FanSided

One stat Connor Bedard and Brock Faber should not be compared in the Calder Trophy race

Stop using +/-, it is an outdated stat.

By Todd Welter |
/ Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
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For some reason, the debate on who should win the Calder Trophy is still going on.

The race has come down to Chicago Blackhawks rookie phenom Connor Bedard and Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.

However, the only reason there are still whispers that Faber deserves consideration for top the rookie honor is coming from the Wild (a subscription is required to access). The debate should have been over the moment Bedard returned from a broken jaw that wiped out almost six weeks of his first season and went on a tear.

Since he returned on February 15th, Connor has scored seven goals and registered 19 assists. He doubled his assist production during that period as he had 18 assists before he went on IR.

There would be no debate had Bedard not missed six weeks with that jaw injury. While he was out, it allowed Faber to rack up some more assists to catch Bedard in that area. Remember, if we are comparing offensive production between a forward and a defenseman, we need to focus on that area. Bedard has 37 while Faber has 36.

The pro-Faber camp loves to point out how much ice time he is registering. It is impressive for a rookie to already be trusted enough to average over 25 minutes of ice time a night. At the same time, those Wild fans are overlooking that Faber might not technically be the best defenseman playing in his first full NHL season.

Alex Vlasic is having a good season in his own right and is not eligible for the Calder since he played one extra game during his introduction to the NHL in his career. No matter what you give the pro-Faber crowd as an argument as to why he is not going to win the Calder Trophy, they try to counter it, especially with one stat comparison.

There is one argument for Faber that needs to be thrown out.

The pro-Faber camp keeps pointing to one stat as to why it should be Brock getting the Calder Trophy and it is the plus-minus stat.

Bedard is a -38 while Faber is a +2. It is also 2024 and that stat is meaningless now.

We have Corsi and Fenwick and Natural Stat Trick stats that better measure a player's value on the ice. We also break down stats in 5-on-5 situations, power play, etc.

When you go to Faber's breakdown of his plus-minus, it is not all rosy as the Faber truthers want you to believe.

Plus-minus also is a bad comparison since Bedard is a forward. He could be nowhere near the goal and still get a minus rating if the opponent scores. You get that minus rating simply by being on the ice when a goal is scored depending on the situation.

Yes, Bedard has played most of the season at center, so he should be supporting the defense. It has usually been the Hawks blueliners making mistakes that allow a goal.

Hockey has evolved to the point where nearly everyone has realized it is an outdated stat that is poorly calculated.

For those still clinging to it as mattering, you either are a Wild fan (we are not here to judge) or still stuck in 1960. Someday it will either be calculated correctly (give the minus-rating to the specific player whose mistake allowed the goal-scoring chance and the plus-rating to players who touched the puck during the scoring sequence) or be removed altogether.

Join us in modern times, go with your eyes, and see that Bedard is clearly the better player. Not many people show up to watch Faber play. People are paying good money to see Bedard. He is rewarding them with amazing play every night.

Sorry Wild supporters but being a box-office draw should be a consideration since the league desperately needs to grow its audience.

The only good thing with the Wild faithful shouting into the void is that it is starting to make the Hawks and Wild a rivalry.

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