If there’s anything Devon Toews is known for, it’s being an elite defensive defenseman. But this season, he’s quietly become a major scoring threat for the Colorado Avalanche.
The veteran blueliner scored a goal and added an assist in Tuesday night’s 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. The two points brought his season total to six goals and 18 points in 19 games this season.
That’s already six points behind his 24 points from last season, and on pace to break his career-highs in point totals.
And that’s all while anchoring the top pairing alongside Cale Makar, and racking up over 21 minutes of ice time a night.
Tuesday night’s two-point effort was good enough to earn Toews the game’s third star. And when looking at his overall effort, you could argue he deserved the top star in the game. Toronto wasn’t going away without a fight. They pushed the Avs, but the ultimate outcome showed that Colorado was determined to shore up the mistakes that had plagued the team earlier this season.
Avalanche need Devon Toews to remain anchor on team’s blue line
There is no question that Cale Makar gets the lion’s share of attention. After all, the highlight-reel plays that he makes, plus his uncanny sense for making smart defensive plays, justify his billing as the NHL’s best defenseman.
But when you look at Devon Toews, a lot of what he does goes unnoticed. While some may take that as a slight on their overall ability, the fact is that it’s one of the best compliments anyone can get. You see, when someone is excellent at their job, there comes a point where no one really pays attention to that person.
Toews is like one of those employees who comes in on time, never misses a day, does his job well, and doesn’t mess up. In fact, it’s not until he messes up that you notice he’s there.
Should Toews get Norris Trophy consideration?
Absolutely. But he doesn’t usually put up the offensive numbers to make his defensive game the cherry on top of his Norris case. Perhaps if Toews can put up solid offensive numbers this season, at least within the same ballpark as Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Zach Werenski, the Avalanche veteran can get some serious consideration for the NHL’s award for best defenseman.
If he does, it would be the ultimate validation for Devon Toews. And it would be a fitting acknowledgment for all of the defense-first blueliners out there.
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