Though limited to 33 points in 48 games last season, Josi remains among the game's elite mobile blueliners. During the 2020-21 season, Pastrnak had 28 assists and 20 goals over 48 games with six of those goals and 14 assists coming on the power play. He does have good defensive ratings otherwise with an 87 in stick checking and 85 in awareness, which may help mitigate his lower rating in shot blocking. This list is a collaborative effort by Pete Jensen and Anna Dua. He followed that up by becoming a finalist last season for the, Only 22, Makar possesses the speed and offensive skills of a more seasoned NHL veteran. But there is one stat he scrutinizes: How much they play, and how good they are after playing a ton of minutes. Scoring goals is the name of the game in hockey, but it's also important to limit an opponent's offensive opportunities. McDavid rates as the fastest player in the game with a 96 speed score, having a 96 in all three speed categories. Letang is approaching the period in his career when his offensive output could start to decline. among NHL defensemen last season with 45 points. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. . On a team that has superstar Drew Doughty, LAK22. Their acquisition of Ryan Ellis this summer from the Nashville Predators should address that need. 0.97 PPG. As for Nashville, the Predators have now traded three contributing players off the roster Nino Niederreiter to the Winnipeg Jets and Tanner Jeannot to the Tampa Bay Lightning harvesting mostly draft choices, two young players and Barrie. Nikita Kucherov is the only player with a speed score of 93 that does not have a 93 in all three speed ratings. Injuries, however, have hampered the 31-year-old since joining the Sharks in 2018-19, dropping hispoint-per-game average(0.57) to 21st overall during that period. Mikhail Sergachev, TBL23. Samuel Bolduc could prove to be a steal for your franchise should you develop him appropriately. This does not apply when both teams have taken a penalty (4-on-4 or 3-on-3). 1 in that span, ahead of Zdeno Chara (+82). He has also worked as a ghostwriter, but by definition, he can't prove it. Cale Makar zooms onto the list with his 94 in agility and 93 in acceleration and speed, making him the fastest defenseman by speed score. Aseason-ending injurylimited him to 20 points in 35 games last season. WebGet team defense stats for the 2020-2021 NHL season, including goals and shots against for the regular season and playoffs. He was second among Isles skaters in short-handed ice time per game (2:14) and takeaways (25), third in ice time per contest (21:03) and fourth with 73 blocked shots. Our survey respondents agreed that Hedman is, at the very least, the best defenseman in the world. Charlie McAvoy, BOS9. He changes the complexion of the Oilers blue line and furthers their bid as a legit Stanley Cup contender. Stylistically, Ekholm is just what the Oilers need a big body that can play hard defensive minutes on the left side of the top pair, and take some of the pressure away from Darnell Nurse, who is currently eating probably too many minutes per night (23:51). They've since moved up to become the Blueshirts' top defensive pairing. Team: New York IslandersAge: 20Position: Left DefenseType: Defensive DefensemanShoots: LeftContract: $0.750M, 0 Years Left, Two-WayBest Attributes: 85 Balance, 85 Slap Shot Power, 85 Durability. Now 31, Carlson continues to produce at a high level, tallying 44 points in 52 contests last season. In NHL 21, players can choose from a varied selection of Traits and Specialties that will boost the attributes of their player loadout for online World of CHEL modes. His puck skills need a lot of work, too, but that can be saved for later. Mattias Ekholm, EDM (NEW)38. Awareness, 95 Passing, 95 Off. Respondents were asked to rank their top 10 players at center, winger, defenseman and goaltender, based on a predetermined list of the top 20 to 30 players at each position. Traits come in versions one or two and will decrease other attributes depending on which version is chosen. With Lukko last season, he had nine assists and a goal over 51 games, while the previous season, he had two assists over 19 games. After missing all of the 2020-21 regular season recovering from surgery, Kucherov joined Tampa Bay for the playoffs and had 24 assists and eight goals over 23 games in another championship season. Makar's point totals would have been higher if not for injuries. He has a 93 in deking, passing, and puck control, though his hand-eye is lacking a bit (but still good) at 86. (Photo: Danny Murphy / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images). It's his offensive prowess, however, that draws the most attention. It will