It isn’t a huge move, but it’s a smart one.
Whether you want to call him a glue guy, utility player or defensive specialist, Lewis is the kind of hard-working grinder that every team could use to support its stars up front. The Kings retained the man himself at a very palatable cap hit.
Beyond the financial aspect of this contract, keeping Lewis on board was the right decision for a couple of reasons.
Reliability
Head coach Darryl Sutter trusts Lewis. That’s crucial, and evidenced in the 27-year-old’s usage stats. Among regular Kings forwards—Colin Fraser has only played 33 games this year—Lewis has seen the fourth-toughest zone starts and logged the third-highest short-handed time on ice in 2013-14.
Last season, he faced the second-toughest zone starts and second-heaviest workload on the penalty kill.
In situations where dependable players are of the utmost importance, Sutter has routinely turned to Lewis, and he has routinely proven worthy of such deployment.
He’s plus-five over the last two seasons and offers a sound, pesky and disciplined game. In fact, his blend of energy and hockey IQ has led to the best penalty differential (penalties drawn minus penalties taken) on the entire team. He is also tied for the third-best mark among all NHL skaters in this category.
A diligent forward who can play any position up front and consistently deliver what’s expected of him is valuable. He plays sound positional hockey, finishes checks, puts his club on the power play, kills off the penalties that his teammates take and carries a significant defensive burden.
Surely, that’s a piece w...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
