We all know the NHL is a copycat league, and it was clear this summer that teams were interested in copying the Cats after the Florida Panthers held off the Edmonton Oilers in seven games to claim the Stanley Cup.
Florida captured the title with a big, strong defense corps – one year after the Vegas Golden Knights did the exact same thing. Heck, the Oilers themselves had a burly bunch on the back end, bringing a consistent theme to the past four finalists (Florida twice).
The smallest member of Florida’s ‘D’ was Gustav Forsling, who comes in at six-foot and 195 pounds. And he had 6-foot-4, 215-pound Aaron Ekblad as a partner. Not coincidentally, a number of playoff games against the Rangers and Oilers ended with 6-foot-5, 205-pound Panthers rearguard Niko Mikkola – as well as Ekblad – pinning the puck against the boards and daring opponents to wrench it out as the clock ticked down. Spoiler alert: they always failed.
But on the other end of the ice, the Oilers had some Alberta-quality beef of their own. Edmonton’s back end was even bigger than Florida’s crew, a veritable forest thanks to Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Cody Ceci and others. Even Edmonton’s premier point-producer from the blueline, Evan Bouchard, is 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds.
So, perhaps it’s no surprise that the summer’s hottest commodities were blueliners with size.
Toronto got the dominoes toppling by trading for pending UFA Chris Tanev (6-2, 195), then promptly signing the shot-blocking shutdown king to a six-year deal. The Leafs continued their blueline makeover by nabbing one of Florida’s erstwhile defenders, Oliver Ekman-Larsson (6-2, 190).
With Tanev off the board, other NHL teams went in search of their own new stalwarts.
New Jersey locked up another excellent defensive defenseman in Brett Pesce (6-3, 205), while Boston grabbed one of the biggest blueliners around in Nikita Zadorov (6-6, 250). In Utah, GM Bill Armstrong’s first official blockbuster under new ownership was the trade that brought Mikhail Sergachev (6-3, 210) over from Tampa.
Related: Bruins Defenseman Says Nikita Zadorov’s Heavy Hitting Will Boost Team’s Physicality
Which brings us to a bit of a paradox.
Clearly, NHL teams are valuing size on the back end – among other traits, obviously – in the pursuit of a championship. But when you think of elite defensemen in today’s NHL, the mind wanders to the elite puck-movers and power-play QBs.
Think about it: who just won the Norris Trophy? Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes, all 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds of him. New York’s Adam Fox, another recent Norris winner, isn’t big, either. Cale Makar and Erik Karlsson are mid-sized, and Makar was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner when he helped the Avalanche to the Cup in 2022. Out of that elite grouping of four, only Makar has ever made it to the final, though, of course, that could change as soon as this season.
So, what does this tell us about the state of the NHL? I suppose the cheeky answer is, “Get yourself a Cale Makar who can achieve individual and team success,” but that’s not very practical, is it?
What it does bring into clear view is that the post-season and the regular season are different beasts, and the results reflect that.
Makar’s 2022 Avalanche may be the exception that proves the rule, but even that Colorado blueline wasn’t tiny. Makar’s partner, Devon Toews, is 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds – and Bowen Byram (now with Buffalo) is the same. Samuel Girard missed most of that playoff run due to injury, but he was part of the game plan even though he’s only 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. For bulk, the Avs relied on Josh Manson and Erik Johnson. Having a steamrolling group of forwards led by Nathan MacKinnon surely helped, too.
But if what we’ve seen in the past two Cup finals is any indication, NHL teams tend to have bigger and meaner bluelines the deeper you get into the playoffs. It’s a punishing time with so much on the line, and keeping the enemy on the perimeter is often the key to success. Having an array of bouncers near the crease tends to help as well.
When Florida made the 2023 final, they did so by keeping their Eastern Conference foes to the outside, shutting down potent offenses from Toronto and Carolina along the way. When it came to the final, the Golden Knights were simply too heavy and fast up front to stop, especially given how banged up the Panthers were.
One year later, a healthy Florida blueline helped the team march to glory. Who will follow them this season?
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News Summary:
- Big Defense Is Still A Big Deal In The NHL
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.