And who would you have above him Gardiner? not saying i disagree just curious
I think expectations may play a part but just judging on what he has brought to the table, Zaitsev and Gards are certainly above him as they have been one of the best pairing in the playoffs on any team and then its between Rielly, Hainsey and a very surprising Polak. Dermott hasnt been awful but has struggled at certain times despite playing a sheltered role in more minutes. I was actually expecting a lot more but we have to remember a late addition rookie in the playoffs for the first time against an elite team like Boston was probably destined to make mistakes. He's going to be a mainstay on the blueline for some time though. If forced to rank them with expectations and all, I would say:
1. Zaitsev - Blowing away all pre-series expectations with massive numbers against very strong QoC playing a very physical game and cleaned up his transition game quite a bit. Great PK numbers as well.
2. Gardiner - Flicked a switch in game 3 and beast mode Gards from the previous playoffs returned. High end minute munching 2 way beast that hasnt been rewarded enough as our top line players cant hit the net for him.
3. Polak - Perfect bottom pairing RD for us has been icing the puck less and has been solid overall.
4. Hainsey - Should have been rested a lot more in preparation for the Bruins big line and has gotten hemmed in by them half the time on the ice. PK start was a bit of a disaster as well but hes really come around in that area which is the reason hes even this high.
5. Rielly - Our best dman from the regular season but has been pretty disappointing as he sports the worst analytics on the team. Some of this may be due to Hainsey being his partner but even when Hainsey was regressing during the regular season, Reilly still held strong and was playing well. Bostons first line has been flying all series and Rielly and Hainsey have not been handling the job all that well. There are signs the last couple of games that this could change but Id much prefer to see him not being number 1 in the playoffs in allowing scoring chances against. Hes better than that and people should stop patting him on the back for it.
6. Dermott - Not quite ready for prime time yet as hes been uneven in sheltered minutes but he's very close.
The demise of the RD for the Leafs has been slightly exaggerated looking at this series.