Pittsburgh Penguins Offseason Grades: Paul Martin’s Last Ride
By Mike Necciai
Over the course of his five years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Paul Martin became one of the most dependable Pens night-in and night-out and also found himself as a fan favorite among the Steel City faithful.
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Despite his lack of top-end speed, he always seemed to be one step ahead of the play. Also, despite his lack of offensive prowess, he always seemed to chip in with the occasional big goal or beauty of a pass. His hockey IQ and ability to read the play has made him one of the better stay-at-home defensemen in the league.
This past season was no different for Martin and the Pens. He contributed 20 points in 74 games-played and provided the stout defensive play that we’ve all come to expect of him. While many in Pittsburgh and around the league credit Rob Scuderi for his impact on the penalty kill, Martin was actually the best Pens’ defenseman in that right and logged top three minutes on the PK with the second best corsi-against per sixty minutes among that crew.
When you look at how Martin impacted his teammates, it’s clear that he’s going to be extremely hard to replace. His most frequent defensive partner was Kris Letang, and when that duo was on the ice together Letang saw a drop of roughly five shot attempts against per sixty minutes of play compared to when he was separated from Martin. But, impacting his defensive partner in a positive way isn’t the only place Martin contributed.
Among forwards, Sidney Crosby saw the most ice time with Paul Martin. It’s no coincidence that Mike Johnston and the Pittsburgh Penguins coaching staff made sure to keep Martin out there with their most potent scorers. His quick decision making and outstanding passing ability allowed for quick transitions and breakouts, and helped spring Crosby on the rush. Sid saw his corsi-for per sixty (total shot attempts for) jump by a hair over seven shots per sixty minutes with Martin on the ice.
Remember when the Pittsburgh Penguins couldn’t seem to produce offense when their defensive corps was in shambles? That gives you a good indication of how much the blue-liners can impact offensive zone chances.
What about those intangibles that everyone talks so much about?
Paul Martin was a glue guy for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and will continue to be exactly that in San Jose. It didn’t matter how much pressure the Pens were facing, he never looked panicked or distraught. While I’m mostly discussing the 2014-15 season here, that goes for his entire Pittsburgh career. That is, until the very end of his stint with the Pens, as I felt that down the stretch he looked frustrated and a bit lethargic.
It looked to me like the injury situation on Pittsburgh’s blue line caught up with him, and he was less than happy to be surrounded by the likes of Ben Lovejoy and Rob Scuderi every night. Neither of those guys were suited for top-pairing duties, and Martin had to carry them to the best of his ability. So, while I do knock him a bit for his performance down the stretch of the regular season, I’m not really sure I can blame him.
Overall, I give his performance last year a B+. He gave the Pittsburgh Penguins everything you’d expect from him, and proved that not all expensive veteran contracts are crippling. The Pens will miss him dearly, but I do believe that it was time to move on to younger, fresher legs in Pittsburgh.
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