We’re almost done. It’s a tired, frustrating mantra, but still true. With 61 games in the books and two “core” players already sent out of town, the question of what will be left after the deadline still looms. Perhaps this will at least give an idea of who (or what) may be left…
Even Strength:
Best Forward: Vinny Prospal (+25)
Prospal continues to lead the team in EV differential, and is second on the team in overall positive chance production with 260 for (leading the team, unsurprisingly, is Rick Nash with 270, but the Captain has 255 against to Prospals 235.) Second place by a surprisingly close margin is Derek Dorsett at +19, then Nash at +15. Antoine Vermette was +13 in a Blue Jackets Uniform, and Ryan Johansen rounds out the top five with a +5.
Best Defenseman: Aaron Johnson (+18)
Johnson is mostly resting on the benefits of earlier in the season – his recent numbers have been on a sharp decline – but it’s still good for the best EV differential. Kris Russell was a +17 in his time in Columbus, Nikitia Nikitin is a +10, David Savard is a +6, and Brett Lebda scrapes in as a +1.
Worst Forward: Jared Boll (-38)
Boller continues to be the worst EV differential despite having only played in 39 games. Mark Letestu has a -27, Derek MacKenzie a -22, Colton Gillies a -20, and Jeff Carter was the best of the worst with a -17.
Worst Defenseman: John Moore (-43)
Moore’s continued improvement comes with a price, and that price is his sometimes taking a mistake here and there that costs a scoring chance. It doesn’t help that his most frequent partners are also on this list – James Wisniewski is a -37 at even strength, Marc Methot a -22, and Grant Clitsome a -16. Fedor Tyutin rounds things out with a -12 at 5 on 5 play, but it should be noted that offensively he has been part of more scoring chances at EV than any other d-man – 249 on the year, third overall for the team.
Power Play
Best PP Forward: Rick Nash (+115)
Not surprisingly, Nash has been a beast on the man advantage. His chances for are 129, tied for best on the team with Tyutin. Prospal comes in second for forwards with a +113, Jeff Carter had a +88, R.J. Umberger a +80, and Derick Brassard a +64.
Best PP D-man: Fedor Tyutin (+117)
As mentioned, Tyutin is tied for the team lead overall, so not shockingly he’s tops in this category. Wiz is next among D-men with a +67, Nikitin comes in third with a +50, Grant Clitsome has a +47, and David Savard is coming along with a +37. In Wiz’s case, he has played 34 games to Tyutin’s 61. If he’d been healthy / eligible for the full season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him leading this category.
Worst PP forward: Derek Dorsett (+8)
Of forwards who have seen PP time, at least, Dorsett is the reasonable lowest. One could argue that Pahlsson or MacKenzie are “worse”, but they’ve seen a grand total of 1 minute of PP time, while #15 has been used rather often in the second unit lately. Others on the lower end of the spectrum include Ryan Johansen (+39), Mark Letestu (+41), and Antoine Vermette (+59)
Worst PP D-man: Brett Lebda (+4)
Again, it’s a funny stat. Technically the worst by the numbers is John Moore, with all of a +2, but again his PP time has been exceedingly limited. Lebda, on the other hand, has been seeing frequent PP shifts, yet failed to produce. The other surprise, especially given his totals at even strength, is Aaron Johnson, next lowest among active players with a +20, while former Jacket Kris Russell had a +17.
Shorthanded:
Best SH Forward: Colton Gillies (-2)
Used in the PK role since being acquired, Gillies has been fairly solid at keeping a clean sheet behind him. Jeff Carter was used sparingly on the PK but had a -5 to show for it, Rick Nash a -12, Ryan Russell a -15, and Umberger a -30 on the season.
Best SH D-man: David Savard (-1)
Savard’s PK time has been mixed, but he’s looked good for the most part, while Brett Lebda (-6) and Grant Clitsome (-9) are the best behind him. James Wisniewski has also been solid on the PK with a -16.
Worst SH forward: Samuel Pahlsson (-59)
Some of it’s the role, but that’s still a lot of chances against for the “shutdown” center. Derek Dorsett trails with -51, Antoine Vermette a -47, and Derek Mackenzie rounds out the regular PKers with a -42.
Worst SH D-man: Fedor Tyutin (-67)
Tyutin has been caught quite a few times this season out of position on the PK – enough to be part of a flowchart – and his stats reflect it. Marc Methot had a -38 on the season, Nikita Nikitin a -36, John Moore a -26, and Aaron Johnson a -22 to round things out.