Kevin Shattenkirk has had an incredible first half of 2014-15. While Shattenkirk has always been a solid source of offense for the St. Louis Blues, he has elevated his game to a higher level through his team’s first 39 games. As the NHL prepares to hit its midway point, Shattenkirk has been the best offensive defenseman in the league and is currently leading several noteworthy categories.
Prior to any action on January 4th, Shattenkirk is tied for the most points in the league from a defenseman. His 35 points are tied with Mark Giordano’s 35 points and the two skaters are ahead of the next closest defenseman by six points. He has the most assists of any defenseman with 28, leading Giordano by three.
Plus/minus is a stat which is ridiculed (deservedly so), but Shattenkirk has an impressive +17. This is tied for second in the NHL among blueliners (again with Giordano) and trails the top plus/minus defender (TJ Brodie) by one.
Perhaps the most impressive stat from Shattenkirk’s first half is on the power play. He has 22 of his 35 points with the man advantage (four goals, 18 assists). While those 22 points lead all defensemen, they also lead all forwards.
Defensively, Shattenkirk has been one of the more sound defensemen, which is saying a lot considering the Blues have been exposed defensively way too often this season. Shattenkirk has been guilty of some defensive lapses, but he hasn’t made as many blind, weak, up-the-middle passes as his teammates. The team as a whole needs to improve defensively, so this may need to be an area we revisit later in the year.
Can Shattenkirk maintain this pace? Since the vast majority of his points have come from assists, he has a pretty solid shot but it will depend on the offense in front of him. His shooting percentage this season (7.8%) is slightly higher than his career average (6.2%), but it’s not so much higher that you’d expect a major drop off in the second half. The Blues are 8th in the NHL in average goals per game and that trend would have to continue for Shattenkirk to repeat his first half numbers in the second half.
Then there’s the Norris topic. The Norris is supposed to be awarded to the league’s best defenseman. A while back that changed to it becoming the award given to the defenseman with the biggest offensive impact. It’s silly, but that’s what happened. If that policy holds, Shattenkirk should be a name discussed.
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