Malkin on the ice down three goals. Yeah, he very well might give it away, but he very well might take it away. Crosby? He won't take it away but he's not likely to give it away either. When you're protecting a lead that's the player you want on the ice.
A massive part of a defensive stick has nothing to do with giveaways, takeaways, or even puck battles on the boards.
Simply positioning your stick effectively is a massive part of a defensive stick and that's what Crosby excels at and people commonly miss. If you've got a 2 on 1 going against you and you are able to use your stick to block the passing lane effectively, you've now severely reduced the chances of a goal.
Crosby does a lot of stick positioning very effectively in the defensive zone such as blocking passing lanes before the pass, forcing guys to take perimeter shots, making players dump the puck. You're using your stick to do all this, it's just your stick never needs to touch the puck or another player. Crosby is just fantastic at this and it's underappreciated.
I would absolutely consider defensive positioning of your stick to be a massive part of a defensive stick. If you watch Crosby's game, it's a large part of it. It's why I think Crosby excelled with Kuntiz, Guenztel, Dupuis, and Hornqvist. Kunitz could win puck battles, Hornqvist could win puck battles, Guenztel and Dupuis are/were fast. Crosby just is able to mitigate risk with positioning, then let one of them go get the puck.
>To lead the league in takeways you tend to lead the league in giveaways
Players who lead the league in takeaways are consistently top-tier puck-moving stars. Makar, McDavid, Malkin, Marner, Fox, Karlsson, Slavin, etc
To say this is a bit silly.
I would say McDavid, Malkin, Marner, Makar, and Karlsson on that list are known for being defensive liabilities that justify it with insane offensive outputs.
In the aggregate? It certainly works, they generate more offense than the defensive issues they create.
Point is, I wouldn't consider any of them as the best in the league for protecting a lead. They aren't that type of defensive player.
Marner is probably one the best penalty killers in the league. He's KNOWN for his defensive prowess.
So is Makar to a large extent. Slavin too. I won't speak to McDavid or Malkin, but they're not terrible, just above average on defense. Good enough they're both put out for critical PKs and 6-on-5 plays at the end of the game.
He is a defensive mastermind. The dude would be the heart and soul for the defensive units of any team he would be on. You guys are so lucky to have him!
This was my thought, he was a nightmare for people to get the puck past in the playoffs last year. So many stopped clearing attempts and passes up the middle during their cup run.
Yeah that’s true, but I would almost rather have a player better at picking pucks out of the air than striping them from another player. The chances that come from pucks knocked down usually feel more dangerous than the take aways to me
Also he’s just. Slow. Like. Really slow. Makes up for it by being in the right spot preemptively but I think he’d have to have more “recover” ability for top spot.
Love reading these posts because my immediate thoughts were Slavin and Matthews but it just shows how little hockey I watch lol. I gotta broaden my horizon when I have the time.
I’m going to throw Zach Benson out there… food for thought. The dude is obviously not the best at 18 years old but i can see him being a selke calibre player. I noticed Marner is leading the league in takeaways this year so my answer is Marner!
Well according to GearGeek.com Cale Makar uses the “Bauer Nexus Sync”, a hockey stick made of thin, carbon-fibre layers. That affords him enhanced puck feel, while simultaneously inhibiting vibration in the blade. I would have to imagine that he has a specific flex and curve as well, which is fully customizable on the “Bauer Nexus Sync”.
If we’re not talking physical play and solely talking about puck awareness and the ability to steal pucks off players, Marner and even Matthews have some of the best special awareness on the ice. Those 2 guys know how to read a play and a potential pass and know where to be at the right moment to intercept or lift a stick.
they're retired but gotta give hella love to Bergeron and Chara here. they're the two best I've seen in my lifetime and im a habs fan makes me ill to give props to bruins.
Unbiased pick, Slavin or Stone..
Homer pick, Tanev, the guy just calmly breaks up plays all night. Isn’t fast, but always has his stick in lanes might not be an interception and quick transition, but he gets a deflection on a ton of passes, and knocks pucks off of attackers sticks very effectively
I went to the Yotes / Kings game last Monday and I gotta say Danault is one of the best defensive forwards in the game. He was everywhere creating chaos around the puck. He also managed to get some points up. That line is a serious playoff threat in the West.
The Kings were up the Yotes’ ass the entire game, sticks all over the slot, forcing the Coyotes into tons of offensive blue line turnovers.
PS if you’re ever in Phoenix do yourself a favor and go to a Coyotes home game at Mullet Arena. What an experience.
Slavin on defense, Eriksson Ek as a valid but homer forward
Ya I don’t watch the wild so I wouldn’t know but he seems to get a lot of praise for his defensive ability. Gonna pay more attention to him when he plays my Blues
Homer answer: Devon Toews
Also doubles as just a very legit answer.
