One of the discussions among Oiler fans and writers that has heated up over the last couple days is where Luke Gazdic fits on the roster. It’s always an interesting discussion because it’s often less about the player and more about the role he plays. In this case we’re talking about the role of the Fighter.
Gazdic, as you’ll recall, played in just 40 games last year and scored 2-1-3 and added 43 PIMs playing just 7:23 per game. He was the 25th ranked forward out of 25 in terms of Time on Ice per game. I think we know that he isn’t there for offense and to date he has been expected to carry out the role of enforcer.
As a fighter Luke Gazdic is very good. He’s is more than capable of holding his own when the gloves come off. He’s a big boy, playing at 6’4” and 230+ pounds. His weight, however is one of the things he wants to drop this coming season. As per this Joanne Ireland piece
he’s hoping to arrive at camp weighing in just under 225. The goal is to be just that much more quicker without giving up the strength he needs to still play a tough game.
Many of my fellow bloggers don’t believe Gazdic to be much of a player, perhaps not even an NHL player at all. I think that’s a little harsh. Last season he surprised me on several occasions with his ability to make or continue plays that I had thought he would flub. I truly don’t think he’s as bad as some people make him out to be.
However, even though I think he’s more skilled than he’s being credited, I’m not sure where he would fit in the lineup as a regular player. He’s a Left wing and the Oilers already have Hall, Pouliot, Hendricks, Korpikoski, and Lander/Draisaitl depending on if Leon makes the club. The reality is the spots are already filled.
There have been some suggestions that Gazdic play ahead of someone like Klinkhammer, and I can see that on certain occasions but not often. Klinkhammer is very fast, a physical player in his own right, and played pretty well on a line whose primary responsibility was defensive. Whatever strange thoughts people have about Klinkhammer really shouldn’t lead them to believe Gazdic should take his job on a full-time basis. Klink isn’t much of a fighter but taking him out in favor of Gaz doesn’t alter the look of the Oilers very much.
But what about the role of “The Fighter”? Is that important? Well the measurable data all seems to point to the same thing. Nobody can find a link to “momentum” and scoring goals or creating chances. Since the game is about scoring more than the opposition, that kind of puts a damper on things as far as fighting goes. This has lead a lot of my more stats-focused colleagues to completely discount the role of fighting in the NHL. It doesn’t do the thing it’s supposed to do, therefore it’s unnecessary.
I’m not so quick to join that side of the argument. There are many things we cannot measure that I believe are very important to a team as a 23 man unit. We have been told countless times over that players feel safer when there’s a player like Gazdic out there. We know that in reality the number of injuries doesn’t go down based on having fighters. We know that Gazdic cant protect a player like Connor McDavid because he will almost assuredly never share the ice with him except in warm-up. Not just that but the NHL has made it practically impossible to play the role of enforcer the way Dave Semenko did in the 80’s. Still the players FEEL safer.
The way the players feel is important. It matters. It matters over the course of a game just as much as it matters over the course of an entire season and beyond. It doesn’t make any difference to me that the effects of having a fighter in the lineup appear to be more psychological than anything else. If it helps the team then I’m all for it. And, I believe it helps the team. Perhaps it’s a learned response to having someone like a Gazdic on your side, perhaps it’s just natural to feel safer knowing the scariest guy in the room is your friend.
What we have to always weigh, though, is how much does that effect help the team compared to how much will playing the fighter hurt them. Will throwing Gazdic over the boards hurt the Oilers more than help them? Will having him in versus a player like Klinkhammer result in wins more than not?
That’s where this gets murky. I like Gazdic, certainly more than a lot of people. But I just don’t see many scenarios where it would make sense to have him in the lineup unless there have been injuries. Maybe showing up to camp leaner and faster erases a lot of the gap between him and the other fringe guys, but I doubt Gazdic ever makes it higher than 13th on the depth chart as the team currently stands.
The argument against Gazdic using stats like Corsi have their merit. A large percentage of his shifts start in the attacking end but the shot attempts/puck possession is lopsided against him. Maybe slimming down and being quicker changes that even just a little. I think he’s skilled enough to play under the right conditions but he really needs to prove it this year. His role is still important, but Gazdic has to be able to keep from hurting the team just enough to balance what he brings compared to what he gives up back to his favor.
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