The Puck Stops Here
Next entry: All Star Game Injury Replacements
Previous entry: AHL Scoring Race Update
Worst Player This Season
by PuckStopsHere on 01/21/09 at 12:52 AM ET
Comments (11)
One thing I try to track over the season is which player, who is getting as regular a shift as possible, has been the worst player in the NHL this season. It is interesting to see why players continue to play in the NHL, despite ineffectual play. This is an interesting study in that question. I had been picking Raitis Ivanans of the Los Angeles Kings as this player. Ivanans has done little this year. He has two points (both goals) in 44 games played and sports a -7 +/- rating. He is the goon on the Kings. He has 91 penalty minutes (which leads the team) while playing less than seven minutes per game (which among players who have been on the roster all season is by far the least). The fact he plays so little per game is evidence that he is not a very good hockey player, but it also allows for a player who gets more ice time to be a better choice as worst player in the league.
That player is Brendan Witt of the New York Islanders.
Witt has 34 games played for the Islanders this year. During that time he has scored no goals and three assists. He sports a -27 +/- rating (which is second in the league - despite having missed more than 10 games this year), which is eight points worse than any other teammate. Witt plays an important role on the Isles. He has been used as their shutdown defenceman most of the season and has totally failed in that role. He has played over nineteen minutes a night (giving him far more total ice time than Ivanans despite fewer games played).
Witt is an example of what makes the Islanders a last place team. Despite the fact Witt has been a failure this season, there is nobody in the system likely to do any better. Therefore, they keep playing Witt and he keeps failing.
Brendan Witt once was a valuable shutdown defenceman. In 2006/07, he filled that role very well for the Islanders. He put up 14 points and was a +14 on the playoff bound Islanders. Today at age 33 (34 in February), Witt seems to have lost his game. However, since he once could do his current role successfully, he is a better selection to fill it for the weak Islanders than other players in their system who never have been and never will be shutdown-style defencemen.
The New York Islanders signed Witt to a two year contract last summer worth $3 million per year last summer. They have him under contract next year as well. That is another reason why the Isles keep him on their roster. They are not on of the more financially strong teams in the NHL and could not afford spending $3 mill on a player in the minors. That makes Witt the kind of player they would like to trade to a contender as the trade deadline nears, however there is likely no market for a player playing as poorly as Brendan Witt.
It takes bad players who play badly to make a team sit in last place. The Islanders have that this year. Brendan Witt has totally failed on their defence, but they have nobody better to take his spot. The Islanders use him quite heavily despite the fact he has been the worst player in the NHL this season (among those who have played a regular role). One way to improve the Isles is to gather enough defensive depth that they no longer need to use players like Witt.
Filed in: | The Puck Stops Here | Permalink
Tags: Brendan+Witt, New+York+Islanders, Raitis+Ivanans,
Comments
Pock hasn’t done much either. But Witt has played an extra 5 minutes a game to be -27 to Pock’s -10.
Pock is one of the reasons Witt stays in the lineup. The potential choices to keep Witt from the lineup are no better. At least Witt was once able to fill the role, Pock never was.
Witt is doing more damage to the Isles with his extra ice time than Pock is.
Posted by PuckStopsHere on 01/21/09 at 03:59 PM ET
how about derek armstrong on the kings. 22 games 3 goals 1 assist. healthy scratch like every game.
Posted by christian Sharaf from the valley on 01/21/09 at 04:04 PM ET
I’m failing to see your logic. Witt plays against the best in the league every night, while Pock sits on the bench for 5 minutes more a game (because he’s the WORST DEFENSEMAN ON THE ISLES), and this makes Witt a worse player than Pock? So now coaching decisions/time allotments/falls from grace are working against him? If a player is playing 13 minutes a game to another player’s 23, there’s a reason for that. Again… sorry, but poorly done. Brendan Witt is no where near the worst player in the NHL. In fact, he’s better than most Isles. I would know because I watch those terds on a regular basis.
Posted by Tim on 01/21/09 at 04:20 PM ET
Your rationale is based on little more than a simple glance over the statistics plus a bloated salary and therefore is essentially valueless. How about a player like Petteri Nokelainen of Boston who has 1 assist in 25 games. He’s a pretty regular player yet couldn’t find the net if you gave him a map and he’s on the BRUINS! Don’t blame Witt for the bloated play, that’s the state of the NHL today. I can reel off 29 other players that could contend for this dubious and poorly concocted title.
Posted by OkposoNose from Orange, CA on 01/21/09 at 06:44 PM ET
First off, I didn’t write it, secondly, wouldn’t you be better off debating the author of the column instead of tossing out “moron”?
Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 01/21/09 at 09:53 PM ET
I am not claiming I am picking the worst player who is on an NHL roster. Probably, that player is a relatively unknown who will play at most a couple NHL games in his entire career. I am picking the worst player with a regular roster spot. Essentially the player who’s poor play is doing the most damage to his team.
That is why Witt is a good choice. He is playing about 20 minutes a game as a shut down defenceman and not shutting anybody down. It is always going to be a close race so such an “honor” anybody who takes a big lead will quickly fin himself out of the NHL. I think the fact Witt has played a lot more than the other players suggested here - and doesn’t have anything more in his accomplishments except a much worse +/- makes him a very good choice.
Posted by PuckStopsHere on 01/22/09 at 01:20 AM ET
How about Denis Gauthier, or as he’s better called “the turned over pylon”?
Posted by Dan Cloutier from Your worst nightmares on 01/22/09 at 05:48 AM ET
“Whose” not “who’s”. Also, your (not you’re) logic is retarded.
Posted by Grammar Nazi on 01/22/09 at 05:49 AM ET
@grammar nazi… your “argumentation” is child-like.
Posted by fish on 01/23/09 at 10:58 AM ET
Don Cherry phraises Brendan Witt is his latest segment:
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hockeynightincanada/coachscorner/
You need to watch games rather than just look at stats.
Posted by Henry on 01/27/09 at 01:32 AM ET
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Most Recent Blog Posts
One Significant Reason The Rangers Are Out Of The Playoffs
About The Puck Stops Here
The Puck Stops Here was founded during the 2004/05 lockout as a place to rant about hockey. The original site contains over 1000 posts, some of which were also published on FoxSports.com.
Who am I?
A diehard hockey fan.
Why am I blogging?
I want to.
Why are you reading it?
???
Email:
Donate to Kukla’s Korner
That was a waste of time. Witt’s not bad. The Isles just suck, and the worst Islander is Thomas Pock, not Brendan Witt. Poorly done. You shouldn’t look at salary as a determining factor in this “study.” And you certainly shouldn’t look at points for a defensive defensemen. And the +/- thing is pretty weak too considering you’re talking about the Islanders.
Posted by Tim on 01/21/09 at 03:51 PM ET