Ranking NHL Teams By Defencemen

[Larry Fisher]

I’d rather a team be solid as a unit personally. Boston, St Louis, etc. have developed systems that work. Guys buy in to that (or get shown the door). The Isles seemed to have figured it out. I’d bet Montreal will soon too.

Think a lot of younger fans see the names on the back of the jerseys sometimes and forget it’s a team game.

I could care less if a Bruin ever wins the Norris again (or idiotic polls putting Toronto, with 3 pairings who have never played together ahead of them...like c’mon).

As long as they play their system they’ll be fine most nights. Can’t ask for much more.

Totally agree with all that, but I'm not ranking "who has the best defensive system/structure". This is more so "who has the best defence talent". There is a big difference and thus some of the discrepancies in the rankings.

 

[Larry Fisher]

And there it is, right there. The core of the lazy analysis. "I know these two guys who left and I don't know the rest, therefore you're doomed." As though Panarin was the only good thing about the offense and Bobrovsky propped up everything else - and this in spite of Bob having an awful year last year. Thank you for coming out and finally admitting to it.

I'm pretty sure those opinions were expressed in the analysis. This shouldn't come as a surprise to you after days of debating. Bobrovsky is a top-five goalie in the league and has been for his entire career in Columbus. Panarin completely changed the dynamics of Columbus' offence. Losing that dynamic is going to hurt a lot more than you are anticipating IMO. Tortorella will get the most out of his lunch-box crew, the power-forward types, but they no longer have a gamebreaker among their forwards without Panarin.

 

[CherryToke]

Totally agree with all that, but I'm not ranking "who has the best defensive system/structure". This is more so "who has the best defence talent". There is a big difference and thus some of the discrepancies in the rankings.

Then you should probably remove the opening line of "Defence wins championships, right?" because it makes it sounds like you're talking about actual defence, like stopping the puck from going into your net kind of defence.

 

[Viqsi]

I'm pretty sure those opinions were expressed in the analysis. This shouldn't come as a surprise to you after days of debating. Bobrovsky is a top-five goalie in the league and has been for his entire career in Columbus. Panarin completely changed the dynamics of Columbus' offence. Losing that dynamic is going to hurt a lot more than you are anticipating IMO. Tortorella will get the most out of his lunch-box crew, the power-forward types, but they no longer have a gamebreaker among their forwards without Panarin.

It's not a surprise; I'm just gratified to see you admit that you didn't do any research beyond "the UFAs are gone, so they're doomed". Did you perchance look at how the offense performed before Panarin was ever a Blue Jacket?

 

[Larry Fisher]

Then you should probably remove the opening line of "Defence wins championships, right?" because it makes it sounds like you're talking about actual defence, like stopping the puck from going into your net kind of defence.

Well, I'd like to think the teams at the top of my rankings are still keeping the puck out of their net thanks to their defence or keeping the puck in the other team's end and maintaining possession thanks to their defence. It's a combination of all that.

 

[Larry Fisher]

It's not a surprise; I'm just gratified to see you admit that you didn't do any research beyond "the UFAs are gone, so they're doomed". Did you perchance look at how the offense performed before Panarin was ever a Blue Jacket?

I know the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs a lot in the years before Panarin and Bobrovsky. I know they weren't taken seriously as a contender until those two were in the fold. Now they are gone.

 

[CherryToke]

Well, I'd like to think the teams at the top of my rankings are still keeping the puck out of their net thanks to their defence or keeping the puck in the other team's end and maintaining possession thanks to their defence. It's a combination of all that.

For the Leafs, it's thanks to Andersen more than anything.

 

[Larry Fisher]

For the Leafs, it's thanks to Andersen more than anything.

Last season, yes. This season, I think the new-look defence will help Toronto tilt the ice and maintain possession, preventing Andersen from facing as much rubber. We shall see. Remember these rankings are for 2019-20, not a recap of 2018-19.

 

[Viqsi]

I know the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs a lot in the years before Panarin and Bobrovsky. I know they weren't taken seriously as a contender until those two were in the fold. Now they are gone.

And of course absolutely nothing has changed about the roster in that time, and clearly they're the only reason the Jackets were ever meaningful, because two players can of course completely define the difference between a competitive playoff team and a nobody, as is conclusively demonstrated by the perennial playoff streak of the Edmonton Oilers.

 

[Larry Fisher]

And of course absolutely nothing has changed about the roster in that time, and clearly they're the only reason the Jackets were ever meaningful, because two players can of course completely define the difference between a competitive playoff team and a nobody, as is conclusively demonstrated by the perennial playoff streak of the Edmonton Oilers.

