Hodge
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2021
- 6,440
- 7,689
I should clarify I mean Makar, McAvoy and Heiskanen are elite defensively relative to the current NHL. If I was ranking active defensemen I would want out there defending a lead in the final minutes of Game 7 they would all be in my top 10. Heiskanen would probably be #1.You know what, that's fair. What I said was out of line; Doughty hasn't been that good defensively since 2016ish, but he was that for a good 4-5 years.
Hedman just slipped my mind, but it is similar to Doughty...very good defensively, but hasn't been that since 2021.
I'm biased in that 98% of my viewing of them is in the playoffs, but I wouldn't call any of those players elite defensively.
It's almost like the game has changed too much to allow defensemen like that. Nowadays, being an elite offensive contributor on the blueline means being a puck rusher, a creative force that attacks and disrupts the other team's defenses. That kind of player is on his toes so much that he inevitably will sacrifice on the defensive end.