Who are your top 10 defenseman next season?

[Machinehead]

You wanna be in the top 10, you can't be the 2nd best D on your pairing...

Toews isn't in my top 10, he's just another example of like the 20 guys I have over Slavin.

 

[Aladyyn]

1. Fox
2. Makar
3. Josi
4. Dahlin
5. Hughes
6. Heiskanen
7. McAvoy
8. Bouchard
9. Toews
10. Morrissey

 

[Aladyyn]

I agree, same goes for Dobson, Morrissey, Forsling, etc. Dahlin isn't anywhere as good as those Dman. Heck if it wasn't for Dahlin's 2022-2023 breakout, he'd essentially be a marginally better Thomas Chabot, as 2018-2019 to 2021-2022 Dahlin/Chabot were extremely similar in production, with Chabot playing harder minutes, generating more offensive chances, and having slightly worse defensive impact.

"If Dahlin wasn't one of the best defensemen in the league he wouldn't be one of the best defensemen in the league"

Amazing insight. Crazy how Finns are the only people who can see through Dahlin's charade!

 

[jackjohnson]

Uninteresting if you're not putting this in order. Basically gonna see the same 10 defencemen for 50 posts. Lets see a 1-10 list.

1. Makar
2. Mcavoy
3. Josi
4. Heiskanen
5. Hughes
6. Hedman
7. Fox
8. Slavin
9. Dahlin
10. Dobson

Edit: oilers fans. I hold bouchard in high regard. I'd put him at 11 only because of his defensive game. What an offensive weapon, though.

Edit #2: maybe hughes should also be lower because of defence? There really isn’t a right answer here.

Wow not biased at all putting the defenseman that just won the norris trophy 5th on the list. Good thing he is in your top 10 at least

 

[jackjohnson]

Hughes should be number 1 or at least 2 on the list since he won the norris and is a top 3 dman in this league. Anyone putting him outside the top 3 just makes their list look biased. He has won the norris trophy days ago so that should put him number 1 on the list for now. Makar and Josi should also be top 3 imo.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

1 - Makar
2 - Hughes
3 - Josi
4 - Fox
5 - Mcavoy
6 - Slavin
7 - Morrisey
8 - Heiskanen
9 - Dahlin
10 - Bouchard

Honestly this is my top 10 with a little bit of swaps.

1. Makar
2 - Hughes
3 - Josi
4 - Fox
5 - Dahlin
6 - Heiskanen
7 - McAvoy
8 - Slavin
9 - Morrissey
10 - Bouchard

HM - Karlsson, Hedman, Sergachev, Dobson, and Seider

 

[KeyserSoze81]

If Dahlin is in the top 10 he's already overrated. The fact I've seen one person put him in top 5...

Dahlin getting massively overrated on here.

Wouldn't even be in top 15: Dahlin

Dahlin is exceptionally overrated. Morrissey outscored him both 5on5 and overall the past few seasons along with posting better defensive stats. Yes he does play on a better team, but it's not an Oilers level team and Jets actually rely on him and Demelo more in tougher situations as opposed to spreading things out like Dahlin/Power.

I agree, same goes for Dobson, Morrissey, Forsling, etc. Dahlin isn't anywhere as good as those Dman. Heck if it wasn't for Dahlin's 2022-2023 breakout, he'd essentially be a marginally better Thomas Chabot, as 2018-2019 to 2021-2022 Dahlin/Chabot were extremely similar in production, with Chabot playing harder minutes, generating more offensive chances, and having slightly worse defensive impact.

Wow. 4 posts on the first page. I actually watch the Sabres games (I don't recommend it). I don't even care to refute such a hot take, but more just comment that repeating a terrible point does not make it any less terrible.

 

[TheOrangeDesk]

Wow not biased at all putting the defenseman that just won the norris trophy 5th on the list. Good thing he is in your top 10 at least

Op asked for coming year. I think a lot of people don't expect Canucks to shoot at same rate they did last year.

 

[The Zermanator]

Seider gets massively underrated around here. Plays the hardest minutes of the entire league and looks good doing it.

 

[Laus723]

Op asked for coming year. I think a lot of people don't expect Canucks to shoot at same rate they did last year.

Ah, Mr laugher, shooting is your metric? Or it doesn’t matter, just include Hughes? (Who should be, just weird your response to my question)

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Wow. 4 posts on the first page. I actually watch the Sabres games (I don't recommend it). I don't even care to refute such a hot take, but more just comment that repeating a terrible point does not make it any less terrible.

I've watched Dahlin play as well. He doesn't do anything better than 10 other Dman nor does he produce better in all situations and 5on5 than 10 other Dman either. His metrics also aren't better, etc. He's not a top 10 Dman last season and it remains to be seen if he will be this season either.

