Eric Desjardins

[Asheville]

Let's talk about this grotesquely underrated blueliner.

Last dman to notch a hat trick in the finals.

Still can't believe Montreal dealt him....with LeClair.

Represented Canada at 3 best-on-best events.

Maybe the least known two-time All-Star team selection ((2) 2nd Teams).

And what got him on the '91 Canada Cup squad? Not undeserved obviously, but he was just 22.

2nd to Mark Howe in points by Flyers dmen.

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[TheDevilMadeMe]

Hugely underrated defenseman. Sortof a Lidstrom-lite in terms of unflashy but effective. The Flyers' transition game when he was on the ice was miles better than when he wasn't.

I'd take him over Sergei Zubov, but I realize I'm in the minority.

 

[The Panther]

Yes, he was awesome. Great player. Looking at the voting records just now, I was surprised to see he didn't get more Norris attention earlier than he did. For example, in 1996-97 he had what appears to be a borderline "Norris worthy" season, but finished 9th in voting. But there were just a lot of good D-men in this era. Once the D-competition started to thin out a bit towards the end of the decade, he goes up to 4th and 5th in Norris voting (mostly 4th-place votes, but still pretty good).

Wow, he was getting a lot of ice-time with Philly in the playoffs! In 2000 and 2001, he was getting about 28 minutes per game.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

between konstantinov’s injury and niedermayer’s breakout, he was imo the clear third best dman of his generation, after blake, lidstrom, and pronger.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

that said, then and now it puzzles me how he made the 91 canada cup team. i know his coach was an assistant but

 

[Doctor No]

he was imo the clear third best dman of his generation, after blake, lidstrom, and pronger.

???

Anyhow, I'm a huge fan of Desjardins' - he belongs in the all-time underrated thread. Solid defensively and could contribute.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

???

Anyhow, I'm a huge fan of Desjardins' - he belongs in the all-time underrated thread. Solid defensively and could contribute.

haha oops, 4th. duh

 

[Doctor No]

Sorry, I'm a bit drunk and wasn't sure I was reading it right.

 

[Jim MacDonald]

I know he went to Philly starting in 94-95, didn't know Leclair was there that early too AND it was a trade....who in the world did the Habs get back in the trade?!?! I remember he got the "C" too in Philly I think after Clarke stripped Lindros of the captaincy....the fact he was given the "C" is cool/interesting to learn...must've been thought of as a well-liked, good guy in the locker room etc.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

I know he went to Philly starting in 94-95, didn't know Leclair was there that early too AND it was a trade....who in the world did the Habs get back in the trade?!?! I remember he got the "C" too in Philly I think after Clarke stripped Lindros of the captaincy....the fact he was given the "C" is cool/interesting to learn...must've been thought of as a well-liked, good guy in the locker room etc.

Montreal received Mark Recchi in the trade.

February 9, 1995: Traded to Philadelphia by Montreal with Gilbert Dionne and John LeClair for Mark Recchi and Philadelphia's 3rd round choice (Martin Hohenberger) in 1995 Entry Draft.

 

[Hobnobs]

More worthy of Hall considerations than Roenick thats for sure.

 

[sr edler]

Montreal received Mark Recchi in the trade.

Recchi for some reason was very underwhelming in Montreal too, in comparison to what he did in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and in light of the trade return. Perhaps it had something to do with Montreal as a market, or he was just the original Vigneault whipping boy.

 

[Hobnobs]

Recchi for some reason was very underwhelming in Montreal too, in comparison to what he did in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and in light of the trade return. Perhaps it had something to do with Montreal as a market, or he was just the original Vigneault whipping boy.

He was?I seem to recall that he was their best player during the time he was there.

 

[sr edler]

He was?I seem to recall that he was their best player during the time he was there.

I didn't say he was bad, just that he wasn't what he was in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. One year he was outscored handedly by Damphousse (16 points). Another year they were neck to neck in scoring (him and Damphousse), and Damphousse was way better defensively than Recchi so there you have two years off the top of my head where he wasn't their best player. Didn't have a full PPG+ season in 4 years, then goes back to Philly and leads the league in assists.

 

[Hobnobs]

Oh yea his second season wasnt that great. Then Habs seemed to take a much much more defensive posture. Then in his last season no one in Habs top-6 was healthy so... Gretzky wouldve had problems leading the league in assists during recchis years there. They had no elite sniper like Philly had.

 

[FerrisRox]

haha oops, 4th. duh

How do you see him ahead of Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer?

 

[Sticks and Pucks]

that said, then and now it puzzles me how he made the 91 canada cup team. i know his coach was an assistant but

At the time, if you wanted to take a guy 22 years old or younger for experience, Desjardins was probably the best option. Though I'd probably have gone with Glen Wesley.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

How do you see him ahead of Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer?

i don’t consider scott stevens in his generation. niedermayer was certainly better from 2003 to 2006, but i was talking about 1998 to 2002.

