Base Keith Review
Alright boys I'm back with another review, this time a defenseman and my personal favorite at that Duncan Keith. I've been on a mini vacation of sorts and got back recently, it being a lazy Sunday I decided to submit this a little off schedule. There'll be no voting for the next review, I've got a premier player for next time, giving him a whirl this week so I'll have something to write on, anyways on to the review.
Pairing: Keith-Subban
Skating 9/10 Keith has speed to burn out there, his skating rivals that of Erik Karlsson, he has great agility which allows him to maneuver himself into better position in the offensive and defensive zones in order to allow him to make a play. His speed allows him to catch players that would otherwise have a clear breakaway and take away an easy scoring opportunity by challenging the skater. On the offensive end, he feels smooth skating out of his own zone, it's an easy play to make skating the puck out with him from the backend, Karlsson is the only player that I've found to be better than him in this regard, but not by much. What I think he does better than EK65 though is stay on his feet, Keith is a little sturdier, so when rushing up the ice he does not tend to get obliterated as much, he can shrug off small contact well, but he is still susceptible to the large hits from towering players.
Shooting 7.5/10 Keith lacks a booming shot, though I wouldn't call it soft either, somewhere in the middle is where I would place it. It is not always the most accurate, I find that I will miss the net sometimes even when the lane is wide open, but more often than not he gets the puck on net. His slapshot is definitely superior to his wrister from the backend, in traffic it can be a good weapon to use in order to get the puck to the net. His shot is not bad, just nothing that sticks out, don't expect him to snipe like a Karlsson, Subban, or Weber do from the backend, but goals from him aren't out of the question if he's given opportunities.
Hands 9/10 Keith once again rivals Karlsson here, I find that his hands are very good and can perform all dekes at a proficient level, allowing him to weave through defenders as he travels up ice. He has superb passing as well, breaking out of the zone he can make long outlet passes to forwards easily, and in the offensive zone I find that he can even make some passes through traffic if need be.
Checking 8.5/10 Keith is better at hitting than one would think. I often find him laying the body and laying players out in fact, despite my defensive game not being very physical. Point being, if he's up against a smaller player, he will deck him, if he lines up larger players, he can knock them off the puck. His physical game is something that I wouldn't use as a go to, but its something that is there and that you can have confidence in if you need it.
Defense 10/10 Oh my what's not to like here. First, his positioning is always great, I find that he is where he has to be more often than not, and this skill allows him to intercept those pesky cross-crease passes very often. His stick checking is also amazing, he connects on pokes and stick lifts with the best of them, very rarely does he miss completely, nor does it take him more than once to strip the attacker of the puck. His discipline is alright, nothing standout, but his positioning makes it easier to avoid penalties by having the right spacing to poke or stick lift.
Overall... Keith is my favorite defenseman to date in this game. He has a very strong offensive side to his play that is comparable to Karlsson in many ways, minus the shot. He can take the puck up the ice with confidence, or make a great outlet pass, offering multiple options when breaking out the puck. His defensive game is premier, he intercepts passes, strips the puck off players, and is multi-dimensional in the fact that he can throw the body if need be. I'd highly recommend using Keith in this game if you have the coins, he can improve nearly any defensive core and bring not only great offense, but shutdown defense as well.
Prior Reviews:
Posted May 29, 2016, 6:24 PM UTC