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Florida Panthers: Jason Demers And His Defensive Flaws

By Daniel Janicas

Mar 17, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Jason Demers (55) shouts at New York Rangers right wing Mats Zuccarello (36) before going to penalty box during the second period at Madison Square Garden. The Florida Panthers defeated New York Rangers 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Jason Demers (55) shouts at New York Rangers right wing Mats Zuccarello (36) before going to penalty box during the second period at Madison Square Garden. The Florida Panthers defeated New York Rangers 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jason Demers was very disappointing this year considering why we brought him here. Defensively, Jason was a living nightmare to watch.

Jason was signed during the summer of 2015-16 to a 5 year 22.5 million dollar contract. Demers holds an annual salary of 4.5 million per year. Based on this past season, Jason did not play anywhere near to what he was being paid.

Defensively, Jason was a nightmare while on the ice. Too many times did we see him getting outmuscled to the puck. Jason’s defensive game was both weak and soft. Not once during the year did I see Demers level a guy or even check him into the boards. One of Jason’s problems defensively is that he relies too much on his stick to do most of the work. That’s fine, but up to a certain extent. Defenseman’s need to know when to play the body and when to play the puck. It seems Jason only excels at one of those two areas, which would be playing the puck.

Jason had a xGF (Expected Goals For) of 45.65% and a xGA of 51.85%. This right here scares me a bit. When you look at the numbers this year, you’ll see that Demers allows more goals than he or his line mates score while on the ice. Jason is giving up more goals while on the ice thus meaning he is a defensive liability. Secondly, Demers GF60 (Goals for per 60 minutes) was 2.09 and his GA60 was 2.77.

Going back to my first point above about Jason allowing more goals in than he or his line mates score themselves is worrisome. Demers was paired with Matheson throughout the majority of the year and it honestly didn’t work. Matheson and Jason are too offensive and pairing both together was a recipe for disaster. It was the same with Yandle and Ekblad. Going into next season, I believe it would be best if someone like Ian McCoshen were to be paired with Demers. Not only can McCoshen cover for Demers defensively when Jason jumps up in the rush, but Ian can also have the opportunity to play with Demers who is experienced within the league. They can both bounce ideas and plays off each other, which is a win-win scenario for both.

Next: Florida Panthers: Aaron Ekblad Confident He Can Regain His Form For Next Year

Regarding Jason’s contract, his contract is similar to those of Niklas Hjalmarsson, Andy Greene, Marc Methot, and Anton Stralman (Exactly same contract in terms of years and money). For a 28-year-old puck moving defenseman, 4.5 million isn’t too bad at all. The issue with Demers is that he’s taking up a roster spot on defense that could go to someone who can defend better for a lower price (Mackenzie Weegar). For someone who’s netting 4.5 annually, Jason hasn’t lived up to his price tag at all. His offensive numbers are decent, however there is room for improvement.

Defense is where Jason will need to improve on for next season if he wants to continue wearing the Cats jersey. After a year in which the team played horribly, I think it would be unfair if we were to ship Demers out immediately. This upcoming season will be a chance for Jason to prove what he’s really like when at full force. If Demers can improve defensively by playing the body more and adding more grit to his game, than I don’t see why he can’t succeed with us.

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