Hey paper, thanks for dropping in. Don't mind my teenaged co-GM. he doesn't "get" the whole "fiancee/wife" thing
(by the way, VCL, you can mention Phaneuf; he's been drafted!)
As for our defense, it is anyone's guess who our best D-man is, and I am not the least bit surprised that we didn't have an all-star defenseman. If you want to choose a Regina player, who do you choose?
- Wesley started off as a offensive defenseman who was responsible defensively, finishing top-15 in scoring among D-men twice, then was traded for three 1st round picks (which speaks volumes) and anchored the Canes blueline for 13 more years, this time as a defensive specialist who could chip in a few points. Along the way he got to four cup finals, finally winning the last time. He was never elite in any area, and arguably was never one of the game's top-15 defensemen (according to Norris voting he wasn't) but his career was so long and consistent and without warts, that he could be our best.
- Or is our best Goldie Prodger? He was noted for his defensive ability, loved the rough stuff, yet managed to really avoid the penalty box, aside from one season. The seasons in which he was exclusively a defenseman are 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, and 1916. In 1915 he managed to finish behind only Cleghorn and Cameron in NHA scoring so the offensive talent was there. In his NHL seasons, he shuttled back and forth between the blueline and forward, so to rank him among defensemen would be unfair. But he was a top-10 goal scorer in the NHL twice. Yes, it was pre-consolidation, but he was also a half-defenseman. Most compelling about Prodger, though, is his uncanny ability to make a team better. Every team he ever joined, got better overall and defensively, and usually quite significantly too.
- Maybe our best is Jeff Brown. It's no secret that he's not a physical or defensive player, but he is IMO the best offensive D-man we have. This is a guy who made the top-15 in D-man scoring eight times, during the heydays of Bourque, Coffey, Housley, Leetch, MacInnis, Wilson, Suter, and Chelios. His PP expertise is tops in this series, although Redmond is close. If points are what you're after, Brown could be our most valuable defenseman.
- A case could be made for Svehla. He's made the top-15 four times despite languishing on mostly poor teams in Florida. It may sound strange to say this, but I think an offensive Slovak defenseman is the toughest defenseman in this series. This guy blocked shots fearlessly, led the NHL in hits, missed only six games in eight seasons, and was called by Doug MacLean and Peter Worrell "the toughest player I ever saw". He took stitches in the face without Novocaine to save time. And he practically threw 235 pounds of Mario Lemieux with one arm. Considering he was great offensively and physically and was never known as a defensive liability, what stopped him from getting into ATD10?
- Robyn Regehr could even be our best. The list of defensemen who have represented Canada, the deepest hockey nation, in two best-on-best tournaments is not very long, and Regehr's on it. He is widely recognized as one of the very best shutdown defensemen in the game. He's very physical, yet not a penalty liability. All he needs is longevity and he's an Adam Foote.
- Then of course there is Hy Buller. He certainly had the highest peak out of all of our defensemen. he was a 2nd team all-star and was top-3 in scoring by defensemen twice, on a poor Rangers team. Buller, by all accounts, was an excellent power play QB, good defensively, and tough. Longevity is the only knock, but it does not appear any that lack of ability kept him out of the NHL. Anti-semitism allegedly kept him off a few rosters, and those that were prepared to take him were denied by Buller's AHL team. The whole time he was in the AHL, he was one of the best there. If you value peak, Buller's your man.
Aside from Brown defensively and Regehr offensively, I wouldn't say any of them are deficient in any area. Brown is the offensive guy. Regehr is the defensive guy. Svehla is the toughest. Prodger is the most versatile and intangible. Buller had the best peak; Wesley was all about Longevity.