My Top 14 Players In NHL By Position: Where Does P.K. Subban Rank Among Defensemen?
NHL.com has been running a top 14 by position feature for the past few days, and has been butchering it for the most part. Clinging to aging players like Martin St. Louis, Rick Nash and the Sedin twins like it is 2010 has been their biggest problem, but also picking Ryan O’Reilly and Nash to be one of the best at a position they don’t play was quite hilarious.
Then, two of the four experts ranked Patrice Bergeron ahead of Steven Stamkos on their ballot, so I decided I would just go ahead and do my own ranking of the top 14 players at each position for the upcoming season, and not three years ago.
Oh, and I decided it worked best if I ranked players at their actual positions.
Anyway, here are the top 14 defensemen in the NHL heading into this season in my opinion.
Mar 18, 2014; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) makes a save as Edmonton Oilers left wing Ryan Smyth (94) tries to score and Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber (6) defends during the first period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
1. Shea Weber
Offensively, Weber is one of the best defenseman in the NHL, scoring an incredible 23 goals from the blue line last season. Defensively, no one is scarier to play against than the Nashville Predators defender. Gets a boatload of ice time in all situations and excels in them all. Best all around defenseman in the NHL right now.
2. Drew Doughty
If it is a big game and you have the choice to add any player in the world to your lineup, you should probably take Doughty. He is always a force in the regular season, but when the chips are down, Doughty takes his game to a new level. He is 24 years old and has already been a key to two Stanley Cup championships and a pair of Olympic gold medals. He is Scott Niedermayer 2.0.
Jun 24, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks poses with the award during the 2014 NHL Awards ceremony at Wynn Las Vegas. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
3. Duncan Keith
Doesn’t play the toughest minutes, but just because the Blackhawks have a great shutdown second pairing doesn’t mean Keith can’t handle himself against great competition. Finished second in defenseman scoring with 61 points, and had incredible possession stats.
4. P.K. Subban
Yes, I am a Habs fan, but yes, Subban is ridiculously good at hockey. Perhaps the most feared shot in all of hockey after Shea Weber, and a very physical player as well. When the Habs get in trouble in their own zone, it is often alleviated by Subban skating the length of the ice with the puck and turning an opposing team’s offensive pressure into a shot on goal for the Canadiens. As if he wasn’t motivated enough already, Subban will be out to prove he is worth the enormous contract he just signed, and will have a huge season to match.
Apr 1, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Ryan Miller (39) keeps an eye on the puck as Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (27) defends against Philadelphia Flyers left wing Scott Hartnell (19) during the third period at the Scottrade Center. The Blues defeated the Flyers 1-0 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
5. Alex Pietrangelo
The St. Louis Blues blue liner has quickly become one of the league’s best. He beat out Subban for ice time with Canada at the Olympics, and has an underrated defensive game. Plays tough competition in Western Conference every night and dominates the possession game.
6. Victor Hedman
One of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL, and world as seen by his Swedish Olympic snub, Hedman has quietly emerged as a tremendous defenseman for the Tampa Bay Lightning. His 55 points ranked fourth among NHL defenseman, and his 54% Corsi For shows he spent an awful lot of time in the other team’s zone. An enormous force at 6’6”, and a former 2nd overall pick who is just 23 years old, expect to hear a lot more about Victor Hedman this year than you ever have before.
Apr 10, 2014; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) scores the winning goal against New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider (35) . The Senators defeated the Devils 2-1 in a shootout at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
7. Erik Karlsson
Karlsson is without question the best offensive defenseman in the NHL. He has been a shade under a point per game for the past three seasons, and though his defensive game does not stack up well with the best defensemen in the game, he spends most of the night with the puck on his stick anyway.
8. Mark Giordano
Giordano had a phenomenal season for the putrid Calgary Flames last season and stands to be great again this year. His 47 points in 67 games game him the third best points per game among defensemen, and his possession stats were remarkable. Giordano played some of the toughest minutes in the league, and the Flames were 1 53% possession team when he was on the ice.
May 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter (20) passes the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during game two of the second round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
9. Ryan Suter
Suter plays the most minutes of anyone in the NHL. The Minnesota Wild defender handles himself well in all situations. He gets a lot of kudos for leading the league in ice time, but the whole story shows he plays very tough competition every night and does just fine. Not excellent, not even great, just good. That’s not bad, but it doesn’t make him the best defenseman in the world either.
10. Zdeno Chara
Chara is not the same dominant defenseman he once was, but the NHL is a league where reputation follows you for years, so many people still view the Bruins defender as a Norris Trophy contender. The past two playoffs, Chara struggled and can’t handle the workload he continues to shoulder. His possession numbers look amazing, but he is right in line with the rest of the Bruins top four defenders, meaning it is more a result of the dominant team that he is on, and not him making them a dominant team.
11. Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Ekman Larsson played some of the toughest minutes in the league last season, and considering he was on an awful Phoenix Coyotes team, he had decent possession numbers as well. He is just 23 and scored 44 points last season, with another offensive gear to reach this year.
May 19, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens left wing Max Pacioretty (67) misses a chance to score a goal against New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) as defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27) defends during the first period in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
12. Ryan McDonagh
The one that got away for Habs fans, McDonagh had an exceptional season for the New York Rangers scoring 14 goals and 43 points. He stole Marc Staal’s spot on the top defense pairing, and posted solid possession stats with Dan Girardi. He is just 25 and will be even better for the Rangers this season.
13. Niklas Kronwall
Kronwall keeps his opponent’s on their toes with his thundering body checks, and has become the unquestioned leader of the Detroit Red Wings defense. Though no one can replace the incomparable Nicklas Lidstrom, Kronwall has done a solid job taking over as the Wings number one defender. His 49 points were tenth most by any blue liner last season.
14. Marc Edouard Vlasic
Vlasic’s name raised a few eyebrows when Team Canada made its choices for the Olympic team, but he continued to play his quiet, yet defensively dominant style throughout the tournament and the rest of the NHL season.
He formed a solid pairing with Doughty at the Olympics, and with Dan Boyle with the San Jose Sharks. Not many defensemen spent more time in their opponent’s end than Vlasic did last season, and though his 24 points aren’t among the leaders, he played a big role in the Sharks forwards being able to pile up points last season.