I’m just saying don’t underestimate the impact of those two players and what losing them could mean for this season. They were two of your three best players (Jones the other) and they are gone without really being replaced. My rankings reflect that.

 

[Monk]

I’m just saying don’t underestimate the impact of those two players and what losing them could mean for this season. They were two of your three best players (Jones the other) and they are gone without really being replaced. My rankings reflect that.

Just to be sure I understand, you're saying that the Jackets losing a forward and a goalie has impacted your ranking of their defensemen?

 

[Viqsi]

I’m just saying don’t underestimate the impact of those two players and what losing them could mean for this season. They were two of your three best players (Jones the other) and they are gone without really being replaced. My rankings reflect that.

You seem to be grossly overestimating it, like many folks who don't bother to pay attention do.

 

[BonMorrison]

Just to be sure I understand, you're saying that the Jackets losing a forward and a goalie has impacted your ranking of their defensemen?

 

[JeremyTB]

No, but I think if anybody can carry Ceci, it is Rielly. I'd rather have Rielly carrying a pairing with Ceci than have Ceci struggling to stay afloat on the third pairing with a journeyman/rookie partner. Ceci isn't on the top pairing because of his ability but rather because of Rielly's ability to carry him. Hope that makes sense. I could see Babcock trying that pairing in camp.

You need like a prime Vlasic to carry a guy like Ceci. Rielly is not exactly a stud defensively that could cover for Ceci's bad defensive play. There is probally only a few Dmen in the league today that could carry Ceci. I think this pairing is a recipe for disaster and could hurt Rielly. As a Sharks fan I would feel the same way if they had Ceci and decided to pair him with Burns or EK65. It would be a disaster. I would want him paired with Vlasic if they had to put him in the lineup. Leafs need to pair him with their best defensive guy.

 

[PuckItUp27]

You do realize the Islanders had the BEST defense in the league last year right?

 

[Empoleon8771]

I was going to point out how the Penguins were 15th in goalies and 22nd in defense despite consistently having top-10 results defensively, but I think the Wild being 19th in goalies and 16th in defense despite being 1st in xGA, HDCA and SCA last year is worse. It's amazing that these teams with mediocre or worse defenses and goaltending somehow end up giving good defensive results.

 

[ScaredStreit]

Best defensive team last year loses 0 defensemen...ranked 20th? Huh?

 

[Dr Good Vibes]

These rankings seem off to me.

I clicked to see how bad OP ranked the Canucks and imo they are way too high. Last year I made a game in our GDTs of counting clean outlet passes by Canucks D. Over the couple games I did this, Canucks had as few as ONE clean breakout pass from a D up to a maximum of six or so. Most were coming from Alex Biega last year.

Last years Canucks D were so bad that they smelled like melting plastic. Canucks organizational D depth has been a lightning rod for fans for years and it’s as anemic as ever. Even though we signed three D, we let some go too, and unfortunately three shovels full of earth don’t do much to plug a hole.

Thinking about it, I'm convinced OP may be weighing the arrival of Quinn Hughes too heavily. The kids going to be a rookie, and while he looked capable at the start of the last season, the schedule is long and full of disastrous d pairings.

I don’t see improvement enough in our D to pull us out of the bottom third of league defences.

The Canucks D faces both problems you ascribe to others. We have NO top end upper echelon players except Quinn Hughes, who may I remind you is an undersized rookie. I love Quinnie as much as the next guy but I think it’s irresponsible to expect a rookie dman to step in and vault his entire D core up ten spots singlehandedly. I doubt Myers is moving the needle and Jamie Benn is a solid guy, but again, not a world beater. No top end talent and debatable if we have two top pairing D to start the season. Tanev looking worse these days.

The other problem for Canucks D is depth. After Fantenberg, our depth is shallow. Extremely so. Biega our best number eight but we’re guaranteed three injuries on the back end. Juolevi is a bust who’s afraid if physical contact. He’s not going to be providing a solid push from below. After Biega, sautner is most nhl ready to push.

Canucks D depth and top end talent both leave plenty to be desired. No way they should be this high in this list.

 

[Larry Fisher]

Just to be sure I understand, you're saying that the Jackets losing a forward and a goalie has impacted your ranking of their defensemen?

That has nothing to do with their defence, which is ranked No. 11. I think that’s fair.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Am I wrong in thinking Toronto is a bit top heavy, and PK Subban is a wildcard?

