NHL.com TOP 20 Defenseman

[kranuck]

He was the best player in the Oilers-Canucks playoff series period. Not McDavid, not Draisaitl, not Hughes.

If that's a "complimentary" piece I think 31 other teams would kiss their own rear end to have more complimentary players.

Wow, a good series against a third string goalie who struggled immensely with point shots.

Clearly the best dman ever.

 

[Laus723]

Because they aren’t the best.

Turn it around, would you ever consider a complete disaster in his own end to be the best?

One way players have less value, unless it’s so dominating

since he entered the league Hughes leads all dmen in power play points and has averaged 33 points per 82 games.

That’s including years where he was stuck on putrid teams.

You can keep hoping but Hughes has been elite since day one.

Disaster in whose own end?

 

[Soundwave]

Wow, a good series against a third string goalie who struggled immensely with point shots.

Clearly the best dman ever.

I mean sure in a playoff run where he surpassed playoff point totals for legends like Paul Coffey, so it wasn't like "well just one good round" (even that alone would be huge to begin with). No big deal, players like that just come around all the time I guess.

 

[Czechboy]

Oh wow that’s amazing evidence that he’s incredibly overrated because he plays with McDavid.

Bouchard would struggle to crack 60 on every other team.

But he was a top offensive d in OHL (damn of the year)

He was the top offensive guy for Canada at world Juniors

He was a top offensive guy in AHL
.he was a top offensive guy in Sweden too (covid year)

This isn't a 5th rounder that lucked into a sweet spot. This is a first rounder that has always been near the top of his league in points for a Damn. And McDavid was not on his OHL, AHL or AHL team. Mcdavid is also not the reason he was taken in round 1.

He was drafted because of his top end offence at every single level.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Wow, a good series against a third string goalie who struggled immensely with point shots.

Clearly the best dman ever.

He vastly outplayed the Norris stud that plays for the Canucks

 

[TheOrangeDesk]

Right or wrongly, I knock Bouchard down a bit bc he has the luxury of playing with McDrai.

Which is understandable but bouchard just had most assists in a single year by a defenseman in NHL playoff history. Insane regardless of who he's playing with

 

[A1LeafNation]

Which is understandable but bouchard just had most assists in a single year by a defenseman in NHL playoff history. Insane regardless of who he's playing with

Who was he passing to?

 

[PuckG]

Wow, a good series against a third string goalie who struggled immensely with point shots.

Clearly the best dman ever.

The third string goalie excuse is unbelievably overblown and pathetic. Especially when he’s the reason the series was as close as it was.

Don’t be disingenuous and acknowledge all of your oppositions injuries as well.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Letang and EK65 getting disrespected.

I could see one of them sneaking onto the list but there's a lot of great dmen in the league now and they're 37 and 34 years old. If this was 2016 they'd both be in the top 5.

 

[danktopshelf]

3rd in defensive scoring since his rookie season. Scored at pretty much a 60 point pace since his rookie year (and has jumped up the last few years).

Hughes is just one of the best players in the game. I wouldn’t even take Makar over him. Best player to ever wear a canucks jersey IMO. Incredibly special player.

Wrong. Pavel Bure is the greatest Canuck ever.

 

[John Mandalorian]

It’s nice to see a list of 20 D from all teams resulting in a certain fan base being all up in their feelings about being disrespected - yet again.

That aside, this list is too laden at the top with guys who score. Hedman might be top 10 but not top 3. Slavin is too low. McAvoy is too low.

 

[johan f]

Erik will climb back on the list after coming season.

 

[Sky04]

Slavin Forsling and Ekholm would be at my bottom of the top 20 if that.

A Leafs fan wouldn't know the first thing about defense so sounds about right

 

[A1LeafNation]

A Leafs fan wouldn't know the first thing about defense so sounds about right

You understand that fans don't GM the team they cheer for, correct?

 

[kcunac]

Forsling and Toews too high. Dobson and Seider too low.

