Price is Right: Burroughs-Stillman ice time battle has been a Canucks head scratcher

Kyle Burroughs is a mystery, wrapped in an enigma. I should clarify, not the actual person. I mean, how Burroughs’ season has unfurled, certainly leaves one scratching their head.

Time and time again, the head coach has praised the tenacity of the defenceman. Probably doesn’t hate that he’s dropped the gloves a few times in his mere 11 games this season. Probably doesn’t hate that he can just plain be a pain the ass to play against.

So much so, that in the 11 games Burroughs has played this season, the head coach has played him an average of 18 minutes and 13 seconds.

Defencemen that average over 18 minutes aren’t often the guys that have trouble playing every night in the NHL. But that’s what’s been happening for the local kid and product of Langley Eagles minor hockey.

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Maybe Bruce Boudreau has just been of the mind that he’s got so many 6-7 defencemen that he has to rotate after losses. But there’s holes in that argument, see Riley Stillman. And after seeing a lot of losses in the first couple of weeks, in fact Burroughs lost the first six games he dressed in, he’s actually been on the winning side in four of his last five appearances. The only blemish coming in Boston to the Bruins, who quite simply don’t lose to anybody at home this season apparently.

Just for comparison’s sake, the aforementioned Mr. Stillman has been in the lineup for just two wins, all season long. His average ice time: 14:26. That sounds like a guy who comes in and out of the lineup.

It makes no sense.

The fancy stats support Burroughs too. His expected goals-for percentage is highest on the team at Naturalstattrick.com.

Burroughs’ expected goals-against? Lowest on the team. Yeah, seriously.

Bulletin here: Burroughs won’t win the Norris this season or any one after. This isn’t a case of me arguing that he should be in the top four, on the power play, or anything extravagant. I’m merely saying he should, you know, play. And more than arguing for a four-line winger who will only play eight minutes a game, this guy does a pretty decent job for almost a third of any given hockey game. That’s useful! The coach even thinks so.

So why not play him every night?

It doesn’t compute.