Brent Burns: Offensive Defenseman
Mar 14, 2017; San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) (Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports)
Brent Burns is one of the best offensive defensemen in the National Hockey League. That might be controversial, I don't think it is. He started off his career as a forward and was morphed into a defenseman.
Since then, he's been nothing but dominant, able to assist and score with the best of 'em. That's Erik Karlsson, Duncan Keith, and Victor Hedman, amongst others. This year, Burns leads them all by four points. He leads all defensemen in goals as well, up 11 on second-place Shea Weber.
He also leads all defensemen in points per game, is tied for the lead in games winning goals, and is fourth in assists. He's done some serious damage to the league this year. Presented below is every reason for his winning the Norris this year, an award that he might have deserved last year.
Burns's Norris Case, Simply
Brent Burns has earned the Norris firstly because the Norris is now an award for the best offensive defenseman. Do we need a defensive defenseman award? Yes. Will it go to Niklas Hjalmarsson? Of course. But that's not what we're talking about right now.
Jan 11, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) (Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)
Burns leads all defensemen in points and points per game and goals. He's helped to make San Jose a repeat Stanley Cup contender, and he's one of the best options from the point on the powerplay. Yet, that feels like it's not enough to overcome strong cases like Keith and Karlsson. After all, last year, it didn't overcome Drew Doughty.
Brent is ridiculously talented. The fact that he plays as more of a rover is a compliment to his unique playing style and abilities. But the fact is, even if the Norris starts taking the defensive part of the defenseman's job back into consideration, Burns still deserves the Norris.
Let's look at the advanced stats.
Burns's Norris Case, Advanced
We're about to get into Corsi, On-Ice Save Percentage, and zone starts. For those unfamiliar with advanced stats in the National Hockey League, Corsi is a possession metric that covers shots, blocks, and misses.
On-Ice Save Percentage covers the save percentage of goaltenders while the player is on the ice. Zone starts are where the player usually starts their shift.
Burns's Corsi is 54%. That means that 54% of the time Brent Burns is on the ice, the Sharks have the puck. Considering that Erik Karlsson is at 49.6% this season and Duncan Keith is at 51%, that's quite good. His relative Corsi (how the team possesses the puck without the player) is also good.
Mar 5, 2017; Brent Burns (88) (Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports)
He's got a 4.8, versus Karlsson's 2.7 and Keith's .5. That means that the Sharks with Burns have an incrementally larger effect than the Senators without Karlsson or the Blackhawks without Keith, at least in terms of possession. Again, Burns's case for the Norris only grows.
With Burns on the ice, the Sharks' save percentage is 92%. With Karlsson, the Senators are at 91.7% and the Blackhawks with Keith are at 93%. While that's also a reflection on Martin Jones vs. Mike Condon (who played most of the Senators' season) vs. Corey Crawford/Scott Darling, that's still impressive on the part of Burns.
The only problem is Zone Starts. Burns starts 58.5% of his shifts in the offensive zone. Karlsson starts 52.2%, and Keith 53.3%. That means that Burns has more chances of scoring because the Sharks and coach Pete DeBoer throw him on the ice when they're trying to score.
When Burns is on the ice in the defensive zone, it is also in part of his defensive partner, Paul Martin. Martin is a better defensive defenseman.
Should Burns Win the Norris?
Is the Norris defined as the best offensive defenseman in the National Hockey League? If so, yes. Brent Burns currently fits that description. If it means all-around defenseman or defensive defenseman, that's a different conversation. But for right now, look out awards night, here comes a man fresh out of a Geico ad coming to accept a trophy.
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