This week we are going to look at each team in the West and compare hits, blocked shots, giveaways and takeaways as a whole and then see who leads the team in all those categories from the back end.

I'll try to find some potential 100 hits/100 blocked shots players that can be very valuable in multi-category pools.

It was interesting to see some teams target these areas when they were adding players at the deadline.

I'm going to rank the teams based on their giveaway/takeaway ratio from best to worst.

Colorado Avalanche

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 0.46/60 min. (1st of 16)

Hits – 533 (9th)

Erik Johnson at 142 (7.33/60 min) followed by Kurtis MacDermid with 88 hits in 50 games (14.33/60). Josh Manson has 139 hits in 51 games (8.28/60) with most of that being in Anaheim.

Blocked Shots – 475 (15th)

Erik Johnson at 112 (5.71/60). Ryan Murray is the next best blocker as he has 41 blocked shots in 37 games (4.71/60).

Giveaways – 157 (2nd)

Devon Toews at 30 (1.3/60), Cale Makar at 29 (1.12/60), Erik Johnson at 26 (1.37/60) and Samuel Girard at 25 (1.23/60). The Avalanche defenders take care of the puck.

Takeaways – 144 (4th)

Toews at 38, Makar and Erik Johnson at 33.

Minnesota Wild

Hits – 363 (16th)

Matt Dumba with 107 (5.36/60) and Jordie Benn with 35 in 29 games (4.79/60) were the only two defensemen in Minnesota that might be perceived as being physical. The club added Jacob Middleton from San Jose who has 99 hits in 48 games (6.4/60) and should help in that regard.

Blocked Shots – 504 (11th)

Jon Merrill leads with 100 (5.67/60),  followed by Jonas Brodin with 100 (4.56/60), Goligoski (4.08/60) and Dumba(3.68/60) with 75, along with Dmitry Kulikov at 73 (3.99/60). Middleton has 92 (6.2/60) which might make him the most prolific blocker on this team now.

Giveaways – 128 (1st)

Matt Dumba with 26 (1.32/60), is followed by Brodin with 22 (1.03/60), Kulikov 22 (1.16/60) and Goligoski (1.08/60) and Merrill with 20 (1.15/60). Much like the Avalanche, the defencemen look after the puck very well on the Wild.

Takeaways – 69 (16th)

Brodin with 22.

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 0.52/60 min. (2nd of 16)

San Jose Sharks

Hits – 543 (5th)

Nicolas Meloche leads with 106 in 35 games(11.04/60), Mario Ferraro at 101 (5.41/60) and Jacob Middleton who was traded to Minnesota had 95 (6.4/60). Radim Simek has struggled to get regular ice time but has 90 hits in 34 games (11.55/60).

Blocked Shots – 593 (3rd)

Ferraro had 127 (6.8/60), Brent Burns at 118 (4.14/60) and Middleton had 92 (6.2/60). You can see how the Sharks will miss Middleton. Jaycob Megna has 55 blocks in 28 games (6.39/60) and is a potential multi-value add.

Giveaways – 256 (11th)

Burns with 71 (2.49/60) followed by Erik Karlsson with 49 (2.99/60) are always going to be fairly high in this department based on the style of their games.

Takeaways – 194 (2nd)

Burns with 48 (1.68/60) and Karlsson with 47 (2.87/60) are both a little unheralded in this department.

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 0.67/60 min. (3rd of 16)

Vegas Golden Knights

Hits – 459 (14th)

Brayden McNabb with 113 (6.25/60) leads the team in hits while Zach Whitecloud has 71 hits in 45 games (4.85/60). This is not a very physical back end.

Blocked Shots – 701 (2nd)

McNabb with 141 (7.79/60), Alex Pietrangelo at 137 (4.96/60) and Zach Whitecloud at 100 (6.83/60) lead the Golden Knights in blocked shots while Alec Martinez will be a welcome addition back to the lineup as he has 35 blocked shots in 12 games (8.99/60).

