Best Defensive Defenseman

[stopclickbait]

I'll safely pick "other" and assume there is a defenseman who I don't notice very much who is actually very elite defensively.

Shea Theodore is putting up some crazy numbers i'm having a hard time finding his QoC though.

 

[loyaltotheend]

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.



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!

The guy who said it is the opposite of a Leaf fan... can't believe how many of you answered him seriously. Good god

 

[major major]

The guy who said it is the opposite of a Leaf fan... can't believe how many of you answered him seriously. Good god

This is the first time I've heard anyone say Rielly is the best defensive D-man in the league, but you can find plenty of actual Leaf fans that also have wildly inflated views of Rielly's defensive competency.

 

[triggrman]

Subban is still the best one on one defender in the league.

Regular defense would be McDonagh and Weber.

Ekholm is the better defender on that pairing...

 

[loyaltotheend]

This is the first time I've heard anyone say Rielly is the best defensive D-man in the league, but you can find plenty of actual Leaf fans that also have wildly inflated views of Rielly's defensive competency.

Yep, and you took the comment from a Leaf-hater, and jumped on it, giving him exactly what he wanted.

Edit: And you weren't the only one.

 

[Mrb1p]

Ekholm is the better defender on that pairing...

We know you hate Subban

 

[triggrman]

We know you hate Subban

Lol sure.

That’s sarcasm, right?

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Why am I not seeing Vlasic?

EDIT:

Why is Karlsson there?

First thing I thought.

The last time Vlasic was a better defensive player than Erik Karlsson was the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals. From a strictly defensive standpoint, Karlsson is significantly better.

 

[The S5]

Has anyone here actually watched Ryan McDonagh play hockey? How is Hedman on the list, but not McDonagh?

 

[ESH]

People are acting like Herman hasn’t been one of the better shutdown defensemen in the league for years now.

 

[member 151739]

People are acting like Herman hasn’t been one of the better shutdown defensemen in the league for years now.

I agree. He's a munster on the ice.

 

[Mighty Makar]

Vlasic should be in the poll. I went with Doughty.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Has anyone here actually watched Ryan McDonagh play hockey? How is Hedman on the list, but not McDonagh?

Nope. It's the same thing with Giordano. His name should be all over this poll.

McDonagh is a very legitimate candidate here though. The consensus from Bolts fans is that he's been arguably their most important player and better than Hedman, particularly defensively.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Vlasic should be in the poll. I went with Doughty.

This season, both are bad choices.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Ryan McDonagh is Tampa's best defensive defenseman, no clue how Hedman is on OP's list but he is not. Meanwhile McD should be very high on that list. Absolute force in his own zone. And arguably the best goaltendefenseman in the league (I can't even count all the saves he has made this season instead of our goalies anymore).