Selke Finalists: Bergeron, Kopitar, Toews

[FlamesAddiction]

It's good to see Kopitar get some recognition. I think he is somewhat overlooked in the east.

[Imported_Aussie]

O'Reilly must have been close to that group of 3

83 takeaways vs 33 giveaways (league lead in takeaways)
51.8% on faceoffs
28/36 for 64 points

The takeaways are impressive especially with only 2 PIM, being able to pressure the puck carrier and take possession without ANY penalties for hooking/holding, etc.

[powderjunkie]

It's probably about time they introduce a "Bobby Orr" award for the best offensive defenseman, and leave the Norris for the best overall.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Remember when this award used to be about the best defensive forward, instead of the best forward with the best defensive stats?

That's in part because the game is played differently than it was in the 90's and early 2000's. If teams have the personnel to do it, the preference is to play a power-on-power type of game. There aren't really many designed 3rd line checking units that match up with the other teams top lines and the ones that do exist are on teams without elite two-way players. The guys who take on the tough roles are simply better players than they were 10-20 years ago.

Teams have realized that playing a strong possession game is a far better option for shutting down the other teams top players than putting out grinders & shot blockers. Darryl Sutter said it best a couple of weeks ago:

“The game’s changed. They think there’s defending in today’s game. Nah, it’s how much you have the puck. Teams that play around in their own zone they think they’re defending but they’re generally getting scored on or taking face-offs and they need a goalie to stand on his head if that’s the way they play.”

[codynw]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

It's probably about time they introduce a "Bobby Orr" award for the best offensive defenseman, and leave the Norris for the best overall.

Yep, this really needs to happen. I've been saying it for a while now.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Remember when this award used to be about the best defensive forward, instead of the best forward with the best defensive stats?

I blame Federov for being so damned good at almost every aspect of the game, that he actually destroyed the bar for every other defensive forward after him. Although, I think Draper and Lehtinen won it after him, so maybe it's not that bad. Datsyuk probably gets some of the blame then too, I suppose.

Dirk Graham wouldn't get a sniff if he played today.

It's really a shame, too, as the Selke should be about elevating the hard to quantify defensive contributions, for players who aren't otherwise star or marquee players. It creates a new stable of talent for the league, rather than the same guy who leads his team in points being the Selke winner as well.

Selke is perfect for a guy like Sean Coutourier who can still produce, but is most valuable to his team for his play away from the puck.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

It's really a shame, too, as the Selke should be about elevating the hard to quantify defensive contributions, for players who aren't otherwise star or marquee players. It creates a new stable of talent for the league, rather than the same guy who leads his team in points being the Selke winner as well.

The NHL doesn't seem to want to spread the acclaim around anymore. Instead, they want to pump up the profiles of a small number of superstar players. It's all about marketing.

[driveway]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

It's probably about time they introduce a "Bobby Orr" award for the best offensive defenseman, and leave the Norris for the best overall.

Calling the 'Best Offensive-Defenseman' award the "Bobby Orr" is a profane insult to Bobby Orr, who was so vastly more than an Offensive-Defenseman.

Perhaps, the Phil Housley, or the Paul Coffey award, but not the Bobby Orr. Shame on you.

Back on topic, I really, really like Anze Kopitar. I have no reason at all to expect that this could be a reality, but I have these little fantasies of drafting Draisaitl and him turning out to be Kopitar v2.0.

[PeteMoss]

Sure he was an all around defenseman, but he was also the best offensive defenseman.