Critical13
Fear is the mind-killer.
This is true. It doesn't matter who Hedman's partner is - by having Hedman on it it is a de facto shutdown pair. With his size and speed, he can cover space and as long as you're in roughly the right spot as his partner, he'll handle the rest.
McDonagh is good, but not that good. He struggled when he came here with Girardi as his partner because while McDonagh is a good skater and defender, he's not Hedman. Having him with Stralman makes them formidable, though.
I have to say - one thing having a second #1 has shown me is that Hedman really is *that* good. Because I don't think there's a single facet of the game in which McDonagh has looked nearly at his level (despite playing pretty well at the end of the season and the playoffs).
I can tell you that you should be thanking your lucky stars to be a Lightning fan. I've been a Leaf fan for 20 years, and I've never got to cheer for a defenceman of Hedman's calibre. Even McDonagh is better than almost anyone I've watched. On top of that you get to enjoy Stamkos, Kucherov, then of course you also had prime Richards, Lecavalier and St. Louis. The calibre of players and teams you've enjoyed makes me incredibly jealous.