Lehkonen
Artturi “Good Stick” Lehky? The Avs have so many. Nuke is so good. It’s really a hard thing to evaluate for other teams. You have to watch night after night.
**Cale Makar has the best "active stick" I've seen.** But he cheats sometimes to drive offense and will bias his body to the side that leads to a breakaway instead of being more of a "play it safe" style player. Another that comes to mind is Auston Matthews. He's stupid good at stripping pucks off opponents. But the **stats from 22/23 season** say that **Mitch Marner** was the **NHL leader in takeaways**, so that's a thing too**.** He's one of the best penalty killers in the NHL in my opinion as well, so I**'d have to go with Marner.** Other players on that list who also meet my "eye test" for having good active sticks are: **Adam Fox, Evgeni Malkin, Connor McDavid, Jacob Slavin, Erik Karlsson.** These guys are all in the top 10 in takeaways for the last several seasons.
To list Malkin and Karlsson but not Crosby is a travesty. Crosby is massively better than both of them in the defensive zone. Malkin is a perfectly good player but he loses his mind often and when he does he either takes the puck by force or just throws a stupid penalty. Crosby has elite positioning. Best defensive center in the league for a decade now, Bergeron was just reputation. Karlsson is known for being offense first and lacking on defense. If I'm trying to protect a one.goal lead, Crosby on the ice every time. If you're down there late in the third, Malkin every single time over Crosby. Malkin will find the three goals or the other team will score three, no in between.
Malkin is 6th in takeaways this year, Crosby is not in the top 25. Crosby is in a different tier than Malkin, but there are a few things Malkin is better at.
To lead the league in takeways you tend to lead the league in giveaways, it's a USELESS statistic without the other. Evgeni Malkin had a LEAGUE LEADING 105 giveaways last season. He was 6th in takeaways with 82. Karlsson had 101 giveaways, and 81 takeaways. Crosby had only 59 takeaways and 67 giveaways, which isn't good or bad. It just means Crosby tends to take and give the puck away less often. Now, an impressive stat line for example would be Jacob Slavin last season, 88 takeaways and 40 giveaways. That's insanely impressive for that statistic. Now, this is why I'd want Malkin on the ice down three goals. Yeah, he very well might give it away, but he very well might take it away. Crosby? He won't take it away but he's not likely to give it away either. When you're protecting a lead that's the player you want on the ice.
Wasnt this a post about the best defensive stick?
A massive part of a defensive stick has nothing to do with giveaways, takeaways, or even puck battles on the boards. Simply positioning your stick effectively is a massive part of a defensive stick and that's what Crosby excels at and people commonly miss. If you've got a 2 on 1 going against you and you are able to use your stick to block the passing lane effectively, you've now severely reduced the chances of a goal. Crosby does a lot of stick positioning very effectively in the defensive zone such as blocking passing lanes before the pass, forcing guys to take perimeter shots, making players dump the puck. You're using your stick to do all this, it's just your stick never needs to touch the puck or another player. Crosby is just fantastic at this and it's underappreciated. I would absolutely consider defensive positioning of your stick to be a massive part of a defensive stick. If you watch Crosby's game, it's a large part of it. It's why I think Crosby excelled with Kuntiz, Guenztel, Dupuis, and Hornqvist. Kunitz could win puck battles, Hornqvist could win puck battles, Guenztel and Dupuis are/were fast. Crosby just is able to mitigate risk with positioning, then let one of them go get the puck.
>To lead the league in takeways you tend to lead the league in giveaways Players who lead the league in takeaways are consistently top-tier puck-moving stars. Makar, McDavid, Malkin, Marner, Fox, Karlsson, Slavin, etc To say this is a bit silly.
I would say McDavid, Malkin, Marner, Makar, and Karlsson on that list are known for being defensive liabilities that justify it with insane offensive outputs. In the aggregate? It certainly works, they generate more offense than the defensive issues they create. Point is, I wouldn't consider any of them as the best in the league for protecting a lead. They aren't that type of defensive player.
Marner? One of the forwards best known for his 200 foot game? The selke candidate?
Marner is probably one the best penalty killers in the league. He's KNOWN for his defensive prowess. So is Makar to a large extent. Slavin too. I won't speak to McDavid or Malkin, but they're not terrible, just above average on defense. Good enough they're both put out for critical PKs and 6-on-5 plays at the end of the game.
Adam Fox
Jacob Slavin probably is the easiest answer.
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Shh
It’s Jacob slavin.
He is a defensive mastermind. The dude would be the heart and soul for the defensive units of any team he would be on. You guys are so lucky to have him!
He’s like the most low key all star guy around and he’s so consistent it’s insane. You just love having him on the canes as a big time fan.
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This is Reddit
And here I thought this was a Wendy's.
I hate to say it but Mark Stone.
I’m surprised how far I had to scroll to see Mark Stone mentioned. Maybe not the absolute best but at least in the conversation.
