Best Defensive Defenseman

best defensive dman


  • Total voters
    253

ESH

Registered User
Jun 19, 2011
5,294
3,394
Glad Giordano is getting recognition here. Not sure he’s he best, but is there any real way to know who is?
 

Devilsfan992

Registered User
Apr 14, 2012
8,619
3,526
Glad Giordano is getting recognition here. Not sure he’s he best, but is there any real way to know who is?

What are the best advanced stats to rate defensive defensemen? I figure you have to take into account many factors such as zone start percentage, quality of competition, GA/60 and SA/60 relative to teammates. I'm sure there's better stats out there I'm unfamiliar with.
 

WesMcCauley

Registered User
Apr 24, 2015
8,616
2,600
Where's the Morgan Rielly option? He plays against teams top lines.

He gives up a good amount of chances against though. 102 more shots against than Doughty for example this season and Doughty has played more minutes.

Rielly has also given up 146 more shots than Karlsson this season and Karlsson has played more minutes than Rielly.

Sharks have BY FAR the worst 5v5 save % (.895 sv%) in the NHL this season btw so their goalies have been awful. Toronto have the 3rd best 5v5 save % (.939 sv%) in the NHL this season.
 

perronist

Registered User
Dec 8, 2008
624
165
What are the best advanced stats to rate defensive defensemen? I figure you have to take into account many factors such as zone start percentage, quality of competition, GA/60 and SA/60 relative to teammates. I'm sure there's better stats out there I'm unfamiliar with.

these articles by andrew berkshire have good stats and microstats:

Is Flames' Giordano the NHL's most underrated elite defenceman? - Sportsnet.ca

Giordano’s standout area is his defensive play, with the Flames giving up about half as many passes to the slot-against when he’s on the ice than when he’s off. He’s a singular force to inhibit the shot quality of opponents in a similar way that we see with Patrice Bergeron.

Definitive ranking of NHL’s top 20 defencemen over three seasons - Sportsnet.ca

Giordano.png


Outside of Dustin Byfuglien, only one other player manages to win more than 50 per cent of the puck battles they engage in: Mark Giordano
. . .
Giordano is a general from the back end, leading the league in defensive zone passes over the past three years and finishing second in pass success rate.

and of course gio leads the team and is among the league leaders in shot and chance suppression/share year after year
 
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Mar 14, 2011
3,828
889
Since the start of last season, Jared Spurgeon has posted the lowest xGA/60 and high danger chance against/60 among all top 4 Dman who recorded at least 800 minutes. Thou to be fair, the Wild were always near the top on many defensive metrics this last few years which says a lot about their team system but still, if guys like Slavin and Jones are options then Spurgeon should definitely be on as well.
 

Clint Eastwood

Eff the Habs
Nov 11, 2018
4,832
8,862
Karlsson is awful defensively.

He's certainly not a brick wall back there, but he isn't some traffic cone like you think. He's solid defensively, but he isn't the best defensive dman. Sure he gets dangled and then they show that highlight for months on end screaming "THIS IS YOUR NORRIS DMAN" but that doesn't happen night in night out.
 
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Isaac Nootin

Registered User
Sep 28, 2017
7,539
11,814
He gives up a good amount of chances against though. 102 more shots against than Doughty for example this season and Doughty has played more minutes.

Rielly has also given up 146 more shots than Karlsson this season and Karlsson has played more minutes than Rielly.

Sharks have BY FAR the worst 5v5 save % (.895 sv%) in the NHL this season btw so their goalies have been awful. Toronto have the 3rd best 5v5 save % (.939 sv%) in the NHL this season.

Shots in general is a terrible metric to use. Where are those shots coming from? High danger areas, or from the perimeter. All shots are not created equally.
 

major major

Registered User
Feb 18, 2013
14,598
1,669
If you watch Slavin at all you'd know he is the best shut down D in the league. He's the McDavid of defensive players.

I agree with others that McDonagh should be an option ahead of Hedman (who has never been that great defensively), and that Karlsson shouldn't be an option, at least not until he proves his newfound defense ability for longer.

Where's the Morgan Rielly option? He plays against teams top lines.

And gets buried with goals against. Until this year he was dead last in goals against. There's 62 D-men in the league playing against top lines, most of them far better defensively. I don't get it, I've watched a half dozen Leafs games this year and Rielly turns the puck over a lot, misses assignments sometimes and takes weird angles. He's perhaps improved to the point of being unremarkable defensively but it's really weird that anybody, even Leafs fans, would suggest he's the best defender. Some nights he's obviously the worst on his own team!
 
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major major

Registered User
Feb 18, 2013
14,598
1,669
Some players come and go. It seems Parayko, Hampus Lindholm and Manson have taken a step back along with their teams. McDonagh had a down couple of years but seems to be back.

The consistently great defensive players I've noticed (and I can't watch everyone):

Slavin
Giordano
Jones

With Slavin the absolute best.
 

VoluntaryDom

Formerly DominicBoltsFan / Ⓐ / ✞
Oct 31, 2016
23,285
5,532
Tampa FL
Some players come and go. It seems Parayko, Hampus Lindholm and Manson have taken a step back along with their teams. McDonagh had a down couple of years but seems to be back.

The consistently great defensive players I've noticed (and I can't watch everyone):

Slavin
Giordano
Jones

With Slavin the absolute best.
Parayko and Lindholm have not taken a step back. You could even argue Parayko has taken a step forward this year.
 

VoluntaryDom

Formerly DominicBoltsFan / Ⓐ / ✞
Oct 31, 2016
23,285
5,532
Tampa FL
What are the best advanced stats to rate defensive defensemen? I figure you have to take into account many factors such as zone start percentage, quality of competition, GA/60 and SA/60 relative to teammates. I'm sure there's better stats out there I'm unfamiliar with.
XGA
 

stopclickbait

Registered User
Aug 28, 2018
750
931
Karlsson with the amount of minutes he plays he tilts the ice drastically when he is on the ice allowing very little chances.

Pretty surprising seeing how good Theodore has been this year kid is a stud.
 

trick9

Registered User
Jun 2, 2013
12,076
4,949
Vlasic and Hedman are both absolutely bleeding goals against this season. By far worst on their teams. But hey reputation still seems to count.
 
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