SB Nation - Anton Babchuk

Bryan Rodney Breathing Life into Carolina Powerplay

Bob Harwood Waeghe — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:35 -0000

Since the recall of Bryan Rodney, the Carolina Hurricanes powerplay has been clicking. (photo by LTD)

Last season, Bryan Rodney was called in to help out on the Carolina blueline and he made a very positive impression. The defenseman played eight games for the Canes and chipped in with two assists but the club already had eight defensemen under contract and when they were all healthy enough to play, Rodney had to be sent back down to Albany.

Many thought that he had an inside track to make the team this training camp. All signs seemed to point to that direction because Rodney was known as a powerplay expert and the Canes lost two valuable defensemen over the offseason in Dennis Seidenberg and Anton Babchuk who were mainstays playing on the powerplay in 2008-09.

But somewhere along the line, the Hurricanes decided to go all big on the blueline and sent Rodney packing to Albany while Jay Harrison made the team. Harrison was another big, strong, but slow, stay at home defenseman, much in the same mold of the other defensemen the team signed over the summer.

The Hurricanes tried several new options on the point with the man advantage. Matt Cullen, Aaron Ward, Niclas Wallin, and eventually Eric Staal all tried out there with varying degrees of success. The bottom line was that the powerplay was not getting the job done and before Rodney's return to Raleigh, it was ranked near the bottom of the league.

Last week Wednesday, Joni Pitkanen took ill and it was determined that he could not play in the game that night against the Kings. The club recalled Rodney, who had a hectic time of it that day, but he did make it to the arena on time and he played a fairly significant role. The defensemen was on the ice for over 21 minutes in his debut this year, third highest among Carolina defensemen for that game. He was scoreless, but he was not on the ice during any of the Los Angeles goals.

Number 33 impressed enough in that game so that the team scratched Tim Conboy and played him as the seventh defenseman against the Islanders on Friday, even though Pitkanen was back in the lineup.

Rodney responded with a secondary assist on the Tuomo Ruutu powerplay goal which broke an 0-24 seven game scoreless streak with the man advantage. Was it just a coincidence that he happened to be in the lineup when the powerplay came to life? Keep reading.

The London, Ontario native picked up another assist on Joe Corvo's powerplay goal on Sunday and was on the ice when the other two powerplay goals were scored for the Canes in that game. Since Rodney has been back in Raleigh, the Hurricanes have scored four powerplay goals out of 13 attempts, (31%), and the defenseman has been on the ice for all four goals.

The youngster is an excellent puck-mover with a snappy, crisp pass and a good eye for finding the open man. Once he gets confident with his shot, he could be very dangerous. He is still somewhat of a liability in his own end because he is a bit smallish and he needs more NHL level experience, which was evidenced by his poor pass to Kyle Okposo against the Islanders in overtime on Friday.

But his expertise in the offensive zone and on the powerplay can not be denied, and that is something this team needs desperately. Carolina fans should expect to see more of Bryan Rodney in the future.

Carolina's Eric Staal injured; will miss Wednesday's game vs. Panthers

Whale4ever — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:18:13 -0000

Looks like the dreaded "Upper Body" injury has has found it's way into the Hurricanes' second most important player - and South Florida's favorite visitor - Eric Staal. 'Canes general manager ~~on a wire~~ Jim Rutherford:

"When things go wrong, they go wrong."

Also out of Raleigh, the GM accepts blame for his club's current nine-game losing streak, and...

(Rutherford) said not bringing back defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Anton Babchuk has hurt. Seidenberg, an unrestricted free agent, priced himself too high initially and Babchuk "took a strong position with the team," Rutherford said.

"But it's hard to lose both in the same year and the points they brought to the table," he said.

So which 'Cane gets the lion's share of the hatred Wednesday night when the Panthers host Carolina in Sunrise?

Open Thread goes live right here at 6:30pm.

Leave the Boys in Albany - For Now

Bob Harwood Waeghe — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:15:42 -0000

More photos » by Mary Schwalm - AP

2 months ago: In this Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, photo, Carolina Hurricanes' Erik Cole (26) is helped off the ice by teammates Sergei Samsonov (14) and Scott Walker (24) as a medical staff trails after Cole injured his leg in a collision with Boston Bruins' Dennis Wideman during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

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Now that it's been determined that Erik Cole has been knocked out of action for a few weeks with a broken bone in his leg, some fans will be clamoring for management to bring back one of the promising youngsters the team sent to Albany at the end of training camp to take his place.

