The best thing about playing the wing is that you don’t have the same defensive responsibilities that centers do.
That’s the lazy man’s take, at least. (And coming from a blogger, an appropriate one.)
But it’s also why Steven Stamkos has been shifted to the wing, according to Lightning coach Jon Cooper.
“The one thing I thought, he’s spending too much time in the [defensive] zone, and he’s spending way too much energy down there,” Cooper said this morning ahead of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final versus the Rangers.
“So to free him up a little bit, and let him get out of the zone a little faster and not have to play the whole 200 feet, I thought was something that was going to save his legs and give him a little more time.”
Lately, Stamkos has been centered by Valtteri Filppula, with Alex Killorn on the opposite wing.
“To have a player like Fil who can control the puck the way he does, " said Cooper, “he sees the ice, he can get those pucks to Stammer. He’s somebody that transports the puck really well.”
Frankly, Stamkos has always struck me more as a winger than a center. The three forwards that had the most shots during the regular season (Alex Ovechkin, Rick Nash, Max Pacioeretty) are all wingers. It’s a position that lends itself to players with good shots, and Stamkos certainly has one of those. He just needs more opportunities to use it.
Related: Stamkos doesn’t mind winging it