 

[Machinehead]

1. Fox
2. Makar
3. Josi
4. Dahlin
5. Hughes
6. Heiskanen
7. McAvoy
8. Bouchard
9. Toews
10. Morrissey

This guy knows what's up.

 

[Aladyyn]

Seider gets massively underrated around here. Plays the hardest minutes of the entire league and looks good doing it.

He does play hard minutes, we'll give him that.

 

[Machinehead]

Seider plays hard minutes but he mainly gets dragged in the analytics for being a generationally bad penalty killer.

Quality of competition is a non-factor on the penalty kill. It's against the other team's powerplay. For everyone.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

I don't. Dahlin on Edmonton would be insane. Just like Hughes/Makar/Heiskanen on Edmonton would also be insane. Those guys would be breaking records.

ah yes, hypothetically breaking records >> actually breaking records

Makar
Hughes
Josi
Fox
Bouchard
Heiskanen
Toews
McAvoy
Dahlin
Slavin

HM/just missed: Morrissey, Hedman, Dobson

 

[wintersej]

I don't. Dahlin on Edmonton would be insane. Just like Hughes/Makar/Heiskanen on Edmonton would also be insane. Those guys would be breaking records.

Maybe! Bouchard might be a better Barrie/Klingberg that happens to play with McDrai. But there is evidence to say he isn't. And at some point pointing to reality of output vs possible projection just feels safer. I'm a Boston fan. I know that with a real center group that McAvoy can have great impacts. We also just saw him have a relatively weak year possession wise when running out there with Coyle (career 3C), Zacha (career 2LW), and Geekie (career 4th line C/RW) as his centers. What would Makar be like without MacKinnon? We know no one thought Toews was a top 15 D on the Islanders before he got Makar and MacKinnon to run with. What would the Florida D look like without that center group? Blah blah blah. Sometimes, if things are close, it's just easier to go with reality vs possible projection.

 

[Aladyyn]

Seider plays hard minutes but he mainly gets dragged in the analytics for being a generationally bad penalty killer.

Quality of competition is a non-factor on the penalty kill. It's against the other team's powerplay. For everyone.

View attachment 895066

It's weird because the things he visibly struggles with aren't that important on the PK and the things he's good at as far as defending should translate well to killing penalties

 

[Nemesis Prime]

How does Dobson get so much love all the time? Do people think he's remotely good defensively?

the overrating of islander defensemen is a tradition here

 

[Artemi Panarin]

Bouchard about to drop a Norris masterclass in 24/25. He’ll be competing in the top 3 all season long

And then you wake up

 

[Avs2022]

If Hughes were on Edmonton he would have gotten 100+ points.

If Makar was on the Oilers, they would have won the cup.

 

[KevinRedkey]

Hughes should be number 1 or at least 2 on the list since he won the norris and is a top 3 dman in this league. Anyone putting him outside the top 3 just makes their list look biased. He has won the norris trophy days ago so that should put him number 1 on the list for now. Makar and Josi should also be top 3 imo.

Did you have Karlsson top-3 after he won the year before?

Not saying I don't have Hughes in my top 3 BTW. Just pointing out it's not always as simple as that sometimes.

 

[triggrman]

If Makar was on the Oilers, they would have won the cup.

Awesome response.

 

[acor]

You wanna be in the top 10, you can't be the 2nd best D on your pairing...

Why? What if 2 best defensemen in the league play on the same pairing?

 

[Machinehead]

The arguments against Bouchard are so silly.

McDavid just played his 9th season. Who's done what Bouchard has done, either on an individual level, or in terms of the Oilers having success with him as the 1D? He deserves credit.

And it's so dumb to say "yeah put Hughes/Makar/Dahlin there and they do even better." Yeah because those guys are better! Very astute observation to say that defensemen better than Bouchard would be better than Bouchard.

Regardless, he still has a very good argument to be in the top 10.

 

[Xirik]

The arguments against Bouchard are so silly.

McDavid just played his 9th season. Who's done what Bouchard has done, either on an individual level, or in terms of the Oilers having success with him as the 1D? He deserves credit.

And it's so dumb to say "yeah put Hughes/Makar/Dahlin there and they do even better." Yeah because those guys are better! Very astute observation to say that defensemen better than Bouchard would be better than Bouchard.

Regardless, he still has a very good argument to be in the top 10.

Its his first and only year so far where he's been this good so I think its fine to think Bouchard isn't a sure thing compared to a lot of other defenseman who've shown their stuff for years.

I mean I'm sure Makar has always been at the top of these lists every year but even he has up and down years.