Devon Toews has been at his best since the beginning of December and the Colorado Avalanche have surged because of it.
In Chris MacFarland’s shrewdest move, he fleeced the Islanders while trading for Toews after the 2019-2020 season, giving up only a second-round pick for the 6’1”, 191 pounder out of British Columbia.
Toews has done nothing less than be a weapon for the Avalanche. His lowest point total was 31 in his first year wearing burgundy and blue, and he only played 53 games that season. He hasn’t been under 50 points since, all the while being one of the top shutdown defenders in the NHL.
Tazer’s plus-154 rating since wearing an Avs jersey is good for tops in the entire NHL during that span. Sure, he plays with future all-time great defensemen Cale Makar, but Toews doesn’t just ride his coattails.
The defenseman’s Fenwick for rating this season while shorthanded is a whopping 15.8, the second highest of his career. Prior to the Buffalo game, Thursday, he’d only been on the ice for ten power play goals against this season.
Toews makes an impact on the power play in his limited time on ice for man advantages, with a relative Corsi For percentage of 2.2, the best mark of his career when excluding his 3:30 of shorthanded time his rookie year with the Islanders.
Toews is reliable. Although his statistical numbers are down currently, he appears headed in the right direction, scoring four points in his last two games (including Buffalo). He’s also a plus-4 during that span.
Toews was in the right place at the right time against Buffalo, capping off a wild comeback win for the Avs, scoring his first career game-winning goal.
Of late, he’s made several defensive plays to stop breakaways or deflect passes. He’s seemingly always in the right place at the right time.
He’s also shown an aptitude, when needed, to fill the stat sheet. Avalanche fans are blessed to be able to watch Cale Makar nightly. In comparison, Toews’ numbers may seem paltry. They are in fact, top quality for a defenseman. Toews has scored at least 50 points in each of the last three seasons. He’s only four assists away from 200 for his career.
The compliments are plentiful when talking about the Avs defeseman. Toews’ ability to be steady in his own zone when needed allows Cale Makar to freelance like he does so well and adds more weapons for other teams to have to defend. When Toews needs to chip in offensively, he does so without hesitation and without feeling uncomfortable doing so.
Chris MacFarland got this one completely right.