Mikey Anderson

Last Season

Four goals and 20 points in 80 games, plus-eight, on twenty and a half minutes a night — the most five-on-five ice time on the roster. He spent 64 percent of it partnered with Doughty.

The Finesse Game

Minimal by design. He does not carry the puck, does not activate, and shoots as little as any defenceman playing this many minutes. What he does is get the puck out of his own end quickly and without drama, which is a skill that gets overlooked precisely because nothing memorable happens when it works.

The skating is good enough to defend the rush against fast wingers, and the gap control is genuinely excellent — he closes early and forces attackers to make a decision before they have their options.

The Physical Game

Six feet even and 195, which is small for the assignment, and he handles it through positioning and willingness rather than mass. He gets his body in lanes, blocks shots, and battles in front without being able to simply remove people from the crease.

He plays through injuries and does not miss games.

The Intangibles

Every good team has one of these, and most of them are more expensive. He takes the other team’s best line every night, gets no power-play time and no attention, and his own coaching staff talks about him more than anyone outside the market does.

The read on him is straightforward: this is what he is, he is very good at it, and the only risk is that a defenceman this reliant on positioning ages badly if a step goes.