I’ve done a ranking of the top 10 goalies and top 10 centres. Next to ranking wingers (left and right), I wanted to focus on the current top defencemen 10 list, going into the 2023/2024 season. Playing defence is a very challenging position and it is tough to stand out, as you have to be smart in your own zone, use your body to overwhelm the opposing teams attack, block shots, as well as put up points and without a good defensive partner (albeit injury, or other factors can change that), it may be hard to be effective. But these 10 players are (for me personally) the best of the best, and continue to push the game and the position forward. Here goes:
- Cale Makar (#9, Colorado Avalanche) – Makar, who is only 23, has already won the Norris trophy, the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe trophy two seasons ago, but also has one of the highest points per game ratio at 1.08 of all NHL defensemen (better than some forwards). Not only is he skilled, but he can skate with the best of the best (McDavid like) and has put up 65 goals and 181 assists in 238 games. This kid is electric and super fun to watch, although injury did limit his play last season. With a healthy season up ahead and a great defensive partner (in Devon Toews), we wouldn’t be surprised to see Cale Makar win at least a few more Norris and possibly one or two more Stanley Cups. This kid is as good as it gets, and if you get a chance to watch him, do. He is amazing and has one of the best Hockey IQ minds ever.
- Adam Fox (#23, New York Rangers) – coming in at #2 is a young stud and former Norris trophy winner Adam Fox. The guy who was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 3rd round, has been excellent for the New York Rangers, putting up 36 goals and 199 assists in 285 goals and has played mostly with Ryan Lindgren (who is a tough player himself). Fox, 25, might not be as fast as Makar, but he just makes such smart plays with the puck. Whenever he is on the ice, he shows excellent poise, confidence and can easily read the play to make the right ‘smart’ play. He will be a force to reckon with for a while.
- Roman Josi (#59, Nashville Predators) – This may seem like a weird pick or choice for #3, but if it wasn’t for Roman Josi, Nashville might not be as good as they are, especially in the dominant central division. Over the past two seasons, Josi has been a strong defenceman, putting up 41 goals and 114 assists in 147 games and was one of the top scorers for the team, next to his former teammate Matt Duchene. He has won a Norris in 2020 and been nominated before, and in 2021 he surpassed Mark Streit as the highest-scoring Swiss-born NHL player. For a player who is 33, he is showing no signs of stopping and being effective, and has shown that he is a leader on and off the ice and look forward to watching more of him (often playing with Dante Fabbro).
- Charlie McAvoy (#73, Boston Bruins) – The Boston Bruins had a historic season last year, and a big reason for that was thanks to Charlie McAvoy, who was a very good all-around defenseman. McAvoy, 25, who only played 67 games had 7 goals and 45 assists in. Unfortunately for the Boston Bruins, McAvoy hasn’t been able to play a full 82 game season, and isn’t expected to return to the lineup until late November as a result of shoulder surgery. This may be a problem moving forward, but if he can stay healthy he can be an effective player and can step up as a leader after the loss of Bergeron and Krejci. But he is also a very physical player, although his hits per game dropped last year. But he can still play around 22 minutes per night making him a very effective defenceman (playing often with Matt Grzelyk) on the top pairing.
- Victor Hedman (#77, Tampa Bay Lightning) – Although he didn’t have the best season last year, that doesn’t mean it was bad by any stretch of the imagination, you would have to forgive the two time back to back Stanley Cup champion, who was undoubtedly the best defenseman for a while. But he can still perform and still plays top minutes for the Tampa Bay Lightning as he put up 9 goals and 40 assists in 76 games and went +10 this past season. Though he may not be the best player, he is still amongst the best and elite and has won the Norris in 2017/2018 season. To give you an idea of just how dominant Hedman has been over the years, he has finished top three for the Norris in each of the past six seasons, and it shows (as the last blueliner to do so was Nicklas Lidstrom, and we all know how good he was). Hedman is just a big body (6’6”) and can still make crisp passes and can really play physical and make his opponents pay.
- Miro Heiskanen (#4, Dallas Stars) – One emerging defensive star in the NHL has to be Miro for the Dallas Stars, who is both smooth and sleek whenever fans watch his game. The 2017 3rd overall pick has quickly become one of the best blue liners, putting up 11 goals and 62 assists in 79 games, a guy who played on the team’s second power-play unit in 2021-22. But beyond his offence, Miro, 24, can skate greatly and is very confident with the puck, so well that he averaged 25:29 total ice time and 20:38 of even-strength (ES) ice time last season and has really taken on a bigger role, after the departure of John Klingberg. He is also a tough SOB, when kept playing despite suffering a nasty cut on his cheek after taking a puck to the face (and having to wear a visor). He will continue to be a beast for the Dallas Stars, who look to remain competitive.
