Oscar Klefbom is good.
Like, really good.
It was a significant blow to find out on Sunday that Klefbom wouldn’t be available for game six versus the Ducks, especially after learning that fellow top four defender Andrej Sekera would be on the sidelines for the remainder of the series.
After considerable panic from fans of the team, including myself, the Oilers pulled out a stunning 7-1 victory against the Ducks with a rag-tag group of defencemen.
Griffin Reinhart and Eric Gryba entered the lineup and played limited minutes, while Matt Benning and Darnell Nurse were forced to step into top four roles. The group as a whole faired decently well, albeit they had seven goals worth of run support to work with.
Despite a humongous win on Sunday, the Oilers are going to need all the help they can get to defeat the Ducks in game seven. Klefbom unexpectedly missing game six left a gaping hole both on special teams and at even strength, a hole that Edmonton desperately need filled.
Thankfully, coach Todd McLellan says that Klefbom is expected to be back for the do-or-die tilt with the Ducks on Wednesday, which would be a huge bolster to the Oilers hopes of moving on to the conference finals.
Top 30 defensemen by goals above replacement.
By definition, these are /all/ number one defensemen. NSH has four on the list. pic.twitter.com/yFPcXVIqTx
— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) April 30, 2017
Just how important is Oscar Klefbom to the Oilers chances of success? He’s without a doubt the best all-around defender on the team, so the short answer is: very. Okay, okay. I’ll elaborate.
Through 11 playoff games and just about 188 minutes at even strength, Klefbom has been tops in shot suppression among Oilers defencemen. He owns the lowest on-ice Corsi against per 60 (55.54) and shots against per 60 (28.09) out of any defender on the team, as well as the highest Corsi for percentage at 51.12%. Not to mention, his shots for percentage is the highest on the whole team at 51.11%.
Klefbom has been pushing the needle in the right direction more so than any other rearguard on the Oilers, while also suppressing shots and shot attempts at the highest rate. What might be most impressive to me, is that Klefbom has been performing so well despite having some pretty dismal on-ice “luck”.
At even strength, Klefbom has the lowest on-ice save percentage (89.77%) of any defender not named Eric Gryba (who has only played two games). His 5v5 goals for percentage is only at 43.75%, and his PDO is currently a lowly 97.38.
I would expect that Klefbom’s on-ice save percentage is due for a bit of a rebound, as well as his PDO. The average PDO tends to be around 100, so we could be looking at a significant uptick in his on-ice luck if the Oilers remain in the playoffs after Wednesday. If his save percentage and PDO do start trending upwards, we can also expect his goals for percentage to improve.
So, we’re looking at a player that has been excellent at suppressing shots and driving play, but has had a bit of tough luck in terms of actual goals for/goals against when he’s on the ice.
Klefbom’s counting stats have been solid too, posting two goals and three assists throughout the postseason to date. He continues to get the puck on net at an impressive rate for a defenceman, with 2.3 shots per game. That number ties him for fifth among defenders that are still active in the playoffs.
Overall, Klefbom is a hell of a defenceman. He’s the top option on the Oilers blue line, and he’s signed to one of the best deals in the league in terms of impact relative to cost.
Oh yeah, did I mention that he’s still only 23, and hasn’t even hit 200 regular season NHL games yet? We’re only just beginning to see what kind of player Klefbom really is.
If you ask me, that’s pretty damn exciting.
Thanks for reading!
You can find me on Twitter @SullivanJLarson
Data courtesy of corsica.hockey
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