The game's ever changing and you're really seeing the very best two-way defensemen just mastering everything at both ends of the ice, to the point where Huggy scored 92 points despite being extremely solid defensively, especially compared to last season. I think it's a byproduct of the game being so much faster thanks to McDavid and the like because those teenagers on the blue line clearly knew what the assignment was before they even developed to the NHL level.
Ok, damn. I'm gonna say it. I think Seider is officially underrated. Never missed a game, tons of hits and blocked shots, puts up 40+ points, played the hardest minutes of anyone last year. I certainly think he's in the top 12.
Definitely sleeping on Seider. No one plays the deployments Seider does. The minutes, the blocked shots, the hits, 42+ pts a season. When DRW finally puts a solid 6 D corps together or at least a good top 4 where some of the pressure comes off Seider’s deployments his points totals will really improve.
Quinn Hughes was very good defensively pre-draft and in college. He had a really solid foundation in that regard, so it's not surprising to me that after an adjustment period his defensive game has come around in the NHL.
It's cathartic seeing Hedman on this list after seeing a semi viral tweet where a guy ranked him as one of the worst defensemen in the league. The guy was rightfully ratioed.
I thought the same. Honestly, Zach and Seth Jones were an excellent D pairing, and both continue to put up decent points, but are not as consistent defensively since they've been split up, in my opinion.
Huge Makar fan, but it's worth pointing out that his partner is #12 here. Not sure if any of the other guys have top 20's with them. But happy to be corrected.
Mostly agree but I would have Josi and Fox swapped. Josi does consistently more with less around him and his numbers should go up this year with two 40 goal scorers added to the team and a full year under the new system (started really slow last year and still had 85 points)
Josi is a very very good offensive defensemen who also has very good defence. I agree. He had much less talent to help him. Right now I would put him above Fox. I agree.
You guys do not know just how fucking good Fox is at defense it seems... one of the best in his own zone in the League... lightyears ahead of Makar ans Josi in that aspect. Even with his slow skating his IQ is just carrying. He just gotta stay healthy... I think Fox and Makar are just in a tier of their own.
@@ChristianKrillz We do though that's why he is at #4 of our list of all hundreds of defensemen in the league. That guy got crazy talent around himself last year which explains point production a little. He could still easily go up to #3 #2 due to how close 4-2 is.
I think this list is about as good as you can get. Morissey is really an after thought glad you included him, probably the second best player on his team.
Really looking forward to that Norris season from Morrissey. Heck, we almost got it a couple seasons ago when Bowness pushed him to play more offensively. Go Jets!
Makar 1. I’d have Heiskinen at 5. He has an excellent all around game. Q Hughes is great 1-2. Him and Makar will be giving us awesome Noris races for the near future. Fox can compete for top tier as well. Thx Shannon.
I agree with the ranking and its tough to do but I think you are missing Mo Seider he played full 82 games for 3 seasons now, plays the toughest minutes and is playing with a week defensive core in Detroit. He won the calder trophy also had 200+ blocks and hits last season which last happened a decade ago. He will be on pp1 this season and might hit more than 60 points. LGRW
Not even an honorable mention to Mackenzie Weegar, the highest goal-scoring defenseman in the league, clutch OT goals, and really solid defensively on a bad team. Brutal.
I love forsling. Hes been my favorite defensman for a while now. He def belongs on the list. The guy makes nooo mistakes, shut downs the best of them AND contributes offensively at the right moments. The guy always launches a puck from the blueline on net successfully without it hitting chinpads. Absolute stud. Hedman, im worried about. Amazing qb defenseman but have become slow and somewhat a little lost on his own zone. I would even consider not having him on the list or atleast near the bottom
Great top 4. Last 2-3 years I think Josi, Makar, Fox, and Hughes have made it clear they are easily the top 4 guys in the world (probably why they won 1 Norris each in the last 5 years) like to see which one gets the next one or if someone else swoops in
It's hard to say that Werenski is a great defenseman on a bad team when he's a huge part of the team, leading defenseman. A 10 minute per night underplayed player might be able to pull that off, but when you're playing near half the game, the team is a bit of a reflection of your best players and he's a solid piece of why they're not good. The same applies to Seth Jones. Yeah, there's some holes in the lineups, but they're meh on a bad team that's bad because they're the best the team has to offer.
