Saying Farewell – Robyn Regehr
- Updated: September 30, 2015
After saying farewell to Justin Williams, Martin Jones and Jarret Stoll in parts 1, 2 and 3 of this series, today we say goodbye to Robyn Regehr. Unlike the other 3, Regehr will not be on another team next season, but will only be watching hockey in Calgary from the comfort of what I imagine to be a very comfortable home, having retired from the NHL after 17 years of physical play.
Regehr is one of the more likable guys in the league, as his quiet leadership and tough-as-nails play on the ice were admired by coaches, players and fans alike. His presence in the locker room was certainly an asset. His play on the ice, on the other hand? How do I put this gently? Let’s just say it will be more easily replaced.
Per usual, we’ll start at the 30,000 foot view. Here’s Robyn Regehr’s play over the past 3 years at a glance:
Robyn Regehr: 7th D Man
What do we see here? First, the top bar showing Player Role tells us how the coaching staff viewed and utilized him. He was clearly seen as a defensive defenseman, as he played far more frequently when the team was leading (and they wanted to protect the lead rather). The rest of this chart shows us that there’s really no way he should have been getting as much playing time as he did. He got the minutes of a top 4 defenseman (often playing on top 4 pairings as well), despite performance that was indicative of a bottom pairing defenseman at best. Where possession statistics are concerned, he was nothing short of a disaster, as his usage-adjusted Corsi For % (CF%) was replacement-level. Basically, the Kings could call up someone from Manchester – like Schultz or Forbort – and get similar level production, except Regehr was being paid $3 million per year to do it.
His WOWY chart reinforces what an anvil he was, especially to the team’s best players. They’d never say it, but Kopitar, Gaborik, Carter, Toffoli and Pearson must be jumping for joy inside at the thought of a season without him. Just look how free they all look over there in the upper right of the chart without Regehr weighing them down. Wheeeeee!
Like balloons being tied down to a park bench
Almost across the board, players were able to put up shots at a much higher rate when they were on the ice without Regehr than with. And for all his reputation as being a good defensive defenseman, he didn’t really help much in the shot suppression area either. We can see this very clearly in his on-ice shot rate graphic.
Domine miserere
Yikes! In short, this is terrible. The Kings put up much fewer shots and gave up many more shots while he was on the ice than league average rates. Just as a source of comparison, here’s what a good player’s shot rate differential chart looks like:
Like Regehr, also Canadian. Unlike Regehr, good at hockey.
And the truth is, this wasn’t just a bad season, this the way he’s been trending for several years.
As you can see by the top graph, Regehr has slowly declined with every passing year as his Corsi Against per 60 +/- continued to climb. His lack of offense was acceptable as long as he was suppressing shots, but when he lost the ability to do the one thing he hung his hat on, he became a detriment to the team.
Those who defend Regehr’s play tend to credit him for things like “tough play”, “being positionally sound”, “penalty killing” and “clearing the crease.” But he was second in shorthanded shots allowed per 60 behind only Jarret Stoll, so he wasn’t as much “killing penalties” as he was “chasing guys around a lot while shorthanded.” And as the 1.07 in the pink area of his shot rate differential against chart shows, he actually allowed shots in the crease at a higher rate than league average. If your tough play and positionally sound game don’t translate into shot and goal suppression, and you allow more shots in front of the net, what good are those skills? Not much, I’d say.
At this point, you probably think I have some kind of vendetta against Regehr and that it can’t be ALL bad. While you’d be wrong about the first point, you’re right about the second. If there was one thing that Regehr defenders are right about, it’s that he played really tough minutes. As you can see from the bubble chart below, no defenseman started more of their shifts in the defensive zone than Regehr, and only Doughty played against tougher competition.
Ultimately, the problem is that Regehr was not deserving of top 4 minutes against difficult competition, and while his willingness to do any job asked of him to the best of his abilities is admirable, trotting him out there for game after game as if he were deserving only hurt the team’s play on the ice.
In the end, Regehr’s retirement is great news for the Kings. They could have replaced him with almost anyone and it would have been an upgrade, but they didn’t just replace him with anyone, and instead went out and got one of the best bargains on the free agent market in Christian Ehrhoff. I already examined exactly what Ehrhoff can bring to this team, and it should be heads and shoulders above what Regehr provided. Add to this upgrade the fact that McNabb, Doughty, Muzzin and Martinez are 24, 25, 26 and 28 respectively, and it is easy to be excited about the Kings defensive corps in 2015-2016.
Though I didn’t give Regehr very many props in his farewell piece, he does seem like a genuinely good guy, and I hope he enjoyed a well-deserved retirement. Prop those feet up on a couch, enjoy a cold one, and fare thee well, Robyn!
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