Most Elite Defense Core of the Last 10 Years

[Machinehead]

CF% for the 2008 Wings

Lidstrom - 59.9
Rafalski - 59.6
Kronwall - 58.6
Chelios - 58.1
Lebda - 58.1
Lilja - 57.4

Jesus. Tap-dancing. Christ.

Like, why bother getting on the ice?

Stuart was at 47.7% but keep in mind he actually spent most of that year on Colorado who were 23rd in the league.

 

[Daximus]

Either any core Lidstrom was on or 07 Ducks.

 

[Mal Reynolds]

Definitely the 06 Hurricanes

 

[silkyjohnson50]

CF% for the 2008 Wings

Lidstrom - 59.9
Rafalski - 59.6
Kronwall - 58.6
Chelios - 58.1
Lebda - 58.1
Lilja - 57.4

Jesus. Tap-dancing. Christ.

Like, why bother getting on the ice?

Stuart was at 47.7% but keep in mind he actually spent most of that year on Colorado who were 23rd in the league.

Peak Datsyuk and Zetterberg and their 63.2 and 64.2% CF had a influence on that, but yeah that team as a whole really brought the term "puck possession" to the forefront. I bet if you were to compare how many times that phrase was used during national broadcasts and by national analysts the few seasons prior to and after 08 Detroit, it would be a laughably significant difference.

I've been fortunate enough to obsessively follow 4 Cup winning Detroit teams and several others that were equally as talented (96 and 09 for example), but that 2008 team was without question the most cohesive overall group as far as dominating the play and tilting the ice. It was machine like. The Russian 5 was amazing in 96, but 08 was just wave after wave, two to three lines deep of puck control.

 

[Mount Suribachi]

Peak Datsyuk and Zetterberg and their 63.2 and 64.2% CF had a influence on that, but yeah that team as a whole really brought the term "puck possession" to the forefront. I bet if you were to compare how many times that phrase was used during national broadcasts and by national analysts the few seasons prior to and after 08 Detroit, it would be a laughably significant difference.

I've been fortunate enough to obsessively follow 4 Cup winning Detroit teams and several others that were equally as talented (96 and 09 for example), but that 2008 team was without question the most cohesive overall group as far as dominating the play and tilting the ice. It was machine like. The Russian 5 was amazing in 96, but 08 was just wave after wave, two to three lines deep of puck control.

Agreed.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Niedermayer - Beauchemin
Pronger - O'Donnell
Huskins - DiPenta

The last pair is uninspiring, but the Ducks got by with just rolling their two HOFers for 26+ minutes a night each.

Try playing there top 3 30+ minutes a night during the playoffs if I remember properly

 

[Mount Suribachi]

Try playing there top 3 30+ minutes a night during the playoffs if I remember properly

I think it's definitely between the 07 Ducks and 08 Wings. Having a HOF defenceman on the ice for 50 mins a game is a rare luxury.

 

[Elvs]

Here's the icetime in the playoffs when the Ducks won:

Beauchemin - 30:33
Pronger - 30:11
Niedermayer - 29:50
O'Donnell - 20:20
Huskins - 11:44
DiPenta - 8:02 / Jackman 6:04

The third pairing was awful on paper, but they recieved minutes they could handle. I don't remember them being a problem at all during the entire playoffs. Huskins was a better player than you'd think. He didn't become a whipping boy until later in his career.

He was particulary good for Anaheim in 07/08 and 08/09. In fact, he played so well that he was gonna get payed in free agency. The Ducks traded him at the deadline and the Sharks re-signed him to a 2 year deal worth $1.7 mil/year. I'm too lazy to do the math, but I'm guessing that translates to somewhere around $2.5 mil in todays market.

 

[Elvs]

Actually, the Ducks had an even better defense in the 2009 playoffs. But that's just on paper.

Keep Pronger, Niedermayer and Beauchemin. Swap O'Donnell, Huskins and DiPenta with James Wisniewski, Ryan Whitney and Bret Hedican.

In reality, Wisniewski and Whitney never played to their capacity in Anaheim. Meanwhile, Beauchemin missed most of the season, only to come back in the playoffs where (understandably) didn't quite look like himself.

 

[Beautvillier]

I mean this team goes under the radar because of our poor performance.
But the Isles defensive core right now is flooded.
Hamonic-Leddy
Hickey-Boychuck
de Haan-Seidenberg
Pulock-Pelech-Mayfield as the 7th dmen.

