Has Kronwall Been Our Best Defenseman In These Playoffs?

[Probert 5 For Fighting 0]

Best? No. ESPN favorite and another shining example of how often Lidstrom's quiet greatness gets overlooked? Yes.

It's not even a contest. Lidstrom has made everything tick. Kronner has been fantastic, but Lidstrom's impact can't even be measured because of technically correct he is at all times. So let the highlights give Kronner his due, but he has not been on Lidstrom's level in the playoffs.

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

Yes, a big one. Next question.

To be or not to be?

[Doggy 130]

He's been pretty close to Lidstrom but not better. That in itself is very impressive. Very happy with Nik.

[Creasemonkey 30]

He's been our best physical defenseman. Raf hasn't been noticeable, but that's not his job. Kronwall's getting attention for his hitting, but he's a close third IMO.

[dr_lobster 0]

Don't confuse "most noticeable" with best. Kronwall's heavy hitting has brought us a bunch of confidence and energy, for sure, but like a lot of announcers like to say -- Lids' ability to dissolve plays before they even happen is, and has been in these playoffs, of equal value or greater.

[RWK23 0]

Outside of Chelios, I have been pleased with the play of all our defensemen. Lidstrom has been, well, Lidstrom. Never beaten, constantly poised, strong offensively, and one of the best leaders around. Undoubtedly, our best defensemen throughout our playoff run. Rafalski started off kind of slow. Against Nashville, he had some horrible turnovers. But, he quickly reverted back to form and has been terrific since. Kronwall has been effective defensively, has generated a number of scoring chances with strong passing (see: Game 5 against Nashville, Game 3 against Dallas), and has garnered a lot of attention with his open-ice hits. Stuart has been the strong, physical defensemen that the Wings have been searching for for years. Lebda has been surprisingly good. His speed has been a major factor and he's played well offensively. I was particularly impressed with his assist to Drake in Game 6 against Dallas. Lilja, outside of a couple awful games against Nashville, has been a strong, stay-at-home guy.

[Bannedforlife 403]

I wouldn't go that far just yet. Without Lidstrom, I don't think we'll see anymore automatic 1st place finishes or perennial Cup favorites talk.

Thinking about Lids retiring makes me sad

[Zion 93]

He's been our best physical defenseman. Raf hasn't been noticeable, but that's not his job. Kronwall's getting attention for his hitting, but he's a close third IMO.

I disagree. What a game last night! Stuart battled heavily, and all of the D were very good. Let's hope we can keep up with these youngins....

[Yemack 1]

Kronwall is a great D man coming into his own now.

but

Lidstrom IS Red Wings. He is the one controlling and setting the tone of the game for us. IMO Him and Rafalski pair really makes us who we are.

[Lidstromrules16 7]

Kronwall owned Malkin last night, and I am talking about poke checking, not hitting. I was very impressed to say the least

[HockeyCrazy3033 168]

Well Lidstrom always is by default, but absolutely Kronner has been a freaking beast in a half and has played the best I've ever seen him play. This is exactly why they signed him for 5 years and exactly why they kept sticking with him through his freak injuries. He is great and will be for a long, long time..

[truebladearmy 33]

My thought is that Kronwall has been overall our best defenseman game by game in the playoffs. Most points. Most blocks. Most hits. Everything a defenseman can be credited for. I wouldn't say he's been more valuable than Lidstrom or Rafalski quite yet....but he's definately done far more than his fair share in helping this team succeed.

A good way to look at this question is....if you had to lose either LIdstrom or Kronwall, who would you rather keep? I know I'd pick Lidstrom......but I would hate to lose Kronwall almost nearly as much.