The Zermanator
In Yzerman We Trust
- Jan 21, 2013
- 3,519
- 1,511
There are pros-and-cons to each approach, similar to spreading out offensive firepower or stacking it.
In the near-term I'm not so sure Edvinsson is ready to carry a pairing to the level where it can draw significant pressure away from Seider. That's more of a long-term hope imo.
2-3 years from now I envision Edvinsson being the defensive stalwart to shelter Pellikka next to.
I wouldn't think he'd be able to take significant pressure off Seider right off the hop either. But I think (much) sooner than later, he's going to be the 2nd best dman on the team after Seider, if he isn't already. Considering we don't exactly have an embarrassment of riches on the defensive end at the moment, you're pretty well putting all your eggs in one basket if they're paired together.
While I do see some benefit of pairing them together, more so for Edvinsson than for Seider tbh, I think there's more benefit to splitting them up. After all, Seider can only be on the ice for 22-25 minutes on any given night anyway. So if we pair them together, that's 35-38 minutes of game time with some combination of Gustafsson, Chiarot, Petry, Maatta, and Holl on the ice. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Sure the top pair will be a beast, but any team with more than one top forward line like Toronto or Edmonton is going to feast on those bottom pairings. By splitting them up, if Seider is gassed you at least have Edvinsson's line you can deploy. And while he still obviously needs to acclimate to the NHL and continue improving, a 6'7 dman who skates like the wind with a good head on his shoulders is a very useful and versatile card to play even if still raw.
I also look at it from the standpoint of past experience. We had a young, highly pedigreed dman who entered the league a few years ago, and he was the de facto #1 dman within a matter of months. I don't have those expectations for Edvinsson per se, Seider was a unicorn in that regard. But Seider also stepped into the league in his D+3 season, while Edvinsson is stepping into a fulltime role in his D+4 season. They were/are both highly pedigreed, and that's for a reason. They're not the types who necessarily need sheltering. Sure there might be some growing pains to start, but I think Edvinsson would learn quickly, as Seider did, and he would be all the better for it in the long run. He was drafted 6th OA because he projects to be a big-game player, and he's excelled at every stop ever since his draft. So without any reason to doubt him, I say let him run the 2nd pairing and see how it works out. If he struggles and needs a little sheltering, then you can re-assess. But I think he'd do just fine in the role, and should have an opportunity to prove it one way or another.