DERYK ENGELLAND - Defenseman - 37 - $.700MM Cap Hit - UFA in 2020-2021
LAST UPDATED 8/28/19
When the Golden Knights originally selected Engelland in the expansion draft, I was confused. Hunter Shinkaruk was on the board! A former first round pick who had disappointed, but surely had some remaining upside, right? He would probably be a better investment than some late-thirties sixth defenseman who brought little besides physicality, right? I'll openly say I was wrong about that one, but it taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes, it's worth it to get some age on the team, even if it's an expansion club, to provide leadership and stability to a franchise that needs to start establishing a culture immediately. That's what Engelland did, from day one. Instead of getting a slight chance at Shinkaruk maybe breaking out and being the prospect he was drafted to be, the Golden Knights ignored my insane obsession with years of team control of young players (which has since softened, I think)to get a crucial rock for the locker room. Now, I'm not saying that Engelland is some top-pairing elite defensive piece. Because he's not. Deryk Engelland is the kind of defenseman who a coach might adore, but the computers will hate. I think that Deryk Engelland can still fit on a bottom pairing with some load management, thanks to his physicality, experience, and stability. Sure, he won't produce much offense at all, and shouldn't have the puck on his stick really at all, but the tread on his tires and the leadership he brings should at least make him a fine #7. The computers, though, disagree. Which is totally, fine, I respect the impact and value of advanced stats in hockey. Engelland's isolated impact metrics are a complete disaster. He's measured as a significant liability in his own end, allowing scoring chances on the PK and at 5v5 at a rate well above league average. He's also measured as a decent offensive liability, and that's honestly quite believable when watching him on tape. Still, I think that there are certain elements to his game that are important, and I don't want to write him off just yet. But yeah, he's probably a #7 at this point, not someone who should play every night.
When the Golden Knights originally selected Engelland in the expansion draft, I was confused. Hunter Shinkaruk was on the board! A former first round pick who had disappointed, but surely had some remaining upside, right? He would probably be a better investment than some late-thirties sixth defenseman who brought little besides physicality, right? I'll openly say I was wrong about that one, but it taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes, it's worth it to get some age on the team, even if it's an expansion club, to provide leadership and stability to a franchise that needs to start establishing a culture immediately. That's what Engelland did, from day one. Instead of getting a slight chance at Shinkaruk maybe breaking out and being the prospect he was drafted to be, the Golden Knights ignored my insane obsession with years of team control of young players (which has since softened, I think)to get a crucial rock for the locker room. Now, I'm not saying that Engelland is some top-pairing elite defensive piece. Because he's not. Deryk Engelland is the kind of defenseman who a coach might adore, but the computers will hate. I think that Deryk Engelland can still fit on a bottom pairing with some load management, thanks to his physicality, experience, and stability. Sure, he won't produce much offense at all, and shouldn't have the puck on his stick really at all, but the tread on his tires and the leadership he brings should at least make him a fine #7. The computers, though, disagree. Which is totally, fine, I respect the impact and value of advanced stats in hockey. Engelland's isolated impact metrics are a complete disaster. He's measured as a significant liability in his own end, allowing scoring chances on the PK and at 5v5 at a rate well above league average. He's also measured as a decent offensive liability, and that's honestly quite believable when watching him on tape. Still, I think that there are certain elements to his game that are important, and I don't want to write him off just yet. But yeah, he's probably a #7 at this point, not someone who should play every night.
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