Brandon Sutter had the most impressive camp, but there is little doubt that talented wingers Zach Boychuk and Drayson Bowman will eventually make it to the big league. The organization's plan for that trio is for them to get some valuable experience in the minors. Hopefully, they can develop some chemistry while they are at it. While it might be tempting to recall one of them back to Raleigh earlier than expected, I believe that the team should stick to the original plan and leave them alone for now.

Tuesday night's game against Tampa Bay will feature Tim Conboy on the fourth line with Stephane Yelle and Tom Kostopoulos. Scott Walker will move to the Brind'Amour line. The other lines will probably be juggled until coach Maurice finds some chemistry. Walker is perfectly capable of playing top nine minutes and this solution should work out fine as long as the other top nine forwards play to their capabilities. There is no need to panic, yet.

But if the team keeps losing, all bets are off.

_____

On another note, several people left less than flattering comments about Anton Babchuk after it had been announced that he signed in Russia. Forgetting a moment about his 16 goals scored, (which was in the top five for all defensemen in the NHL), Babchuk was 10th on the team with more than 18 minutes of ice time per game and the Canes allowed the fourth fewest goals in the Eastern Conference last season. This year's defense might be hard pressed to match or beat that mark.

_____

While the team undoubtedly misses Joni Pitkanen's presence on the powerplay, the Matt Cullen experiment on the point has not been successful to date. As mentioned here previously, Aaron Ward averaged just 17 seconds per game of powerplay ice time while with Boston last season. Tim Gleason averaged less than that here in Carolina.

Nothing against Gleason, Ward, or Cullen's effort, but it seems logical that they would have difficulty being successful in situations where they have had little recent game experience. The Canes are certainly depending upon them to get up to speed very shortly.

So far this season, the Carolina powerplay is 1-17, (5.6%), with the lone score coming on an unassisted Eric Staal goal after he stole a pass and beat Tim Thomas. While it is still too early to panic, Bryan Rodney might be an option for the point. There was a reason that the team was so high on him last season when he came to town, and it was not because of his shut-down defense. Unlike the young group of forwards I mentioned above, he has more professional experience and his long term development would not be adversely affected with a call-up to Carolina.

_____

Usually a strength of the team, the penalty kill is also struggling along at a 53.8% rate of efficiency, good for 28th in the league. The Canes have plenty to work on, in nearly all facets of the game.

It's Official - Anton Babchuk Gets 1.5 Million From Avangard Omsk

Bob Harwood Waeghe — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:00:04 -0000

Anton Babchuk has always been a bit of an enigma while with the Carolina Hurricanes, but what a one-timer he has. (photo byLTD)

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Last week, I prepared some season preview information for Vadim Kuznetsov who writes for the Sports.ru Tribuna, a popular online Russian Sports Magazine. Vadim asked me for my opinions about Anton Babchuk and Sergei Samsonov, and we also discussed other questions about the Hurricanes as well.

There was a rumor earlier this week that Babchuk, a player who had a tremendous second half of last season, but struggled in the playoffs, had signed with Avangard Omsk, the same team he played for in 2007-08. The Canes could not confirm this and even Babchuk's agent could not reach his client for confirmation.

That news is now official though as the young defenseman indeed signed with Omsk for the equivalent of $1.5 million. Today, Vadim was nice enough to send me an email saying that Babchuk scored a goal in his first game with his old team. Not surprisingly, the youngster also broke the glass in his first practice with Omsk.

The good news for the Hurricanes is that they still hold the rights to the Kiev native and he could still play for the Canes or they could trade his rights in the future. During one of my interviews with Babchuk last year, he told me that he preferred to stay in the NHL, but he seems to misunderstand some of the rules regarding arbitration and free agency because he has not made decisions which would enable him to maximize his earnings potential.

We wish him good luck this season.

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Carolina Hurricanes

Bob Harwood Waeghe — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:30:50 -0000

The Carolina Hurricanes clinched a playoff spot last year for the first time since winning the Cup in 2006. (photo by LTD)

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SB Nation is showcasing a special feature for the next week or so as every site manager in the network will be writing a season preview for their respective teams. James Mirtle will also review each team over at his site, From the Rink. It is Carolina's turn today, so be sure to head over there to see what James has to say and to vote where you think the Canes will end up in the Eastern Conference this season.

The Canes will also be featured on SB Nation's NHL page, which features updated, breaking hockey stories all day long. If you have not checked that out yet, it is worth a look see.