also decrease the player's Wrist Shot Power and Puck Control by 4 and 2 points. The 30-year-old Barrie's offensive skills put him seventh, since 2013-14 with 381 career points. In those eight seasons, he's, behind Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson in total points among defensemen with 429. Four were game-winning though none were in overtime. Injuries make a player worse at just about everything, and that is never fun. Awareness, 93 Speed, 96 Deking, 95 Off. He might not be posting 70- or 80-point seasons anymore, but Erik Bruce holds a Ph.D. in Education and formerly taught undergraduates as an adjunct instructor. Instead of being a contractual bargain, he was now pricey and any contender looking to add him needed to consider his salary, his age, now 32, and decide if he was the same effective hard-nosed defender he was in his minute-munching prime. We are the premier subreddit to talk everything hockey! Since 2013-14, he's come into his own as an offensive blueliner. His aggressiveness and body checking are both 80, and his durability an 82. Team: Washington CapitalsAge: 21Position: Left DefenseType: Defensive DefensemanShoots: LeftContract: $0.790M, 2 Years Left, Two-WayBest Attributes: 87 Balance, 87 Wrist Shot Power, 87 Strength. Interceptor will allow the user to not only intercept passes more effectively, but to get into position to make a good defensive play with the boost to Agility, as well. For the former, he had nine assists and seven goals in 32 games, and for the latter, he had 23 assists and four goals in 29 games. 4. Hes an ideal short-term piece with a problematic short-term contract ($6.25 million AAV for three seasons after this one). He has a 95 in deking, passing, puck control, offensive awareness, and wrist shot accuracy. Unlike Kukkonen, Montgomery is just 18. Unlike Burns and Karlsson, his point-per-game (0.83) over thepast two seasonsremains among the top 10, sitting fourth overall. Over 44 games during the 2020-21 season, Makar had 36 assists and eight goals with only 12 penalty minutes. He and his teammates also struggled defensively, giving up the third-highest, (33.4) and sixth-most goals-against per game (3.34). 2. The list of defenders in NHL history with two Norris Trophies and a Conn Smythe Trophy includes only Bobby Orr, Larry Robinson, Brian Leetch, Nicklas Lidstrom Age: 28Rating: 92Position: Right WingType: SniperTeam: Tampa Bay LightningShoots: LeftBest Attributes: 96 Deking, 96 Puck Control, 96 Offensive Awareness. He's been a Norris Trophy finalist in four straight seasons, winning the award in 2017-18 for the first and only time. He has a 77 in shot blocking, which is decent, and better ratings with 85 in awareness and 87 in stick checking. He is decent enough at defense with an 83 in shot blocking, 81 in stick checking, and 79 in awareness. What metrics best define value for scoring defensemen or "defensive" defensemen? 2 earned nine points and so on. Crusher will allow theuser to make bigger bodychecks more often and stayon their feet more effectively. In other words, they didnt sacrifice either Evan Bouchard or Philip Broberg in the deal, two of their better young defensemen. Eight of his goals and 17 of his assists were on the power play. Jett Woo, former second round pick of Vancouver, finds himself atop this list thanks to his Top 4 D Med potential grade. February 28, 2022 by Marko Zlomislic. This page will look at the best young up-and-coming defensive defensemen in NHL 22, with names like Jett Woo, Kevin Bahl, and Bryce Montgomery all making an appearance. 0.85 PPG. While his discipline is fine at 80, his offensive awareness is 77 and his poise a meager 70. Hedman won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP last season, leading the Lightning to their Stanley Cup championship with 22 points in 25 games and 26 minutes, 28 seconds of average ice time. His highest ratings come in deking and discipline, both of which sit at 95. He has good awareness with offense at 93 and defense at 90, and he is good at stick checking with a 92. Hedman, 30, has played every season with the Lightning since coming into the NHL as a 19-year-old in 2009-10. 27 viidenmetrinmolo PHI - NHL 2 yr. ago I mean you can be the worst defensive player in the league but if you dominate possession, you prevent much more goals than a good defensive guy who's stuck in his own zone. Here, you will find the fastest forwards and defensemen to add to your team. It will also decrease the player's Wrist Shot Accuracy and Slap Shot Accuracy by 4 and 3 points. It didn't take Cale Makar long to secure his spot among the NHL's top stars. Barrie might be flippable by the offseason, especially if they eat a bit of his $4.5 million AAV through next season. The 6'2", 215-pounder logged a team-leading 22:26 of ice time per game last season, finishing second in blocked shots with 106 and fifth with 97 hits. