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In this edition of the hotstove, we rank the top-5 defensemen in the Eastern Conference.
Todd Cordell
1. Victor Hedman - I’m not sure there’s much debate about this one. Hedman leads all defenders in Goals Above Replacement over the last two seasons and does it all for the league’s best team.
2. Dougie Hamilton - Elite play-driver who excels in transition and produces offensively. Generally good for 10+ goals and 40-50 points on top of underrated defensive work.
3. John Carlson - I think his defensive game is vastly overrated. Luckily, his ridiculously good offensive game tends to make up for it. Carlson is insanely productive and one of the best in-zone passers in the NHL.
4. Charlie McAvoy - McAvoy is as steady as they come. I think he is already one of the best defensive players you’ll come across. He plays a ton of minutes against top competition and gets results. McAvoy posted a plus-31 goal differential at 5v5 over the last two seasons.
5. Thomas Chabot - He is picture perfect for the modern-day NHL. He can skate with the best of them, he’s excellent in transition/driving the puck up ice, and he produces a lot of offense. He is also quite good at defending off the rush. I think he may have a Norris in his future.
Sean Maloughney
1.) Victor Hedman -Hedman is the best defenceman in the league and has been for a number of years. His point totals are always in the 50+ range but to be the best defenceman goes well beyond just points. Hedman consistently logs some of the top minutes around the league while playing against elite competition. He is big, moves fast, produces, and is a physical threat. Hedman can do it all and is the best jack of all trades defender in the NHL.
2.) Seth Jones - I just spent a few sentences idolizing Hedman but Jones is no slouch either and brings a number of the tools to his game that have made Hedman so successful. The Blue Jackets as a whole play a defensive game but their system could not be as effective as it is without Jones logging the big minutes on the blueline. Injuries held him back slightly this season but the 26 year old is still just entering his prime.
3.) Dougie Hamilton - Over the past three seasons no defenceman has posted a higher CF% than Hamilton (57.72%) but that alone doesn't tell the story. Hamilton is a possession force and whenever he is on the ice the Hurricanes dominate in terms of shot generation, scoring chances and a reduced goals against. Another player who had his season cut short last year but still managed 40 points in only 47 games. Over the past three years no defenceman in the league has scored more goals at even strength than Hamilton and his 32 tallies.
4.) Thomas Chabot - It really didn\'t take long for the Senators to find Erik Karlsson 2.0. The 23 year old moves the puck exceptionally well and can almost effortlessly transition from a defensive to an offensive game. 25 EV goals over the last three seasons on a team that has been less than good during that time. The best is yet to come for this skilled player.
5.) Mikhail Sergachev - Should John Carlson go on this list? Probably but Carlson is just a guy who can score a bunch of goals but has a highly suspect defensive game. Sergachev meanwhile is able to produce at a solid rate but more importantly was on of the best players last season at suppressing chances against. At 22 Sergachev is my sleeper pick to really get some notice around the league next season... still don't know what the Lightning are gonna do about his contract situation.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com and Evolving-Hockey.com.
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