Making Noise: The Importance of the Larsson-Dunn Pair

When it comes to playing defense, there's a cliché in hockey: if you don't notice it, that means your blue line did a good job. And perhaps that's why we praise defenders mostly when they score points.
Vince Dunn has rightly drawn the spotlight with his offensive star power this season setting career highs in goals (14), assists (50) and total points (64). But so should his partner, Adam Larsson (8-25-33), and in addition to all the offense, this pairing has been a grounding and impactful part of the Kraken's success this season for more reasons than just what they do on the scoresheet.
Let's dig in.

How Swede it Is

The first half of this pairing is Adam Larsson, a 12-year NHL veteran. He came to the Kraken because he wanted to be part of building something new and he has certainly succeeded.
Larsson is the only player to have played in all 164 games in Kraken history. Among all NHL players, he ranks ninth this season in total ice time, and second overall in even strength time in play.
That durability aside, he is doing all the right things on the defensive side of play. If you ask Dunn to describe what makes Larsson so good, he talks uninterrupted for over two minutes.
"In the simplest form, I think (Larsson) slows plays down," Dunn said. "He's always in a position where he's between the puck and the net. The pace of the game has changed so much in the last couple of years that plays happen really fast and when things don't go so right (for our team) he's always that layer to slow things down and to at least, turn a scoring chance from an A to a B."
Unsurprisingly, Dunn is spot on.
Of the 203 defenders who have played at least 500 minutes this season, Larsson ranks 37th in limiting opponents' shot quality. A lot of times, it's because he doesn't even let other teams into the defensive zone. He has the fourth most denied zone entries in the NHL (3.19 against per 60 minutes of play at even strength).

If the opponent dumps the puck in, Larsson is going to make sure they don't get it. He has the best overall percentage of recovering other teams' dump ins. He recovers 66.4-percent when under pressure - that's top 50 in the league - and 82.7-percent without.
Once he recovers the puck, it's likely going to lead to a zone exit for the Kraken. Larsson is the best on the team in changing the flow of play to Seattle's way and he has the best exit success rate of all Kraken defenders (77.2%). If Larsson generates a solid zone exit, 83 percent of the time a successful play for the Kraken is coming right after.

"He's always got a mindset to make a hard play in his end when he has the puck," Dunn said. "That's usually a really solid first pass or finding a way to get the puck out of our end effectively and efficiently."
Should the other team get into their attack zone, Larsson tops all Kraken defenders - he ranks 33rd in the NHL in defensive zone stick checks and fifth for the most body checks.

If the opponent tries to shoot the puck, Larsson is going to block it more than any other Seattle player (3.5 per 60 minutes of play).

"I think his physicality down low…not that he throws a lot of big open hits, but he's always in people's way, always battling super hard in front of the net," Dunn said. "I think having a really smart stick is something that people don't really think about defensively. They think your stick is just kind of there when you're playing defensively…just kind of there hanging out. But having it in a position to take away lanes and to make opposing players have to take a wider route or a route that's further away from the net (is critical)."
Add in the ability to read when to join the play and provide offensive support and you can see why Larsson's skill is such a critical ingredient for the Kraken.

"He does pretty much everything you can possibly need in a defenseman," Dunn said. "You can see why he's made such a career for himself. He's doing so well this year and I'm really happy for him. He deserves it."

InVINCEable

And then there's Vince Dunn. Again, the points can't go unheralded. He's 41st among 981 skaters to play in the NHL this season in even strength points. Narrow that to defenders and he's tenth in total points in all situations (64) and tied for seventh in goals.

But this isn't just a situation of a cherry-picking player.
No one is better than Dunn this season in recovering loose pucks in the defensive zone. Part of why he can get to those pucks is because only Jamie Oleksiak has blocked more D-zone passes than Dunn - number 29 runs at an 89-percent success rate when it comes to preventing tape-to-tape completions by other teams.
Dunn doesn't turn the puck over either. He's reduced the number of defensive and neutral zone turnovers he had from last season and then there's that passing ability. Oh, those passes.
Only one player in the NHL (Erik Karlsson) has attempted or completed more stretch passes than Vince Dunn (5.81 per 60 minutes of play). That creates offensive opportunity…and a lot of times, that means goals.

Larsson is so proud of his partner. He's been
impressed by the progression in Dunn's play
. So too has Jaden Schwartz who played with Dunn in St Louis. He said his teammate always had the talent and now he's seeing Dunn take a very big next step in who he can be as a player.
"He's had that skill," Schwartz said. "He can see the ice and you can see his game just continued to grow. He's a guy that defends and does a lot of little things right. He plays against top lines and obviously creates a lot of offense. You can see by the numbers and he and Lars have been awesome together. You can (see) the focus and you know the intensity he has and how he wants to keep getting better and keep improving and I think every part of his game has just elevated."
What went into that? Dunn said he put a lot of work this off-season not just into his physical preparation but his mental preparation. He's not feeling tired - particularly in the back half of the season - and says he feels stronger not just in his body but with his mobility, strength, and sense of calm.

He credits a lot of that to his partnership with Larsson.
"We have a lot of accountability for ourselves," Dunn said. "We're pretty hard on ourselves to make the right plays. Individually when you do that, then the combination of you two is pretty steady most of the time. So I think it starts from there and I think our instincts click pretty well.
"It's not that he's not offensive, but he is more of a defensive minded player first, and I would say I'm a little bit of the opposite. Having him by my side grounds me a little bit out there and makes me a lot harder on myself to make the right plays defensively and just the role that we play. We need to be very reliable out there. And I like having that responsibility and learning from him."

The Perfect Pair

If you look at the characteristics of what each player brings you can see why it would make sense that they work together. Larsson is top tier at turning away opponents' attack and changing the flow of the game. Dunn is top tier at using his speed and his stick to take that and move play all the way down the ice to create offensive opportunity.
But a lot of what looks good on paper doesn't always translate on the ice. One must also appreciate that Larsson and Dunn have put in the work to make sure it does.

The two are constantly talking. In the locker room their stalls are next to each other. And they chat about everything from what happened in practice, to jokes and plans away from work.
As a result, they've earned the trust of teammates and coaches. They are a go-to pair in the final minutes of a game. Among any NHL defender, Larsson gets the ninth most time in the final five minutes of play (158.1), and Dunn comes in just two spots behind (11th, 157.1).
"Their skill sets match obviously," Dave Hakstol said. "I believe they match in the way they play the games. But a pair doesn't become efficient without really good chemistry and really good communication. They work on it.
"They're both very different personalities and people, but they mesh well together, and they work at their game."
All data current through April 14, 2023, via Evolving-Hockey.com and Sportlogiq; represents even strength play unless otherwise stated)