LUKE WITKOWSKI - Defenseman - 29 - $.700MM Cap Hit - UFA in 2021-2022
LAST UPDATED 8/5/19
Witkowski is a rare breed of NHL player, one that would be commonplace in NHL organizations two decades ago but has now seen its kind nearly fall extinct: the enforcer. Who Witkowski is can be explained by showing his first professional season's stat line: 76 games played, 12 points, 204 PIMs. Players with penalty minutes are typically not found at the upper levels of NHL systems, yet here we find Witkowski, the "last of a dying breed" so to speak. Witkowski isn't a good skater, nor is he a good shooter, nor is he particularly good defensively. The puck should not be on his stick and he should not be on the ice in defensive situations. His value to a team is trhough his physicality, through his willingness to do anything and everything necessary to beat his opposition into submisson. For a young team like Detroit teeming with skilled players that may be prone to getting "picked on" by more physical veteran forwards, Witkowski is a perfect protector, serving as the constant reminder on his team's bench that anyone touching the young guns needs to answer to him. There's little value to that service that can be found in the box score, but as a former player myself I can confidently say that having a player like Witkowski means something. Obviously it's not going to make a massive difference in the win or loss column, and Witkowski will be a liability whenever he's on the ice, but in the right usage he can have value for a team desperately needing to protect highly coveted young assets. It's not an ideal use of limited roster spots, definitely, but to say it's a complete waste would be wrong. That's why Witkowski keeps getting his 30 games in the NHL, because he has an impact. A true enforcer, one of the last few in existence at the game's top levels.
Witkowski is a rare breed of NHL player, one that would be commonplace in NHL organizations two decades ago but has now seen its kind nearly fall extinct: the enforcer. Who Witkowski is can be explained by showing his first professional season's stat line: 76 games played, 12 points, 204 PIMs. Players with penalty minutes are typically not found at the upper levels of NHL systems, yet here we find Witkowski, the "last of a dying breed" so to speak. Witkowski isn't a good skater, nor is he a good shooter, nor is he particularly good defensively. The puck should not be on his stick and he should not be on the ice in defensive situations. His value to a team is trhough his physicality, through his willingness to do anything and everything necessary to beat his opposition into submisson. For a young team like Detroit teeming with skilled players that may be prone to getting "picked on" by more physical veteran forwards, Witkowski is a perfect protector, serving as the constant reminder on his team's bench that anyone touching the young guns needs to answer to him. There's little value to that service that can be found in the box score, but as a former player myself I can confidently say that having a player like Witkowski means something. Obviously it's not going to make a massive difference in the win or loss column, and Witkowski will be a liability whenever he's on the ice, but in the right usage he can have value for a team desperately needing to protect highly coveted young assets. It's not an ideal use of limited roster spots, definitely, but to say it's a complete waste would be wrong. That's why Witkowski keeps getting his 30 games in the NHL, because he has an impact. A true enforcer, one of the last few in existence at the game's top levels.
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