YoungMony29
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For fun this past week I've been taking an in-depth look at the top defenseman in the NHL, inspired by Adam Fox's brilliant play and insertion into the Norris Trophy discussion. I put together a list of who I think have been the top 10 difference makers on the blue line in the 2021 NHL season. Looking through the stats, it became an interest list featuring a mix of veterans turning back the clock, young players breaking out, and solid players at the peaks of their careers.
When I think about the best defenseman in the NHL, they have to be able to impact all aspects of the game, which is why, spoilers, you won't see Quinn Hughes on my list, who can't play a lick of defense.
The main stats that I used to determine the best players were as follows:
- Goals/Assists on the Power Play and at Even Strength (primary points bonus)
- TOI: Even Strength, PP, PK
- Offensive & Defensive Zone Start Percentage (can often skew advanced analytics)
- Corsi/Corsi Rel% and expected goal % with d-partner
Before I get into the list, I wanted to give out a few honorable mentions. The list could easily be 15 players long, but these were the ones I truly considered worthy of a spot in the Top 10, but had to leave out for one reason or another.
Darnell Nurse
Jakob Chychrun
John Klingberg
Mattias Eckholm
Roman Josi
10. Drew Doughty
Stats
8 Goals, 22 Assists (2/11/13 Even Strength)
CF%: 51% (4.7 relative to rest of team)
TOI: 26:55 / game
D-Zone Start: 51.6%
27 takeaways
Drew Doughty hasn't been the player that the NHL writers think he is since 2018, but he's rediscovered his game in a rebuilding year for the LA Kings. While his stats aren't at the top of the league, 30 points in 42 games on a below average Kings team isn't too shabby, and soaking up almost 27 minutes at 31 years-old is mighty impressive. His presence on the ice boosts the team's corsi by almost 5% and add in the fact that he starts more than half of his shifts in the D-Zone and he had to make the list. Although he helped break my heart in the 2014 Stanley Cup, hats off to him for making the list this year.
9. Kris Letang
Stats
7 goals, 27 assists (32p: T5) (6/16/22 Even Strength: T5)
CF%: 50% (-0.1 relative)
TOI: 24:29 / game
D-Zone Start: 46.1%
xGF% w/ Dumoulin: 49.5%
I hate the Penguins, but I have to respect Letang as a player, especially given the amount of injuries he has battled and overcome throughout his career. He was a staple of the Penguins dynasty that won multiple Stanley Cups and had the opportunity to win a few more. Playing in the most difficult division, Letang has done it all for a Pittsburgh team lacking experience on the back-end. His 22 even strength points is 5th in the league for defenseman and anyone who watches Penguins games is seeing flashbacks to his dominant period between 2014-2019.
8. John Carlson
Stats
10 goals, 27 assists (37p: 3rd) (7/17/24 Even Strength: 1st in league)
CF%: 48.4% (0.2 relative)
TOI: 23:48 / game
D-Zone Start: 46.5%
xGF% w/ Dillon: 47.9%
Carlson was the player I had the most difficulty placing on the list. While he's certainly deserving of being in the Top 10, he hasn't been playing very well defensively year, actually giving up more goals while he's on the ice than the Capitals score. But at the end of the day, there's no denying his impact on the game and he often plays against the top players in the league. Carlson leads the league in even strength scoring (d-men), a title that he ran away with last season. While he leaves something to be desire defensively, the argument isn't difficult to make to call him the best offensive defenseman in the NHL.
7. Samuel Girard
Stats
5 goals, 26 assists (31p: T8) (5/17/22 Even Strength - T5)
CF%: 61.1% (3.8 relative)
TOI: 23:31 / game
D-Zone Starts: 39%
xGF% w/ Girard: 65.5% and w/ Graves: 57.8%
Cale Makar gets all the shine, but Samuel Girard has become the Shaq to Makar's Kobe. While it's a small sample size, I bet you'd be surprised if you compare their statistics this year. The Avalanche are an absolute wagon, but Girard's analytics are absolutely bonkers this year. With him on the ice, the Avs are generating over 60% of the shots and goals, which are numbers you almost never see across an entire season. Oh, and he's 22 years-old too, just like Cale. Girard only gets half of the PP time that Makar gets, but he's still top 10 in the league in total scoring. This kid is the real deal. The Avs are going to be contending for a while with Mac, Mikko, Makar and Girard. My god.