Main take away: while there has to be 32 defensemen playing the role of number 1 D, maybe about half are true #1 D. Probably time for the next wave of good young defenders to break through.

 

[Ncit3]

Letang and EK65 getting disrespected.

This isn’t 2016.

Forsling and Toews too high. Dobson and Seider too low.

Main take away: while there has to be 32 defensemen playing the role of number 1 D, maybe about half are true #1 D. Probably time for the next wave of good young defenders to break through.

Toews is rated very well at around 9-10. One of the best defensive guys out there that still puts up above respectable numbers.

 

[kranuck]

I mean sure in a playoff run where he surpassed playoff point totals for legends like Paul Coffey, so it wasn't like "well just one good round" (even that alone would be huge to begin with). No big deal, players like that just come around all the time I guess.

Yes he plays with McDavid.

He’s a product of McDavid. Any other team and he’s considered a second tier offensive dman who is sketchy in his own end.

 

[Soundwave]

Yes he plays with McDavid.

He’s a product of McDavid. Any other team and he’s considered a second tier offensive dman who is sketchy in his own end.

Wild how "playing with McDavid" takes you from second tier D to having more points than any D in a playoffs in the modern era outside of 1 year from Paul Coffey in like 1985, lol.

That must mean McDavid is the best player ever.

 

[Horvat1C]

1) Makar
----------
2) Q. Hughes
3) Heiskanen
4) Fox
-------
5) Hedman
6) Josi
7) McAvoy
8) Forsling
-----------
9) Dahlin
10) Ekholm
11) Bouchard
12) Morrissey
13) Slavin
------------
14) Werenski
15) Sergachev
16) H. Lindholm
17) Seider
18) Doughty
19) Hanifin
20) Toews

 

[kcunac]

This isn’t 2016.


Toews is rated very well at around 9-10. One of the best defensive guys out there that still puts up above respectable numbers.

I have to doc him marks for not being the best d on his pairing. Has he played much without Makar and how has he looked? Can he carry a pairing like many of the other guys on the liamst? Honest question as I don’t know.

 

[TheOrangeDesk]

Who was he passing to?

Do you think bouchard is the first Dman in history to get go pass to an elite player? Because he is the first Dman in history to get 26 assists in a single playoff run

 

[Maurice of Orange]

Top 25 defensemen.

1. Cale Makar
2. Quinn Hughes
3. Miro Heiskanen
4. Roman Josi
5. Adam Fox
6. Victor Hedman
7. Gustav Forsling
8. Charlie McAvoy
9. Jaccob Slavin
10. Noah Dobson
11. Devon Toews
12. Josh Morrissey
13. Shea Theodore
14. Evan Bouchard
15. Rasmus Dahlin
16. Zach Werenski
17. Mattias Ekholm
18. Drew Doughty
19. Erik Karlsson
20. Dougie Hamilton
21. Moritz Seider
22. John Carlson
23. Chris Tanev
24. Kris Letang
25. Morgan Rielly

 

[mrmovies779]

But he was a top offensive d in OHL (damn of the year)

He was the top offensive guy for Canada at world Juniors

He was a top offensive guy in AHL
.he was a top offensive guy in Sweden too (covid year)

I'm just quoting this for the (damn of the year) it's fantastic

 

[Czechboy]

I'm just quoting this for the (damn of the year) it's fantastic

He's a damn good offensive dman.lol.

Auto correct hates me.haha

 

[Czechboy]

Do you think bouchard is the first Dman in history to get go pass to an elite player? Because he is the first Dman in history to get 26 assists in a single playoff run

If he were a leaf he'd be passing to Matthews, Marner and Nylander on the PP. Something tells me his lofty totals would still be damn good.

Why does everyone ignore who Makar passes too? Or who Hedman got to pass to during the bolts best years?

I swear, if it were the 80s.. everyone would say Coffey sucks. He went from passing to Gretzky to passing to Lemieux.