Subj : The 5 Best Agitators in the NHL
To : All
From : The Hockey Writers - Main
Date : Thu Sep 10 2020 04:40 am
What does it take to be a good agitator in today';s NHL? Obviously, you must
have the ability to get under the opponent';s skin, but you don';t want to be
consistently putting your team at a disadvantage by taking silly penalties. You
have to be able to annoy your opponent on the scoresheet as well and you
certainly can';t be a waste of a roster spot. There are some players who have
mastered the art of toeing the line of illegal and legal to find a way to get
their opponents off of their games. Here are the five best at it in the entire
NHL.Nazem Kadri
For better or worse, Nazem Kadri has become one of the biggest pests in the
NHL. He isn';t afraid to play a physical game, but that';s come with a cost.
He';s faced five suspensions by the NHL since 2013 for behavioral issues, with
his most recent one coming during the 2019 NHL playoffs against the Boston
Bruins, where he was suspended for five games�for a cross-check to Jake
Debrusk.�Toronto Maple Leafs'; Nazem Kadri (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Michael
Dwyer)
When Kadri isn';t acting up, he';s a very effective two-way forward. And
that';s why the Colorado Avalanche took a chance on him when they acquired him
for Tyson Barrie and Alex Kerfoot last offseason. He';s averaged 54 points per
82 games over the last three seasons and eclipsed 30 goals in 2017-18. His
five-on-five scoring rates are that of a second liner, too, as he';s averaged
1.91 points per 60 minutes (P/60) since 2017-18.�
Kadri has been a boost for an Avalanche team needing center depth behind Nathan
Mackinnon. The price is having to deal with his lack of discipline. But
there';s no doubt they';re a better team with him in the lineup. He can score
and if he can play physically while being within the rules, the Avalanche are a
tough out on most nights. Andrew Shaw
Andrew Shaw';s regular-season production has never been that of Kadri';s, but
he did hit new heights in 2018-19. He finished with 19 goals and 47 points in
63 games, the best production of his career. He always finds himself in front
of the goalie and quite bravely so. At 5-foot-11, 179 pounds, Shaw isn';t a
very big guy, but he sits and takes a beating in front of the net to make
things happen for his team.
He';s not always doing legal things in the crease, but he certainly gets his
point across. Another thing that hasn';t been confirmed is the biting of Victor
Hedman in the Stanley Cup Final. If that happened, Shaw may have taken the
"get under the opponent';s skin" expression a bit too literally.Related: Meet
the New (Old) Blackhawks: Andrew Shaw
Shaw';s underlying numbers are impressive as well and further adds to how
frustrating an opponent he is. He takes a lot of hits but dishes them out at
almost an equal rate. He draws more penalties than he takes at even strength,
helping get his team to the power play. Once his team is on the man advantage,
Shaw usually finds himself skating straight to the crease and impairing the
vision of the goaltender. Like many agitators, he makes a living in front of
the net and is a big reason why the Blackhawks re-acquired him last offseason.
Brendan Gallagher
Some might find Brendan Gallagher';s name on this list a bit surprising, but go
ahead and YouTube some of his highlights real quick and you';ll know why he';s
here. The Montreal Canadiens needed a pest to match their rival';s pest, who
you';ll see further down this list. They have that in Gallagher. His added
ability scoring-wise makes him better than Shaw as Gallagher is a consisten
50-point scorer. He';s no stranger to the agitator part of the game,
either.Brendan Gallagher has a knack for annoying his opponents (Photo by Amy
Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Gallagher can get under your skin and it is truly impressive what he can do
with how small he is. At just 5-foot-9, he isn';t afraid of fighting or mixing
it up with players bigger than him. He once tripped Zdeno Chara in the playoffs
right before a faceoff and if Chara dropped the gloves, I don';t think
Gallagher would have backed down. He';s always around the goal crease hacking
away at players and goaltenders and just being a general menace. Every team in
the league should want Gallagher on their roster due to his ability to bother
opponents with his actions and his scoring talent.Matthew Tkachuk
You might not think of someone who';s capable of totaling 70-plus points as an
agitator, but that';s Tkachuk';s game. He';s not afraid to get in the dirty
areas and cause havoc around the net. He has 302 penalty minutes since coming
into the league, ranked first on the Calgary Flames. Tkachuk has also faced a
handful of suspensions, including one for elbowing Drew Doughty in
2017.�Related:�Matthew Tkachuk Is An Elite Agitator
Like Kadri, Tkachuk is a standout two-way forward. He';s averaged 1.99 P/60 at
five-on-five, ranked fourth on the Flames since 2017. He';s fifth on the team
in Corsi percentage over that stretch and has an expected goals percentage of
53.43%. Tkachuk is also a solid defender as he';s one of the team';s best shot
suppressors. He does a bit of everything, which is why he';s one of the best
young players in the league. And he hasn';t reached his full potential
yet.�Brad Marchand
You had to figure we would be seeing his name at some point during this
discussion. How do I know that Brad Marchand is a good agitator? He seems to
enjoy bothering opponents, and he doesn';t always do it legally. He';s faced
six suspensions from the NHL for a total of 19 games and is not a popular guy
around the league thanks to some of those actions. Generally, his actions are
pretty harmless, like when he started licking NHL players for some unknown
reason. Much like Gallagher, he is a smaller player, but he doesn';t shy away
from dropping the gloves. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MARCH 21: Brad Marchand #63 of
the Boston Bruins skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center
on March 21, 2019 (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Marchand is another one of those pests who hurts you on the scoreboard as well.
He finished with 85 points in each of 2016-17 and 2017-18 and set a
career-high this past season, with 100 points in 79 games. He plays a ton of
shorthanded minutes for the Bruins and is quite productive in doing so, too.
And with his offense reaching new heights, it';s safe to say he';s capable of
inflicting the most damage from the NHL';s agitators.
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