Conn Smythe Candidates

[Canadian_Yzerman_Fan 7]

First off forgive me if you feel that I am jumping the gun with this topic, but the wings are playing a tremendous team game, far beyond any that I can recall seeing in quite some time, and I truly believe they have to be considered the cup favorite at this point.

That being said, how do you choose a top performer when the real reason we are where we are is the functioning of the unit as a whole? The Red Wings have several candidates for who can be considered their top player in this post season. These are my top 4:

1. Johan Franzen really seems like the "no-brainer" obvious choice, not only with his supreme goal scoring (and timely at that; 5 GWGs), but also by so strongly fulfilling his role as a big body, a penalty killer, and so on.

2. Chris Osgood is now a perfect 8-0 since taking over between the pipes, and though he hasn't had to steal us a game he has been making big saves when called upon. His GAA, record, and SV% necessitate his name being on this short list.

3. Nicklas Lidstrom has continued to be the outstanding and seemingly infallible blueliner that we have somehow come to expect. He neutralizes offensive chances against, gets the puck safely out of the defensive zone, and poses as a serious offensive threat. Though this team is deep on the back end, it's hard to imagine the stability of the entire core without him in the lineup night after night.

4. Henrik Zetterberg plays in all situations, is tied with Franzen for the team points lead, and has 3 game winners in this post-season himself. He is arguably the best 2-way player in the game today (I am not saying he is better than Datsyuk; that is just an impossible choice that I'm glad I don't have to worry myself with... hence "arguably"), and the amount that he has been called upon and produced on face-offs has been integral to this teams success. Further Henrik appears to be emerging as a leader, and dare I say it - potentially the next captain once Lidstrom decides to hang em up.

In my opinion, if Franzen gets back and keeps doing what he has been doing it is going to be tough for him to not win the post-season MVP award. I've never been much of an Osgood fan, but he has really picked up his game and is doing all that we could hope so far. He's been really good, but with our team style he hasn't been called upon to be great. I'm not saying he can or can't do it, but the fact that he doesn't need to be may take him out of the running. Lidstrom is impossible to overlook, but perhaps the fact that he has one of these trophies under his belt may make him take a back seat if there is another worthy candidate (I remember in '02 there was a slight sense of surprise when captain Yzerman wasn't named for his 2nd Conn Smythe; though Nick was still an excellent choice). I personally think that in the end the named recipient will be #40, and deservedly so (see reasons above). Zetterberg has been outstanding in every way and having Franzen miss a few games may even highlight that.

I'm curious to know what other fans think. Who would your choice be, and why? Should anyone be added to this list? Should I be hanged for jinxing the Red Wings playoff chances by starting a thread about this too early?

[SaCkaveli20 275]

You would be crazy not to go with Mule. The man has been frantastic for us, and is only going to get better.

Osgood has played wonderful, but like you mentioned, the fact that he hasn't had to be brilliant takes him out of the running.

Hank & Lids are two of the best, and I wouldn't be shocked if either of them won.

[Graybeard 0]

Not a hard choice. If the Mule is ok and comes back to play like he has been noone is even close.

[Hockeymom1960 5,107]

I think it will be Zetterberg

[wingsownnhl43 14]

I agree, Franzen has been playing out of this world, but if we win games 3 and 4 without him, would he really be our most valuable player of the playoffs?

[thedisappearer 291]

Zetterberg

Franzen

Kronwall

[Real1 2]

I think that we should wait and see......

[TheCaptain19 49]

this is from a yahoo sports article after the game 3 win.

Conn Smythe watch

1. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings

2. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

3. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

4. Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings

5. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

6. Martin Biron, Philadelphia Flyers

7. Johan Franzen, Detroit Red Wings

8. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins

9. Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers

10. R.J. Umberger, Philadelphia Flyers

[Yzermania 156]

if mule doesn't return, I'd say my four would be osgood, zetterberg, datsyuk, kronwall.

[Louisville 112]

this is from a yahoo sports article after the game 3 win.

