#4 Uwe Krupp
Scouting Report The Finesse Game
Krupp made a remarkable recovery from early-season knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. His comeback was capped when he scored the Cup-winning goal in triple overtime in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The key to his game is his awareness of his limitations. Not a quick skater even before the injury, Krupp was especially conservative, yet effective, after his return. He reads play well both offensively and defensively. He positions himself well in his own zone, so he needs only one long stride to cut off the attacker. Krupp has a hard shot, but it takes him far too long to get his big slapper underway and it is often blocked. Because he is so tall and uses such a long stick, he doesn´t one-time the puck well, but instead must stop it and tee it up. He has a good wrist shot that he can use to better purpose, because he can get it away cleanly and with some velocity. He protects the puck well. Krupp helps his team immeasurably by his ability to move the puck smartly out of the zone. He is a smooth passer and creates a lot off odd-man rushes by spotting the developing play and making the solid first pass.

The Physical Game
Krupp is enormous and takes up a lot of space on the ice, but doesn´t use his body as a weapon. It´s more of a roadblock, and it´s one heck of a detour to get around. Krupp blocks shots willingly and is a very good penalty killer. He plays with restraint and takes few bad penalties. Checkers seem to bounce off him. On the rare nights when he gets physical, he can dominate, but he doesn´t often play that way. It´s just not his nature. Krupp worked extremely hard to rehab his knee injury and may have been in the best shape of his career aerobically by the playoffs.

The Intangibles
Krupp is reliable and sensible and can be used to protect a lead because he never takes unnecessary risks. He has been used with a lot of partners and complements all of them well, especially younger defensemen. He is a steadying influence, and now he´s a champion as well.