6. Shea Theodore
Stats
6 goals, 27 assists (33p: T6) (6/17/23 Even Strength - T2)
CF%: 54.7% (1.4 relative)
TOI: 22:35 / game
D-Zone Starts: 41%
xGF% w/ Martinez: 54.2%
3rd in league with +/- of 21
I do not hesitate for one second when someone asks who the most underrated defenseman in the NHL is. It's Shea Theodore. Although he doesn't play a lot on the penalty kill, he does everything you want from a top pair d-man in the NHL. He makes a great team even better when he's on the ice, and he lifts up the game of Alec Martinez, a player well past his prime. He's been on the ice (at even-strength) for 46 goals for and only 28 against, and as noted above he's tied for 2nd in the league for even strength points. On a team loaded with talented defenseman of all ages, Theodore is the best one of all. I hope he doesn't fade in the Norris Trophy discussion.
5. Charlie McAvoy
Stats
4 goals, 21 assists (25p: T25) (4/14/18 Even Strength - T14)
CF%: 58.0% (7.0 relative)
TOI: 24:15 / game
D-Zone Starts: 45.5%
xGF: 57%
I'm not sure there's a better d-partner in the NHL than Charlie McAvoy. Certainly anyone on the list is excellent, but McAvoy simply makes everyone around him better. He hasn't put up the point totals of the other players on this list (25 points in 43 games), but he's having a near flawless season on a Bruins d-core that had a lot of question marks before the season started. McAvoy has played over a hundred minutes with Grzelcyk, Lauzon and Zboril, all of whom have seen significant jumps in analytics when playing across from him (62.7%, 58.2%, 54.3% Corsi For%, respectively). Grzelcyk is a fine 4th/5th defenseman and Lauzon and Zboril are decent NHL prospects, but McAvoy makes them look like veteran first liners. He's a rare player that averages over 2:00 per game on the PP and on the PK, and just never seems to make a mistake. He's not as flashy as the next guys, but there's nobody I'd rather have out there with a minute left in any situation. His absolutely absurd 7.0 Corsi Relative tells the tale in one statistic. When he's on the ice, the Bruins are deadly.
4. Victor Hedman
Stats
9 goals, 35 assists (44p: 2nd) (21 at Even Strength: T9)
CF%: 52.5% (0.9 relative)
TOI: 25:12 / game
D-Zone Starts: 39.2%
xGF w/ Rutta (360 minutes): 46.8%
I'm shocked that Hedman fell "all the way" to #4, but his analytics are actually very surprising. I was reading that his game has been a little shaky the last month or so, and by the numbers I would have to assume that's correct. Yes, he's still putting up points, but it's interesting to see how often he's being started in the offensive zone while only being a small amount above team average in corsi for. Add on the fact that his 5v5 expected goals for % is actually under 50% on the team with the best defensive depth in the NHL and consider me baffled.
All that being said, there's no doubt Hedman is still one of the best players in the NHL. He's a ****ing horse out there on the ice with his 6'6" frame just buzzing around and impacting the game everywhere. Not much more needs to be said, since anyone who considers themselves a hockey fan knows how unreal Hedman is at the top of his game. But I couldn't as an analytic stan put him above the next 3.
