Early Awards Picks

Karlsson has a plus-minus per 60 minutes of ice time of +0.90 (the Senators are -0.39 without Karlsson on the ice). That is 19th among defensemen in the NHL, minimum 30 games and 12 minutes per game at 5v5. Of the players ahead of him, there are six Bruins and three Red Wings, plus two Sharks, two Blues, and another Senator (Kuba).

However, the only players playing a shutdown role for their team, like Karlsson is, are Chara-Boychuk, Boyle-Vlasic, White-Lidstrom, and Timonen. All of those players have two-way studs to help them: Bergeron and the Krejci line, Thornton-Marleau-Pavelski, Datsyuk and Zetterberg, and Claude Giroux. Karlsson does not. As far as I know, Phillips is the guy who plays most frequently with Karlsson, and though I like his game a lot, I’d take all of the partners of the D I listed above (save Boychuk; Timonen plays with Coburn) over Phillips.

I’d say Karlsson is doing a very, very good job. Good defensively or not, given the above information, I’d say he mitigates whatever defensive shortcomings he does have by being incredibly dynamic when his team has the puck. He has 44 points in 45 games. I’d say that’s finalist material, easy.

Look at Dan Boyle, he was very good with him in Tampa, but he was in his “prime age” then and he was good, but when Torts left as coach his offensive skills definitely took over. Then when he went to SJ? Career years, too bad he was already 33 or so at the time.