In Less Than 10 Seconds, Future Norris Trophy Winner Victor Hedman Overtook Erik Karlsson As The Best Swedish Defenseman In The NHL
I know that I’m catering to a very niche audience here with that headline but it’s a big deal. There’s a reason why there are so many elite level puck moving Swedish defensemen in the NHL right now. And that’s because these guys all grew up idolizing 7-time Norris Trophy winner Nick Lidstrom. Kids grow up in Canada wanting to be the next Gretzky. Kids grow up in the United States wanting to be the next Patrick Kane (at least on the ice). Kids in Sweden grow up wanting to be the next Lidstrom. You’ve got Erik Karlsson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, John Klingberg, Hampus Lindholm, Adam Larsson and so on. You’ve got Rasmus Dahlin who will be the #1 draft pick in 2018. And last night, Victor Hedman took Karlsson’s candy and shoved it right back down his throat in just an 8-second span in overtime.
Intercepts the pass from Karlsson. Toys with him through the neutral zone. Stuffs it in the back of the net for the win. I don’t want to say that Victor Hedman is underrated because I know that’s not the case. I know that most fans realize how great this kid (man) is going to be. But I just feel like he never gets talked about enough and maybe that’s because he’s playing ice hockey in the state of Florida. Don’t get me wrong. I know the Lightning have a strong fan base but obviously he’d be getting more shine if he were in a Canadian market. Same thing goes for Aaron Ekblad with the Panthers. Kid is a stud (despite being a few concussions away from full Lindros status), but he’s not as much of a household name just because of the market he’s in. Anyway, yeah, Victor Hedman is king of the castle as far as puck moving Swedish defensemen in the league go and until Karlsson wins another Norris Trophy, I don’t care to hear otherwise.