3. Dougie Hamilton
Stats
8 goals, 31 assists (39p: T5) (21 at Even Strength: T9)
CF%: 54.8% (2.5 relative)
TOI: 22:48 / game
D-Zone Starts: 47.7%
xGF w/ Slavin: 57.3%
People have been waiting for Dougie to break out for years. Making his way to Carolina on his third-team at only age 25, the hype was starting to wear down a bit despite overwhelmingly great analytics that showed he was on the verge of becoming a 70-80 point player instead of a 45-55 point player. Well for those that always believed, you have been rewarded the past 2 seasons as Hamilton has put up 79 points in 84 games, including 22 goals. His game will and should remind people of Hedman, and I think that when the Canes win the Cup this year people with see him for the stud that he truly has become. Brind'Amour has given him more and more responsibility each year and he's been up to the task, quarterbacking the PP, playing on the penalty kill, and actually leading the team in shots. It's taken him a while, but the former top 10 pick with the goofy smile has finally reached and even exceeded his expectations.
Cale Makar
Stats (Note: Only 33 games played)
5 goals, 30 assists (35p: #1 in Points/Game)
CF%: 58.9% (2.7 relative)
TOI: 24:08 / game
D-Zone Starts: 39%
xGF w/ Toews: 63.6%
I hate this season. Not only because the Rangers are going to miss the playoffs despite having more points than any other division's #4 team, but also because I'm unable to watch Cale Makar play hockey before 9 PM eastern time. Although he's only 22, I personally have no problem claiming that Cale Makar's skating ability is among the all-time greats at his position, and I look forward to watching him every time the Avs come to the East Coast. Not only does he have terrific top-speed and acceleration, but his agility and footwork at the blueline makes him almost impossible to defend when he has any time and/or space. Sure, having someone clap 110 MPH bombs from the point on the PP may work, but it's the players like Makar that can get a higher percentage of shots through because of their agility that really make a special teams unit thrive. Anybody that's ever watched Makar play a game since his days at UMASS know how special he is, and the fact that this team has Makar and Girard is just unfair. I feel sorry for whatever team has to play them 13+ times this season. Must be a nightmare.
It's really difficult to not put Makar at the very top of this list, but I have to take into account how good the Avalanche and the rest of their D-men are, how weak the lower half of the division is, the fact that he missed a bunch of games, and the reality that they tend to only start him in the offensive zone. He's by far the most dynamic and threatening offensive defenseman in hockey, but my #1 has to go to someone I think has had just a slightly better season.
1. Adam Fox
Stats
5 goals, 41 assists (46p: 1) (3/20/23 Even Strength)
CF%: 51.0% (5.4 relative)
TOI: 24:34 / game
D-Zone Starts: 51%
xGF w/ Toe: 58.2%
The breakout player of 2021 is without question Adam Fox, who in his second year in the league leads all defenseman in scoring, amassing 41 assists in 48 games this season. As someone's who's favorite player growing up was Brian Leetch, without getting ahead of myself I think there's a real chance Fox could put up a fight to be the greatest Rangers defenseman in the modern era. His deceptiveness freezes opposing players every night and now that he's developed his shot, other teams are struggling to defend him just as much as Panarin on the power play. On Sunday night vs. the Sabres, his brilliant play literally started a betting war between the two Rangers announcers where they each owe eachother $1 every time they say "great play by Fox." In the last two months, there hasn't been a single game where he hasn't driven the gameplay for most of the night. He's got 6 more assists than any other defenseman and he's only 2 away from being tied for second in the entire NHL.
While it's easy to point out all of his great offensive play, he's almost as good defensively. While he's certainly undersized at 5'11" and 180 pounds, he leads the rangers in blocked shots and has only been on the ice for 29 regulation goals against as opposed to 52 goals for, and has a positive corsi for % despite actually starting in the d-zone more than 50% of the time. That's while playing over 24 minutes a night in the best division in hockey (The next highest d-pair after Lindgren-Fox is 48.7% xGF). He's played 118 games in the NHL And he's already in the conversation for the best player at his position in hockey.
Adam Fox: $40
Cale Makar: $110
Dougie Hamilton: $8
Victor Hedman: $60
Charlie McAvoy: $18
Shea Theodore: $6 (Absurdly low)
Samuel Girard: $17
John Carlson: $26
Kris Letang: $40
Drew Doughty: $20
Darnell Nurse: $55
Jakob Chychrun: $7
John Klingberg: $20
Mattias Ekholm: $4
Roman Josi: $26
Who do you think is having the best year so far this year? Would love to hear everyone's thoughts. So many exciting young defenseman we get to follow the next decade in the league.
