Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Power Rankings: #1
The best Eastern Conference defenseman should come as a surprise to nobody. It’s your reigning Norris Trophy winner, Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators. Karlsson is a unique defenseman who generates offense at a rate that hockey fans haven’t seen in quite some time and still manages to be quite good in his own zone. He has won two Norris Trophies over the past four seasons.
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Since the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, Karlsson ranks 4th in even-strength points per game (1.26). It’s worth noting that one of the three guys above him will be a second-year player in 2015 (John Klingberg) and another is a hybrid forward/defenseman (Brent Burns). If you’re interested, the third is Hedman.
Like all elite defensemen, Karlsson makes the Ottawa Senators a much better team when he is on the ice. He ranks in the top 15 in CF% relative (4.62%), FF% relative (3.79%), and SCF% relative (4.35%). Those numbers aren’t quite as impressive as others on the list, but when you consider how much ice time he gets per game, you realize just how elite Karlsson is.
Subban and Karlsson are literally neck and neck. Karlsson gets the slight edge because his resume is slightly more impressive (two Norris Trophies compared to Subban’s one).
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