Giveaways – 218 (6th)

Shea Theodore with 48 (1.91/60) and Pietrangelo with 47 (1.7/60) are the two defenders you don't mind at the top of this category. You don't want to see Dylan Coghlan with 27 giveaways in 53 games (2.05/60).

Takeaways – 239 (1st)

Pietrangelo with 81 (2.93/60) and Theodore with 52 (2.07/60) are another reason why these two players are so good..

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 0.75/60 min. (4th of 16)

Seattle Kraken

Hits – 773 (1st)

The team was led by Jeremy Lauzon who was dealt to Nashville with 190 hits (11.38/60). Adam Larsson leads now with 142 (5.98/60) followed by Jamie Oleksiak at 141 (8.04/60). The Kraken aren't short in this department as Carson Soucy has 86 hits in 47 games (6.34/60), Hayden Fleury has 57 in 34 games (6.14/60) and William Borgen has 46 in 19 games (9.92/60). This category was a target of the club during the expansion draft.

Blocked Shots – 521 (8th)

Adam Larsson leads with 112 (4.71/60) and was followed by Mark Giordano at 105 (5.16/60) who was traded to Toronto. Hayden Fleury has 57 blocked shots in 34 games (6.14/60) which would lead the team if he was a regular.

Giveaways – 201 (4th)

Vince Dunn leads with 43 (2.13/60) followed by Hayden Fleury with 37 (2.11/60). For a team that has struggled defensively for much of the season, it is surprising to see this area not an issue for the defence.

Takeaways – 113 (10th)

Oleksiak with 26 and Dunn with 21

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 0.75/60 min. (4th of 16)

Vancouver Canucks

Hits – 605 (4th)

Luke Schenn with 214 (14.72/60) and Tyler Myers with 124 (4.97/60) lead the team in hits while Kyle Burroughs when healthy was very physical with 97 hits in 36 games (12.56/60).

Blocked Shots – 490 (14th)

Myers with 131 (5.25/60) and Schenn with 74 (5.09/60) once again lead the team in blocked shots while Tucker Poolman with 73 in 39 games (6.48/60), Burroughs with 47 in 36 games (6.08/60) and recently dealt Travis Hamonic had 58 in 26 games (7.28/60).

Kyle Burroughs could be a potential multi-add if he could stay healthy and get a regular role in the league.

Giveaways – 197 (3rd)

Myers with 45 (1.8/60), Quinn Hughes with 38 (1.44/60) and Schenn (2.33/60) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson with 34 (1.42/60) are all among the worst offenders on the team, but Schenn needs to cut down his giveaways a little.

Takeaways – 107 (13th)

Hughes with 33 (1.25/60).

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 0.81/60 min. (6th of 16)

Arizona Coyotes

Hits – 474 (13th)

Dysin Mayo leads with 95 hits (4.91/60). Vladislav Kolyachonok leads the team with 5.39 hits/60 and is about average with 4.04 blocks/60. He could be an option as a multi-category player next season but needs to work on his game.

Blocked Shots – 553 (4th)

Dysin Mayo leads with 115 at 5.9/60.

Giveaways – 234 (8th)

Shayne Gostisbehere leads with 56 at 2.37/60 but Kolyachonok is the team worst at 3.14/60 trailed by Kyle Capobianco at 2.88/60. The giveaway issue for both Kolyachonok and Capobianco will keep them at 13-14 minutes per game and from becoming regulars.

Takeaways – 120 (6th)

Gostisbehere leads with 34.

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 0.88/60 min. (7th of 16)

Calgary Flames

Hits – 452 (15th)

Nikita Zadorov leads with 146 (8.88/60) followed by Erik Gudbranson at 125 (6.34/60).

Blocked Shots – 491 (13th)

Chris Tanev leads with 116 (5.22/60) followed by Rasmus Andersson at 107 (4.39).

Giveaways – 267 (12th)

Nikita Zadorov leads with 51(3.1/60) followed by Tanev at 50 (2.25/60), Noah Hanifin at 48 (2.14/60) and Oliver Kylington at 47 (2.48/60).

