Penguins Update: Johnson and Gudbranson Provide Heart

This feature actually began as a reply to Mike, one of our faithful and astute PenguinPoop commenters. As I began to fashion my response and the juices began to flow, I figured I’d make it into a full-blown article.

So Mike, this one’s for you.

You mentioned that numbers lie, which reminded me of an old adage popularized by Mark Twain. “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.”

I’m not saying advanced stats don’t have value when evaluating a player’s performance. Obviously, they reflect certain aspects of a player’s game.

Do they tell the whole story? Of course not. They don’t reveal those wonderful intangibles that make us who we are. Do we have heart? Do we have character? When push comes to shove, do we stand firm or melt in the face of adversity?

I give Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford high marks because he looks past a player’s stats. Describing his 2015 trade with Chicago for Trevor Daley, JR provided insight into his approach in an article for The Players’ Tribune.

After looking at the deal from every angle, what I asked myself before I got on the phone with Stan Bowman in Chicago was the same question I’ve used to guide almost every move I’ve made over the last 30-plus years.

“Does this guy have the heart?” Call me old-fashioned, but I think that question will take you a long way in this game.

 

Erik Gudbranson and Jack Johnson are classic examples. Advanced stats say these guys–ironically each a former third overall pick–are terrible defensemen. That’s not what I see when I watch them play.

Johnson’s a war horse. He shows up, shift in and shift out, and gives you everything he’s got. He firmly plays the man (a career-high 199 hits and counting) and blocks shots (124). His best offensive days are behind him, but he still makes a nice outlet pass. In fact, Johnson ranked sixth best among NHL defensemen who logged at least 1000 even-strength minutes in completing outlet passes from the defensive zone to the neutral zone last season. To my eye, that aspect of his game hasn’t diminished.

I’m sure he absorbs a physical beating, yet he comes to play night after night and gives the same effort. While other black-and-gold defensemen have dropped like flies in recent weeks Jack’s been a bulwark, averaging nearly 24 minutes of ice time over the past seven games, including a season-high 31:08 in the recent Stadium Series square-off with the Flyers.

A good guy in the locker room, too.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence the team has turned around since Gudbranson’s arrival at the trade deadline. You can see Erik’s character in his bearing on the ice. Nobody on opposing teams trifle with him, including the tough guys. It reminds me of the way foes would steer clear of “Battleship” Kelly back in the day.

His presence has had the desired effect on our psyche. When was the last time we matched the Columbus Blue Jackets hit for hit? When was the last time you saw a Pens defenseman knock an opposing forward on his butt, as Gudbranson did to Boone Jenner on Thursday night?

That has a huge psychological effect on a team. Something you can’t quantify with metrics.

Our skill players seem less skittish, knowing they don’t have to worry as much about who’s going to run them or whether they might have to drop the gloves to defend themselves or a teammate. They can concentrate on hockey instead.

The results (4-0-1 in our past five games) are plain to see.

From a performance standpoint, Gudbranson’s been way better than advertised…way better than his previous metrics would suggest. He’s been solid in all aspects of the game, including penalty killing. He’s shown some surprising offensive flair, too, jumping into the play at opportune times. His decision-making seems sound as well. Enough to earn coach Mike Sullivan’s trust (over 20 minutes of ice time per game).

I’m glad JR didn’t pay attention to the numbers (or the critics) and looked at the heart instead.