TeslaCoilFan
Slightly Elite Fan
Hedman got victimized by some bouncy/bad passes tonight, but I wouldn't say he had a bad game.
True, he was better than the last couple of games and had some bad breaks, showing the occasional flash of his awesomeness. But still not quite up to the standards that we've come to expect from him, imho.
He's been fantastic, no doubt.
Wonder how much playing consistently with Strals has to do with it.
What would happen if it were Heddy/Stralman and McD/Girardi?
When Mac was first traded to us, those pairs were the first combo tried and, while Hedman/Strålman was excellent, McDonagh/Girardi sucked fetid bilge water. That's why Mac and Stråls were first paired. They ended up being a solid shutdown pair. But now, Mac has had a chance to settle in to the system so who knows? I really do wish they'd put Sergachev with McDonagh. Think he'd be an excellent mentor for Sergachev if the kid is going to stay on RD.
As to being paired with Strålman, the quiet Swede might not be a #1 like Hedman or McDonagh, but he's a damn fine #2 who is an excellent complementary player. Whether he's dragging Matt Carle around (when Heddy had his broken finger in 2014-2015) or salvaging Garrison (2016-2017) or mentoring Sergachev (2017-2018) or pairing up with McDonagh or Hedman, he seems to bring out the best in whomever is his partner.