(Another in a series of player profiles prior to training camp Sept. 18-23.)

Niklas Kronwall

Position: Defense

Age: 33

Height/Weight: 6-0/190

2013-14 stats: 79 games, eight goals, 41 assists, 49 points, even plus-minus rating, 44 penalty minutes; (playoffs) five games, one goal, one assist, two points, minus-1 rating, no penalty minutes.

Career stats: 594 games, 62 goals, 233 assists, 295 points, plus-46 rating, 386 penalty minutes; (playoffs) 98 games, five goals, 39 assists, 44 points, plus-23 rating, 77 penalty minutes.

Contract status: Five years remaining at a cap hit of $4.75 million.

2013-14 in review: Tied for first on the team with 49 points, two short of his career high. ... Led team in power-play points (25). ... Led team in average ice time (24:18) and average shorthanded time (3:03), second in average power-play time (3:22). ... Named NHL's second star of week on Dec. 2 following three consecutive two-point games. ... Matched career-best six-game points streak Nov. 21-Dec, 1 (two goals, seven assists). ... Recorded two three-point games (Oct. 12 vs. Philadelphia and Feb. 27 at Ottawa) and 11 multi-point games. ... Led team in blocked shots (154). ... Led team's defensemen and third on club in hits (93). ... Missed two games with a concussion (Oct. 19-21). ... Has missed only eight games in four season after experiencing several injuries earlier in his career. ... Selected for Swedish Olympic team for the third time. Named captain after Henrik Zetterberg withdrew due to back injury. Had no goals and two assists in six games as Sweden won the silver medal.

2014-15 outlook: He'll be the anchor on defense for the third year in a row, following Nicklas Lidstrom's retirement. He'll continue to be relied on to do it all – lead the team at even strength, man the point on the top power-play unit, log more shorthanded minutes than anyone else and provide offense for a defense that lacks scoring threats. And he'll continue to play against the opposition's top line. He's step up and deliver a big hit once in a while but can't do it as often as in the past with so many other responsibilities. He's helped with the growth of young defensemen – Jonathan Ericsson, his partner since the start of the 2013 season, and Brendan Smith, whom he was paired with during Ericsson's absence.

Key question: Should Kronwall be reunited with a healthy Ericsson or be paired with Smith?