Defense is probably the most difficult position to properly rank players, because their impact goes well beyond goals, assists and plus/minus, the simple objective statistics.
The New Jersey Devils, not usually involved in high stakes deals, got themselves one of the most prolific goal scorers of the last decade in Ilya Kovalchuk.
The Final Four is now set, but which players have had the greatest individual success through the first two rounds of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
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‘Out with the old and in with the new’ is the theme for this year’s United States Olympic squad, as Leafs’ general manager Brian Burke and his team (notables being Kings’ general manager Dean Lombardi and Leafs’ coach Ron Wilson) have chosen a crop of young talent with sparse Olympic experience this time around. Young upstarts such as Erik and Jack Johnson will be seen on the blueline, and not Chris Chelios; Zach Parise, Patrick Kane and Bobby Ryan will be prominent in the forward rotation, and not Mike Modano, Scott Gomez or Brian Gionta. Speed, skill and hunger should prove to overshadow lack of experience this year, as the Americans have their best chance at a medal in recent memory.
10. Joe Pavelski – San Jose Sharks
After surprising the league last year with 25 goals, 34 assists and 59 points, big things were expected of “The Other Joe” in San Jose. The 7th round pick broke into the NHL with a bang in 2006-07, scoring seven goals in his first 12 games in a season shortened by injury. He improved from 28 points to 40 as a sophomore before his largely successful year last year. In the 2008 playoffs he was one of the best players for the Sharks, with five goals and four assists in 13 games. This season has been very up and down for Pavelski, best evidenced by January alone. He started January 2010 pointless in the first 7 games of the month. But he has been on fire lately, with an outstanding 12 points in his last six games. Overall he has 34 points in 42 games.
9. Ryan Malone – Tampa Bay Lightning
Malone was drafted in the 4th round of the 1999 Draft shortly after he graduated high school, but instead of playing professionally he played four seasons at St. Cloud State University. He made his NHL debut in 2003-04, playing in 81 games in a successful rookie year that saw him pour in 22 goals and finishing third on the team with 43 points. He scored 22 again the year after the lockout, but started to really establish himself in 2007-08 when he had 27 goals, 51 points and 103 penalty minutes in 77 games, playing largely alongside Sidney Crosby. After making the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, the hard-nosed assistant captain had his rights sent to Tampa Bay, who inked him to a 7 year/$31 million contract. The power-play weapon is on pace for career highs across the board, with 21 goals (7 of which are game winning goals) and 20 assists through his first 54 games.
8. Bobby Ryan – Anaheim Ducks
Ryan has a lot of weight on his shoulders, along with very high expectations. He could either be the answer to a trivia question (Question: Who was drafted 2nd overall behind Sidney Crosby in 2005?), or one of the most dangerous offensive players in the game. Fortunately for the Ducks and Team USA, he appears headed for the latter. After an incredible OHL career with the Owen Sound Attack (325 points in 248 games), he was, in my opinion, mistreated early in his career by the Anaheim organization. He made the opening day Ducks roster in 2007-08 and 2008-09, only to be sent down shortly thereafter. Upon being called back up to the big club last year, he finished with 31 goals and 26 assists for 57 points in 64 points, setting the Ducks record for points by a rookie (previously 45) and was a finalist for rookie of the year, losing out to Columbus goalie Steve Mason. The highlight reel sniper has been streaky this year (2 points in his first nine games; three in his last 6) but still productive, with 24 goals and 43 points in 55 games.
7. Jamie Langenbrunner – New Jersey Devils
Langenbrunner has been a consummate professional for a long time in the NHL, thus the Devils’ captain was a logical choice to captain the American squad. He was drafted way back in 1993 by the Stars and broke into the NHL full time in 1996-97. He was an offensive star in the OHL (190 points in 124 games), but has been more of a second-line player throughout his entire NHL career. In fact, his best statistical season was last year at the age of 33 when he had 29 goals and 40 assists for 69 points. While being a slightly-better-than-average offensive player during the regular season, he is known as one of the best playoff performers of his generation. He won his first Stanley Cup as a member of the Stars in 1999, contributing 10 goals and 17 points in 23 games. His second Cup came in 2003 with the Devils, and he won the playoff scoring race with 11 goals and 18 points in 24 games. 12 of his 33 career playoff goals are game winners, tying him with such playoff legends as Phil Esposito and Mark Messier. He continues to age well, as this season he may beat some of his career highs (14 goals, 31 assists, 45 points through 54 games) and finally recorded his first career hat-trick on January 2, 2010. His offensive game will not be needed as much with this team as with the Devils, but his leadership and experience (first played in the Olympics in 1998), along with gritty defensive play will be a key to their success.
6. Phil Kessel – Toronto Maple Leafs
Ever since being drafted 5th overall in 2005, Kessel has had high expectations placed upon him. However his career started out troublesome outside of the rink, as he was diagnosed with a testicular cancer. Later in that same year, 2006, it was announced he was cancer free and missed only 11 games in his rookie year due to this. He didn’t light the world on fire by any means, with 11 goals and 18 assists in 70 games, but he did win the Bill Masterston Trophy for perseverance. His sophomore year in 2007-08 he improved slightly to 19 goals, but broke out last year with 36 snipes and 60 points in 70 games. After the playoffs that year, he needed shoulder surgery which caused him to miss the start of this year, his first as a Leaf. High expectations surround Kessel in Toronto, considering GM Brian Burke traded the Leafs’ first round pick this year (currently a top-3 pick) and next year for Kessel during free agency last summer after he was inked to a 5 year/$27 million contract. Leafs Nation is a heavy group to carry when you are merely 22 years old, but Kessel has handled himself well. Despite playing without a first line center this year, he has 18 goals in 46 games with Toronto, and is on pace for a more-than-respectable 26 in 65. There is no doubt that he is missing the playmaking capabilities of former linemate Marc Savard in Boston, and with the mass exodus of forwards sent out by Burke in last Sunday’s trading frenzy, he will have to create even more opportunities for himself from here on out (barring another major trade). Lucky for Phil, the Olympics will be a nice “break” where he will not be forced to shoulder the load offensively, and will get to play with much more talent teammates.