When I think about the best defenseman in the NHL, they have to be able to impact all aspects of the game, which is why, spoilers, you won't see Quinn Hughes on my list, who can't play a lick of defense.
The main stats that I used to determine the best players were as follows:
- Goals/Assists on the Power Play and at Even Strength (primary points bonus)
- TOI: Even Strength, PP, PK
- Offensive & Defensive Zone Start Percentage (can often skew advanced analytics)
- Corsi/Corsi Rel% and expected goal % with d-partner
Before I get into the list, I wanted to give out a few honorable mentions. The list could easily be 15 players long, but these were the ones I truly considered worthy of a spot in the Top 10, but had to leave out for one reason or another.
Darnell Nurse
Jakob Chychrun
John Klingberg
Mattias Eckholm
Roman Josi
10. Drew Doughty
Stats
8 Goals, 22 Assists (2/11/13 Even Strength)
CF%: 51% (4.7 relative to rest of team)
TOI: 26:55 / game
D-Zone Start: 51.6%
27 takeaways
Drew Doughty hasn't been the player that the NHL writers think he is since 2018, but he's rediscovered his game in a rebuilding year for the LA Kings. While his stats aren't at the top of the league, 30 points in 42 games on a below average Kings team isn't too shabby, and soaking up almost 27 minutes at 31 years-old is mighty impressive. His presence on the ice boosts the team's corsi by almost 5% and add in the fact that he starts more than half of his shifts in the D-Zone and he had to make the list. Although he helped break my heart in the 2014 Stanley Cup, hats off to him for making the list this year.
9. Kris Letang
Stats
7 goals, 27 assists (32p: T5) (6/16/22 Even Strength: T5)
CF%: 50% (-0.1 relative)
TOI: 24:29 / game
D-Zone Start: 46.1%
xGF% w/ Dumoulin: 49.5%
I hate the Penguins, but I have to respect Letang as a player, especially given the amount of injuries he has battled and overcome throughout his career. He was a staple of the Penguins dynasty that won multiple Stanley Cups and had the opportunity to win a few more. Playing in the most difficult division, Letang has done it all for a Pittsburgh team lacking experience on the back-end. His 22 even strength points is 5th in the league for defenseman and anyone who watches Penguins games is seeing flashbacks to his dominant period between 2014-2019.
8. John Carlson
Stats
10 goals, 27 assists (37p: 3rd) (7/17/24 Even Strength: 1st in league)
CF%: 48.4% (0.2 relative)
TOI: 23:48 / game
D-Zone Start: 46.5%
xGF% w/ Dillon: 47.9%
Carlson was the player I had the most difficulty placing on the list. While he's certainly deserving of being in the Top 10, he hasn't been playing very well defensively year, actually giving up more goals while he's on the ice than the Capitals score. But at the end of the day, there's no denying his impact on the game and he often plays against the top players in the league. Carlson leads the league in even strength scoring (d-men), a title that he ran away with last season. While he leaves something to be desire defensively, the argument isn't difficult to make to call him the best offensive defenseman in the NHL.
7. Samuel Girard
Stats
5 goals, 26 assists (31p: T8) (5/17/22 Even Strength - T5)
CF%: 61.1% (3.8 relative)
TOI: 23:31 / game
D-Zone Starts: 39%
xGF% w/ Girard: 65.5% and w/ Graves: 57.8%
Cale Makar gets all the shine, but Samuel Girard has become the Shaq to Makar's Kobe. While it's a small sample size, I bet you'd be surprised if you compare their statistics this year. The Avalanche are an absolute wagon, but Girard's analytics are absolutely bonkers this year. With him on the ice, the Avs are generating over 60% of the shots and goals, which are numbers you almost never see across an entire season. Oh, and he's 22 years-old too, just like Cale. Girard only gets half of the PP time that Makar gets, but he's still top 10 in the league in total scoring. This kid is the real deal. The Avs are going to be contending for a while with Mac, Mikko, Makar and Girard. My god.