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ad8882951d244e308d463714f1cc5337" );document.getElementById("b90191b810").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Nevertheless, hetied for thirdamong defensemen last season with 45 points. As a sophomore, he tallied 44 points in as many games. The 31-year-old's point-per-game production (0.56) declined over the past two seasons to 29th among all rearguards as the Kings rebuilt with younger talent. A finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy last season, Makar is among the NHL's elite mobile defensemen. Edmonton is trying to improve a defense that, improved numbers aside, doesnt pass the Cup contender sniff test. Still, his point-per-game percentage over the. Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below. Since last season, he's secondamong Rangers skaters in short-handed ice time per game (2:31) and inhits with 104. David Pastrnak, like Gaudreau, has a 93 rating in acceleration, agility, and speed. This perk will increase the player's Stick Checking, Def. On the ice, change up your attack with all new moves, dekes, dangles and evasive maneuvers, inspired by the leagues most groundbreaking innovators. The 23-year-old McAvoy rose in just four seasons to become the Bruins' top defenseman. Your first click here will rank He also sits second among their blueliners with 124 points. Bouchard would be my choice. Two more had him Adam Larsson, SEA39. Rasmus Dahlin, BUF (INJ.)4. After nine seasons with the Boston Bruins, Krug signed with the St. Louis Blues in 2020. It's his offensive prowess, however, that draws the most attention. Eventually, the Oilers will get the injured Evander Kane back probably in about 10 days so their roster up front is probably deep enough, especially since playing 11 forwards and seven defensemen as often as they do just means more ice time for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. This perk will increase the player's Def. Awareness and Def. Tj Brodie is great but he's certainly not a shut down defensemen, Ahhh yes, Jan Rutta the legendary shutdown defenseman alongside Hedman /s, From our team it is definitely Brodin and Spurgeon, Suter is still solid too. He scored 48 goals during the 2019-2020 season (with 47 assists) over 70 games, winning the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy as top goal scorer. Generally people take points into a large consideration when looking at defensemen, as its fairly easy to track. Josh A broken leg cut short his 2020-21 season, but the 25-year-old has made a full recovery and collected seven points in as many games so far this campaign. He had a team-leading 4:11 of power-play ice time per game, tied for most takeaways with 32 and finished second in average ice time (24:19) per contest. Brodin is especially shut down exclusive, so often gets missed. The Lead Editor at OG, Bruce has been an avid gamer since childhood, owning the NES, SNES, N64, PS one, PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Game Boy, GBC, GBA, DS, 3DS, and Switch throughout his life. Erik Karlsson, SJS2. The first-round pick is the prize, and Schafer sounds like an interesting piece to have around, too. Defensive Minded will allow the user to stick check and intercept passes more effectively and make them less likely to take a penalty when attempting a defensive play. The 5'11", 187-pounder collected 50 points in 57 games as a rookie to finish second. The 25-year-old had 22 points in 35 games in 2020-21 before suffering a season-ending leg injury. Now, speed is not the only necessary skill a team needs, but it certainly helps bridge any gap or widen it for successful teams. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. In just two seasons, Adam Fox has joined the ranks of the NHL's elite defensemen. Dmitry Orlov, BOS (NEW)30. Finding the right combination isn't easy. Recent performance, career offensive numbers and consistency factored into this compilation. His physical ratings are good with an 83 in aggressiveness, body checking, and strength. For now, their priority was obvious they needed someone to strengthen their overall defensive play in front of goaltenders Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner. Sometimes a duo that works well together can be split up to address weaknesses elsewhere on the blue line. He did see a steep drop off in shots, 51 less of them in 2020-21, but he also played in 22 less games than the year prior. The first version of this perk will reduce the player's Passing and Body Checking by 4 and 3 points, and, while the