Takeaways – 148 (3rd)

Hanifin leads with 30.

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 0.90/60 min (8th of 16)

St. Louis Blues

Hits – 542 (6th)

Justin Faulk leads with 127 (5.68/60), followed by Robert Bortuzzo at 104 (7.97/60) and Niko Mikkola with 103 (7.2/60).

Blocked Shots – 538 (5th)

Colton Parayko with 138 (5.55/60) followed by Faulk at 84 (3.75/60) lead the Blues in blocked shots. Bortuzzo with 76 (5.82/60) and Mikkola with 74 (5.17/60) are always in the mix but don't play nearly the minutes of Parayko or Faulk.

Giveaways – 201 (4th)

Parayko with 38 (1.52/60), Marco Scandella 35 (2.25/60) and Faulk with 32 (1.43/60) have the most giveaways on the Blues, but it is Scandella that should be the most concerning as he doesn't provide offense.

Takeaways – 113 (10th)

Parayko with 36 and Faulk with 29.

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 0.98/60 min. (9th of 16)

Los Angeles Kings

Hits – 540 (7th)

Mikey Anderson leads with 127 (6.89/60) followed by Matt Roy with 104 (5.14/60). Alexander Edler with 48 hits in 30 games (5.28/60) and Jordan Spence with 18 in nine games (5.66/60) are also a consideration.

Blocked Shots – 510 (10th)

Matt Roy with 87 (4.3/60), Sean Durzi with 78 (5.11/60) and Olli Maatta with 77 (4.81/60) are amongst the team leaders in blocked shots. Alexander Edler with 46 in 30 games (5.06/60) would be right up there as well if healthy..

Giveaways – 242 (9th)

Matt Roy with 43 (2.12/60) and Sean Durzi with 38 (2.49/60) are the worst offenders on the Kings now that Kale Clague is in Montreal. Clague has 34 giveaways in 34 games (3.6/60).

Takeaways – 80 (15th)

Durzi with 20 leads the club.

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 1.21/60 min. (10th of 16)

Chicago Blackhawks

Hits – 676 (3rd)

Jake McCabe leads with 133 (6.67/60), Connor Murphy at 130 (6.28/60) and Calvin De Haan at 119 (6.23/60).

Blocked Shots – 709 (1st)

De Haan leads with 152 (7.96/60), Murphy at 150 (7.25/60), Seth Jones at 131 (4.86/60) and McCabe at 130 (6.52/60).

Giveaways – 281 (14th)

Jones leads the Blackhawks with 55 (2.04/60) followed by De Haan at 52 (2.72/60), Murphy at 47 (2.27/60) and McCabe at 42 (2.1/60). Erik Gustafsson has 33 in 49 games (2.55/60).

Takeaways – 114 (8th)

Seth Jones leads with 28.

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 1.24/60 min. (11th of 16)

Edmonton Oilers

Hits – 539 (8th)

Darnell Nurse with 171 (6.77/60) is followed by Cody Ceci at 92 hits (4.27) while Markus Niemalainen has 82 hits in 20 games (18.64/60).

Blocked Shots – 534 (7th)

Nurse with 109 (4.32/60), followed by Cody Ceci at 90 (4.18/60) and Evan Bouchard with 87 (4.02/60). Duncan Keith with 75 blocked shots in 48 games (4.68/60) and Kris Russell with 55 in 24 games (8.82/60) would be the team leaders if healthy for a full season.

Giveaways – 291 (15th)

Bouchard with 66 (3.05/60) and Nurse with 64 (2.53/60) lead in actual giveaways but Keith's 51 in 48 games (3.18/60) is the worst on the team per 60. Newly acquired, Brett Kulak has 47 giveaways in 58 games (2.7/60) and he will need to clean that portion of his game up a little.

Takeaways – 116 (7th)

Duncan Keith with 28, Nurse with 27 and Bouchard with 25.

