Flyers: Why Right Handed Defensemen Matter

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Is the Flyers Having a Defensively Suspect Defenseman Playing on Their Weak Side a Reasonable Replacement For Matt Niskanen

Shortly after the Flyers had signed Erik Gustafsson my wife found me wandering about the house muttering myself. I was going on about how we already had a left-handed defenseman who had some defensive issues and it seemed redundant to get another one. My wife asked me questions in the same way you would if you were trapped by an old acquaintance who really wanted to tell you about the exciting world of insurance sales, polite surface questions asked with no intention of retaining any of the contents of the answer.

In one of my answers, I said “It would make more sense if he was right-handed.” She asked if that made a difference. “Yes, no, sometimes.” I sputtered. It was an honest, though confusing answer. My wife has played a little recreational hockey, and will still gloat about the season she outscored me (I was playing goalie!!).

But even with her experience in the sport, I knew it would take a bit more explaining to some who had never played on the blue line. Before I could spit out anything more than fragmented pseudo thoughts my wife, convinced that this was not me going insane but rather run of the mill husband talking to self, moved on to the next of the task days.

As we know, it is not right-handed or left-handed defensemen that matter, it matters if you are playing on your strongside or your weak side, or put another way if you hold your stick on you forehand when facing the goal you wish to score on, is the stick pointing to the boards closest to you or the far boards all the way across the ice. If you are right-handed, your strong side is the right side of the ice. If you are left-handed the strong side is the left side of the ice.

Matt Niskanen, Philadelphia Flyers (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Does it make a difference? My answer of Yes, No, Sometimes, is accurate, as it also depends on what facet of the game the player is currently engaged in. The answer changes depending on what the player is trying to do and where on the ice he is trying to do it.

The core function of a defenseman is to defend of course. While defending, from the defensive blue line back to the net, being on your strong side does not make much of a difference. Most defense in the defensive zone is a scramble. It is a mass of motion and confusion. You find a man to cover and try not to lose them or the puck. If a defenseman starts on the strong side they will likely be forced to cover something on their weak side. Defenders look to engage opponents to take the puck. These battles have little to do with the defender being on the strong side or weak side.

In some cases, being on the weakside can actually provide the defender a slight advantage. Defending the rush is one such case, when defending on the weak side, the defensemen’s stick is in its natural resting position and takes away the middle of the ice, making it harder for an offensive player to cut back through the middle into the highest danger part of the ice. If on the strong side, if the offensive player attempts to cut inside, the defender’s stick is pointed to the outside, not in the middle, causing vulnerability in the center of the ice.

Also, at least for me, it is easier to bring the puck up ice while playing on the weak side. The passing angles are better when the puck is closer to the middle of the ice. When along the boards on the strong side it limits the angle that down ice passes can be sent, from 140 degrees on the weak side to 90 degrees on the strong side. Oncoming forecheckers have less area for outlet passes.

These are mostly good things, so what is the difference, when is it a disadvantage to play the weak side? That of course in the offensive zone. If playing the strong side, when the puck is cleared along the boards, as the majority of clearing attempts are, the defensemen can keep his head facing the offensive zone allowing him to see it and all the players in it. Further, the defensemen can keep his stick in a strong position, a natural forehand shooting position, and gather the puck along the boards. The puck is controlled by the forehand by virtue of being on the strong side and is in a position to be immediately distributed. Playing the weak side is a far different experience.

Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers (Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports) /

While playing on the weakside there are only two real options the defensemen can use to keep pucks cleared along the boards in the offensive zone. The first is to keep your stick in the strong position and then rotate the body 180 degrees so the stick is against the near boards. Doing this creates many difficulties.

First, the puck would be stopped and controlled on the defensemen’s backhand. The backhand is typically a weaker, less accurate, shot, or pass as compared to the forehand. Second, to control the puck, the defensemen’s back is now turned to the offensive zone, where his teammates are waiting for the puck. It is hard to see something behind you, and just as hard to pass a puck to players you can’t see. Last and most importantly, the defensemen’s back is turned to oncoming opponents. This is essentially waving a red flag in front of a bull, it is an invitation to be checked. With the defensemen’s back turned to the opposition it is hard to know when, where, and how the hit will be administered. All of these problems are caused by the rotation of the body into a vulnerable position as required to get the stick along the boards to stop the puck.

There is a different way to approach the same problem. As a right-handed shot, the top hand on the stick is the left hand. While playing the left point as a right-handed shot, it is possible to change from a strong stick position, reach out to the left boards with your left hand, only your left hand, on the stick to control the puck. Once controlled, the puck is then brought to the forehand and the stick is returned to the strong position with both hands on it. This way the defenseman is still looking into the offensive zone. Once the puck is controlled, the full repertoire of passing or shooting options are available. It is a good option when it works but it is rife with pitfalls.

Erik Gustafsson, Calgary Flames (Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports) /

When things don’t work in the weak stick method, the consequences are disastrous, and many things can go wrong. For example, sometimes the puck will hop over a player’s stick. If this happens when trying the weak hand method, it is likely the opponent will grab the puck that hopped behind the defensemen before understanding the puck jumped.

It often leads to a breakaway chance that will often result in a goal.

If the puck and the opposition arrive at the defensemen’s stick at the same time, it typically does not end well. With only one hand on the stick, the defensemen will be overpowered easily by the onrushing opponent. Further, the opponent will be moving at some pace out of the zone while the defensemen will be flat-footed and facing the offensive end. It would be like a car, the opponent, passing a tree, the defensemen, on the side of the road.

It often leads to a breakaway chance that will often result in a goal.

Even if everything goes well, the puck is controlled, the opposition is not yet upon the defensemen, the action of moving the puck from the backhand to the forehand takes time, even when executed flawlessly. The time elapsed in that set of motions may be enough for the opposition to close down upon the defensemen and jar the puck loose. The defensemen, while not flatfooted, and even with his stick on the strong side would be little more than a speed bump to an opposing winger looking to streak up ice with the puck.

It often leads to a breakaway chance that will often result in a goal.

Playing the weakside on defense adds a degree of difficulty to the position to be sure, but perhaps more importantly it changes the player’s mentality of how to play the position. The defensemen are starting from a disadvantaged position and need to factor the additional risk into their play. They may be less willing to try to hold the puck in at the blueline based on the proximity of the opposition. They may back off of slow-moving pucks leaving the offensive zone. They may be hesitant to try any more than safe dump-ins when they get control.

I have seen no metrics on the topic, but just as a matter of mechanics, playing the weak side point, players are less efficient at keeping the puck in the offensive zone. It takes more motion to get the puck in a playable position and attempts to keep the puck in the zone inherently come with more positioning risk.

We will see if Gustafsson ends up being a good signing for the Flyers. I think Fletcher deserves some latitude when considering how well a diminished Niskanen worked out. In the grand scheme of things, Gustafsson is likely not part of the Flyers beyond this season. But I don’t think a defensively challenged defenseman, who would be playing on his weak side, is what the doctor ordered to replace Niskanen and help Provorov maximize his skills.

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