This was a good thread when it was about a Komisarek and Hamhuis debate, then it turned into Markov vs. Eaton, which is a joke IMO, nothing against Eaton, he improved alot, and according to the posters and his stats greatly improved his defensive game and put aside his offensive game, I remember him when he was with Philly and when he started out with Nashville, he was horrible defensively, but credit to him, he's greatly improved and probably saved his job in the NHL, but comparing him to Markov is unfair to Markov...he's been doing it for 2 or 3 years and he was always better than Eaton offensively and defensively he's been the Habs most consistent d-man over the last few years, and not to mention that Markov hasn't even hit his ceiling in terms of potential, I'm not discrediting Eaton at all, but I think most would agree that Markov is the better player in every facet of the game...Now I know there are many posters who don't take the time to read others posts and just jump all over them, so I want to reinterate that I think that Mark Eaton has made great strides in his game last year and has become a servicable defensman for the Preds'...
As for the Komisarek vs. Hamhuis debate...both are solid young players, who should be the cornerstones of their respective franchises for years to come, no need to discredit either of them, as first of all, they play a different game...only difference is Hamhuis was able to prove his worth all season long and to his credit he seized his opportunity, but at the same time, he was allowed to make mistakes and didn't get his icetime reduced at every error he made (unlike Komisarek and Hainsey)...as for Hainsey, I didin't think he was playing that bad when he was up at the beginning of the year, he was playing with Brisebois, which never helps, but he was sent down because of his attitude more than anything IMO, he's still got alot of maturing to do...Komisarek when he was recalled, was in and out of the lineup and never received a consistent amount of icetime, and he struggled, but towards the end of the season and in the playoffs, his play definately warranted top 4 icetime with the Habs, and he played very well, he still made mistakes, but the coaching staff seemed to be more lenient with him and let him learn from his mistakes, kind of like Hamhuis did this season, and that's when Komisarek performed his best...
So as you can see, it's hard to compare two rookies, when one is allowed to learn from his mistakes and the other is not...I'm a big Hamhuis fan and i'm also a big Komisarek fan, and I think both will become stars as different types of players...