has taken some time, but his coaches and teammates are beginning to see what Marincin does well ? and it is unique.
?He?s got a good stick,? head coach Mike Babcock said. ?He?s a real good skater. Still got to work on his shot. But he can pass the puck, and he?s got good hockey sense.?
?He?s got a great reach,? added rookie Connor Carrick, who has played more with Marincin than any other Leafs defenceman since joining the team. ?He?s a big body. He tries and keeps his game simple for the other four guys around him. That really helps you anticipate where the pucks going because he?s predictable ? in a good way.?
[...]
He is also the kind of player ? unwanted and potentially underrated ? that Leafs management are scouring the league for, a cheap bet that can do some unsexy things well and provide enough value to outweigh the negatives.
It?s a mindset that?s not all that different from the Moneyball push in baseball more than 10 years ago for players that could get on base. Only, in this case, what Marincin does well is simply sort of get in the way.
Especially as the other team is trying to get into the Leafs zone.
?Stick detail right around the defensive blueline is huge,? Carrick explained. ?You?ve got to be able to create some disruption and create some panic in the offensive player. That?s what you?re always going for. If you don?t get a piece of the puck, at least try to make them move it before they?re 100-per-cent clear on what they?re trying to do.
?The idea is you have such great gap up the entire length of the ice that you are in the attacking player?s mind the entire time. Because this whole league knows you?re always a turnover away from a puck in your own net. That?s what you?re trying to create. The fear.
?You?ve got to create that fear of a turnover in them. If not an actual turnover itself. With his size and his reach, he?s able to do that a little bit sooner than a smaller guy.?
The impact that has on possession is dramatic. Teams are often forced to dump the puck into the zone when Marincin is on the ice, which ultimately allows the Leafs to recover the puck and get it back into the offensive end.
On the season, Marincin is at 55-per-cent possession, which is 11th among defencemen who have been full-time NHLers. (Drew Doughty, of the L.A. Kings, is first.) While some might assume that has to do with Marincin?s limited role much of the season, the reality is his numbers are similar since he was elevated into big minutes.
8)
