When the topic of great offensive defensemen comes up, one might think of names like Raymond Bourque, Paul Coffey, Bobby Orr, and Scott Niedermayer. A young Swede, Erik Karlsson, certainly has the potential to be mentioned among these names one day, as one of the all-time great offensive defensemen. Finishing his third full year in the NHL, Karlsson broke out of his shell, scoring 19 goals, and 59 assists, giving him 78 points. That's almost a point per game! 78 points points for a defenseman is unheard of in today's NHL.
So, why all the hype for one superb offensive season? Because he not only had a great season, but he beat out second place in defensive scoring, Dustin Byfuglien and Brian Campbell by 25 points. Before Karlsson, the post-lockout NHL had no major offensive defensemen that can rack up points like this kid can. Well, we had Nicklas Lidstrom, he is in the twilight of his career now. Fans want someone new to be the face of defensemen, and Karlsson certainly fits the bill. Not even the likes of Zdeno Chara and Shea Weber, two of the NHL's elite defensemen, have ever put up numbers like this.
If you haven't seen Karlsson play, then definitely check out the rest of the playoff series between the New York Rangers and the Ottawa Senators. He has intelligence out there, like Nicklas Lidstrom, and the speed of Scott Niedermayer. Seriously, get excited about this guy; he's going to be one of the all-time greats one day.
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