first version reduces fewer attributes, they are the more important attributes for a defenseman. Covers does not provide any advice or guidance as to the legality of online sports betting or other online gambling activities within your jurisdiction and you are responsible for complying with laws that are applicable to you in your relevant locality. Cale Makar, COL (INJ.)5. The East is an arms race, sure, but theres a whole other side of the playoff bracket. Tyson Barrie, NSH40. Hedman's strong two-way game earned the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2017-18 and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2019-20. However, the 36-year-old'spoint-per-gameproduction (0.59) over the past two seasons slid to 24th among NHL blueliners. He has a 90 in deking and passing, a deadly combination when paired with his speed ratings. Shawn has co-written and co-produced numerous plays, one of which was featured at the Ottawa Fringe Festival. Darnell Nurse, EDM35. The Oilers had cleared $3 million of salary-cap space earlier in the day by trading Jesse Puljujarvi to the Carolina Hurricanes. He maintains that Chrono Trigger is still the best game ever made, though the games hes played the most are Ogre Battle 64 and MLB The Show. He has been on the plus side of puck possession in eight straight seasons. His endurance, at least, is 87, so he can stay on the ice longer. Hes a big, highly physical winger, with good hands and some goal-scoring touch. Value has been quantified based on factors including but not limited to past production in the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, defense pairs, power-play usage, injury history or concern, age, contract status and overall upside for the rest of this season. His aggressiveness is only an 81 and body checking is only an 80, but he does have good endurance (87), durability (85), and strength (84), helping to account for the lower ratings. Fox led. Others, like the Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar, excel on the attack. While younger defensemen like the New York Rangers' Adam Fox and Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar are on the rise, Hedman's consistency makes him the league's best offensive blueliner. Top 20 defensemen in the NHL for the 2022-23 season of the last four seasons with the exception being the shortened year in 2020-21. Eight-year veteran Evegeny Kuznetsov still exhibits his fast legs even at 29 years of age, with a 93 in acceleration, agility, and speed. Fast forward two years, and Seelers reputation and status around the league has changed dramatically. By DylanFremlin @dylanfremlin May 17, 2021, 8:00am CDT Share this story Gaudreau had 30 assists and 19 goals across 56 games for Calgary during the 2020-21 season. He has great offensive skills and instincts, but hes an undersized one-way defenseman who doesnt defend that well. It is also something that cannot be taught. Gustav Forsling, FLA41. Awareness, 95 Wrist Shot Accuracy, 96 Deking, 96 Puck Control, 96 Off. Press J to jump to the feed. Standard fantasy categories include goals, assists, plus/minus, power-play points, shots on goal and hits for skaters. Arguably the best player in hockey, Connor McDavid has lived up to the hype since being drafted first overall by Edmonton in 2015. Lindgren is also fourth at even-strength time per contest (17:16) and in blocked shots with 66. Theyre a better team now than they were a couple hours ago. Second question - CHEL menu UI is different but an improvement. Despite missing time because of injuries throughout his career, the 34-year-old, among NHL blueliners since his debut, with 582 in 853 games. 2022-23 Mayfield 2022-23 Pulock 2022-23 Forsling 2022-23 Staal 2022 Some are established veterans, while others are young blueliners rising quickly among the ranks of the game's elite puck-moving rearguards. He has good senses with a 94 in offensive awareness, 91 in defensive awareness, and 90 in poise. But ask yourself does that matter? K'Andre Miller, D, NYR (suspended)32. John Klingberg wasted little time establishing himself among the NHL's scoring defensemen, tallying 40 points in 65 games in 2014-15. His offensive awareness is a staggering 98, but he also has a 92 in defensive awareness. Since his debut in 2017-18, the 23-year-old McAvoy has steadily developed as the Bruins' top defenseman. Last season with the Hershey Bears, Fehervary had 14 assists and three goals across 24 games. Like Kukkonen, Bryce Montgomery will take time and patience to develop for your franchise. It will also decrease the player's Wrist Shot Accuracy, Slap Shot Accuracy, and Deking by 2, 2, and 3 points. His three highlighted attributes are his best, which should help keep him on the ice.