Nashville Predators: P.K. Subban proved he is one of hockey's best

On the back of a 59 point, 82 game season, Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban continues to show why he’s among the best in the league.

As one of the most public and recognizable faces in the sport of hockey, P.K. Subban carries a great deal of pressure from year to year. However, throughout the 2017-2018 season, the Norris Trophy nominee once again showed why he’s so deserving of all of the hype. Say what you want about his personality and reputation as a showman, but that’s not why we’re here today.

The Nashville Predators defenseman put together his third 82 game season in his 9-year career, and was the only Predator to appear in every single game this season.

Scoring

Subban scored 16 goals, a career high, and added 43 assists. His 59 point season was a single point behind his career best that he attained back in 2014-2015.

Subban’s 59 points were 8th best among NHL defensemen this season, his 16 goals were tied for 2nd, and his 43 assists were 13th best. The only other name that is above Subban’s in every scoring category, is Victor Hedman, the favorite for the Norris Memorial Trophy.

While the scoring numbers are impressive, they don’t tell the whole story. There is much more to a player’s game than just the goals and assists.

Especially for a defenseman…

A Deeper Look at the Regular Season

During the regular season, Subban posted a 52.42 CF%, meaning that the Predators generated barely more shots than they surrendered when P.K. was on the ice. Not great, but not terrible, as there are also nine other skaters that are dictating the flow of the game.

Similarly, the Predators only mustered 2 more shots than they gave up, while Subban was on the ice. When Subban was on the ice, Nashville had a 49.46% scoring chance rate, meaning the other team had more scoring chances with him on the ice. And to top it off, Subban’s high-danger chance rate clocked in at 46.85%.

While those numbers don’t seem mind-blowing, P.K. was a stalwart for the Predators.

DENVER, CO – APRIL 18: P.K. Subban (76) of the Nashville Predators gets a breather on the boards after a fast-paced third period in the Predators’ 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The Colorado Avalanche hosted the Nashville Predators. (Photo by Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /

In Comparison

Many expect those possession numbers to be well over 50% for an “elite” defenseman. However, that’s just not the case. The other half of all of those numbers come from offense generated by the rest of the team.

In comparison, Subban’s possession metrics are almost identical to those of Hedman and Drew Doughty, the other two Norris Trophy Finalists.

His +13 rating for the regular season was 4th best among Predator defensemen, by a wide margin. However, he did spend the most time on the ice in most games, playing roughly 24 minutes a night.

The only real scratches on his resume were his 82 penalty minutes, which was 2nd most on the team, and his 97 turnovers, the most among Nashville defensemen.

The Predators were the most penalized team in the NHL this season, and oftentimes, P.K. was right there leading the way to the box. Similarly, Nashville was a very aggressive team all year, often resulting in risky passes or moves, that led to bad turnovers. P.K. was guilty of this as he often stretched his abilities, and tried to be a bit too cute.

Playoff Boost

However, in the playoffs, Subban came alive.

All of P.K.’s numbers skyrocketed in the Predators’ 13 playoff games, as he posted 4 goals and 5 assists. His CF% jumped to 57.46%, his scoring chances for went up to 57.74%, and his high-danger chance percentage boosted to 57.02%. With all three of those metrics, P.K. was looking at a 5-10 point increase in the playoffs. He was even snuck into the 55+% category for these stats, which is considered elite. Subban turned his game up, and although he had 10 PIM, he still was a greater boost to Nashville.

P.K.’s Power Play

All season long, Subban was a killer on the power play. His CorsiFor percentage sat at a whopping 127, 2nd best on the team. In the postseason, he had 4 power play goals, by far the most on the team, and again the 2nd highest Corsi For.

In both the regular season and postseason, Subban spent far and away the most time on ice among Predator defensemen, showing Laviolette’s extreme trust in #76.

He quarterbacked a power play that was top 5 in the league for the majority of the season. The Predators’ 21.2% power play was 12th in the regular season, but less than one percent away from being top 5.

P.K. constantly found ways to get open with a man advantage, and was known for unleashing his beastly slap shot as often as possible.

Final Thoughts

Overall, P.K. had another very solid year.

2017-2018. P.K. SUBBAN. A-. . D

Sure, he made his fair share of mistakes. He turned the puck over, and took some stupid penalties. However, when you’ve got a firecracker of a player like Subban, you have to accept those parts of his game and just try to control them. If P.K. stops making crazy plays with the puck, curbs his physical aggression, and just plays a flat game, then you’ve destroyed P.K. Subban as a player.

Next: Ryan Ellis’ Shortened Season a Successful One

Let Subban play his game, and just have fun watching it. Sure, he makes you scratch your head some, but when he smashes an opponent with a hip check or blows a 95 MPH slap shop by a goalie, you tend to forget the minor mistakes. Subban excelled this year, as his workload increased.

That’s a very good sign for the Predators in the years to come.

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