Other posters have already beat me to it, but yeah, excluding his rookie season (because I don't have the data for it) Kessel is +34 in 5-on-5 situations over the course of his career (617-583).

I'll grant you his offense is better than his defense (understatement) but calling him a "defensive black hole" or saying that he "[does] not tend to score more goals than [he] allows" is unsupported by the data. He is clearly a net positive at even strength (and even more so on the PP) even on the raw numbers, once things like empty netters are factored out of the equation.

In this blog

" I think the NHL as a whole underrates defense"

In the previous blog

"Obviously defense matters but in over 90% of cases, a good defensive play is irrelevant because the goalie would have saved the puck regardless."

In this blog

" I think the NHL as a whole underrates defense"

In the previous blog

"Obviously defense matters but in over 90% of cases, a good defensive play is irrelevant because the goalie would have saved the puck regardless."
- MJL

It's not confusing, unless you're used to watching a news channel that pretends to be confused when they take easy to understand things out of context and act mad about them.

It's not confusing, unless you're used to watching a news channel that pretends to be confused when they take easy to understand things out of context and act mad about them.
- James_Tanner

It's completely contradictory and par for the course with your conflicting comments. Your attempted political digs aren't going to be effective and are an indication of the strength of your position. You go there because you've got nothing else.

It's completely contradictory and par for the course with your conflicting comments. You're attempted political digs aren't going to be effective and are an indication of the strength of your position. You go there because you've got nothing else.
- MJL

Mjl-2,306
Tan-tan man- 0
Mjl Now officially owns Tanner. While according to Tan-man this is a bad thing, We all know the reality of this!

This Jimmy blog might get to be the most popular one on the site soon. He sure is entertaining if nothing else.

Mjl-2,306
Tan-tan man- 0
Mjl Now officially owns Tanner. While according to Tan-man this is a bad thing, We all know the reality of this!
- camfor

I can't even get insulted here, it's just funny to me that the dumbest person I've ever had the pleasure to come across in my entire life has his own personal cheerleader. The worst part is I clearly don't take this seriously, so it just makes your attempts to make fun of me sad.

I can't even get insulted here, it's just funny to me that the dumbest person I've ever had the pleasure to come across in my entire life has his own personal cheerleader. The worst part is I clearly don't take this seriously, so it just makes your attempts to make fun of me sad.
- James_Tanner

That couldn't be less transparent. The very fact that you have to repeatedly resort to personal insults is a dead giveaway to how much it bothers you and how seriously you actually do take it.