Toggle sidebar

Which defenceman had the best playoff run? (#3)

Which defenceman had the best playoff run? (#3)

  • Total voters
    70
  • Poll closed .
overpass

overpass

Registered User
Jun 7, 2007
5,271
2,808
Which defenceman had the best playoff run? (#3)

Please vote for the defenceman with the best single season playoff run. I haven't specified the season, just the player. So you could vote for Scott Niedermayer if you believe his 2003 playoff run was the best, or for his 2007 playoff run. We're considering the 4 round playoff era only, beginning in 1979-80.

Chris Pronger was voted as having the #2 playoff run in the last poll. While Pronger had several great playoff runs, his 2006 was the leader in the comments, when he did everything for the 8th seed Edmonton Oilers and led them on a surprising run to the 7th game of the Stanley Cup finals.

#1 Brian Leetch 1993-94 (19.6%)
#2 Chris Pronger 2005-06 (23.6%)

The top returning vote-getters from last round are Keith, Coffey, Potvin, MacInnis, Lidstrom, Karlsson, and Hedman.

Stats for the voting options are below. Again, you are ultimately voting for the player who you believe had the single best playoff run. Some players have multiple seasons listed if they had multiple playoff runs where they were a Conn Smythe contender.

Denis Potvin
1979-80: Cup winner. 21 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 P, +10. Bryan Trottier won Smythe.
1980-81. Cup winner. 18 GP, 8 G, 17 A, 25 P, +18. Butch Goring won Smythe.
1981-82. Cup winner. 19 GP, 5 G, 16 A, 21 P, +9. Mike Bossy won Smythe.
1982-83. Cup winner. 20 GP, 8 G, 12 A, 20 P, +20. Billy Smith won Smythe.
(if you're trying to pick Potvin's best run, keep in mind that the Islanders faced much stronger opponents in 79-80 and 82-83 and relatively weak opponents in 80-81 and 81-82).

Paul Coffey
1984-85 -- Cup winner. 18 GP, 12 G, 25 A, 37 P, +23. Wayne Gretzky won Smythe.

Ray Bourque
1987-88 -- Lost in Cup Finals. 23 GP, 3 G, 18 A, 21 P, +16. Wayne Gretzky won Smythe.
1989-90 -- Lost in Cup FInals. 17 GP, 5 G, 12 A, 17 P, +11. Bill Ranford won Smythe.

Al MacInnis
1988-89 -- Cup winner. 22 GP, 7 G, 24 A, 31 P, +6. Won Conn Smythe.

Chris Chelios
1991-92 -- Lost in Cup Finals. 18 GP, 6 G, 15 A, 21 P, +19. Mario Lemieux won Smythe.

Scott Stevens
1995 -- Cup winner. 20 GP, 1 G, 7 A, 8 P, +10. Claude Lemieux won Smythe.
1999-00 -- Cup winner. 23 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 P, +9, 25:25 TOI. Won Conn Smythe.

Nicklas Lidstrom
1997-98 -- Cup winner. 22 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 P, +12, 27:51 TOI. Steve Yzerman won Smythe.
2001-02 -- Cup winner. 23 GP, 5 G, 11 A, 16 P, +6, 31:10 TOI. Won Conn Smythe.
2007-08 -- Cup winner. 22 GP, 3 G, 10 A, 13 P, +8, 26:49 TOI. Henrik Zetterberg won Smythe.

Scott Niedermayer
2002-03 -- Cup winner. 24 GP, 2 G, 16 A, 18 P, +11, 26:07 TOI. J.S. Giguere won Smythe.
2006-07 -- Cup winner. 21 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 P, +2, 29:51 TOI. Won Conn Smythe.

Zdeno Chara
2010-11 -- Cup winner. 24 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 P, +16, 27:39 TOI. Tim Thomas won Smythe.
2012-13 -- Lost in Cup Finals. 22 GP, 3 G, 12 A, 15 P, +7, 29:32 TOI. Patrick Kane won Smythe.

Drew Doughty
2011-12 -- Cup winner. 20 GP, 4 G, 12 A, 16 P, +11, 26:09 TOI. Jonathan Quick won Smythe.
2013-14 -- Cup winner. 26 GP, 5 G, 13 A, 18 P, +2, 28:45 TOI. Justin Williams won Smythe.