Most of the following information we have been discussing all summer, but it's time to put it all together for an official preview.

Overview:

The Hurricanes had a rollercoaster season last year as they went from a disappointing start, (so bad that it got their coach fired), to making it to the final four teams in the NHL playoffs. Ray Whitney and Eric Staal led the forwards while Cam Ward played as well as any other goalie in the NHL during the second half of the year.

The late additions of Jussi Jokinen and Erik Cole were also instrumental to the team's success. But most importantly, the team's defense came together and the club ended up with the fourth lowest goals against total in the East.

Who's in:

Tom Kostopoulos, Stephane Yelle, Aaron Ward, Andrew Alberts, Jay Harrison

Who's out:

Anton Babchuk, Dennis Seidenberg, Patrick Eaves, Frantisek Kaberle, Ryan Bayda

Team Strengths:

Goaltender: Cam Ward is maturing into one of the top goalies in the league.

Defense: Joni Pitkanen should be coming into his own after a solid postseason performance last year. Joe Corvo is in a contract year and has plenty of incentive to continue to do well. Ward and Alberts add some muscle which will mesh nicely with Tim Gleason and Nic Wallin. These guys should be solid and might even improve upon last season's goals allowed total.

Forwards: This team is stacked in the middle with Eric Staal, Matt Cullen, Rod Brind`Amour, and Stephane Yelle. Jussi Jokinen can also play center in a pinch. The Canes might win more faceoffs than any other team in the league. Scoring is balanced and perhaps for the first time ever, the team has four legitimate lines to roll. The Canes tied for first last season in drawing penalties and with Staal, Whitney, and Cole, could do so again this year..

Special teams: The penalty kill can be very good and Chad LaRose and Matt Cullen give the Canes some scoring jump while shorthanded.

Coaching: Paul Maurice did a fine job last season and seems to have the ear of the team right now. Are there better assistants in the game than Ron Francis and Tom Barrasso? Add in the experience of Tom Rowe and Kevin McCarthy and the Canes might have the best overall coaching staff in the NHL. Most importantly, they work well together and are a true team.

General Manager: Jim Rutherford has built a reputation as being one of the best GM's in the league. If the team needs a mid-season tweak, he's a good one to have in the front office.

Team Weaknesses:

Goaltender: Cam Ward has complained of a wonky back and if it bothers him this season, it would really hurt the team's chances. Backup Michael Leighton has been inconsistent in year's past at the NHL level.

Defense: Aaron Ward, Nic Wallin, and Andrew Alberts are slow of foot and can be taken advantage of by faster forwards. They have provided minimal offense in the past. The Canes might sorely miss the point production of Seidenberg and Babchuk.

Forwards: Will age catch up with Brind'Amour and Whitney? Will Erik Cole return to form? Can Eric Staal score consistently? While there is scoring balance, these guys have been inconsistent in the past and will need to be more steady.

Special Teams: Last year the powerplay was all over the map. They finished up the regular season strongly but scored at a disappointing 10% clip during the playoffs. Losing Babchuk's and Seidenberg's scoring won't make it easy to improve.

Depth Chart:

Forwards:

Staal, Cole, Ruutu
Cullen, LaRose, Whitney
Brind'Amour, Samsonov, Jokinen
Yelle, Kostopoulos, Walker
Conboy, Ryan, Dwyer
Sutter, Boychuk, Bowman

Defense:

Gleason, Corvo
Pitkanen, Ward
Alberts, Wallin
Harrison, Carson
Rodney, McBain
Fitzgerald

Goalies:

Ward
Leighton
Peters
Murphy

Prediction:

The Canes have worked hard to strengthen the team and added some character at both ends of the ice. They should match up well now against bigger teams. The question in my mind is, can they can score consistently? If players who had off years last season can regroup, they should have an excellent season and make the playoffs again. Can they overtake Washington for the Southeast Division crown? That will be easier said than done.

I'll pick them to finish fourth in the conference.

What do you think?

Poll

Where in the Eastern Conference standings do you think the Carolina Hurricanes will finish in the 2009-2010 season?

1

31 votes

2

41 votes

3

74 votes

4

68 votes

5

54 votes

6

17 votes

7

7 votes

8

2 votes

9

1 votes

10

0 votes

11

0 votes

12

0 votes

13

0 votes

14

0 votes

15

1 votes

296 votes | Poll has closed

Paul Maurice and Company have work to do on Powerplay

Bob Harwood Waeghe — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:49:48 -0000

Paul Maurice directs traffic for the Carolina Hurricanes. (photo by LTD)

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The Carolina Hurricanes' powerplay finished the 2008-09 regular season near the middle of the NHL with a success rate of 18.7%. Detroit and Washington were both at the top and achieved at better than a 25% clip while the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers finished last at 12.7% and 13.9% respectively.