I believe Bouchard was definitely missing from his list. I believe (especially in this last year) he has made his has to be higher than someone like Devon Toews.
Josi waaaay too low. He's for sure better than everyone except arguably Fox on your list. Coming from a Canucks fan who watched him during the 6 game series and more this year.
Yea because he isnt top 12. Maybe 15, probably 20-25. Not 12. Think about it. Its one player from almost every third team. Cant tell me 2/3rds of clubs dont have 1 better Dman than Seider.
@@TheScotian82 I think you could argue him over multiple guys on this list but hey that’s just my opinion just like everyone else’s opinion is their own :)
@@TheScotian82 hes arguably better than morrisey and toews and one can almost make the argument hes better than slavin. dahlin may be a bit low on this list too.
I think Seider doesn't make the list yet bcs of he hasn't had enough time in the league to show consistency, give him time and already next summer he'll have better chances of being here
I enjoy your videos so much . They are so educational and funny sometimes. You are way better than watching ESPN post game analysis 🤣. I just sub to your channel. Keep up the good work.
Dougie Hamilton overlooked but I get it when he’s been seriously injured 2 out of the last 3 years. But when healthy he’s been a top 5-10 point producer among defensemen
Great list. I respect your opinions. I’m a die hard Bruins fan and I am up and down about how I feel about McAvoy. He’s definitely a solid #1 and maybe his defense is a little underrated.
Am I the only one who thinks that the Paul Coffey award would be more fitting than the Bobby Orr award for best offensive defenseman because Paul Coffey was actually an offensive defensive unlike Bobby who was a two way defender and if you wanna have a Bobby Orr trophy it’d make more sense to rename the Norris
@@urbanoutdoorsman5654 I haven't looked, but who were the top scoring forwards when Orr was leading the league in scoring? Was it equivalent to what Coffee would have been compared to in this scenario?
The best offensive defenceman is usually the best defenceman. These are players just faster on pucks, better at breakouts and therefore do not spend time defending.
This is a solid list really can’t make a solid argument against it. Personally I’d maybe flip McAvoy and Headman but that’s really pushing to find a flaw in the list.
they do need 2 different trophies for dmen...one offensive dmen and defensive dmen...I say make an Orr trophy for offense dmen and keep norris for defense dmen.
The disrespect towards Hedman over the last season has been crazy considering he had one of the best offensive seasons of his career. I’m glad at least THG knows how good he still is
@@Bertza00 I can acknowledge that, but at his age and size it’s expected for his mobility to take a nosedive. I’m just surprised how many people discard him now even though he’s still good. McDonagh and Moser will definitely help him on the blue line, Hedman had no help last year
Rating defencemen is difficult. A lot of what is valuable in their work is not easily measured so things that can, like goals and points, take an out of proportion value. Brave to put these lists together.
Man, really love the list but not even a mention of Moritz Seider is crazy. Dude plays the #1 hardest pairings in all of the nhl and looks like an absolute beast doing it. Definitely a top 10 defensemen in my book
I find it interesting that the Norris trophey winner from 2023, Karlsson, is not even mentionned here, and I agree. It is fascinating how he had a phenomenal career year but failed to be near the top of the league only a year after that. Interested also to see your thoughts.
as a stars fan i have to admit bouchard is underrated defensively. he's not necessarily incredible to watch on defense but he apparently grades out as a far better chance suppressor than people give him credit. whether that's only because of his usage (primarily offensive zone? i dont know) or his offensive dominance simply keeping the puck out of his own zone, i'm not sure. it's undeniable that he has had several boneheaded anti-highlight reel mistakes that make their rounds on twitter, but i do think he's very much a top 10 defenseman.
Personally, I would have liked to see Brock Faber on the list, but I understand he has a small sample size right now, but I think perhaps a few Norris Nominations are in his future.
All good with the list, but I feel like Hughes is bit early to be 2nd. I guess the consistency of Hedman and Josi is something which would make me put Q. Hughes would be 4 or 5. But I am sure next season would be another stellar season for him and 2nd will be justified. Again, very subjective opinion. Maybe Bouchard might get in the conversation next year, he was pretty decent defensively (other than a couple of blatant giveaways) but way better than regular season. Part of me feels, Heiskanen is still underrated.
