Originally Posted by anticipation

I like Pietrangelo as a potential top 5 guy too, but Karlsson is pretty untouchable in the role he plays. These past few seasons we've seen a premium on puck-movers and guys who can run a powerplay, two things Karlsson does better than nearly anyone not named Campbell. Hell, Wideman got 5 mil. from Feaster this year and he's a 4-5-6 guy at best. Karlsson plays over 25 minutes a night and has a very respectable +/- for a 22 yr. old playing on a middle-of-the-pack Senators team. There's a good reason he got a Norris nomination this year despite not having the shutdown ability that we classically associate with premier defensemen.

As far as reliability, Suter can definitely be counted on in his own end but there are a host of guys who do what he does just as well. Seabrook, Girardi, Gorges, Beauchemin, these guys all faced a higher QoC and had comparable Corsi and Corsi/Rel numbers despite playing more PK minutes than Suter. I like the guy as a player but I think that he got a massive overpayment in a market that massively overpays D-men. I like the move to get him but we'll see just how much he improves the mediocre defense the Wild iced last year.