This year, let’s change things up a bit and limit the default defenseman ranking to 10 instead of the normal 15. This year’s is really good; it would be easy to rerank all seven spots in a variety of ways that would still make sense.
HM: Marcus Pettersson, K’Andre Miller, Kris Letang, and Adam Pelech
10. Philadelphia Flyers player Travis Sanheim. Sanheim has developed into the Flyers’ workhorse defenseman, averaging over 24 minutes per game in all circumstances. He has outstanding transition skills, can block shots, and acquire some steals.
9. Carolina Hurricanes’ Brent Burns. Brent Burns is the oldest player signed to a contract in the NHL this season, at 39 years old. He played 21:30 last season and rarely slowed down; his 20 power play points tied for 13th place in the league. With 185 shots last season, he is a fantastic player who fits well in the possession-and-shot-heavy Carolina style.
8. The New Jersey Devils’ Brett Pesce. Pesce, a free agent, joins the Devils after leaving a division team. It could turn out to be a significant change. Although he isn’t a very strong scorer with just 13 points, his all-around skill set should significantly strengthen and stabilize NJ’s defense at the price of the
7. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski. Werenski can be tough to evaluate as a solid player on a poor team, but when healthy (six times out of six, except two years marred by injuries), he is a surefire scorer of double digits. With 57 points from the previous campaign, Werenski was 12th among NHL blueliners. Werenski’s career may be on the rise as he returns to the spotlight and is expected to compete for Team USA in the 2018 4 Nations and Olympics.
6. The Washington Capitals’ John Carlson. The 34-year-old Carlson somewhat reversed the effects of aging last season, posting one of his best NHL seasons ever with 52 points. Possibly too relied upon, he played an NHL-high 25:54 minutes.
e than 24 hours a night and putting 213 shots on goal rattsburgh Penguin Erik Karlsson. Karlsson is a highly conteti5. nPi him, he occasionally leaves onlookers wanting more. Playing morous player to rate; while the sophisticated metrics adorenks him fifth among NHL defenseman. Only two power play goals and quarterbacking a subpar team there do not work in his favor. However, this is an estimate of player skill for the year rather than a 2023–24 rating.
4. New York Islanders’ Noah Dobson. Dobson had his third straight fantastic season in 2023–2024. At just 24 years old, he’s already stacking the deck, and the best is still to come. His 70 points and 60 assists from the previous season ranked him sixth among NHL defensemen.
1. Adam Fox, New York Rangers. Fox is up to four-straight top five finishes in the Norris trophy voting after a career-high 17 goals last year to go along with yet another 70+ point season. His high defensive impact makes him one of the most well-rounded and perfect prototype for the modern day NHL blueliner.
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