Interesting list. I agree with #1, but respectfully I can’t say I agree with a lot of the rest of it. I think the bottom three definitely need to be higher, for one thing.
I know this is random, but please tell me that I'm not the only soul who invariably sings "How soon is now?" by The Smiths EVERY time Josh Morrissey's name is mentioned...ever.
Thanks Jim Benning for letting Forsling go on wavers another quality move by you. THG will do a where are they now video and Benning will be working at Starbucks stuffing up peoples coffee orders
Personally I would have swapped hedman and mcavoy purely due to the fact that hedman has slowed down quite a bit as he has been aging and mcavoy is entering his prime right now along with learning how to play well with lindholm on the #1 pairing.
I think victor hedman is extremely overrated his defensive numbers are not very good as well as offensively he’s a bit of a pp and kucherov merchant stills top 15-20 guy
Bouchard not being behind Hedman or Heiskanen is a little odd. Forsling is a little high, and Slavin is way to high. But the biggest thing that I disagree with is Josi should be jammed up under Makar. Those two guys are number 1 & 2, and then there's everyone else.
I think we can all agree its between hughes and makar for the Norris trophy. Both are elite. Hughes is better at defence, while makar is better at scoring
Ekholm is very good defensively but lacks that offensive flair. Slavin is a better overall dmen than Ekholm. Bouchard is elite offensively only because hes playin PP1 with one of the best PP, his defensive play has improved but still suspect.
Very solid list. I would probably move Dahlin to 7 and Fox to 2 (Fox over Hughes cause Fox has been more consistently at a the top of the league since year 2 and while Hughes has been near the top he hasn’t been at THE TOP until this year and while I do think Hughes defensive game is underrated I still think Fox’s is better)
Makar & D. Toews is hands down the best defensive pairing in the entire NHL. If you want to make arguments for who is the number one defenseman fine. If you want to make arguments for teams that have better defensive depth, fine. But there is not a single defensive pairing in the league (currently) that is better than this.
I would be very impressed if Maker wins multiple Calders
Honestly what a plug
Yep, had to rewind and make sure that's what I heard too
Calder is for Rookies but Norris is for D men. I got ya, lol. Finally heard at the end of the video.
Lol I love when he mispeaks
@Tek3333 I still think the calder is cursed. Nobody has won it more than once.
What a crazy few drafts for defenseman, Makar, Hughes, Fox and Heiskanen all within a couple years is insane
The game's ever changing and you're really seeing the very best two-way defensemen just mastering everything at both ends of the ice, to the point where Huggy scored 92 points despite being extremely solid defensively, especially compared to last season. I think it's a byproduct of the game being so much faster thanks to McDavid and the like because those teenagers on the blue line clearly knew what the assignment was before they even developed to the NHL level.
00:00 already wrong with all your picks
#facts , J/k we trust THG
His top Defensemen's, not yours. So he's 100% right and you're 100% wrong, just because you're not him.
Ok, damn. I'm gonna say it. I think Seider is officially underrated. Never missed a game, tons of hits and blocked shots, puts up 40+ points, played the hardest minutes of anyone last year. I certainly think he's in the top 12.
I think Seider and Toews are close for the 12th spot, and I think Seider should have the spot.
Dobson has to be top 12 as well, he was ppg for like 2/3 of the season
Definitely sleeping on Seider. No one plays the deployments Seider does. The minutes, the blocked shots, the hits, 42+ pts a season. When DRW finally puts a solid 6 D corps together or at least a good top 4 where some of the pressure comes off Seider’s deployments his points totals will really improve.
He also had a not so great season last year. This isn't based on one year otherwise Dobson would be up there too.
@@chanses7576 if isn’t based on one year, why is Forsling top 8?
Heiskanen will forever be underrated i remember 2 seasons ago he had a far better season than Fox and got less Norris votes
U should look his overall play too not only points. He has been better than Fox many seasons
Fox is better in all areas of the game
Quinn Hughes was very good defensively pre-draft and in college. He had a really solid foundation in that regard, so it's not surprising to me that after an adjustment period his defensive game has come around in the NHL.
