Duncan Keith has enjoyed a fantastic career. He's universally recognized as one of the NHL's best defencemen, twice winning the Norris Trophy and receiving votes in each of the last seven seasons. Prior to this year, he had been the No. 1 defenceman for two Stanley Cup-winning teams.
So when I write that his Conn Smythe-winning performance in the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs has been the finest of his entire career, it's important to understand the full meaning of that assertion.
Even without the exceptional circumstances involved in this run, Keith's performance was outstanding. His 21 points in the playoffs were the second-best total on the team, tied with Jonathan Toews and behind only Patrick Kane. He made significant offensive contributions in all four rounds and would have been a top contender for the Smythe under any conditions.
What made this run so special, though, was that the Blackhawks played the 13 games of the final two rounds of the postseason with essentially only four defencemen. An injury to Michal Rozsival, along with a lack of trust in the team's deeper options by the coaching staff, meant tha ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
Conn Smythe Win the Ultimate Achievement of Duncan Keith’s Brilliant Career
June 15th, 2015 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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