Would Gavrikov Or Chychrun Add To The Canes Defense?
By Chris Baker
The Carolina Hurricanes have already added to their offensive lineup before Friday’s trade deadline, but talk of an addition to the Canes’ defense has been much debated. Our very own Harvey Ashner has suggested Jakob Chychrun and Vladislav Gavrikov which he argues are solid choices.
I am all for adding without subtracting from the current roster, and would never want to get caught up in an arms race for the sake of keeping up. So let’s take a look at the current status of the Canes’ defense and compare it to that of the Boston Bruins who lead the Eastern Conference and the New Jersey Devils who are Carolina’s closest opponent.
Argue you might, but I am a simple stats guy. No sport is as complex as anyone makes it. So, for sake of this analysis, I am going to take Goals, Assists, and +/-. After all, you want defensemen assisting and keeping the team from playing short handed. Consistently doing that is a plus.
Carolina Hurricanes
- Season Line- 12 G, 32 A, +14
- Games Zero or Above- 42
- Season Line- 2 G, 10 A, +9
- Games Zero or Above- 37
- Season Line-3 G, 13 A, +17
- Games Zero or Above- 39
- Season Line- 4 G, 18 A, +12
- Games Zero or Above- 41
- Season Line- 5 G, 7 A, +22
- Games Zero or Above- 47
- Season Line- 0 G, 3 A, -1
- Games Zero or Above- 12
- Season Line- 11 G, 14 A, +14
- Games Zero or Above- 42
Unit Totals- 37 G, 97 A
Games Zero or Above- 74.7%
Boston Bruins
- Season Line- 5 G, 7 A, +15
- Games Zero or Above- 36
- Season Line- 4 G,11 A, +20
- Games Zero or Above-45
- Season Line- 3 G, 17 A, +34
- Games Zero or Above- 49
- Season Line- 7 G, 33 A, +40
- Games Zero or Above- 51
- Season Line- 5 G, 37 A, +24
- Games Zero or Above- 41
- Season Line- 5 G, 19 A, +3
- Games Zero or Above- 31
- Season Line- 1 G, 0 A, -1
- Games Zero or Above- 11
Unit Totals- 30 G, 124 A
Games Zero or Above- 79.7%
New Jersey Devils
- Season Line- 1 G, 3 A, 0
- Games Zero or Above- 19
- Season Line- 6 G, 14 A, +33
- Games Zero or Above- 45
- Season Line- 17 G, 40 A, +22
- Games Zero or Above- 45
- Season Line- 4 G, 8 A, +16
- Games Zero or Above- 34
- Season Line- 4 G, 14 H, +3
- Games Zero or Above- 39
- Season Line- 3 G, 15 A, +27
- Games Zero or Above- 4
- Season Line- 0 G, 5 A, 0
- Games Zero or Above- 39
Unit Totals- 35 G, 102 A
Games Zero or Above- 51.7%
Side-by- side totals
- CAR: 37 G, 97 A, 74.7% Games above 0
- BOS: 30 G, 124 A, 79.7% Games above 0
- NJD: 35 G, 102 A, 51.7% Games above 0
As you can see, the Canes defense stacks up fairly well with their two closes rivals in the Eastern Conference. The Canes defense has already scored more than Boston or New Jersey. Both the Bruins and Devils have more assists, but only Boston has more games from their defense at zero or better.
But what edge would Chychrun or Gavrikov give the Hurricanes as far as our little experiment go?
- Season Line- 7 G, 21 A, +8
- Games Zero or Above- 21
- Carolina with- 44 G, 118 A, 66.9% Games above 0
- Season Line- 3 G, 7 A, -8
- Games Zero or Above- 34
- Carolina with- 40 G, 104 A, 73.5% Games above 0
Jakob Chychrun would give the Canes a better edge in the goal scoring department, but his price tag comes in a little higher. Vladislav Gavrikov is a value move, but with that value comes a little less productions.
Either with Gavrikov or Chychrun, or without either, the Canes defense stacks up against the best teams in the Eastern Conference and the Metro Division. Baring any subtraction from the defensive side of the ice, both players would add to a Carolina Hurricanes roster. We have talked consistently about how good the Cane’s defense is, be it the Hanfield Express Line or the unit’s ability to put the biscuit in the basket.
Should the Carolina Hurricanes be able to work a deal with either Gavrikov or Chychrun that’s supported mainly with the current salary cap space, players with Chicago, or future considerations, these would be solid additions to an already solid Canes defense