 

[LeonDraisaitl]

I mean this team goes under the radar because of our poor performance.
But the Isles defensive core right now is flooded.
Hamonic-Leddy
Hickey-Boychuck
de Haan-Seidenberg
Pulock-Pelech-Mayfield as the 7th dmen.

Not even close to being the most elite d core of the last 10 years.

I always thought of Nashville, because before Josi they had Suter. I mean in the last 10 years they had guys like Weber, Josi, Jones, and Suter. I started watching hockey in 2010 so I'm missing like 4 years

 

[Beautvillier]

Not even close to being the most elite d core of the last 10 years.

I always thought of Nashville, because before Josi they had Suter. I mean in the last 10 years they had guys like Weber, Josi, Jones, and Suter. I started watching hockey in 2010 so I'm missing like 4 years

Wasn't necessarily thinking it was the most elite, but it definetly has potential.

 

[WesMcCauley]

I mean this team goes under the radar because of our poor performance.
But the Isles defensive core right now is flooded.
Hamonic-Leddy
Hickey-Boychuck
de Haan-Seidenberg
Pulock-Pelech-Mayfield as the 7th dmen.

lol not close to Ducks or Wings best defensive groups

 

[Der Jaeger]

Just outside the decade but post lockout. 2006 Sabres. They get overlooked because the team lost in the ECF. However, 4 of their top 6 were injured for all or part of the ECF vs Carolina. The group was deep, mobile, and moved the puck well. They were the reason the post lock out Sabres were able to skate and score so well. They freed up Briere, Drury, and the rest of the forwards to take a lot of offensive chances.

Jay McKee - Brian Campbell. Top pairing with a legit 1D puck mover. McKee brought a physical veteran presence.

Henrik Tallinder - Toni Lydman. Mobile puck movers who were also the Sabres shutdown pair.

Dmitri Kalinin - Teppo Numminen. Second pairing playing as a third pair.

By game 7 against Carolina, McKee, Tallinder, Kalinin, and Numminen were all hurt. Sabres fans are convinced that if that doesn't happen, the team wins game 7 and goes to the finals.

 

[end]

The 85 Capitals top four is interesting;

Rod Langway
Scott Stevens
Larry Murphy
Kevin Hatcher

 

[Mad Brills*]

Didn't the 2008 team set records for the highest team CF% in a season/playoffs?

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

The top 4 of Nashville this year is pretty sick.

Sadly, the 3rd pairing is puke worthy.

Our best defensive player is playing terrible this year though... So from a pure defensive standpoint, Nashville isn't even top 10, from an overall a top 5 blueline, and top 3 for defenseman 1-4.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

lol not close to Ducks or Wings best defensive groups

Ducks in 2007 yes, but right now, although Anaheim has the best 2-way forward depth in the entire league, their blueline is hindered by Bieksa and Stoner. Their top 4 isn't in the top 5 category either, but definitely close to top 5 (Lindholm-Manson, Fowler-Vatanen).

 

[Cyborg LeClair]

The 85 Capitals top four is interesting;

Rod Langway
Scott Stevens
Larry Murphy
Kevin Hatcher

10 years passed you a lot faster than you might think. That was 30 years ago.

 

[gorangers0525]

lol not close to Ducks or Wings best defensive groups

It's not even an elite d group today......average at best.

 

[NJGoalie]

I'm here from the future. The answer is obviously the '19-'20 Flyers.

Provorov - Morin
Gostisbehere - Myers
Sanheim - MacDonald

AINEC.









but really, it's the Ducks.

 

[demarco46]

Gotta go with the Ducks

 

[demarco46]

I'm here from the future. The answer is obviously the '19-'20 Flyers.

Provorov - Morin
Gostisbehere - Myers
Sanheim - MacDonald

AINEC.









but really, it's the Ducks.

That d lineup is mixed up

Provorov - Gostisbehere

Sanheim - Gudas

Morin - Myers


That's something you'd see more likely. Provy (all around d) matched with Ghost (offensive). Sanheim (all around d) with Gudas (right hand defensive d). Then morin (defensive d) matched with Myers (right hand offensive d).

 

[FZ23]

Hamhuis-Bieksa
Edler-Ehrhoff
Ballard-Salo
Tanev

When they were all at their peak in 2011.

 

[ESH]

Only one of those players was elite. Beyond him, it was the system that made the others as good as they were. I don't think that the OP is asking which defense corps played the best system, though, but which had the best players. Lots of defense corps have had better individual players than those groups that LA had.

Wouldn't the effectiveness of the group matter more than name recognition? That Kings team in 2012 played the best team defenseman I've ever seen, and that should definitely count for something.