Duncan Keith
2014-15 -- Cup winner. 23 GP, 3 G, 18 A, 21 P, +16, 31:07 TOI. Won Conn Smythe.

Erik Karlsson
2016-17 -- Lost in conference finals. 19 GP, 2 G, 16 A, 18 P, +13, 28:08 TOI. Sidney Crosby won Conn Smythe.

Victor Hedman
2019-20 -- Cup winner. 25 GP, 10 G, 12 A, 22 P, +13, 26:28 TOI. Won Conn Smythe.
Click to read more...
 
JackSlater

JackSlater

Registered User
Apr 27, 2010
18,128
12,799
I'll very narrowly go with MacInnis but there are other tempting choices. For the talk of Karlsson, I would go with him had he advanced to the finals and maintained nearly the level that he did in the first three rounds.
 
Erik Alfredsson

Erik Alfredsson

Beast Mode Cowboy!
Jan 14, 2012
13,074
5,113
JackSlater said:
I'll very narrowly go with MacInnis but there are other tempting choices. For the talk of Karlsson, I would go with him had he advanced to the finals and maintained nearly the level that he did in the first three rounds.
Click to expand...
If Karlsson made the finals, then he wins the Conn Smythe (even if Nashville sweeps Ottawa), and would probably deserve to finish #1 on this poll.
 
Erik Alfredsson

Erik Alfredsson

Beast Mode Cowboy!
Jan 14, 2012
13,074
5,113
BruinsBtn said:
In Karlsson's best game he didn't defend as well as Heiskanen's worst game. Miro swallows people up.
Click to expand...
Karlsson was on the ice for 11 EV GA in 19 games in 2017. Heiskanen was on the ice for 19 EV GA in 27 games in 2020. Clearly you did not watch Karlsson play at all in 2017, because he was elite at both ends of the ice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JimmyApples
Sensinitis

Sensinitis

Registered User
Aug 5, 2012
15,934
5,526
Erik Alfredsson said:
Karlsson was on the ice for 11 EV GA in 19 games in 2017. Heiskanen was on the ice for 19 EV GA in 27 games in 2020. Clearly you did not watch Karlsson play at all in 2017, because he was elite at both ends of the ice.
Click to expand...

He watched very well. He saw Karlsson singlehandedly bring his team to the cleaners every shift and produce highlight reel plays on both ends of the ice. He’s still salty is all
 
  • Like
Reactions: Erik Alfredsson

bobholly39

Registered User
Mar 10, 2013
22,341
15,063
Erik Alfredsson said:
I think the fact that Karlsson is the only player here that didn't make it to the finals speaks volumes about what an unbelievable individual performance it was.
Click to expand...

It does. Speaks to the fact that he's overrated.

Coffey had double his points in 1 less game. Had 11 points in 5 games in the finals, including 10 in the last 3 which included 2 assists on game winning goals, and the actual cup winning goal.

4 rounds > 3. Karlsson doesn't crack my top 10 here
 
  • Like
Reactions: Voight
Voight

Voight

#winning
Feb 8, 2012
40,705
17,089
Mulberry Street
Erik Alfredsson said:
If Karlsson made the finals, then he wins the Conn Smythe (even if Nashville sweeps Ottawa), and would probably deserve to finish #1 on this poll.
Click to expand...

Nah... Rinne would have won it for sure.

Even with the end result vs Pittsburgh he finished with a 1.96GAA and .930 SV%. With a sweep vs the Sens its possible those numbers get even better.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miro4Norris
Erik Alfredsson

Erik Alfredsson

Beast Mode Cowboy!
Jan 14, 2012
13,074
5,113
bobholly39 said:
It does. Speaks to the fact that he's overrated.

Coffey had double his points in 1 less game. Had 11 points in 5 games in the finals, including 10 in the last 3 which included 2 assists on game winning goals, and the actual cup winning goal.

4 rounds > 3. Karlsson doesn't crack my top 10 here
Click to expand...
Lol I wonder how many points Karlsson would've had playing in the 80s on the greatest team ever featuring Wayne Gretzky.
 
