Over the last three NHL seasons, a total of 159 games played, recently re-acquired center Marcus Kruger has scored just six goals.
But that likely means little to coach Joel Quenneville and the Chicago Blackhawks. Because Kruger’s worth to the Blackhawks has little to do with what happens at the offensive side of the ice.
Bringing back Kruger is all about defense.
During his first stint in Chicago, was one of the better shutdown centers in the game, as this January 2017 article from The Athletic’s Sean Tierney explained.
Few players were sent onto the ice to handle faceoffs in the defensive zone more often than Kruger.