Tampa Bay Lightning: The Real Matt Carle Effect

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Matt Carle doesn’t seem to be a favorite of fans and observers, but most of that criticism is unwarranted. Today, we will go over just how valuable Matt Carle is this team.

Anytime Tampa Bay Lightning fans see Matt Carle on the ice, it seems like they always expect something bad to happen. They don’t see the 6’0 205 lb as a valuable part of this team and even wonder why he is on this team at all. Well, the reason he is on this team is because of the $5.75 million dollar salary that counts against the cap, but at the same time, though he may not be worth that specific amount as of this moment, Carle is a solid defender that makes many underrated plays that go unnoticed by fans and spectators.

If you look up the name Matt Carle on Twitter, you’ll see some very…. interesting opinions about the Lightning defender with colorful language being used more often than not. Here are a few examples of some tweets from Tampa Bay Lightning fans that express their displeasure with Carle.

As you can see, these individuals are not necessarily part of the Matt Carle fan club, but they are part of the overwhelming majority of fans that seem to only notice the poor plays Carle is involved in and not necessarily the good plays that help the team win games. In this article, we will break down the play of Matt Carle and show just how important he is to this team. Hopefully after you are finished reading you will understand just how much of the criticism aimed in Carle’s direction is unwarranted.

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As defenseman in the NHL, one of the most important parts of the job is to not turn the puck over. Well, turnovers have burned Matt Carle more times than most and these turnovers are the main reason why he is so highly criticized. Carle seems to be on the wrong side of the turnover more times than not and those turnovers are easy to see to fans watching at home or in their seat at Amalie Arena. Here is an example from a few years go that just cannot happen as an NHL defenseman.

That goal, scored by former New York Ranger captain and current Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan, should never have happened. Both teams are in the middle of a line change and as a defender you have to understand that. Your job is to get the puck out of your zone safely, even if it means changing possession in the attacking zone. Knowing the opposing team is changing as well, Carle should have been aware of the oncoming pressure and made an outlet at the Tampa Bay Lightning bench where he could have backhanded the puck to either the forward coming off the bench or off the wall and into th e attacking zone. Plays like this don’t exactly help your case in terms of being a fan favorite.

However, when you think of turnovers, Matt Carle doesn’t exactly take the top spot on his own team. Carle actually ranks ahead of star blue liner Victor Hedman in turnover plus-minus. Though his number is still relatively high, you will notice some names that you wouldn’t exactly expect to be necessarily be in the same category as Carle.

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As you can see, the blue line in general had a problem with turnovers last season. In the same number of games, Victor Hedman almost had more than double the amount of turnover that Carle had. If each player played 82 games based off of these numbers, Carle would rank only behind Anton Stralman and Jason Garrison for the least amount of turnovers committed by a Lightning defender.

Funny thing is, you don’t notice anyone get on Victor Hedman or Braydon Coburn about their turnovers. Their heads are not being put on the chopping block or being asked to leave town. So, even though Matt Carle has a history of turnover issues, he isn’t exactly the only one that has this problem. Hold others accountable for their mistakes at the same level as you do for Carle.

Next: The Underrated Aspects Of Matt Carle's Game

We talked about in the last slide how one of the most important jobs for a defender is to not turn the puck over. For the Tampa Bay Lightning and Head Coach Jon Cooper’s system, another important aspect of a defenders game is to be able to contribute offensively. Now, that doesn’t always mean getting your name on the score sheet every night, but setting up an offensive opportunity or even getting the puck into the offensive zone is just as important. For Matt Carle, that is one of the underrated skills to his game that many fans just do not appreciate.

In a recent article, I talked about how the Detroit Red Wings and how they have found a possible solution for the ‘Tampa Triplets’. Detroit has a system that allows their defenders and forwards to clamp down on the skillful forwards so they do not have the chance to generate speed in the neutral zone. This leaves the Lightning defense the task of advancing the puck through the neutral zone with the opposition crowding the area heavily.

So far, Lightning blue liners have had trouble advancing the puck through the zone and into the attacking third so an offensive chance can be generated. One player that has done the job well more times than not is Matt Carle. Not only does he get the puck through the neutral zone, but he advances into the attacking zone and holds the puck so that his forwards can find open ice. Next to Victor Hedman, Carle is one of the best on the team in doing this. We have seen it not only against opponents like Detroit, but also against other teams that allow open lanes through the middle of the ice that allow defenseman like Carle to advance uncontested into the offensive zone.

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Another aspect of Carle’s game that goes unnoticed is his ability to block shots. Carle ranked second on the team, once again just behind Victor Hedman, in this category last season. If healthy for all 82 games last season, Carle would be in the top 30 in the entire league for this stat with an estimated 142 blocked shots

It may not be the flashy blocks where you see a player like J.T. Brown slide across the top of the circle to negate a potential scoring chance, but it gets the job done. When the Lightning lost Carle during the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Montreal Canadians, you could tell that Carle’s presence in the lineup was missed.

Along with using his body along the wall better over the last few seasons and improving his outlet passes, Matt Carle does more things for this team and does not get the credit a player like Hedman or Stralman receives. Now, that is not saying that Carle has exactly played up to the $5.75 million dollar salary that he is currently receiving and you would like to see some of the offensive punch that he provided back in his days with the Philadelphia Flyers, but on a team that has the chance to win the Stanley Cup now, Carle is a kep piece on the Lightning blue line.

Next: It's Time To Appreciate Matt Carle Just A Little Bit More