I get that this is instantly inflammatory for some, but bear with me. We can never have enough hockey talk on here anyways and this is as good of a topic that I've seen.
Ovechkin is not as important to his team as Karlsson is to the Senators. Nobody is IMO. I've watched quite a few Sens games over the last couple of years mostly because I love watching Karlsson, and the Sens play "high event hockey" which is infinitely more fun than what most teams play nowadays.
Karlsson is over a PPG pace and doesn't have any elite forwards to feed. It's truly incredible what he's doing. Virtually every statistic says he's elite, yet you always see detractors say he's poor defensively. He's not, that's narrative not reality. Remember the difference in between Calgary with Giordano/Brodie and without last year? The numbers suggest that's the same with Karlsson, but almost double in many cases. The guy is one of the best defensemen on the planet, and is suggest he's the best.
ut I don’t think enough credit is being given to how great Karlsson has played so far. After Sunday night’s game Karlsson has 45 points in 43 games, an 86 point pace. In this era, that’s elite level scoring for any player – only Jamie Benn topped the mark last season. For a defensemen? It’s practically absurd. Not one D-man has picked up more than 85 points in a season since Brian Leetch did it in the 1995-96 season. That was 20 years ago – in a higher scoring era to boot.
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Since December his usage has increased even further as he’s averaged just over 30:25 minutes per game, including a preposterous 36:34 minute effort on December 20 against Tampa Bay. Should he continue playing at this rate, Karlsson could eclipse Chris Pronger’s ATOI record of 30:14 back in 1999-00. Pronger won the Hart Trophy that year and is the only defensemen to win it since Bobby Orr won three straight.
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I fully agree. Goals are sexy and are why a forward who can score 50+ will always be in Hart contention. But no one does more for their team then Karlsson IMO, especially this season. Probably the best defenceman of this era and he's only 25. His defensive deficiencies are a thing of the past. The Sens would be in a world of hurt without him. Pretty crazy he's 4th overall in scoring. He probably won't watch Kane (barring injury), but it would be cool to see a Dman win the Art Ross again.
That was some Russell-esque defending on that one.
Weird that you posted this...and then ^ posted a video of a similar goal, with Russell on the goal-scoring team, and the d-man getting roasted is Nik Lidstrom.
His defensive deficiencies are a thing of the past.
Yes and No
He's gotten better, but he still is barely an even player. Sure +/- aren't the world but it is telling when a player gets 70 points and is even on a playoff team contention team.
However, he probably is the most valuable player for a team. (Goalies excluded)
How many short handed minutes is he playing nowadays and is his team in the playoffs?
Edit: Ryan, Stone, Hoffman, and Turris are all solid scorers.
Edit 2: Just noticed that on the chart in the OP he has the least amount of goals on that list. Think the whole no help up front argument can be put aside.
Weird that you posted this...and then ^ posted a video of a similar goal, with Russell on the goal-scoring team, and the d-man getting roasted is Nik Lidstrom.
Except you only have to go one day back to find one of Karlsson getting burned.
It just bothers me that an elite defenseman is 10th on his team for SH TOI.
How many short handed minutes is he playing nowadays and is his team in the playoffs?
Edit: Ryan, Stone, Hoffman, and Turris are all solid scorers.
Edit 2: Just noticed that on the chart in the OP he has the least amount of goals on that list. Think the whole no help up front argument can be put aside.
Short handed minutes mean nothing in any debate. It doesn't mean that the coach doesn't trust Karlsson. It means that the coach recognizes that Karlsson's 30+ minutes a night are better used 5 on 5 and on the PP.
I mean, if Karlsson's playing time was in the low 20's because he doesn't play the PK, then I guess it could be argued that he's being sheltered. But the guy already plays 30-35 minutes a game, are you basically asking him to play 40 minutes a game for you to respect his talents?
I do agree that Ottawa needs to make the playoffs in order for him to have a sniff at the Hart.
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Short handed minutes mean nothing in any debate. It doesn't mean that the coach doesn't trust Karlsson. It means that the coach recognizes that Karlsson's 30+ minutes a night are better used 5 on 5 and on the PP.
I mean, if Karlsson's playing time was in the low 20's because he doesn't play the PK, then I guess it could be argued that he's being sheltered. But the guy already plays 30-35 minutes a game, are you basically asking him to play 40 minutes a game for you to respect his talents?
I do agree that Ottawa needs to make the playoffs in order for him to have a sniff at the Hart.
Of course it's debatable. Special team minutes are way more important than 5 on 5 minutes. You want your best defenders out there because it is the most dangerous time to be scored against. Him not playing short handed tells me that he isn't a noticeable upgrade as a defender as the 2nd and 3rd pairing guys. And this is the best defenseman in the league?
I would be pissed if Brodie and Gio weren't out there on special teams. But that is because they are our best defenders. If they were only mediocre at best then sure why tire them out. I would much rather prefer Brodie takes 2 minutes SH instead of a few more shifts in the 1st and 2nd period.
I see nothing close to an argument for the Hart in here
What do you think the Hart is for?
If you take what the NHL's definition is (player most valuable to his team), you're either trolling of wilfully ignoring what was written with a statement like that. His team is miles worse without him. He plays over 30 minutes a night while outscoring every defenseman since Brian Leetch.
I can see lots of reasons why you may disagree he's the best fit for the award, but not close is really silly
I think Karlsson is good, but I do think his stats are a bit too generous. He plays a LOT of powerplay time and the Sens have a very good forwards group.
I don't think his defensive game is on the same tier as Brodie, Keith, or Doughty and while he's probably the best offensive Dman I think the margin is smaller than the stats suggest. If he didn't play with Methot, who's arguably the best crease-clearer not named Shea Weber or Zdeno Chara, that pairing wouldn't have so much success.
Is he deserving of Hart consideration? Yes, due to the construct of the Senators roster.
Is the separation between him and other top defensemen significant? No.
Would I be disgusted to see Karlsson win the Hart? Yes, because he's not better than Lidstrom.
Last edited by GranteedEV; 01-11-2016 at 04:45 PM.
I don't disagree with the OP that Karlsson is an insanely valuable player that deserves Hart consideration, but if you look at the Sens, nobody is more valuable to that team than Craig Anderson. He sometimes has lulls in play, but he stops more pucks than any goaltender in the game today, and most are extremely high quality saves. That team is probably the worst defensive team in the league, yet are propped up by a goalie that battles his ass off every night for them. He's seriously undervalued.
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Why Erik Karlsson should win the Hart
