There are few rivalries left in the NHL that carry much substance these days, but Chicago and Vancouver share a mutual disdain for one another that always produces some solid bulletin board material. Whether it is Dave Bolland referring to the Sedin’s as the “twin sisters in Vancouver” and Canucks forward Ryan Kesler flapping his gums there is certainly no love lost.

The two squads also feature two of the elite defensemen in the NHL with Duncan Keith of Chicago and Vancouver’s Alexander Edler. Keith seems to be a subscriber of the Patrick Kane “nosedive since we won the Stanley Cup “ statistical group. After putting up Norris worthy stats during Chicago’s Stanley Cup winning season in 2010, Keith has fallen into the ranks of above average defensemen.

In the Pacific northwest Vancouver has a young Swede who patrols their blueline who appears to be taking Keith’s spot in the ranks of the elite Western Conference defensemen. With sparkling play in both ends of the ice, Edler’s stock appears to be on the rise. At 26, the Scandinavian left-hander loves the physical play as much as the glory stats from the offensive end. As one of the leaders in shots among defensemen, Edler trails only Kevin Bieska on the Canucks for hits by defensemen.

Duncan Keith has all the tools to sit at the table of elite defensemen. He plays on one of the most talented rosters in the NHL, yet seems to lack the fire that helped the Hawks end their Stanley Cup drought. Keith still finished in the top-20 among defensemen in scoring, but his numbers were down for the second consecutive year, 29 less than in 2010.

The safer smarter play is to go with Edler for your defense. Statistically across the board, Edler will take you farther than  hoping that Keith rediscovers his 2010 form.  The Blackhawks and Canucks will continue to play some of the most intense hockey when they share the ice. Look for the Canucks’ Edler to be in the mix each time.