At the time, if you wanted to take a guy 22 years old or younger for experience, Desjardins was probably the best option. Though I'd probably have gone with Glen Wesley.

for some reason i have a memory of rob blake being on that team, though every roster on the intermet says he wasn’t. was he a late cut? did i just invent that memory because of all the other gretzky cronies on that team?

anyway, i think if you wanted a young guy soaking up experience, rob blake would have been the correct pick that summer. coming off a very impressive rookie year and turned heads in the playoffs.

 

[Hobnobs]

that said, then and now it puzzles me how he made the 91 canada cup team. i know his coach was an assistant but

He was a defensive anchor on those habs team as well as a RHD. Which Canada felt they needed.

 

[YEM]

Wow, he was getting a lot of ice-time with Philly in the playoffs! In 2000 and 2001, he was getting about 28 minutes per game.

he averaged nearly 27 mpg in 6 playoff appearances with the Flyers, seemingly always on the ice
a healthy Desjardins could have been the difference in the Flyers winning a Cup in '04

 

[Big Phil]

that said, then and now it puzzles me how he made the 91 canada cup team. i know his coach was an assistant but

You hit the nail on the head. That has to be the reason. I wonder a bit too. Not that he was out of place by any means, but a 3rd year defenseman who is 22 years old that had a season with just 25 points. You would have to have a coach put a good word in for you and Pat Burns would be that guy as he was Keenan's assistant on the 1991 Canada Cup team. Plus, Desjardins would be a Keenan-type of guy too. Not flashy but effective, good in all situations, etc.

Other things to add about Desjardins that rarely get mentioned about him. He was the #1 defenseman on a Cup winner. No he doesn't have the same type of career as Larry Murphy or other defensemen that we forget have been #1 guys on Cup winners. But he fits in very comfortably with the defensemen who are a tier down from the HHOF (Wilson, Gonchar, Suter, Zubov, Brewer, Hatcher, etc.)

Another thing too, he was traded in 1995 and the Habs traded Schneider then too. Those two were more or less the core of the Habs defense in 1993. They were a bit like a defense by committee, but those two were clearly better than the rest and they were gone. This left a big hole on the 1995 Habs and it is no surprise they missed the playoffs that year for the first time in a quarter century. Desjardins plays the rest of his career in Philly and has a good career while the Habs never have a defenseman as good as him until perhaps someone like Subban comes along (maybe some like Markov just as well, but I didn't).

 

[Sticks and Pucks]

i don’t consider scott stevens in his generation. niedermayer was certainly better from 2003 to 2006, but i was talking about 1998 to 2002.



for some reason i have a memory of rob blake being on that team, though every roster on the intermet says he wasn’t. was he a late cut? did i just invent that memory because of all the other gretzky cronies on that team?

anyway, i think if you wanted a young guy soaking up experience, rob blake would have been the correct pick that summer. coming off a very impressive rookie year and turned heads in the playoffs.

Could Rob Blake have been considered a defensive liability at the time? Just looking at that roster in 90-91... Larry Robinson +22, Marty McSorley +48, Steve Duchesne +19, and Rob Blake was only +3. Perhaps Desjardins was viewed as the better defensive option.

 

[Hobnobs]

Could Rob Blake have been considered a defensive liability at the time? Just looking at that roster in 90-91... Larry Robinson +22, Marty McSorley +48, Steve Duchesne +19, and Rob Blake was only +3. Perhaps Desjardins was viewed as the better defensive option.

He was simply too young and in context "unknown". I don't think anyone at the time said "What about Rob Blake?". The only players I can think of that might have been somewhat thought of is McSorley, Macoun, Wilson and perhaps Patrick.

 

[trentmccleary]

I didn't say he was bad, just that he wasn't what he was in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. One year he was outscored handedly by Damphousse (16 points). Another year they were neck to neck in scoring (him and Damphousse), and Damphousse was way better defensively than Recchi so there you have two years off the top of my head where he wasn't their best player. Didn't have a full PPG+ season in 4 years, then goes back to Philly and leads the league in assists.

My read is that Pittsburgh and Philly had generational players... that coaches want to let loose to dominate other teams and who want free reign to do whatever they want. So when Recchi was on those teams, it was run and gun all the time.
1994 - his 3rd last 1.00+ PPG season
1995-1999 - doesn't hit a PPG in 5 seasons in Montreal
2000-2001 - has two back to back PPG seasons. 1 with Lindros and the other probably under the same run n gun system the first year after Lindrs was traded.
2002-2004 - no more PPG seasons, as Philly joins the trap era by hiring Ken Hitchcock. Bill Barber coach 01-02; I'm not sure where he fits on the O or D coaching spectrum.

 

[JackSlater]

I'm pleased to see that others liked Desjardins. A guy who did everything well to very well and nothing poorly.