BEN LOVEJOY - Defenseman - 35 - UFA in 2019-2020
LAST UPDATED 8/17/19
At 35 years of age and having scored only 9 points this past season, I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking Ben Lovejoy was done. That being said, if you watch the man play, you can see that he still has some gas left in the tank. Sure, his offense is non-existent. His seasons of double-digit point production dried up years ago. Still, though, Lovejoy has a place on an NHL roster. Why? Because he's a legitimate penalty kill specialist and still has decent defensive value. Lovejoy isn't the biggest defenseman, but his decade of NHL experience simply allows him to avoid mistakes many other defensemen would make. He's seen everything, so he plays a calming, mistake-free style of hockey. Teams need veterans like Lovejoy who can play a style of defense very much lost in the wave of modern, puck-moving blueliners that dominate today's NHL. Lovejoy can still anchor a penalty kill unit and handle decently difficult defensive assignments, and his advanced age can be an asset in the locker room. Despite the fact that he's still unisgned, Lovejoy isn't the type of "scouts vs. science" player he may seem like. Lovejoy's isolated impact metrics are actually very strong and support the point that he is still a very effective defensive defenseman. Now, he shouldn't anchor a top-4 pairing, but I still think he can be a #5 on a bottom pairing with another #5 and anchor a team's penalty kill.
At 35 years of age and having scored only 9 points this past season, I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking Ben Lovejoy was done. That being said, if you watch the man play, you can see that he still has some gas left in the tank. Sure, his offense is non-existent. His seasons of double-digit point production dried up years ago. Still, though, Lovejoy has a place on an NHL roster. Why? Because he's a legitimate penalty kill specialist and still has decent defensive value. Lovejoy isn't the biggest defenseman, but his decade of NHL experience simply allows him to avoid mistakes many other defensemen would make. He's seen everything, so he plays a calming, mistake-free style of hockey. Teams need veterans like Lovejoy who can play a style of defense very much lost in the wave of modern, puck-moving blueliners that dominate today's NHL. Lovejoy can still anchor a penalty kill unit and handle decently difficult defensive assignments, and his advanced age can be an asset in the locker room. Despite the fact that he's still unisgned, Lovejoy isn't the type of "scouts vs. science" player he may seem like. Lovejoy's isolated impact metrics are actually very strong and support the point that he is still a very effective defensive defenseman. Now, he shouldn't anchor a top-4 pairing, but I still think he can be a #5 on a bottom pairing with another #5 and anchor a team's penalty kill.
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