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 1.29/60 min. (12th of 16)

Nashville Predators

Hits – 517 (11th)

Mark Borowiecki with 146 in 44 games played (15.29/60) is a hitting machine, while the team added Jeremy Lauzon from Seattle who has 195 hits in 57 games (11.38/60) which gives the Predators an aspect on their backend that was missing.

Blocked Shots – 512 (9th)

Roman Josi with 108 (4.03/60) followed by Alexandre Carrier with 99 (4.7/60) lead the team while Dante Fabbro has 76 in 53 games (4.49/60) and Borowiecki has 59 in 44 games (6.17/60).

Giveaways – 220 (7th)

Josi with 57 (2.11/60) handles the puck probably more than any other Predator so it's hardly surprising to see him lead the defencemen in this category or in takeaways.

Takeaways – 114 (8th)

Josi with 34.

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 1.31/60 min. (13th of 16)

Anaheim Ducks

Hits – 528 (10th)

Simon Benoit leads the Ducks with 140 hits (13.77/60) while Josh Manson was traded to Colorado. The Ducks are pretty lean here now.

Blocked Shots – 471 (16th)

Kevin Shattenkirk leads the Ducks with 104 blocked shots at 4.44/60 minutes.

Giveaways – 249 (10th)

Shattenkirk leads with 50 at 2.13/60 but Josh Mahura has a higher rate at 2.18/60.

Takeaways – 130 (5th)

Shattenkirk leads with 26. Hampus Lindholm did lead with 34 before being sent to Boston at the trade deadline and Manson had 27.

If Josh Mahura can become a regular and play more than 13:42 per game his hits are at 7.19/60 min and his blocked shots are at 6.25/60. He is a potential 100/100 club member.

Anaheim's net giveaway/takeaway rate is minus 1.34/60 min. (14th of 16)

Dallas Stars

Hits – 486 (12th)

Jani Hakanpaa leads with 192 (11.14/60) followed by Esa Lindell with 98 (4.1/60). Joel Hanley has a physical element to his game with 41 hits in 32 games (7.1/60).

Blocked Shots – 499 (12th)

Lindell leads with 129 (5.4/60) followed by Hakanpaa with 91 (5.28/60) and Hanley with 31 in 32 games (5.37/60).

Giveaways – 280 (13th)

Miro Heiskanen with 69 (3.21/60) and John Klingberg with 68 (3.19/60) are both a little high in this department.

Takeaways – 100 (14th)

Heiskanen with 34.

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 1.38/60 min. (15th of 16)

Winnipeg Jets

Hits – 716 (2nd)

Brenden Dillon leads with 179 (8.7/60),  Neal Pionk with 155 (6.92/60), Josh Morrissey with 123(4.9/60) and Logan Stanley with 113 (8.56/60) combine to make this a very physical defence for the Jets. Dylan DeMelo with 90 hits in 61 games (5.02/60) just adds to it.

Blocked Shots – 538 (5th)

Dillon with 91 blocks (4.39/60) and Nate Schmidt (4.04/60) with 89 are followed by Dylan DeMelo with 88 (4.85/60), Morrissey with 83 (3.36/60) and Stanley with 82 (6.21/60) make this a hitting and shot-blocking top-six if healthy.

Giveaways – 325 (16th)

Pionk with 58 (2.55/60), Schmidt (2.45/60) and Stanley with 54 (4.09/60) and Morrissey with 54 (2.14/60) are all struggling a little in this area. Giveaways are the Achilles heel of the Jets defence and a reason that Logan Stanley has only played 51 games. When given an opportunity Nathan Beaulieu has struggled with 17 giveaways in 24 games (3.94/60).

Takeaways – 110 (12th)

Schmidt with 25 and Pionk and Morrissey with 22 lead the team.

Net giveaway/takeaway rate: minus 2.38/60 min (16th of 16)

The Jets have the worst net giveaway/takeaway rate at minus 2.38/60 minutes in the Western Conference and is part of the reason they might not make the playoffs this season.

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you want me to focus on any players or topics by messaging me below or following me on Twitter @gampbler15.