6. Shea Theodore
Stats
6 goals, 27 assists (33p: T6) (6/17/23 Even Strength - T2)
CF%: 54.7% (1.4 relative)
TOI: 22:35 / game
D-Zone Starts: 41%
xGF% w/ Martinez: 54.2%
3rd in league with +/- of 21
I do not hesitate for one second when someone asks who the most underrated defenseman in the NHL is. It's Shea Theodore. Although he doesn't play a lot on the penalty kill, he does everything you want from a top pair d-man in the NHL. He makes a great team even better when he's on the ice, and he lifts up the game of Alec Martinez, a player well past his prime. He's been on the ice (at even-strength) for 46 goals for and only 28 against, and as noted above he's tied for 2nd in the league for even strength points. On a team loaded with talented defenseman of all ages, Theodore is the best one of all. I hope he doesn't fade in the Norris Trophy discussion.
5. Charlie McAvoy
Stats
4 goals, 21 assists (25p: T25) (4/14/18 Even Strength - T14)
CF%: 58.0% (7.0 relative)
TOI: 24:15 / game
D-Zone Starts: 45.5%
xGF: 57%
I'm not sure there's a better d-partner in the NHL than Charlie McAvoy. Certainly anyone on the list is excellent, but McAvoy simply makes everyone around him better. He hasn't put up the point totals of the other players on this list (25 points in 43 games), but he's having a near flawless season on a Bruins d-core that had a lot of question marks before the season started. McAvoy has played over a hundred minutes with Grzelcyk, Lauzon and Zboril, all of whom have seen significant jumps in analytics when playing across from him (62.7%, 58.2%, 54.3% Corsi For%, respectively). Grzelcyk is a fine 4th/5th defenseman and Lauzon and Zboril are decent NHL prospects, but McAvoy makes them look like veteran first liners. He's a rare player that averages over 2:00 per game on the PP and on the PK, and just never seems to make a mistake. He's not as flashy as the next guys, but there's nobody I'd rather have out there with a minute left in any situation. His absolutely absurd 7.0 Corsi Relative tells the tale in one statistic. When he's on the ice, the Bruins are deadly.
4. Victor Hedman
Stats
9 goals, 35 assists (44p: 2nd) (21 at Even Strength: T9)
CF%: 52.5% (0.9 relative)
TOI: 25:12 / game
D-Zone Starts: 39.2%
xGF w/ Rutta (360 minutes): 46.8%
I'm shocked that Hedman fell "all the way" to #4, but his analytics are actually very surprising. I was reading that his game has been a little shaky the last month or so, and by the numbers I would have to assume that's correct. Yes, he's still putting up points, but it's interesting to see how often he's being started in the offensive zone while only being a small amount above team average in corsi for. Add on the fact that his 5v5 expected goals for % is actually under 50% on the team with the best defensive depth in the NHL and consider me baffled.
All that being said, there's no doubt Hedman is still one of the best players in the NHL. He's a ****ing horse out there on the ice with his 6'6" frame just buzzing around and impacting the game everywhere. Not much more needs to be said, since anyone who considers themselves a hockey fan knows how unreal Hedman is at the top of his game. But I couldn't as an analytic stan put him above the next 3.
3. Dougie Hamilton
Stats
8 goals, 31 assists (39p: T5) (21 at Even Strength: T9)
CF%: 54.8% (2.5 relative)
TOI: 22:48 / game
D-Zone Starts: 47.7%
xGF w/ Slavin: 57.3%
People have been waiting for Dougie to break out for years. Making his way to Carolina on his third-team at only age 25, the hype was starting to wear down a bit despite overwhelmingly great analytics that showed he was on the verge of becoming a 70-80 point player instead of a 45-55 point player. Well for those that always believed, you have been rewarded the past 2 seasons as Hamilton has put up 79 points in 84 games, including 22 goals. His game will and should remind people of Hedman, and I think that when the Canes win the Cup this year people with see him for the stud that he truly has become. Brind'Amour has given him more and more responsibility each year and he's been up to the task, quarterbacking the PP, playing on the penalty kill, and actually leading the team in shots. It's taken him a while, but the former top 10 pick with the goofy smile has finally reached and even exceeded his expectations.
