Best Defenseman Right Now

[ConnorMcMullet]

Nuutivara vs Lindgren vs Dillon vs Gostisbehere

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[Addison Rae]

which one can play centre ?

 

[jetsforever]

Thought the title meant in the whole league and was confused for a second about the options
Perhaps "none of the above" should be added

 

[BumDum]

which one can play centre ?

If Hamilton can play centre, all of them can.

 

[majormajor]

I'll just offer some info to make a guess:

- Nutivaara - Two years ago he was a good second pair PMD but has been hampered by injuries since then and lost his offensive presence. Average bottom pair D this year.

- Lindgren - I can't give a scouting report but climbing the Rangers LHD ranks should be one of the easiest ladders in the league, with only Brendan Smith and Marc Staal ahead of him, and before that Skjei. None of them are good top 4D and Lindgren hasn't challenged them for ice time. Good long term pick maybe, but not for right now.

- Dillon - Was a solid #4 at one point, no idea now.

- Gostisbehere - Bad year and he's on the bottom pair. But that doesn't mean as much given that he has Provorov and Sanheim ahead of him.

- Cole - Ran up huge plus numbers earlier in the year. Still has great mobility and has all the tools, just sometimes bad decision making.

I'd pick Cole. His bad games aren't as bad as Ghost's and his good games are really good. He averaged 17:42 this year, moving between pairs.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

I'll just offer some info to make a guess:

- Nutivaara - Two years ago he was a good second pair PMD but has been hampered by injuries since then and lost his offensive presence. Average bottom pair D this year.

- Lindgren - I can't give a scouting report but climbing the Rangers LHD ranks should be one of the easiest ladders in the league, with only Brendan Smith and Marc Staal ahead of him, and before that Skjei. None of them are good top 4D and Lindgren hasn't challenged them for ice time. Good long term pick maybe, but not for right now.

- Dillon - Was a solid #4 at one point but the stats aren't looking pretty.

- Gostisbehere - Bad year and he's on the bottom pair. But that doesn't mean as much given that he has Provorov and Sanheim ahead of him.

- Cole - Ran up huge plus numbers earlier in the year. Still has great mobility and has all the tools, just sometimes bad decision making.

I'd pick Cole. His bad games aren't as bad as Ghost's and his good games are really good. He averaged 17:42 this year, moving between pairs.

What’s stats of Dillon’s are you looking at that aren’t looking pretty?

 

[Merrrlin]

Give me Nuti

 

[majormajor]

What’s stats of Dillon’s are you looking at that aren’t looking pretty?

My bad, the advanced stats look much better than the surface stuff I was looking at. If he's still a viable #4 then I wonder if he might be a more reliable option than the rest of these players.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

My bad, the advanced stats look much better than the surface stuff I was looking at. If he's still a viable #4 then I wonder if he might be a more reliable option than the rest of these players.

Fair enough. I think he’s at worst a viable #4 who can play much higher up in the lineup so long as he’s paired with a defenseman who is better than he is at handling the puck in the offensive zone.

I’m admittedly biased in favor of him but given that his advanced stats are the best of this group and that he adds a rare element of physicality and toughness, he’s an easy pick for me.

 

[majormajor]

Fair enough. I think he’s at worst a viable #4 who can play much higher up in the lineup so long as he’s paired with a defenseman who is better than he is at handling the puck in the offensive zone.

I’m admittedly biased in favor of him but given that his advanced stats are the best of this group and that he adds a rare element of physicality and toughness, he’s an easy pick for me.

Ian Cole also has some good relative corsi and xG numbers, it's just more volatile. He's also crazy tough. But if you just needed a safe complementary D I could see why Dillon would be a better bet.

 

[MessierII]

Lean towards Dillon. I don’t know a ton about all these players but I feel like Dillon is still a passable top 4. I can’t believe how far Ghost has fallen.

 

[izzy]

Honestly, in a situation where you were starting a whole new team next year and could pick one, I’d probably take the chance on Ghost.

However, at this point Dillon is probably the best

 

[M88K]

The way i viewed it
Peak Ghost > Dillon
Dillon > Everyone else including this current incarnation of Ghost.
So i went Ghost, just feel that he'll rebound next year.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Fair enough. I think he’s at worst a viable #4 who can play much higher up in the lineup so long as he’s paired with a defenseman who is better than he is at handling the puck in the offensive zone.

I’m admittedly biased in favor of him but given that his advanced stats are the best of this group and that he adds a rare element of physicality and toughness, he’s an easy pick for me.

jtr now a confirmed fan of #physicality and #toughness

but in all seriousness i voted dillon

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Lindgren's vote total is a joke, but not surprising. Rookie defensive defenseman that doesn't put up points. Very good player though.

 

[Gurglesons]

It’s Ian Cole.

 

[CatchyTune]

A healthy Nuutivara is the best IMO, but Dillon isnt a bad choice either.

 

[abo9]

Lindgren's vote total is a joke, but not surprising. Rookie defensive defenseman that doesn't put up points. Very good player though.

In the sense that it should be higher? Except Gohst obviously, none of these other choices are well known for their point totals either. I personally don't know much of Lindgren and it might be the case with others? All the other listed have at least 3 seasons under their belt.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

In the sense that it should be higher? Except Gohst obviously, none of these other choices are well known for their point totals either. I personally don't know much of Lindgren and it might be the case with others? All the other listed have at least 3 seasons under their belt.

It’s not a great list of defensemen. If you are a top three defenseman on a playoff team as a rookie, I don’t think being below all these guys, some of which are healthy scratches or close to it, paints you in a good light.

 

[Nucker101]

It’s not a great list of defensemen. If you are a top three defenseman on a playoff team as a rookie, I don’t think being below all these guys, some of which are healthy scratches or close to it, paints you in a good light.

I mean Dillon has proven that he can be a solid physical dman that can play 20 minutes a night effectively with tough minutes, there's a reason why a contender like Washington acquired him. The Sharks were tough to get scoring chances on when he was on the ice, he does a great job of keeping the opposition away from the net/slot area, a better job than Lindgren according to the numbers.

And Ghost is getting votes because of the offensive skill he has. Under the right coach he can thrive in a sheltered role with PP minutes. Right now he's a mess for sure, but that's why he's even in this poll, if he was thriving like he has in the past then he'd probably be winning this by a landslide.

Not sure why you're so surprised tbh

 

[biturbo19]

I've never been a huge fan of players like Ghost, but i'd still take him out of this cluster. Bad year in a new system that can be really "hit or miss" for defencemen. I think he's a big bounceback candidate somewhere else. AV's system just seems to suit some guys and make them look superb, while making others look totally out of sync. I just don't think he's actually fallen off that hard, that fast. It's just a bad situation that isn't working for him. On his game, or something close to it...he's easily the most impactful of these guys.

 

[Machinehead]

Lindgren's vote total is a joke, but not surprising. Rookie defensive defenseman that doesn't put up points. Very good player though.

I've liked Lindgren this year. People will look at ice time but the Rangers absolutely adore Marc Staal, this is nothing new. It's not a valid measure.

 

[rent free]

oh man that rick nash trade was horrendous. lindgren is already a young promising defender, only 2 seasons after the trade

voted nutivaara tho

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

It’s not a great list of defensemen. If you are a top three defenseman on a playoff team as a rookie, I don’t think being below all these guys, some of which are healthy scratches or close to it, paints you in a good light.

Ryan Lindgren was 6th among defensemen in TOI/GP on a team that was out of the playoffs by points percentage...

 

[Dr Salt]

Dillon