Schaefer's two-way dominance redefines rookie impact, showcasing exceptional value far beyond raw scoring. He's rewriting the script for top NHL newcomers.
As the NHL season continues in its Olympic Pause, some statistics get made and, to nobody's surprise, one about New York Islanders' superstar rookie Matthew Schaefer shows just how impressive the 18-year-old is.
It's no longer a shock or any revelation to say Schaefer's the best rookie this year, even if Ivan Demidov leads the points race. Heck, as a defenseman, Schaefer has more goals (16 v 12) and only seven fewer points.
Offense is one thing, dominance in all three zones is another. Schaefer's exceptional two-way play continues to raise the ceiling of his entire career.
His value as a player can't be calculated, but Benchrates on X (FKA Twitter), tried to do just that.
The graphic strips away points, using them as a part of the calculus to get to the overall highest-contributing player, and assigning them a cap hit.
Obviously, Schaefer's contribution is the highest by far, with a similar gap of separation between himself and Demidov than the gap between #2 Demidov and #7 Justin Sourdif.
That alone tells you just how drastic the difference is. Then, you look at the Time on Ice (TOI) part of the graphic, and it's frankly laughable how much more Schaefer has played than any other rookie.
Only Alexander Nikishin is close, and he's still nearly 400 minutes behind Schaefer (roughly 6 full minutes less per game).
The Islanders don't have to worry themselves about a Schaefer contract for two more years. For now, no matter how high a level he plays at, he plays for a minimalistic cap hit.