Which of the following defence pairings do you take for the next 10 years?:
- Thread starter Strong Hearts
- Start date
Makar/Hughes.
The Dobson/Dahlin pairing is by far the weakest, it doesn't belong. At least the other 2 gave me pause.
I figure lowest "floor" of all players - Makar. He's the best already, so easy #1.
Highest ceiling - also Makar. But I have Hughes very high in that regard, possibly as high as #3. He's also already very good. So it's a good combination.
The Dobson/Dahlin pairing is by far the weakest, it doesn't belong. At least the other 2 gave me pause.
I figure lowest "floor" of all players - Makar. He's the best already, so easy #1.
Highest ceiling - also Makar. But I have Hughes very high in that regard, possibly as high as #3. He's also already very good. So it's a good combination.
Buck Naked
Can't-Stand-Ya
- Aug 18, 2016
- 3,943
- 6,082
I wanna say Makar/Hughes, but that pairing just feels odd with Makar having to take the defensive responsibility when he should be the driver. They don't work well together.
I picked Heiskanen/McAvoy since they both are amazing all over the ice. Great at generating offense as well as defending the own blueline and zone. Could see them ending the season with a 65%+ xGF without any issues.
I picked Heiskanen/McAvoy since they both are amazing all over the ice. Great at generating offense as well as defending the own blueline and zone. Could see them ending the season with a 65%+ xGF without any issues.
TruePowerSlave
Registered User
- Jun 27, 2015
- 7,538
- 9,128
Heiskanen - McAvoy for me. Just a very complete pairing that can handle any situation with ease.
Hughes is not a good fit with Makar at all, you are basically asking the best offensive blueliner to sit back and cover Hughes during his adventures.
Hughes is not a good fit with Makar at all, you are basically asking the best offensive blueliner to sit back and cover Hughes during his adventures.
The S5
Registered User
- Jul 27, 2017
- 4,448
- 4,281
Do we necessarily have to play them together? I know OP says pairing - but I just assumed it's on the same team. I agree that Hughes/Makar may not complement each other as much as others, but they're the best duo to have on one same team imo.
TruePowerSlave
Registered User
- Jun 27, 2015
- 7,538
- 9,128
I kinda assumed it would be a pairing tbh. Even if it wasn't, Makar would be the teams #1 offensive weapon from the blueline making Hughes somewhat redundant.
Tufted Titmouse
13 Cups.
- Apr 5, 2022
- 6,222
- 8,322
The one with Makar.
lol, easy to defend when the opposition doesn't touch the puck.
Does having McDavid make Draisaitl redundant? This doesn't make sense. It's ok having two good offensively' oriented D.
TruePowerSlave
Registered User
- Jun 27, 2015
- 7,538
- 9,128
What about when it comes time to play shutdown hockey or the PK?
The Heiskanen - McAvoy pairing can do it all at a very high level, the Makar - Hughes duo doesn't.
I figure having them both on the powerplay is tremendous value. They could play the full 2mins - together, or in succession, depending.
And you'd have one guy on the ice half the game, the other one the other half. Would just need a solid stay at home defenseman to pair them with (doesn't have to be an all star, just a solid defensive guy).
I don't think having them on different pairing makes them redundant.
If we have to play them together - I may pick another pairing. Still not sure if I prefer Heiska/McAvoy or Fox/Seider as my #2 - I feel as though the latter has more upside, but the first is probably the "safer" pick.
I agree but as parings it's really hard to say which set would have the best chemistry and on paper this paring looks the "best" but in reality it could be any of the 4 groups really.
NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
Lavar Ball
Neva Lost
Buck Naked
Can't-Stand-Ya
- Aug 18, 2016
- 3,943
- 6,082
Well, a pairing to me is two Ds who play together and that's what I voted on. Rephrasing the question to which two would you like to have on your team, I would pick Makar and Hughes, like you, as well.
norrisnick
The best...
- Apr 14, 2005
- 31,219
- 16,558
Can Fox play the left? The righty righty thing kept me away. That's why I went Miro/McAvoy.
biturbo19
Registered User
- Jul 13, 2010
- 27,240
- 12,385
I always feel like McAvoy is older than he is for some reason. Like my initial reaction was, "Heiskanen-McAvoy is easily the best duo right now" but thinking 10 years is a long time, so McAvoy's age works against them. But then i remember that he's actually still really young. So i go with that.
I think it's McAvoy's poise and complete all-around game that just feels more mature than his age. He's also been playing at that high level for a while now, while some others are still just emerging.
Hughes kinda kills that Makar pairing for me. They'd be a terrible fit together, and i honestly don't know how much room you have for building around Hughes unless you have a true matchup/shutdown stud on the other pairing to work with. Which Makar isn't quite.
Seider-Fox, i hate the premise of as a pairing playing together as two RHD. So i disqualified in on that. Anchoring separate pairings, i think it offers the sort of diversified 1-2 punch that Hughes-Makar is lacking. But i'm not as high on Fox as a lot of people, so they fall short for me.
I did consider Dahlin-Dobson...but they're certainly the least "proven" pairing here. It's worth thinking about, because the upside with both is sky high, and their age is a beneficial factor over the course of a decade. But it's a little bit too "risky" in the context of a pairing like Heiskanen-McAvoy being an alternative option, and really not enough of an age difference to worry me over most of the ten year term.
I think it's McAvoy's poise and complete all-around game that just feels more mature than his age. He's also been playing at that high level for a while now, while some others are still just emerging.
Hughes kinda kills that Makar pairing for me. They'd be a terrible fit together, and i honestly don't know how much room you have for building around Hughes unless you have a true matchup/shutdown stud on the other pairing to work with. Which Makar isn't quite.
Seider-Fox, i hate the premise of as a pairing playing together as two RHD. So i disqualified in on that. Anchoring separate pairings, i think it offers the sort of diversified 1-2 punch that Hughes-Makar is lacking. But i'm not as high on Fox as a lot of people, so they fall short for me.
I did consider Dahlin-Dobson...but they're certainly the least "proven" pairing here. It's worth thinking about, because the upside with both is sky high, and their age is a beneficial factor over the course of a decade. But it's a little bit too "risky" in the context of a pairing like Heiskanen-McAvoy being an alternative option, and really not enough of an age difference to worry me over most of the ten year term.
biturbo19
Registered User
- Jul 13, 2010
- 27,240
- 12,385
Are Hughes/Makar really the best duo to have on the same team though? Even if we go with the "separate pairings" thing...who is your matchup guy? Who is starting most of their shifts in the defensive zone against the oppositions top players? Who is anchoring the PK?
I think their skillsets are too overlapping, rather than "complementary" to be the best duo to "build around" for a decade. I mean, obviously with the caliber of players they both are...it'd work just fine. You'd fine a way to make it work. But when you've got other high end options like this poll as alternatives that have more complementary skillsets, i think you've gotta take them. Especially when Hughes is probably the weakest link among the 8 guys here.
