Analysis: Louis Crevier, the Blackhawks’ diamond in the rough

Crevier previously appeared in 56 games over the prior two seasons, where he had seven points (three goals, four assists). It looked like he may be able to chip in with some seventh-defenseman minutes, but he added much more than that, getting seven points in his final 10 games, including two goals in the season finale against the San Jose Sharks.

With the arrival of new Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill, the French-Canadian’s 6-foot-8, 227-pound frame and long reach clearly caught his eye. Crevier played a team-low 8:22 in game two, his first of the season, but scored his first goal and gained his coach’s confidence more every game.

By the season’s end, the most common defensive pair for the Blackhawks was Crevier and Alex Vlasic. Their combined height of 13 feet, 2 inches has them tied with Zdeno Chara (6-foot-9)/Brandon Carlo (6-foot-5) in Boston and Tyler Myers (6-foot-8)/Nikita Zadorov (6-foot-6) in Vancouver. Blashill counted on them to play some of the toughest minutes against opponents’ best players night in and night out, a tough situation for a young team trying to shelter inexperienced defenders. Against all odds, Crevier held his own.

Despite his propensity to start shifts in his own end, he earned a reputation for his cannon of a slapshot, no doubt due to the torque he generated from his tall frame and long stick. According to NHL.com, Crevier had the most shots over 100 piles per hours (six) and had the fourth-hardest shot in a game this season at 102.83 mph. These are pretty impressive and scary statistics, especially for opposing goalies.

 

Back to his performance in the Blackhawks’ end of the rink, his advanced numbers are not as bad as one might think from the team’s final record. According to Natural Stat Trick and Moneypuck, Crevier is ranked in the top third of the league for expected goals and blocked shots, top half of the league in defensive giveaways and top 30% for goals above expected of defensemen with more than 500 minutes played. On the other hand, he is more where you would expect (bottom 25%) in terms of goals and shots against per 60 minutes. So, no one is clamouring for a Norris Trophy campaign, but there is hope and some potential that he could be a solid shutdown defender for an organization that has a logjam of puck-moving defenders.

The Rink analysis

No one is under any illusion that all the defenders on this team rank well league-wide. Crevier was thrust into a no-win situation and stayed above water.  He became a reliable and relatively consistent top shutdown guy for the Blackhawks, potentially surpassing his partner, Vlasic. His shot and physical prowess are things that cannot be taught or learned, which gives him a huge leg up on other young blueliners, especially for much less physical players. The fact that a veteran coach like Blashill gave him this level of responsibility tells fans that he sees potential.

The fact that Crevier led all the Blackhawks’ defensemen in scoring also gives some promise that he could develop into a solid two-way guy and potentially get some power-play time as a second-unit triggerman next season.

In a season of lows, Crevier was a ray of light peeking through the clouds. He has plenty of work to do and is older than most of the defensemen around him, but a focused summer of film work and strength building could earn him a sizable raise and multi-year extension next season. At the very least, he can be a useful fifth or sixth defender who teams are always looking to acquire at the trade deadline — a rare draft win for Bowman, and a useful asset for the Blackhawks.