But what happened in the playoffs? The Canes dropped to 10%, ahead of only St. Louis and Montreal, two teams who failed to win a single game in the postseason. During the summer, the club not only lost two players (Anton Babchuk and Dennis Seidenberg) who regularly played the point while the team was with the man advantage, but they also chipped in huge point contributions. So, what's the plan for this year?

I recently had a chance to ask Paul Maurice, who will play the point?

"One direction I think we will be looking at this year is moving Matty Cullen back there," Maurice said. "He was very good back there a couple of years ago. Then the powerplay struggled a bit and they changed some personnel around. But we think that Cullen will go back there. Joni Pitkanen would play about 36 minutes a night if given his choice, so he's going to be a big part of that. And Joe Corvo has that huge shot, obviously. Then we have a couple of other guys like Alberts, who can skate well and move the puck, and Ward, we'll be looking for shots from them. But we are going to need to move a forward to the back and probably work with that for awhile. But we aren't going to be flipping around, pulling a lot of different guys back there."

It sounds like the coaching staff will be trying a few different scenarios, to see what works best. Some teams have their number one defenseman double shift and stay on the point for almost the entire powerplay, and Pitkanen might get a taste of that. And Matt Cullen did have success at the point when he was healthy.

But Aaron Ward and Andrew Alberts averaged less than 20 seconds of powerplay time between the both of them last year. It will be interesting to see what they do with their chances.

One thing seems certain, the "Powerplay Professor" Ron Francis will have his work cut out for him this preseason.

What Month is It? Yep, Still September

RudyKelly — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:21:55 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

Fun fact: Every picture of Babchuk either shows him celebrating a goal or standing helplessly while the other team scores.

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Hey, why don't the Kings trade for Anton Babchuk?

1) They could use him. The Kings need another defenseman for their power play and Babchuk has a good shot. He was 3rd on the Hurricanes in power play goals despite being 11th in power play time. The Kings could pair Babchuk with Doughty and have a backend not unlike Visnovsky-Blake from a few years ago.

2) He's Russian. (Well, Ukranian, but I'm ignorant so it's the same thing.) I love Russians because they're awesome and he'd give Alex Frolov someone to talk to.

3) He sucks at defense. Well, that's not so much a reason the Kings should get him, but the Kings don't really need a guy that is great at defense as long as he can shoot. The Kings already have 3 good defensive defenseman and they could hide Babchuk until they get a power play.

4) I'm bored. C'mon, rookie camp's going on right now but none of those guys are going to make the team except maybe Thomas Hickey, so why not do something? I do a lot for you guys, do something for me.

Yeah, the guy seems like a dick and he'd probably infect the team with his vodka drinking and Dostoevsky quoting, but he'd fill a need on the team and could probably be signed for cheap.

*Sigh Training camp starts on Sunday.

***

It's funny: the general consensus on that whole LeGarrette Blount punch was that it was deplorable and it was right to suspend him for the season; the general consensus in the locker room last night was that it was awesome, the Boise State guy deserved it, and Blount should only be suspended for backing up like a bitch after throwing the punch.

Poll

Should the Kings trade for Anton Babchuk?

Yes

16 votes

No

15 votes

Maybe you should get a girlfriend or something

76 votes

107 votes | Poll has closed

Anton Babchuk Should be Moved this Week

Bob Harwood Waeghe — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:01:32 -0000

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Anton Babchuk after scoring one of his game-winning goals last season for the Canes. (photo via LTD's site.)

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Craig Custance from The Sporting News is reporting that Anton Babchuk should be traded before the end of the week. In a recent chat with Jim Rutherford in Traverse City, the Carolina GM said that three teams were interested in the high scoring defenseman.

Right now there are three teams showing serious interest in the Russian defenseman, although one team has the inside track. With Carolina's roster basically set for this season, look for Carolina to ask for a prospect, most likely a defenseman, in return for Babchuk.

"I would expect that something is going to happen with him prior to camp this week," Rutherford said.

(glove tap to Hockeymom for the tip)

Opinion: Gillis Will Not Add A Puck-Moving Defenceman Until After Training Camp

Sean Zandberg — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:32:22 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

Mattias who?

