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Todd Cordell
1. Erik Karlsson - Nobody can touch what he does offensively and defensively he is better than he's given credit for. The most impactful defenseman in the NHL and I'm not sure it's close.
2. Victor Hedman - He is elite at both ends of the ice and has the ability to completely take games over.
3. Drew Doughty - Consistently posts excellent numbers relative to his team, which is pretty hard because the bar is high.
4. P.K. Subban - He is as talented as anyone and just put up 51 points in 68 games during his 'down year'.
5. Hampus Lindholm - I'm sure I'll take some heat for this one but I absolutely love Lindholm's game. He is as sound as they come defensively, drives possession while playing top competition and he scored 10 goals despite being put in a very limited amount of offensive situations.
There are, like, 10 other defensemen who were given serious consideration so I'm not going to list them all. For me this has been the toughest position to narrow down to a top-5.
James Tanner
1. Erik Karlsson.
This isn't an opinion. It is not subjective. Erik Karlsson is the best NHL defenseman and that is a fact. You can have an opinion on who is #2. Everything after this is an opinion, but anyone who thinks he's not #1 is just wrong.
2. Oliver Ekman-Larsson
If he played on any other team this wouldn't be debatable. He's better than Victor Hedman, and Victor Hedman is pretty damn good.
3. Victor Hedman
If you compare the numbers between him and OEL, you will see that Hedman's are slightly better. Then consider that while Hedman plays on the deepest roster in the NHL with fellow top-ten Dman Anton Stralman, OEL has spent last year being partnered with Connor Murphy.
4. P.K Subban
Here is a list of players you could reasonable trade 1 for 1 for PK Subban: Erik Karlsson, OEL, Victor Hedman. The end.
5. T.J Brodie / Hampus Lindholm
These guys both give you otherworldly defense with excellent offense. In Brodie's case, the only reason he isn't more appreciated is because he's the second, maybe third offensive, option on his team.
Honorable Mention: Jake Muzzin.
Jason Lewis
This one always gets me in trouble with the Doughty/Karlsson debate, but here goes.
1. Erik Karlsson - he is just on another level offensively, and above league average defensively. Even if he wasn't league average defensively, we are talking historic offensive output.
2. Drew Doughty - While his production is always going to be in question, no one quite manages a game or controls the ice like Drew Doughty. It is a pleasure to watch him night in and night out.
3. Brent Burns - He, like Karlsson, is an outstanding offensive producer. He was essential to the San Jose powerplay and offense.
4. Victor Hedman - I have rarely given Hedman his due credit in the past, often overlooking him for others. But he is as complete a defenseman as you can get.
5. Aaron Ekblad - Just I gave credit to Jagr on the wing group for doing what he has done at his age, gotta give Ekblad a nod for doing what he has done at the opposite end of that age spectrum. At age 20 he's already an outstanding all-around defenseman, and he hasn't even peaked yet.
Honorable Mentions: P.K. Subban, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Jake Muzzin, T.J Brodie, Mark Giordano, Kris Letang, Dustin Byfuglien, OEL
John Jaeckel
Doughty, Keith, Karlsson, Josi, Hedman.
Probably in that order as well, but you can interchange the top 2, depending on the year. Maybe Josi raises some eyebrows, but I have been a big fan of his for the last couple of years—he just does it all well. The other 4 can take over games and playoff series with their abilities at both ends of the ice.
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