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In this edition of the hotstove, we rank the top-5 defensemen in the Eastern Conference.
Todd Cordell
1. Erik Karlsson (OTT)
Karlsson has averaged 74 points over his last five full seasons and he is finally starting to get some well-deserved recognition for his defensive game. No defenseman can do what he does.
2. Victor Hedman (TBL)
Hedman is coming off a 70+ point season in which he also drove possession while averaging 24:30 for the Bolts. Remember when people were racing to call him a bust? Good times, good times.
3. Kris Letang (PIT)
He has dealt with a lot of injuries/health concerns in recent years but few are as good as Letang when he's in the lineup. He can skate, move the puck, and pile up points with the best of them.
4. Seth Jones (CBJ)
Zach Werenski gets all the hype, but Jones put up similar numbers while logging more minutes and tougher minutes. That has to count for something.
5. Jaccob Slavin (CAR)
Carolina is one of those small market teams that always has its players underrated so I'm going to give Slavin some love. He led the Hurricanes in average time on ice, posted positive underlying numbers relative to the team without him, and few defensemen were more efficient point producers at 5v5.
Honorable mention: Ryan McDonagh.
Peter Tessier
This list should be relatively easy based on simply who is in the Eastern Conference. It could be Karlsson for all 5 spots because he's that good! So let's get the obvious out of the way:
#1 Karlsson- what more needs to be said about him? Guy is a god.
#2 Hedman- I can understand why some might argue he's as good as Karlsson but he's not the same. Karlsson is unique and Hedman is just damn good.
#3 Werenski- At number 3 I'm sure this will draw some fire but the kid is unreal and he's a rookie. Sure he could have a sophomore slump but without him how good would Columbus have been?
#4 Krug- Doing this lists you start seeing a lot of Bruins showing up and considering the heat management has taken they have some great players- Krug is a stud and consistent.
#5 Ristolainen- It's about time some one on Buffalo got some love and given the state of that team Ristolainen excels inspire of it. Some would argue Shultz is worthy but did he get the Pittsburgh bounce? How would Risto look on a better team.
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