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The talk of Mike Gillis adding another puck-moving defenceman derived from 3 different factors:

1. The exit of Mattias Ohlund

2. The Jay Bouwmeester sweepstakes

3. The painful schooling by the Blackhawks in Round 2 of the 2009 Playoffs.

Or a combo of all three. I'm sure Gillis took a stab at Bouwmeester this summer but let's be sensible here: Bouwmeester's salary would have been too much of a cap hit on a team that needed to sign it's top 2 forwards in the Sedin brothers, plus adding another top 6 forward, which eventually turned out to be Mikael Samuelsson. Consider the holes filled at the forward position with plenty of extra fish in the tank.

But is Gillis looking for another top 4 puck-moving defenceman? Is that even realistic at this point, cap-wise? Names like Darryl Sydor and Anton Babchuk are being tossed up (from what's left) all over the web.

While I would welcome either of those 2 players onto our roster, Sydor was making $2.5 million before hitting free agency this summer. Babchuk made $1 million last season and had a great campaign in Carolina. He is going to seek a raise that perhaps no NHL team is willing to pay him. Both players have not been signed yet and there is a reason for that. They are most likely commanding too much, or, in Sydor's case, are too old.

So why do Canucks fans keep insisting that we need this type of defenceman? Why wouldn't Mike Gillis wait until he gets a good gander at guys like Evan Oberg (for example, who IS a reliable puck-moving defenceman) at training camp? More importantly, why can't we expect to see Alexander Edler and Kevin Bieksa thrive in expanded roles?

Allow me to finish this post in point form to throw some stats and what-not at you:

-How many puck-moving D-men do you need to win a Stanley Cup? Pittsburgh's Sergei Gonchar scored 3 goals and 14 points in 22 playoff games this past spring. Coming in at 2nd for the Penguins was Kris Letang at 4 goals and 14 points in 23 playoff games. 3rd was Mark Eaton at 4 goals and 7 points in 24 playoff games.

-As for the runner-up Red Wings: Niklas Lidstrom had 4 goals and 16 points in 21 playoff games. Brian Rafalski had 3 goals and 12 points in 18 post season games. Brad Stuart scored 3 goals and 9 points in 23 playoff matches.

-What is my point? There were not a lot of points scored beyond the 2nd offensive defenceman for either team. Comparatively, Edler scored 8 points in 10 playoff games. Sami Salo scored 7 points in 7 games. Bieksa had 5 assists in 10 playoff games. (I know he can do better than that.) Mattias Ohlund had 1 goal and 3 points in 10 playoff games, but he did rank tops on the Canucks in +/- at a +5 rating.

-Are Bieksa and Edler that bad at moving the puck? I say NO.

-So if I'm saying we don't necessarily need another slick-skating, puck-controlling, well-known defenceman what am I saying? I personally think that we need a TEAM that doesn't collapse in their own end, like what happened in Round 2 against Chicago. Yes, I'm chalking that dreadful 7-5 finale to a collapse as a TEAM. It doesn't scream "get a damned speedy defenceman like M-A Bergeron or who-the-hell-ever-else."

-Why do I think that Mike Gillis will wait until after training camp to possibly acquire the aforementioned d-man? Because he has had plenty of opportunities to acquire one through free agency already and has stood pat. I think he's waiting to see if a player emerges out of training camp. And why wouldn't he? He has limited cap space left, and he'd have to flog too much cap space to acquire the defenceman that all these internet gurus think he needs to get.

If you think Demitra and his $4 million salary is getting traded to make room for a quality D guy, you need to lower your standards. That is wishful thinking. We are left with the cluster of players that will be vying for a top 9 spot at training camp, and none of those players would free up enough cap space via a trade route in order for Gillis to get a big-named defenceman and still fit his salary under the cap.

I know I'm kicking a dead horse here, but this issue keeps getting brought up.

Am I losing you yet? OK, I'll stop now. End rant.

The Southeast Division's Top Ten Defensemen

J.P. — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:45:08 -0000

via daylife.com

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Keeping with this week's Southeast theme at The Rink (and with nary a mention of Tim Tebow... oops), today we're going to take a look at the division's top ten defensemen. It's a list that was a heck of a lot more impressive thirteen months ago, when Dan Boyle and Jay Bouwmeester were still on Sunshine State rosters, and one that should come into its own again in a couple of years when prospects Victor Hedman, Karl Alzner, John Carlson join some of the youngsters who made the list below. But for now, it's a list that makes you realize that the impressive list of forwards we counted down yesterday haven't necessarily been facing top-notch intra-divisional opponents. Let's dive right in and you'll see what we mean.