Conn Smythe watch

1. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings

2. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

3. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

4. Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings

5. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

6. Martin Biron, Philadelphia Flyers

7. Johan Franzen, Detroit Red Wings

8. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins

9. Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers

10. R.J. Umberger, Philadelphia Flyers

Biron and Crosby ahead of Franzen? I want some of what they're smoking.....

[zettsyukwall415 0]

Biron is definitely too high.

It's awesome seeing 3 Wings in the top 4, but the SCF will determine who the MVP is.

[VM1138 1,921]

Everyone is playing so well it's hard to pick, but I'd have to say that Datsyuk has been playing the most complete game. He's been there every shift, giving it his all, since even before the playoffs started. Zetterberg is another one, but for whatever reason I feel he's slightly behind Dats.

Franzen is a clear choice, but his absence will drop him a bit and the fact that we are still winning without him. But he would've been a no-brainer had he stayed in, and even if he comes back and continues to play the way he has.

Ozzie hasn't had to steal any games, so I don't think he's MVP, but he's clearly stepped up his game and played magnificently. Best goalie in the playoffs.

Lidstrom, again. Does everything. Not flashy at all, but he's near-perfect.

[Izzy24 44]

Helm.

[Saran 1]

if the mule doesnt perform well in the rest of the playoffs i would have to say ozzy, its hard to pick a player because everyone has been contributing

[Lazerbeam 13]

Top MVP's with 1 Honorable mention:

1.Zetterberg

2.Kronwall >>Been best wing D-Man by far!! even Babcock says so!

3.Datsyuk

4.Franzen

Honorable mention:

Osgood >>Been great so far in the PO's but he hasnt had to face 30+ shots a game because the Wing D is so strong in front of him.

Edited May 13, 2008 by Lazerbeam

[eva unit zero 271]

Osgood >>Been great so far in the PO's but he hasnt had to face 30+ shots a game because the Wing D is so strong in front of him.

Mike Vernon faced 30+ shots three times in the 1997 playoffs. In two of those games, the game lasted more than 97 minutes. Vernon won the Conn Smythe that year.

Osgood has faced 30+ shots twice in nine games. He has won nine games. His GAA and Sv Pct are considerably better than Vernon's were, his record is better, and his defense is worse.

Osgood for Conn Smythe.

[Wings_Dynasty 267]

Mike Vernon faced 30+ shots three times in the 1997 playoffs. In two of those games, the game lasted more than 97 minutes. Vernon won the Conn Smythe that year.

Osgood has faced 30+ shots twice in nine games. He has won nine games. His GAA and Sv Pct are considerably better than Vernon's were, his record is better, and his defense is worse.

Osgood for Conn Smythe.

Right now, he's it. Until the Finals are over I will reserve judgment. But as of now:

1. Oz

2. Stein

3. Lids

[Datsyerberger 279]

I love eva for bringing up stats so I don't have to.

But yes, because Osgood has such solid defense in front of him (both from the blueline AND the forwards, god I love our team..), his own awesomeness is being overlooked. He's absolutely rocking with his GAA right now, and while that can be argued partly the realm of the defense, SV% is much less arguably so. True, you can credit the defense with reducing quality chances and making those shots easier ones to take, but a save is still a save.. a shot thats likely to go in is likely to go in unless the 'tender is doing his job.

This is all ignoring the fact that there have been plenty of opportunities in the 9(!)--and a half, if you count that half a game he played where he let nothing in--where our opponents made good plays and had very solid scoring opportunities, and he denied them. He hasn't been doing breathtaking saves where he does spinning backflip cartwheels while sending the puck at the opposing netminder with a pad save, but he's been very clutch when we've needed him to be. He's not flashy or showy, he simply does his job and has been doing it very well.

That said..