I could see both could be placed if all things go right for both clubs but those are maybe optimistic projections. IMHO they're both likely to fall a few spots.

Higher than I would have expected though I guess they are a bit of a wild card until we see how they are employed and if the strategy works.

It seemed like their biggest weakness was being exploited on the right. Having Barrie there helps them get the puck out, which seems to be the bulk of their strategy.....not strong defensively but keep the puck out of the zone so it isn't an issue. It should make them more difficult to plan against. Then the question of "does Ceci perform when not placed under as much weight"? When Liljegren eventually gets the call he adds to the aspect that Barrie does in that he is extremely good at getting the puck out of his zone.

They are tough to call until you see it in action.

That said, he isn't ranking defense systems, he's ranking the talent among d-men.

 

[Larry Fisher]

You need like a prime Vlasic to carry a guy like Ceci. Rielly is not exactly a stud defensively that could cover for Ceci's bad defensive play. There is probally only a few Dmen in the league today that could carry Ceci. I think this pairing is a recipe for disaster and could hurt Rielly. As a Sharks fan I would feel the same way if they had Ceci and decided to pair him with Burns or EK65. It would be a disaster. I would want him paired with Vlasic if they had to put him in the lineup. Leafs need to pair him with their best defensive guy.

Rielly is the Leafs’ best defensive guy. I would consider him a stud defensively. He’s a terrific 200-foot player capable of carrying his partner, if need be.

 

[Larry Fisher]

You do realize the Islanders had the BEST defense in the league last year right?

They had the best coaches with the best system/structure to produce the best defensive results. That doesn’t mean they had the most talented group of defencemen. That result was very much a team effort.

 

[Larry Fisher]

I was going to point out how the Penguins were 15th in goalies and 22nd in defense despite consistently having top-10 results defensively, but I think the Wild being 19th in goalies and 16th in defense despite being 1st in xGA, HDCA and SCA last year is worse. It's amazing that these teams with mediocre or worse defenses and goaltending somehow end up giving good defensive results.

Last season is last season. I’m projected the season to come. These rankings are for 2019-20, not a recap of 2018-19. The teams ahead of Pittsburgh and Minnesota and Columbus have, for the most part, bolstered their defence this offseason and thus look better on paper, which has me anticipating better on-ice results.

 

[Volica]

Rielly is the Leafs’ best defensive guy. I would consider him a stud defensively. He’s a terrific 200-foot player capable of carrying his partner, if need be.

 

[Larry Fisher]

These rankings seem off to me.

I clicked to see how bad OP ranked the Canucks and imo they are way too high. Last year I made a game in our GDTs of counting clean outlet passes by Canucks D. Over the couple games I did this, Canucks had as few as ONE clean breakout pass from a D up to a maximum of six or so. Most were coming from Alex Biega last year.

Last years Canucks D were so bad that they smelled like melting plastic. Canucks organizational D depth has been a lightning rod for fans for years and it’s as anemic as ever. Even though we signed three D, we let some go too, and unfortunately three shovels full of earth don’t do much to plug a hole.

Thinking about it, I'm convinced OP may be weighing the arrival of Quinn Hughes too heavily. The kids going to be a rookie, and while he looked capable at the start of the last season, the schedule is long and full of disastrous d pairings.

I don’t see improvement enough in our D to pull us out of the bottom third of league defences.

The Canucks D faces both problems you ascribe to others. We have NO top end upper echelon players except Quinn Hughes, who may I remind you is an undersized rookie. I love Quinnie as much as the next guy but I think it’s irresponsible to expect a rookie dman to step in and vault his entire D core up ten spots singlehandedly. I doubt Myers is moving the needle and Jamie Benn is a solid guy, but again, not a world beater. No top end talent and debatable if we have two top pairing D to start the season. Tanev looking worse these days.

The other problem for Canucks D is depth. After Fantenberg, our depth is shallow. Extremely so. Biega our best number eight but we’re guaranteed three injuries on the back end. Juolevi is a bust who’s afraid if physical contact. He’s not going to be providing a solid push from below. After Biega, sautner is most nhl ready to push.

Canucks D depth and top end talent both leave plenty to be desired. No way they should be this high in this list.

You are talking about last season. I’m writing about this season. You have three or four new defencemen in your top seven (Myers, Hughes, Benn, Fantenberg). I believe Stecher takes another significant step after watching him at the worlds. You have another defence prospect who could be ready to step up in the event of injuries (Juolevi). Maybe my ranking is optimistic but your “last season” opinions seem very pessimistic.