Ultimately, this has culminated in the Vegas Golden Knights being right in the playoff mix in the Pacific Division. Despite their recent success, the defense corps has been a bit of a mixed bag early on. Now on the "back nine" of the regular season, here are my first-half player grades for the d-men.
Defensemen:
Deryk Engelland:
Engelland is looked at internally as a leader, a steady defensive-defenseman, and a mentor to the young players in the system. Hague has commented that Engelland is "easy to play with", but his actual on-ice performance ranks toward the bottom of the league in nearly all metrics.
Grade: C- ESPN Fantasy Ranking: 113
Nic Hague:
"I like the kid a lot.....He will be a great defenseman in the NHL."
- Gerard Gallant
Grade: B ESPN Fantasy Ranking: 152
Nick Holden:
Grade: B+ ESPN Fantasy Ranking: 134
Brayden McNabb:
Grade: B ESPN Fantasy Ranking: 96
Jon Merrill:
Grade: B ESPN Fantasy Ranking: 155
Nate Schmidt:
Grade: B ESPN Fantasy Ranking: 63
Shea Theodore:
Grade: A ESPN Fantasy Ranking: 30
You may have noticed a similar theme for a few players. Most guys have been just alright. They've played within their skillset and expectations, but haven't done anything too Earth-shattering to separate themselves from the pack. Without Colin Miller in the mix - traded to Buffalo - the defense is built in a less dynamic fashion.
I tend to grade with a baseline of expectation, therefore the pedestrian B grades were no surprise as I worked through this. A few outliers exist - Holden has been a pleasant surprise, Engelland has been rough, and Theodore has been great - but it has been a pretty ho-hum first-half for the blue liners.
Be sure to keep an eye out for Part Three of the midseason grades. Next up are the forwards!
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