degroat said:
LOL.. some laughable lists... and that's an understatement. Chara #1? Redden and Chara #1 and #2? LOL
If we're assuming Pronger stays healthy, there's no question he's #1.
I think that Pronger's over-rated. He hasn't improved in the last few years and hasn't shown the ability to step up consistently in the playoffs. I agree it's likely that barring injuries he'll still be a top d-man, but I think that in 5 years Jackman may be the big man in St. Louis.
But (much) more over-rated is Skoula. How can someone who will never be higher than #4 on his team be a #1 in the league? Sure he's got great puck poise
, but he's definitely no top 10.
On the other hand, Chara looked sweet against Jersey in the EC Finals last year. He seems to be progressing nicely and will definitely be in the top ten in 5 years. His buddy Volchenkov may be in there too among people who like big open ice hits.
One name I've only seen mentioned once is Jiri Fisher. He may be a Wing but this is no homer pick (if it was I would be mentioning Dandy's marvelous finishing skills). Fisher has displayed a great deal of ability so far in both the regular season and playoffs. He still needs to show consistency over the long run but he looks great so far.
Other notables...Ohlund (nuff said), Boynton (has looked pretty good in Boston), Morris (hasn't been as outstanding in Colorado but may grow next to Foote and Blake), and I have to give a vote to Hamhuis in his first few games he's living up to the hype from scouting reports.