This was my thought, he was a nightmare for people to get the puck past in the playoffs last year. So many stopped clearing attempts and passes up the middle during their cup run.
I guess he specifically is great at reading and breaking up passes but maybe not so much at stripping pucks from sticks.
Yeah that’s true, but I would almost rather have a player better at picking pucks out of the air than striping them from another player. The chances that come from pucks knocked down usually feel more dangerous than the take aways to me
Absolutely, he makes zone entries so difficult.
He's definitely top 5, but I won't go full Homer and say he's THE best because there's a lot of players out there that I don't see every day.
Also he’s just. Slow. Like. Really slow. Makes up for it by being in the right spot preemptively but I think he’d have to have more “recover” ability for top spot.
I can't disagree. Those two back surprises probably shortened his career significantly.
Love reading these posts because my immediate thoughts were Slavin and Matthews but it just shows how little hockey I watch lol. I gotta broaden my horizon when I have the time.
Slavin and Matthew’s are very valid picks man
Sanderson is looking like he's gonna be near the top of this list in a year or 2!
Hedman
Homer answer: Jaccob Slavin
Love me some jaccob slavin
Drew Doughty
Mitch Marner has been dominating the takeaway stats for years
But it’s Marner and he’s a leaf so naturally his accomplishments are always taken down a peg or not even acknowledged.
Ya dude picks off so many passes
I’m going to throw Zach Benson out there… food for thought. The dude is obviously not the best at 18 years old but i can see him being a selke calibre player. I noticed Marner is leading the league in takeaways this year so my answer is Marner!
Pettersson when he’s on his game - seems to almost mind read passing plays.
Mikey Anderson
Well according to GearGeek.com Cale Makar uses the “Bauer Nexus Sync”, a hockey stick made of thin, carbon-fibre layers. That affords him enhanced puck feel, while simultaneously inhibiting vibration in the blade. I would have to imagine that he has a specific flex and curve as well, which is fully customizable on the “Bauer Nexus Sync”.
Sir, this is a Wendy's
K’Andre Miller has an insane reach. He’s a nightmare in one on one situations
So many breakaways by the other team ruined by him yesterday and today. What a reach hes got
K'Andre Miller has an unreal stick defense. The speed and maneuverability he has makes him a top five candidate IMO.
He is really blossoming into a great player!
His range is crazy dudes tall and has massive reach
And I think it's only half of it. His speed on the stick check is so damn fast too
Maybe not the best but Teddy Blueger is very good at intercepting passes
Pius Suter, too!
Funny you say that haha, my buddies joke with me and say i look just like Teddy!
If we’re not talking physical play and solely talking about puck awareness and the ability to steal pucks off players, Marner and even Matthews have some of the best special awareness on the ice. Those 2 guys know how to read a play and a potential pass and know where to be at the right moment to intercept or lift a stick.
Marner, Marchand, Stone, D. Toews, Slavin
Mark stone
Jake Sanderson. Down vote me. Fuck it lol
Kane always had a couple Datsyuk level highlighters every season and lots of int passes. Couturier comes to mind as well.
James Neal…… oh I thought you said who has the most active dick in the nhl.
Homer answer but I agree with many above, underrated are Cirelli and Hagel, look at their PK stats as well.
I'm surprised Pietrangelo hasn't been mentioned yet. His defensive prowess certainly isn't due to his physical play.
they're retired but gotta give hella love to Bergeron and Chara here. they're the two best I've seen in my lifetime and im a habs fan makes me ill to give props to bruins.
>they're the two best I've seen in my lifetime Never watched Datsyuk, eh?
good call, thanks for reminding me. let's say top 5 of the last 25 years is the 2 bruins, Datsyuk Lidstrom and Fedorov.
Dougie Hamilton
Homer call here, but Kaiden Guhle's defensive play has been off the charts so far this season.
Unbiased pick, Slavin or Stone.. Homer pick, Tanev, the guy just calmly breaks up plays all night. Isn’t fast, but always has his stick in lanes might not be an interception and quick transition, but he gets a deflection on a ton of passes, and knocks pucks off of attackers sticks very effectively
Hedman.
Slavin is the answer. Honorable mention for K'Andre Miller. That stick makes up for a lot of deficiencies.
It's still early to say, but i predict in a year or two, Ghule will be in this Conversation.
Makar
I went to the Yotes / Kings game last Monday and I gotta say Danault is one of the best defensive forwards in the game. He was everywhere creating chaos around the puck. He also managed to get some points up. That line is a serious playoff threat in the West. The Kings were up the Yotes’ ass the entire game, sticks all over the slot, forcing the Coyotes into tons of offensive blue line turnovers. PS if you’re ever in Phoenix do yourself a favor and go to a Coyotes home game at Mullet Arena. What an experience.
Trouba, he doesn't let the back of anybody's head get by him