With the NHL season entering the final stretch, here are our choices for the top players on each Canadian-based team:
Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano, defence. Until a season-ending bicep injury, Giordano had been outstanding two-way force (and Norris candidate) for a Flames team that refuses to die. He’s one of the league’s most coveted blueliners, and with good reason.
Edmonton Oilers: Jordan Eberle, right wing. It’s not that Eberle has been great; it’s just that his teammates have been awful to mediocre. Eberle is on pace for a team-leading 65-point season and (excluding Wednesday’s game) is a horrific minus-21. That’s about as good as it gets in Edmonton this season.
Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price, goalie. Price is a shoo-in for the Vezina and quite possibly the Hart. His GAA and SP are otherworldly. And yes, you heard right: with Price guarding the mesh, the Habs could very well win the Cup in 2015.
Ottawa Senators: Erik Karlsson, defence. It hasn’t been Karlsson’s besst seasson, but he remains one of the league’s most skilled and potent blueline forces. This gentlemanly workhorse is now the cornerstone of an up-and-coming Sens squad.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Jonathan Bernier, goalie. His numbers aren’t spectacular by any means, but considering what he has to work with, Bernier is a veritable brick wall. I mean, for Pete’s sake, Toronto’s leading scorer, Phil Kessel, is minus-32 (excluding last night’s game… it’s probably worse now).
Vancouver Canucks: Henrik Sedin, centre. Henrik gets the edge over twin bro Daniel thanks to a superior plus-minus rating, the result of an unwavering two-way game. Henrik is also crucial on face-offs and has a far better shots-to-goals ratio than Daniel.
Winnipeg Jets: Andrew Ladd, left wing. Ladd is not an upper-echelon player, but he has been surprisingly consistent as his team’s top scorer. He’s a team player with more game-winning goals (excluding last night’s game) than any other member of the playoff-hungry Jets.