1: Osgood

2: Datsyuk (he's been absolutely amazing in every game, lots of assists, some extra goals in game 3, but most importantly he absolute dominates the puck almost every time he gets it.. and god I love watching him do takeaways. On top of that, he's been quite physical, to the point where he even makes the other team hurt themselves XD. And you can tell that he absolutely drives all of his opposition nuts (or fascinates them) with his wizardry. Throw that onto his great flair with the puck and I think that adds a lot of momentum to our team.

3: Mule/Zetterberg -- For now, this one is a tie for me. I want to see what Franzen does if/when he comes back, but he's obviously been a monster offensively. Then again, so has Zetterberg.. and like Datsyuk, he's one of those players that really gets under the other teams skin (4 opposing defenders you say? Pshaw! 1-timer setup!). They're both very solid two-way players as well.. Zets advantage there, but Franzen isn't to be overlooked there, either.

4: The Cap'n. What really needs to be said there? He's a marvel. The only thing that makes his stellar performance seem diminished is that he's playing just as awesome as we expect him to.

Honorable mentions

Kronwall: He hasn't been as all-around spectacular as the above 4, but he's delivered some momentum-breaking hits and has been offensively solid as well.

Draper: Very overlooked and underrated. No, he's not a big offensive performer, and that's what tends to take the spotlight. But he's a fantastic PK'er, a solid forechecker, he's really gritty and good at getting under the opposing team's skin.. and with his hard work he lets everyone know he's wearing that A for a reason. Also, another overlooked part of Detroit's dominance: faceoff wins. And Draper absolutely eats the faceoff circle.

The hardest part about this is that there's really noone on the team who hasn't been performing well, except Hartigan and Hasek (I rather like watching him play, admittedly, he ramps your heartrate up and sends adrenaline shooting out of your pores, but it's sort of like riding a rollercoaster. His poor play demanded a change, though, and I've always liked Ozzie.) And since those 2 were both cycled out in the first round, we've since then had a very solid group of players.. but that's part of the Wings' strength, eh?

[ozmanftw 0]

Let's just say.. hypothetically.. we win the next five straight. Have to give it to Ozzy, the 14-0 goaltender

In reality though it's way too close to judge. We'll have to wait and see who shines in the finals. Right now we have 5 or so players now that could arguably win it

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

This is just one goofball's (mine) opinion...

If the Wings advance to the next round and if they dispatch of the Penguins or Flyers fairly quickly, Osgood should get serious #1 consideration.

If Franzen is able to come back soon and still contribute offensively, I'd give him serious #1 consideration.

Besides those two, Datsyuk and Zetterberg are a tie for consideration, followed by Lidstrom and Kronwall I think.

[Reds4Life 51]

Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Lidstrom and Kronwall.

If Mule comes back and plays like he did for last 27 games..he is obviously up there too.

[Kira 451]

I was thinking it would be Johan, but after last night, Pasha has definitely raised the stakes. I can't say Ozzie, though God knows he's done a great job. If it was over today, I'd say Johan. But he better be watching over his shoulder, 'cause there's a crafty little Russian making some moves.

[Opie 308]

I think it is fu(&ing awesome that Kronwall's name is being thrown around in this discussion.

My biggest worry about this guy has been health, can he be healthy enough to develop within the game. You can't get better at the on ice stuff if you are always off the ice.

He has shown tremendous ability to step up deliver the hit and not cost the team an odd man rush, he is carrying the puck out of the zone, making great passes.

This kid is a legit NHL D-man and is locked up for 4 more years!

[rick zombo 3,739]

I think it is fu(&ing awesome that Kronwall's name is being thrown around in this discussion.

My biggest worry about this guy has been health, can he be healthy enough to develop within the game. You can't get better at the on ice stuff if you are always off the ice.

He has shown tremendous ability to step up deliver the hit and not cost the team an odd man rush, he is carrying the puck out of the zone, making great passes.

This kid is a legit NHL D-man and is locked up for 4 more years!

Yeah, to think Detroit has Datsyuk and Kronwall both locked up for 10M in total for the next three four years is a warming thought.

Edited May 13, 2008 by rick zombo

[Shaman 713]

Zetterberg Dats Osgood and franzen