If he wasn't injured he would have been at least a finalist. If he keeps playing this well and gets to 40-50 games, he might still be a finalist.
However, it will probably be Crosby, Ovechkin, and Phaneuf
I think Tallinder is quickly and quietly becoming that top 4 D-man we were previously missing.
I don't see a need to displace any of the current 6 (now that Kalinin is back) unless it is for one of the top 20 D-men in the league.
Another note:
This felt like those great playoff series against the Flyers, except we won this game.
These two teams could very well meet many more times this season.