Quote:
Originally Posted by Vankiller Whale
Needing a #1 D to win the cup =/= Having a #1 D means you win the cup.
Looking at the past cup winners: Doughty, Chara, Keith, Letang, Lidstrom...  |
Letang was 5th on the Penguins blueline in ice time in those playoffs.
Sergei Gonchar led that team in ice time and I wouldn't say he is the mythical, bona fide #1 guy people are looking for.
Bret Hedican led the Carolina Hurricanes in ice time the year they won the cup, I notice you omitted his name too.
The fact is it's possible to win the Stanley Cup without a "#1 defenseman," it happened twice during the last CBA and it might've happened a third time if the Canucks weren't playing with their three best defensemen and two best centers hurt.
It would be great to swap out say, Alex Edler for Shea Weber. But you'd have to gut the team to do so and even then there are so few of these guys that you might not find a willing partner (people have come up with fewer than 1 example per season during the last CBA of defensmen of that calibre changing teams).
The team is better off ensuring that it has great players and good depth at all positions, the better to withstand a rash of injuries during a lengthy playoff run.
Look at the Flyers, they went all in to get Pronger and now that his career is all but over they are completely screwed along the blueline. They got bent over acquiring a solid young defender and have a couple of other solid young guys (Franson and Meszaros) and then a collection of journeymen filling out the ranks. (I'm not counting Timonen as he's said he may retire).