First Shift 🏒
At the recent 4 Nations Face-Off, media discussion sparked up about the possibility of the NHL creating an award for the best “defensive defenseman.” Because the Norris Trophy often goes to the top scoring blueliner in the league, the belief is there is a need for a trophy that highlights defensive play. After all, the forwards have the Selke Trophy.
Among the possible candidates for a top defensive defenseman award is Esa Lindell.
“You might say I’m biased, but I think the word is out,” said assistant coach Alain Nasreddine on Lindell’s play for Finland at the 4 Nations. “I have had friends in different organizations talking about Esa, and you can see how good he has been playing. When he plays 28 minutes, he’s going to catch your eye, and then watching his games there, he gave them basically what he gives us.”
Lindell was a huge part of Team Finland, which was missing several key defensemen, including fellow Stars teammate Miro Heiskanen. He averaged 28 minutes in the three games and was key in playing against some of the best players in the world.
“For that team, they rely on him more than we do,” said Stars defenseman Brendan Smith. “They’re very thin on the back end, and he is playing big minutes against some of the best players in the world. That’s impressive. This has been a great tournament for people to see what he does out there.”
Lindell is right back at it with the Stars, helping them to wins over the Devils and Islanders over the weekend. He played 25:29 on Sunday on the second night of a back-to-back. Like Finland, Dallas is without both Heiskanen and Nils Lundkvist. On Sunday, Lian Bichsel went out with a head injury and Matt Dumba was assessed 17 penalty minutes midway through the game. That meant that Lindell had to step up again.
“The whole defense was great,” said goalie Jake Oettinger.
Lindell ranks first in the NHL in shorthanded time on ice at 3:29 per game, and logs about 75 percent of the Stars’ minutes on the penalty kill. That’s impressive for a team that is tied for the NHL lead in penalty kill success at 85.0 percent.
“They are tough minutes, but he knows how to play them,” said Stars defenseman Cody Ceci.
Nasreddine said Lindell is a smart penalty killer and that helps him eat up the minutes.
“He’s just a smart player, very reliable,” Nasreddine said. “He’s shown he can do it, so we feel good with him out there. It’s hockey sense and understanding the other team’s system. He puts in the time, he studies, he knows their tendencies, he’s a student of the game.”
And that could be a big part of the discussion if the NHL does decide to start a defensive defenseman award.
“He would be a great candidate for it, the way he plays,” Ceci said. “He reads the play really well, he keeps it simple and makes it predictable for his teammates. He’s never out of position, he’s just really smart.”
