With the Carolina Hurricanes set to face the New York Rangers in a qualifying round series, many have the Rangers penciled in to upset the Hurricanes. Leading up to the series, I'll be comparing the two teams and after posting an article yesterday debating which team has the better forward group, this article will look to answer which team is better defensively.
Thinking both Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce could miss the remainder of the season, the Hurricanes acquired both Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen to bulk up their defense at the trade deadline. Now, with Hamilton healthy and Pesce’s return dependent on when the playoffs begin, the Hurricanes are even more stacked on the blue line. Jaccob Slavin is an excellent all-around defender, while Hamilton had a massive breakout year. Vatanen should be able to seamlessly take a spot in the top-four if Pesce isn’t ready to go and Skjei finally gives the Hurricanes a left-handed defenseman who can be effective on the second pairing, after Jake Gardiner didn’t work out. Then, between Joel Edmundson, Haydn Fleury, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Gardiner himself, the Hurricanes have all the depth they need for their bottom pairing.
The Rangers, on the other hand, have some quality pieces but aren't quite as well-rounded. Rookie Adam Fox is already becoming a star, scoring 42 points in 70 games with a goals for percentage of 60 per cent, as well as the highest expected goals for percentage amongst Rangers defensemen by a large margin. Fellow rookie Ryan Lindgren also had a strong season. Tony DeAngelo had a huge year offensively but isn’t as strong in his own end, while Jacob Trouba had a fine season but wasn't necessarily the $8 million player that New York was counting on. Trouba's potential defense partner, Brendan Smith, had a goals for percentage of about 30 per cent this season and should probably be taking on as small of a role as possible in the playoffs. Smith and Marc Staal take up two of the team’s spots on the left side, which isn’t ideal. Overall, the Rangers just aren’t as strong on the back end and are probably missing a reliable defender or two.
The Rangers may be able to get some offense from their blue line but on the defensive side of things, New York’s back end just isn’t as strong as Carolina’s. While the Rangers don’t have a weak blue line, the Hurricanes’ defense will be more reliable and is likely to give up less quality chances.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Which team do you believe has the stronger defense?
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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