Brady Skjei is currently the New York Rangers’ number one defenseman. But how does he compare to other number one defensemen around the Metropolitan Division?
There’s no doubt at this point that the New York Rangers’ front office views Brady Skjei as the number one defenseman going forward. With the constant shuffle going on with the defense right now, Skjei remains in the top pairing. He is consistently first or second on the entire team in ice timer every single night.
Skjei’s designation as the Rangers’ number one begs for comparisons to other top defensemen. The strong competition in the Metropolitan Division does not make him look any better. However, they could serve as an example for Skjei to try to follow.
To name a few the top defensemen for the Metropolitan teams include Kris Letang and John Carlson, both of whom have Stanley Cups. Zach Werenski and Jaccob Slavin also play for Metropolitan teams and are young and extremely skilled.
Let’s take a look at specific statistics.
It should be noted that Seth Jones of the Blue Jackets is injured and has not played many games this season. For the purposes of this comparison, Werenski is considered the Blue Jackets’ number one defenseman at the moment.
When it comes to ice time, Skjei is second to Carlson in most total ice time of the top Metro defensemen. In average ice time, Skjei’s 23 minutes is in the middle of the pack. Letang and Werenski lead with 26 and 24 minutes of ATOI, respectively.
Skjei’s possession metrics also fall short in this comparison. In even strength situations, Skjei has the second-worst CF% amongst top Metro defensemen (45.85). Only Ryan Pulock of the Islanders has a worse CF% at 37.55.
Slavin leads this category by a landslide at 62.5, but this shouldn’t come as a surprise since Carolina is one of the top teams in the NHL when it comes to possession statistics.
Offensive stats aren’t the most relevant to this discussion, but they’re worth nothing. Skjei has three points in 10 games, including the OT winner against San Jose. Alternatively, Carlson already has 13 points and Letang has 10.
There are a lot of factors that go into these statistics other than just talent or skill level. The defensemen leading these statistical categories are on teams that are playing well. The Rangers currently sit at the bottom of their division.
This doesn’t make excuses for Skjei, though. He went into this year seeming ready to take on a larger role on the Rangers defense. So far this year he is falling short.
Some examples of this include the San Jose game where he ultimately scored the OT winner. Despite that clutch goal, he was absolutely undressed by a Sharks player on a shorthanded goal.
Another example is during the game against the Florida Panthers. Skjei hit a Panthers player and threw him to the ground, all while another Panthers player skated in and scored. An entertaining hit to watch, but an irresponsible play.
Lastly, during the Rangers’ game against the Blackhawks, Skjei bumped into his own defense partner Adam McQuaid. Jonathan Toews was able to skate around them and score a beautiful goal on Henrik Lundqvist.
These are just three plays in the grand scheme of the season, but they are worrying. If the Rangers expect to get any better, they need Skjei to be a true number one defenseman.
It’s difficult to say he should be at the level of veteran players like Carlson and Letang, who have a lot of playoff experience and championships under their belts. But young players like Slavin and Werenski are playing at high levels as well, and Skjei needs to work towards reaching that level.
(Statistics taken from Corsica.hockey)