In our mailbag we received this terrific question:
Where would you rank the wing’s D-corp among the other 31 team’s?
— cameron nagle (@cnagle91) July 26, 2024
A pressing question on everyone’s mind: defense, defense, defense.
Considering the Detroit Red Wings gave away goals last season like they were Santa Claus on Christmas Eve night, I can see why it’s a pressing matter amongst fans.
Part of the issues lie with more than just the defensive core, but it’s vital to the foundation of any team who dreams of making an impact in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ve seen offensive powerhouse teams shut down every playoff round, so it’s safe to assume that defense is still paramount. (A hot goalie can be just as important, as well, but this is a discussion for another time.)
Out scoring mistakes is not a recipe for success in the playoffs.
How do the Detroit Red Wings rank amongst the other teams in the National Hockey League (NHL)?
Determining a team’s defensive makeup is a variety of factors:
Systems
How is a team supposed to end opposing cycles, get the puck, and transition it out of their own zone?
There are different ways teams setup in each zone, some might let other teams have all the space in the world to make sure the middle is completely covered—just as an example. This is a great option for teams who might not be the fleetest of foot or have the most talent, as practically everyone knows how to block a shot and get into a shooting lane…whether there’s a will to do so is the bigger question.
Personnel
Part of the system, where do the players on the team position themselves. Are the forwards playing more deep in the zone, midway up in the zone, closer to the neutral zone? Is it a mix? Does it rotate? Or are guys staying in one area, for the most part, on the ice?
Statistics
People seem to really like statistics. I can see the value in that it can help support or dismiss perspectives. Sometimes they can help identify a problem that was known or unknown. Or maybe it could help identify a root cause of something, at points.
These numbers aren’t the end all be all. They are just part of making an informed opinion.
In this exercise, I’m focusing on only a few of team statistics. There are many others that could be useful, but these are the ones I’ve chosen to focus on as I’ve found them useful in the past.
To learn more about ice hockey statistics, Natural Stat Trick is a great resource.