- Rasmus Dahlin (#26 Buffalo Sabres) – The former #1 first overall pick has really come into his own and has helped Buffalo become a competitive team (almost making the playoffs). He played 78 games, and put up 15 goals and 58 assists and has stepped up to play on the top pairing for the team (along with Mattias Samuelsson) averaging 21:09 on ice per game and finished second on the Sabres in power play points in 2022-23 with 32, just two shy of their centre star forward Tage Thompson. Throughout his five-year NHL career, 44.2% of his 233 points have come from the power play. The joy for Sabres fans is that Dahlin is only 23 years old, so his ceiling is still high, as when you watch him you can see his strong skating ability being able to go coast-to-coast with ease and use his elite playmaking abilities to make things happen offensively. There could be a Norris in his future.
- Quinn Hughes (#43, Vancouver Canucks) – It is hard to determine what the vision or goal is for Vancouver, with all of the upper management changes that have taken place. What they don’t have to worry about is their 23 year defensive star Quinn Hughes, who has put up 165 points in 205 career games (7 goals and 69 assists in 78 games last season). From an offensive standpoint, he is amongst the best in the entire league, and is coming off of a season in which he had a career-high. Despite those numbers, however, he often gets overlooked when it comes to discussing the game’s elite blue liners given how poor the penalty kill is in Vancouver (he Canucks’ 71.6% penalty kill finished dead last). Therefore, there has to be a better team structure and possibly a new defensive partner (might be playing with Filip Hronek), but I still believe Hughes is an exceptional playmaker who can complete stretch passes from one end of the ice to the other.
- Erik Karlsson (#65, Pittsburgh Penguins) – The most recent Norris winner and new Pittsburgh Penguins player (traded this off-season from San Jose), shows how elite EK can still be and get over 100 points (25 goals and 76 assists) on a struggling team, and shows us the talent Erik has, similar to when he played for the Ottawa Senators. Erik Karrlson has always been an elite player, showing off some amazing skills. But to be as competitive and dominant as he was this past season, shows why he was a coveted trade trip (albeit only a few teams could take on that cap hit). He also had a healthy season (playing a full 82 game season). The one hit on Karlsson, and again it is due to playing on a weak San Jose team, was that he was -26, which means he needs to be better in his own end, which maybe in Pittsburgh with someone like Marcus Petterson, might be a benefit to him. He is 33, so his best years might be behind him and he may not repeat this past season, but EK is still fun to watch and in Pittsburgh he won’t be relied on as being the guy (they have this guy named Kris Letang). He can make amazing passes, so it will be fun to see him pass a few pucks to Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. But either way, he still seems to be a force, and we are excited to watch more of him.
- Jaccob Slavin (#74, Carolina Hurricanes) – Similar to Hughes above, defenseman Jaccob Slavin does not get the full credit that he deserves, given how strong the back end is for the Carolina Hurricanes (Brett Burns, Brent Pesce, Brady Skjei, etc.). But Slavin, who may not be the flashiest player, has always been a solid defender for the team. In 76 games, he quietly had 7 goals and 20 assists all while playing around 20 minutes of TOI. He seems to be in the right place at the right time and often will play against the other teams best forwards, shutting them down. It’s why he is often known as a defensive defenceman. He even won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2020/2021 showing that is a leader on that team and in that locker room. If Carolina does finally make the Stanley Cup final, Slavin will be one of the reasons why. Just watch how high his Hockey IQ is, knowing where to be and making the right play.
Honourable mentions: Kris Letang (Pittsburgh Penguins), Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets), Evan Bouchard (Edmonton Oilers), Brent Burns (Carolina Hurricanes), Alex Pietrangelo & Shea Theodore (Vegas Golden Knights) & Morgan Reilly (Toronto Maple Leafs).
Now again, this is not a list set in stone, but it again shows how many talented players there are in the league and that in order to win (like Vegas did last year) you need to have top tier defensemen. But there are also some young players coming into the league who can also surprise, and make a quick impact. What will the list look like next year? Who will be the next Norris Winner? Also fun for debate, should there be two different awards for defencemen (one for the most offensive like a Bobby Orr award, and one that is the Norris for the best defensive defenceman).
Thoughts?
Pawel the ‘Cat’
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