Erik Alfredsson

Erik Alfredsson

Beast Mode Cowboy!
Jan 14, 2012
13,074
5,113
Voight said:
Nah... Rinne would have won it for sure.

Even with the end result vs Pittsburgh he finished with a 1.96GAA and .930 SV%. With a sweep vs the Sens its possible those numbers get even better.
Click to expand...
You're dreaming. Karlsson received a Conn Smythe vote in 2017 despite not making the finals. The hockey world was raving about his performance, how he was arguably the best player in the world. Even places like Sportsnet, which never gave Karlsson his credit, were constantly talking about how unreal he was playing. All he had to do was make the finals and the Conn Smythe was his.
 
Voight

Voight

#winning
Feb 8, 2012
40,705
17,089
Mulberry Street
Erik Alfredsson said:
You're dreaming. Karlsson received a Conn Smythe vote in 2017 despite not making the finals. The hockey world was raving about his performance, how he was arguably the best player in the world. Even places like Sportsnet, which never gave Karlsson his credit, were constantly talking about how unreal he was playing. All he had to do was make the finals and the Conn Smythe was his.
Click to expand...

Rinnes numbers were on par with Thomas and Vasi so no, I don't think I'm dreaming. He finished 3rd and I have 0 doubt he would have been first of the Preds had won, his numbers were outstanding and likely would have been even better facing a much weaker Sens team
 
Hockey Outsider

Hockey Outsider

Registered User
Jan 16, 2005
9,166
14,501
nowhereman said:
Not sure if he was left off or forgotten but Larry Robinson should definitely be in the mix here. His 1977-78 Conn Smythe run was spectacular.

Click to expand...


Not to speak for @overpass but this is limited to playoffs from the four-round era (i.e. 1980 onwards). No doubt that Larry Robinson's 1978 performance (from the three-round era) was one of the greatest all-time playoff performances from a defenseman.
 
  • Like
Reactions: overpass

wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
22,606
10,385
Erik Alfredsson said:
Karlsson was on the ice for 11 EV GA in 19 games in 2017. Heiskanen was on the ice for 19 EV GA in 27 games in 2020. Clearly you did not watch Karlsson play at all in 2017, because he was elite at both ends of the ice.
Click to expand...


Sure but the Sens sat Karlsson in a 7-0 blowout loss to the Pens were he played 12:36 as well.

I also think that the Sens had slightly better goaltending than the Stars but that's debatable I guess.

Miro was a monster for 4 rounds that year and sometimes that's the difference.

Took Conn Smythe winner MacInnis for this poll.
 

Janvonpobben

Registered User
Sep 15, 2021
620
647
wetcoast said:
Sure but the Sens sat Karlsson in a 7-0 blowout loss to the Pens were he played 12:36 as well.

I also think that the Sens had slightly better goaltending than the Stars but that's debatable I guess.

Miro was a monster for 4 rounds that year and sometimes that's the difference.

Took Conn Smythe winner MacInnis for this poll.
Click to expand...
Take a look at the supporting cast for karlsson vs miro.
Yeah.
 

wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
22,606
10,385
Janvonpobben said:
Take a look at the supporting cast for karlsson vs miro.
Yeah.
Click to expand...

I did perhaps you need to go back and look closer.

The top forward for Dallas was a 36 year old Pavelski who doesn't skate like the wind and Pageau had an excellent playoffs that year and Ryan had his moments as well.

The Sens had a .598 % point regular season that year, Dallas had an .594% that year, your narrative doesn't work very well here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BruinsBtn

Janvonpobben

Registered User
Sep 15, 2021
620
647
wetcoast said:
I did perhaps you need to go back and look closer.

The top forward for Dallas was a 36 year old Pavelski who doesn't skate like the wind and Pageau had an excellent playoffs that year and Ryan had his moments as well.

The Sens had a .598 % point regular season that year, Dallas had an .594% that year, your narrative doesn't work very well here.
Click to expand...
No need to have this discussion anymore. You brought up pageau and ryan, thats all i need to know lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Ad

Latest posts

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

Top Bottom