Just missing the cut (I'd call this "Honorable Mention," but there's not much honor in not being able to crack this Top Ten): Joe Corvo, Tom Poti, Andrej Meszaros, Ron Hainsey, Tim Gleason, Aaron Ward.

10. Anton Babchuk (Carolina Hurricanes)

The 6'5", 25-year-old Babchuk had a breakout season in 2008-09, scoring 16 goals (tied for fifth in the League), posting the best plus-minus on the Division's best defensive team and taking just eight minor penalties in 72 games. He might be higher on this list if he got more ice time, though more responsibility may not necessarily agree with Babs.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008-09	72	16	19	35	13	16	9	0	4	1	127	12.6

9. Jeff Schultz (Washington Capitals)

Eat it, haters. Last time we checked, the point of hockey was to score more goals than your opponent does, and Sarge has the best plus-minus of any defenseman in the division since he entered the League in 2006-07.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008-09	64	1	11	12	13	21	0	1	0	0	40	2.5

8. Bryan McCabe (Florida Panthers)

McCabe pumped in another 15 goals in 2008-09, and scored 'em at the sixth-best rate among NHL defensemen. He created goals at the eleventh-highest rate among the League's blueliners and while he's never going to wow anyone with his defense... well, let's just leave it at that.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008-09	69	15	24	39	-1	41	8	0	3	1	153	9.8

7. Mattias Ohlund (Tampa Bay Lightning)

The miles seem to be catching up with Ohlund a bit (2008-09 was the worst offensive campaign of his career), but he is still a solid rearguard. At least that's what the Bolts are hoping.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008-09	82	6	19	25	14	105	3	0	1	0	131	4.6

6. Pavel Kubina (Atlanta Thrashers)

Kubina's atrocious minus-15 rating jumps off the screen at you, but he was plus-12 over the previous two seasons. Then again, he is minus-102 over his eleven-year NHL career. Seriously, $5 million for this guy?

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008-09	82	14	26	40	-15	94	9	0	4	0	184	7.6

5. Tobias Enstrom (Atlanta Thrashers)

Enstrom's sophomore campaign started out a little rocky, but ended strong, as he posted 21 points and a plus-14 rating in his final 25 games of the season (a 62-point/plus-45 pace). Enstrom got monster special teams minutes - 3:23 per game shorthanded and 3:18 on the power play - and hasn't yet missed a game in his two-year NHL career.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008-09	82	5	27	32	14	52	2	1	1	0	86	5.8

4. Zach Bogosian (Atlanta Thrashers)

Can Zach Bogosian be this high on the list already, just 47 games into his NHL career? Yep. From January on, the rookie had nine goals, ten assists and a plus-14 rating (for the Thrashers, mind you) in 38 games played. Pro rate those numbers and you're looking at a 19-goal/21-assist/plus-30 rookie campaign. He played against the toughest competition of all Atlanta defensemen at five-on-five and had 67 hits and 50 blocked shots in those 47 games... and he just turned nineteen.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008-09	47	9	10	19	11	47	2	1	1	0	90	10.0

3. Joni Pitkanen (Carolina Hurricanes)

Pitkanen led the Division's best defensive team in ice time and posted the second-best plus-minus among the team's blueliners. He had a bit of an up-and-down season in 2008-09 - 21 points and a minus-three rating before the All-Star game and just 12 points but a plus-14 rating from that point on. If he puts it all together, look out.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008-09	71	7	26	33	11	58	2	0	3	0	147	4.8

2. Keith Ballard (Florida Panthers)

Ballard played every game in 2008-09 and posted the best plus-minus on the Florida blueline, while leading the group in hits and blocked shots. And despite modest offensive totals, Ballard was tied for sixth among NHL defensemen in even strength points. Solid, solid rearguard.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008-09	82	6	28	34	14	72	1	0	1	0	106	5.7

1. Mike Green (Washington Capitals)

Biggest no-brainer in the history of earth. Norris finalist, NHL First-Team All-Star, and so on and so forth. Honestly, picking Alex Ovechkin as the top forward in the division yesterday was probably a tougher call. All hail Greenie.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008-09	68	31	42	73	24	68	18	1	4	1	243	12.8

So there you have it - the top ten Southeast Division defensemen. Alright, now tell us where we're wrong.