Cale Makar
Stats (Note: Only 33 games played)
5 goals, 30 assists (35p: #1 in Points/Game)
CF%: 58.9% (2.7 relative)
TOI: 24:08 / game
D-Zone Starts: 39%
xGF w/ Toews: 63.6%
I hate this season. Not only because the Rangers are going to miss the playoffs despite having more points than any other division's #4 team, but also because I'm unable to watch Cale Makar play hockey before 9 PM eastern time. Although he's only 22, I personally have no problem claiming that Cale Makar's skating ability is among the all-time greats at his position, and I look forward to watching him every time the Avs come to the East Coast. Not only does he have terrific top-speed and acceleration, but his agility and footwork at the blueline makes him almost impossible to defend when he has any time and/or space. Sure, having someone clap 110 MPH bombs from the point on the PP may work, but it's the players like Makar that can get a higher percentage of shots through because of their agility that really make a special teams unit thrive. Anybody that's ever watched Makar play a game since his days at UMASS know how special he is, and the fact that this team has Makar and Girard is just unfair. I feel sorry for whatever team has to play them 13+ times this season. Must be a nightmare.
It's really difficult to not put Makar at the very top of this list, but I have to take into account how good the Avalanche and the rest of their D-men are, how weak the lower half of the division is, the fact that he missed a bunch of games, and the reality that they tend to only start him in the offensive zone. He's by far the most dynamic and threatening offensive defenseman in hockey, but my #1 has to go to someone I think has had just a slightly better season.
1. Adam Fox
Stats
5 goals, 41 assists (46p: 1) (3/20/23 Even Strength)
CF%: 51.0% (5.4 relative)
TOI: 24:34 / game
D-Zone Starts: 51%
xGF w/ Toe: 58.2%
The breakout player of 2021 is without question Adam Fox, who in his second year in the league leads all defenseman in scoring, amassing 41 assists in 48 games this season. As someone's who's favorite player growing up was Brian Leetch, without getting ahead of myself I think there's a real chance Fox could put up a fight to be the greatest Rangers defenseman in the modern era. His deceptiveness freezes opposing players every night and now that he's developed his shot, other teams are struggling to defend him just as much as Panarin on the power play. On Sunday night vs. the Sabres, his brilliant play literally started a betting war between the two Rangers announcers where they each owe eachother $1 every time they say "great play by Fox." In the last two months, there hasn't been a single game where he hasn't driven the gameplay for most of the night. He's got 6 more assists than any other defenseman and he's only 2 away from being tied for second in the entire NHL.
While it's easy to point out all of his great offensive play, he's almost as good defensively. While he's certainly undersized at 5'11" and 180 pounds, he leads the rangers in blocked shots and has only been on the ice for 29 regulation goals against as opposed to 52 goals for, and has a positive corsi for % despite actually starting in the d-zone more than 50% of the time. That's while playing over 24 minutes a night in the best division in hockey (The next highest d-pair after Lindgren-Fox is 48.7% xGF). He's played 118 games in the NHL And he's already in the conversation for the best player at his position in hockey.
Adam Fox: $40
Cale Makar: $110
Dougie Hamilton: $8
Victor Hedman: $60
Charlie McAvoy: $18
Shea Theodore: $6 (Absurdly low)
Samuel Girard: $17
John Carlson: $26
Kris Letang: $40
Drew Doughty: $20
Darnell Nurse: $55
Jakob Chychrun: $7
John Klingberg: $20
Mattias Ekholm: $4
Roman Josi: $26
Who do you think is having the best year so far this year? Would love to hear everyone's thoughts. So many exciting young defenseman we get to follow the next decade in the league.
Hopefully he will be 100% next season.