Earlier this month the NHL Network began their reveal of the top players at every position, starting with the 20 best defensemen in the league. Victor Hedman took home the top spot after his outstanding playoff performance, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup victory. If you were to build the perfect theoretical defenseman, he might look a lot like the 6’6″ Swede.
Last year’s top-ranked defenseman, Brent Burns, dropped all the way to 13 on this year’s list after a tough season in San Jose. After an incredible 2018-19 season that saw the Sharks leader score 83 points, his numbers dropped considerably to just 45 points in 70 games.
The reigning Norris Trophy winner, Roman Josi, took the second spot behind Hedman, edging out the points leader John Carlson in another competition.
Of note, Nashville, San Jose, Vegas, Carolina, and Columbus all have multiple players ranked, though none have more than two.
Like last year, when our community disagreed with NHL Network and actually crowned Hedman as top dog, we thought we’d do our own tally here at PHR. In the poll below we’ve listed many options and are asking you to vote for your top group by selecting 10 names. Does Hedman have any real competition for the top spot? Where will young players like Miro Heiskanen, Cale Makar, and Quinn Hughes end up?
Who are the best defensemen in the NHL?
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Victor Hedman 13% (1,007)
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Roman Josi 8% (658)
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Alex Pietrangelo 8% (614)
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Seth Jones 7% (553)
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John Carlson 6% (495)
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Cale Makar 6% (486)
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Miro Heiskanen 5% (376)
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Quinn Hughes 4% (294)
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Shea Weber 3% (257)
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Drew Doughty 3% (244)
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Brent Burns 3% (239)
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Dougie Hamilton 3% (217)
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Shea Theodore 2% (190)
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Erik Karlsson 2% (184)
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Jaccob Slavin 2% (179)
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Zach Werenski 2% (172)
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Torey Krug 2% (163)
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Charlie McAvoy 2% (160)
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Ivan Provorov 2% (160)
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Oliver Ekman-Larsson 2% (157)
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Mark Giordano 2% (154)
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Colton Parayko 2% (142)
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Rasmus Dahlin 2% (137)
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Thomas Chabot 1% (120)
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Kris Letang 1% (116)
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Morgan Rielly 1% (113)
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Aaron Ekblad 1% (106)
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Ryan Ellis 1% (80)
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Ryan Suter 1% (72)
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Ryan Pulock 1% (70)
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Adam Fox 1% (63)
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Jared Spurgeon 1% (41)
Total votes: 8,019
[Mobile users click here to vote]
@Gavin – Took some serious stones to put EK65 on the list. Over/under on 3.5 adverse comments (by others) on his presence on the list. I take the over… :)
Not Drew Doughty
10 years ago
Seth Jones might be the NHL’s most underrated player
Seth is one of the guys on this list that should be on 100% of the ballots assuming everyone selects 10. There are at least 5 guys who should be locks. Hedman is the top D-man and has been for a while. Should continue to be for a few more years.
Could do another poll of most underrated defencemen in the NHL.
I voted for Dahlin just cuz he will be the next Hedman! It’s Victor Hedman by a lot imo. He does everything and is noticeable everytime he’s in the ice.
Basically a less physical more offensive minded Shea Webber before the injuries caught up to him
Where’s me?
@Danny DeKeyser – Still stuck in Detroit? With my missing mail?
So much for winning the over/under on this one, eh Gavin?