For as long as I can remember, Oilers fans spend the summer angry at one of the team’s defencemen. Sometimes it can bleed into the next season and often the target is a skill player (ask Paul Coffey, Tom Poti, Justin Schultz). This spring, the fans of the team I talk to are down on Adam Larsson. Never to be confused with the Coffeys of the world, why is a world-class shutdown player in the doghouse with a fan base that loves their gritty defenders?



Larsson’s value is tied up in suppressing shots and keeping goals out of Edmonton’s net. In his three seasons with the team, there are two quality performances and one that is off in several areas.



Larsson’s on-ice stats



This is a fascinating look at Larsson’s time in Edmonton. In his first season, the playoff year, his numbers are solid to excellent across the board. He played an enormous amount against elites, but his DFF (defined as a weighted shot metric using shot distance,...