No defenseman in the NHL has a worse plus-minus this season than Alex Edler’s minus-29. That might mistakenly lead one to believe that he is either a poor defensive player or is having the worst defensive season of any player in the league.
Alex Edler saves a goal
Alex Edler was in the right place at the right time for the Vancouver Canucks.
Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
That wouldn't be accurate because not only is Edler a better player than that, plus-minus is also a pretty terrible tool for evaluating a player's on-ice performance. That brings us to this play late in the second period on Wednesday night when Edler saved a goal by sweeping the puck off of the goal line behind Eddie Lack.
That's not showing up on your plus-minus. The Canucks were ahead 2-1 at that point and added to their lead a few minutes later when Zack Kassian scored his 12th goal of the season.
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