5. Dustin Brown – Los Angeles Kings
Like Kesler below, Brown is a great two-way forward, leader, and a member of the 2003 draft. He currently captains the very talented Los Angeles Kings team, and has done so since October of 2008 at the tender age of 23. The Guelph Storm (OHL) standout (194 points in 174 games) found his way into the NHL for good during the 2005-06 season, but was mainly a defensive/checking forward until 2007-08 when he played on the top line with Anze Kopitar and led the team with 33 goals en route to a career high 60 points. Last year he had 24 goals and 29 assists and currently sits with 13 and 26 through 56 games. The numbers don’t jump out at you, but Brown is the type of guy who does all of the things that don’t necessarily show up on the score sheet. He leads by example, he works hard on every shift of every game, he is one of the better forwards defensively, he is fundamentally sound positionally, he doesn’t take bad penalties, he doesn’t make careless turnovers, he is an asset on the power play and penalty kill, and will should be a very important factor in the Americans’ Olympic run.
4. Ryan Kesler – Vancouver Canucks
After being drafted late in the first round in 2003, Kesler started the season in the AHL and split time between there and the Canucks. The following year was the lockout, and he spent it back in the AHL where he was voted as the team’s MVP. He hasn’t looked back to the AHL since, becoming a regular staple in the Canucks lineup, carving out a niche as one of the premier defensive forwards in the entire NHL. He showed incredible leadership on the ice, especially for someone young not a ‘star’ player. As a reward, he was chosen as an alternate captain before the start of last season and has only gotten better and more vocal because of it. He finished last season with career highs across the board: 26 goals, 33 assists and 59 points. He was voted the team’s MVP (again) and was a finalist for the Frank J. Selke trophy, awarded to the league’s top defensive forward. This year his offensive game has taken a leap to the next level, currently sitting at 14 goals, 35 assists and 49 points; he is on pace for a career-best 73 points. His offense will not be as needed with the Olympic team, but his will surely be tasked with covering the opposition’s top line, and his familiarity with the Vancouver arena will do nothing but help his cause.
3. Paul Stastny – Colorado Avalanche
It’s hard to believe that Stastny has just turned 24 in December. He was a 2nd round pick in 2005 by the Avalanche and is a fan favorite in the organization because his father, Peter, played for the Quebec Nordiques from 1980 to 1990 well before they relocated to Colorado. Peter is a Hall of Famer, so Paul has a very large shadow to play in, yet he has begun his career handling that pressure remarkably well. As a rookie in 2006-07 he finished second to Evgeni Malkin in voting for the Calder trophy for rookie of the year, as he tallied 28 goals and 50 assists while playing all 82 games. During that season, he had a 20 game point streak, which is still an NHL rookie record and a franchise record. As a sophomore, he battled injuries and played in only 66 games, but produced more than a point per game with 71 and finishing with a very strong +22 rating. This was his first of two straight seasons being chosen as an All-Star, but both years he missed the game due to injury; he only played 45 games last year, largely due to a broken foot. This year he is helping to key a big Avalanche turnaround, as the team is right in the middle of the playoff picture and one of the surprise stories of the year. He has 49 points in 56 games and serves as an assistant captain – a likely choice to become captain once the team parts with Adam Foote.
1b. Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
It’s really unfair to have Kane as #2, that is why I chose to list him as 1b. It also goes to show just how much fire power this American team has. (The reasons why I chose not to have Kane as the top dog on this list will be read in the next section.) I don’t need to go into great detail explaining the great skill that Kane possesses, especially for a kid merely 21 years of age. He was the first overall pick in the 2007 draft and made the NHL roster right out of training camp. He proceeded to win rookie of the year (ahead of teammate Jonathon Toews and Capitals’ center Nicklas Backstrom) after a 21 goal/51 assist season. Last year his goals jumped to 25 while his assists dipped to 45, however he went a combined -7 his first two years. Two years in, two All-Star games already. Where he may have slipped last year, he greatly improved this year: through 56 games he has 22 goals and 39 assists for 61 points, and a +14 rating. I guess the EA cover curse doesn’t apply to the NHL like it does the NFL (Kane was the cover athlete for NHL 10). His flair and great skill will be on display for the world to see this month in Vancouver.
1a. Zach Parise – New Jersey Devils
After being drafted 17th overall in the 2003 draft, Parise was a first team All-American at the University of North Dakota, and then lead the U.S. to gold at the World Juniors, winning MVP along the way. He made his NHL debut following the lockout, scoring a modest 32 points in 81 games. In 2006-07 he nearly doubled that, with 31 goals and 31 assists – officially putting his name on the map as one of the premier young players in the NHL. Though his offense stayed the same in year three (32 goals, 33 assists), he started to round into a good defensive forward, improving from -3 to +13. Last year was the year he put all facets of his game together, garnering a lot of MVP talk around the league with his 45 goals (3rd in the league), 94 points (5th in the league) and +30 rating putting him among the game’s elite. At 25, he is having himself another stellar season, with 25 goals and 57 points in 55 games with a +26 rating. And now, with the recent addition of Ilya Kovalchuk, the offensive burden won’t be placed solely on him, and neither with the opposition’s top defenders.
Nick can be reached at nickobergan@hotmail.com or on twitter at @nickobergan
