Forget about Jimmy Howard, my vote -- if I had one -- is for Tyler Myers for the Calder Trophy. The young defenseman simply dominated the Dallas Stars tonight in the Sabres 5-3 win and if you haven’t had the chance to see this young man play, then you need to find some way to do so. Myers has carried over his dominance from last season with the Kelowna Rockets, and it’s amazing to see a young player adjust to the NHL so quickly.
Matt Duchene is the leader among all rookies in scoring, but Myers -- a defenseman -- is not far behind. Even more impressive is his plus-7 rating, but the numbers and the stats don’t tell the whole story.
Myers is a player you have to watch to truly be impressed by. His poise and his ability to read the ice are, dare I say it, indicative of some of the best defensemen the NHL has seen over the past 20 years. He’s a freakish combination of speed, scoring ability and tremendous size -- sort of a hybrid of Derian Hatcher and Nicklas Lidstrom.
What’s scary is that he’s nowhere near the level of defenseman he has the potential to be. He’ll only improve year after year, and he still has some muscle and size to add to his already impressive frame. It’s amazing he only went 12th overall in 2008.
I know the popular opinion right now is that Jimmy Howard has the lock on the Calder*, and if not he should. But what Tyler Myers is doing every night in Buffalo is something that numbers and stats cannot quantify and after a game like he had against Dallas, there should be no question who deserves top rookie honors.
*Sporting News’ Craig Custance has informed me that most voters are with Myers, and not Howard. My point still stands, but it’s good to know that despite a late surge by Howard that voters are still sticking with the Sabres defenseman.
