May 29, 2016
Thumbs to dominant defencemen, season length
Dave Hodge offers thumbs to tireless, dominant defencemen like Brent Burns and Kris Letang, who are in the running for the Conn Smythe Trophy as well as the length of the hockey season.
By Dave Hodge
Teams that strive to win the Stanley Cup should realize one thing, perhaps above all others; one tireless, dominant defenceman is virtually essential.
He should be capable of winning the Conn Smythe Trophy, as Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks did last season. More to the point currently, he should be somebody like Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks or Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang. If it had been a St. Louis-Tampa Bay Stanley Cup final, those names would have been Alex Pietrangelo and Victor Hedman. If Burns and Letang aren’t clear Conn Smythe favourites for their respective teams already, they’re certainly on a list and they might well emerge as the most logical choices.
Letang almost has to be great for Pittsburgh to win. He’ll be on the ice for close to 30 minutes a game. You might say rookie goalie Matt Murray and captain Sidney Crosby are the most important Penguins, and I might agree that Letang isn’t about to carry the Pittsburgh team if the other two falter, but try it this way; if the Penguins absolutely need one of the three to be healthy and at his best throughout the Stanley Cup final, that player is Letang.
Burns has plenty of company on San Jose’s group of Smythe candidates. There’s Joe Pavelski with his 13 goals, Joe Thornton with his 15 assists, and Logan Couture with the league-leading points total of 24. If any of those numbers should rise significantly, they might well determine the Smythe result, but Burns has stats, too. His six goals and 14 assists for 20 points are good for third place on the playoff scoring list, within reach of Couture (8-16=24) and runner-up Pavelski (13-9=22).
Keith is the only active NHL defenceman with a Conn Smythe win to his credit. “Thumbs up” to Burns or Letang if they manage to join him. I’ll take the bet on Burns. Letang should be ready to be overlooked, as he was by Team Canada’s World Cup brass. It’ll be easier to vote for Crosby, Murray or Phil Kessel if he keeps scoring goals, but again, Pittsburgh needs a good Stanley Cup final from Letang, and if it’s good enough, the Smythe voters might have no choice but to reward him based on his value at the defence position.
It’s that time of the hockey season when just about every hockey fan outside Pittsburgh and Sharks thinks the season is too long.
Supporters of the Penguins and Sharks are quite right to disagree. They’d watch games in July if the last one could bring their team the Stanley Cup. But all the other fans whose teams have been sidelined are correct as well. The season is too long.
Consider these comments from the assistant general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kyle Dubas, who was asked if CHL Player of the Year Mitch Marner might join the Toronto Marlies following the Memorial Cup if the Marlies are still alive in the AHL playoffs: “It has been a lot of hockey for Mitch this year; Team Canada camp, Leafs’ rookie tournament, NHL exhibition games, OHL regular season with London Knights, World Junior Hockey Championship with Team Canada, four rounds of OHL playoffs, and the Memorial Cup”.
The list is long enough to prove the point that Mitch Marner’s hockey season doesn’t need to be any longer. This doesn’t suggest that the player himself has had enough, or that the Leafs shouldn’t want the Marlies to bolster their lineup with Marner’s offensive talent, but priorities should be established. And the most important thing for Marner and the Leafs is next season.
For the rest of us, it’ll come soon enough. For Pittsburgh and San Jose, this one continues merrily. “Thumbs up or down” accordingly, wherever you are.