Sportsnet's top 20 defenseman

[Bjornar Moxnes]

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

So glad to see Karlsson as number 1 where he rightfully belongs. Giordano at number 4 is awesome as well.

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[CraigsList]

Petry at 13, Hedman at 12?

Not a good list. As much as I love Giordano in the top 5 I have him borderline top 10.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Hedman at 12.

Petry at 13.

Berkshire strikes again.

 

[JoVel]

Lol.

 

[Prairie Habs]

Petry isn't a top 15 D in the league, but its nice to see him get some love. He's a great #2.

 

[izzy]

yeah petry and pietrangelo are pretty much equal

add a 2nd to petry and u can have petro

 

[LeafsNation75]

Wait a minute you mean to tell me Morgan Rielly didn't even make the top 20. I thought Sportsnet always puts a Maple Leafs player in the top 10 of these lists so they can suck up to Leafs fans.

 

[Bounces R Way]

I'd take Provorov over half these guys. Cam Fowler a top 10 defenseman? Petry better than Werenski?

The only thing "definitive" about this list is that it's definitely trying too hard.

 

[Kevs Security]

Lol Burns nowhere to be found but Petry at #13 lmao.

 

[caymanmew]

People realize this ranking is made from advance stats and not personal opinions, right?

 

[Dominance]

Lol Burns nowhere to be found but Petry at #13 lmao.

I found him. Right in between #6 and #8, as it so happens.

As has been mentioned, y’all need to recognize that this is a list purely based off of stats, no opinion involved. These lists excellently demonstrate how advanced stats can be very useful (i.e. all of the players one would think are at the top are right around there) but that they should not ever be utilized on their own (i.e. positionings of Fowler and Petry).

 

[Dr John Carlson]

Cam Fowler at 6 on a list based on advanced stats! @Machinehead can't believe it!

 

[Juicy Pop]

It's based on three seasons yet it includes Werenski who only has two years of professional experience. That's a good indicator that the assumptions in this list are flawed if such an obvious point of bias has been glossed over.

Petry and Fowler are out of place on this list, especially the latter being above Lindholm.

 

[The List Of Jericho]

Wait a minute you mean to tell me Morgan Rielly didn't even make the top 20. I thought Sportsnet always puts a Maple Leafs player in the top 10 of these lists so they can suck up to Leafs fans.

Go figure right, guess they'll say it's a Canadian bias now with where Petry and Giordano were ranked

 

[Machinehead]

So, Cam Fowler...

@Sojourn

 

[Machinehead]

Cam Fowler at 6 on a list based on advanced stats! @Machinehead can't believe it!

Just saw it!

For me, a top 10 D should still be better at shot attempts, but he's clearly great at other things. He's a good player.

 

[joe dirte]

This list is horrific, starting right at number 1.

 

[Empoleon8771]

People realize this ranking is made from advance stats and not personal opinions, right?

If advanced stats tell you that Jeff Petry is basically equal to Hedman and Letang, then your advanced stats are pretty garbage.

 

[Individual 1]

People realize this ranking is made from advance stats and not personal opinions, right?

What determines which advanced stats are used, and the weighting of each stat and category?

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

I'm actually relieved there are no Toronto D in the top 20 so I don't have to read page after page of supposed Toronto biased media. Now will people accept that the other rankings (Matthews, Tavares, Marner and Nylander) were reasonable, unbiased and based on stats? Probably not, worth a shot though.

 

[Sojourn]

So, Cam Fowler...

@Sojourn

Yeah, no. He doesn't belong at 6th.

I could probably get more detailed about why I feel that way, but the summary is that I don't think this is a good list, and Fowler is one of the guys on it who probably stands out in the wrong way.

I absolutely agree he does a lot of things right, especially with the way he can distribute the puck and skate it, but I can't justify this ranking. This is too far in the other direction for me. At least, at this point in time.

 

[Machinehead]

Yeah, no. He doesn't belong at 6th.

I could probably get more detailed about why I feel that way, but the summary is that I don't think this is a good list, and Fowler is one of the guys on it who probably stands out in the wrong way.

I absolutely agree he does a lot of things right, especially with the way he can distribute the puck and skate it, but I can't justify this ranking. This is too far in the other direction for me. At least, at this point in time.

Yeah, I don't agree with everything on it either. Some of the measures are slightly subjective.

But it has some value, and I will concede that's he's obviously a better player than I thought.

 

[Sojourn]

Yeah, I don't agree with everything on it either. Some of the measures are slightly subjective.

But it has some value, and I will concede that's he's obviously a better player than I thought.

This is freaking me out. Stop it!

 

[Machinehead]

I don't see Adam Larsson anywhere so I still have somebody to bully

 

[filinski77]

This list is extremely bad as well. Morgan Reilly and John Carlson should both be top 40 (if not top 20)