It's cathartic seeing Hedman on this list after seeing a semi viral tweet where a guy ranked him as one of the worst defensemen in the league. The guy was rightfully ratioed.
"I dislike 'X' player therefore they're garbage" -A neutral party
That guy was right
He is the worst defensively but still amazing offensively
Anyone who thinks Hedman is not a top 10 D in the league knows literally nothing about hockey, like not 1 single thing .. That's a fact.
@@buttonz6139 Hedman is terrible defensively. He’s not even close to top 10, people are living in the past.
Heiskanen also plays on his opposite side, such an underrated D man
Some people are geniunely better on their opposite side, Sanheim & Weegar come to mind
@@Rask-p1p Heiskanen is good on both sides but better on the left
Honourable mention to Zach Werenski a very under-rated d-man in Columbus. I think he's a top 12 defenseman personally
I thought the same. Honestly, Zach and Seth Jones were an excellent D pairing, and both continue to put up decent points, but are not as consistent defensively since they've been split up, in my opinion.
Best days are behind him
@@urbanoutdoorsman5654 Wdym. Hes 27... Entering prime..
Snagging Forsling on waivers is an example of why Zito is the top GM in the league.
The Slavin Hughes combo at the Olympics will be insane
on point as always thg much love
Huge Makar fan, but it's worth pointing out that his partner is #12 here. Not sure if any of the other guys have top 20's with them. But happy to be corrected.
They’re both just that good 🤷🏻♂️
Don’t mind my Avs tinted glasses 😅
@@SRTifiable I truly believe Makar is the best and it’s not quite that close either. But eh lots of Canucks fans online.
Heiskanen hasn’t even gotten a consistent partner in his career that has let him play on his natural side…
@@zcohen17 didn’t he get to play with that overrated guy that the leafs just overpaid for????
@@baohoaily nope, he played with Lindell creating quite the shutdown line
Mostly agree but I would have Josi and Fox swapped. Josi does consistently more with less around him and his numbers should go up this year with two 40 goal scorers added to the team and a full year under the new system (started really slow last year and still had 85 points)
Josi is a very very good offensive defensemen who also has very good defence. I agree. He had much less talent to help him. Right now I would put him above Fox. I agree.
@@agentshadow7456 personally taking Josi as my first dman if available as i expect his offence to jump
You guys do not know just how fucking good Fox is at defense it seems... one of the best in his own zone in the League... lightyears ahead of Makar ans Josi in that aspect. Even with his slow skating his IQ is just carrying. He just gotta stay healthy... I think Fox and Makar are just in a tier of their own.
i’d even put josi ahead of hughes
@@ChristianKrillz We do though that's why he is at #4 of our list of all hundreds of defensemen in the league. That guy got crazy talent around himself last year which explains point production a little. He could still easily go up to #3 #2 due to how close 4-2 is.
happy to see my boy Dahls on your list!, hope the Sabres can do something this season so the guys get the recognition they deserve.
Dalh and Power is an unfair combination. Through in Byron and Samuelson and y’all have a strong D core
hello THG, i think you should do your top 12 favourite players in the nhl after the forwards video, cause im just wondering as to who you like.
Hope you're loving the vacation boss!
I think this list is about as good as you can get.
Morissey is really an after thought glad you included him, probably the second best player on his team.
Really looking forward to that Norris season from Morrissey. Heck, we almost got it a couple seasons ago when Bowness pushed him to play more offensively. Go Jets!
Not happening. Too many good you g D, on top of Hedman and Josi who are both due for another trophy.
I have never disagreed with a hockey opinion more than Forsling and Slavin ahead of Dahlin. Fair play
Sorry, Gustav is better. It's pretty clear when you watch them on the ice.
Makar 1. I’d have Heiskinen at 5. He has an excellent all around game. Q Hughes is great 1-2. Him and Makar will be giving us awesome Noris races for the near future. Fox can compete for top tier as well. Thx Shannon.
Hughes and Makar good at stacking points against shit teams. They always get outplayed by Heiskanen when they play against him
I agree with the ranking and its tough to do but I think you are missing Mo Seider he played full 82 games for 3 seasons now, plays the toughest minutes and is playing with a week defensive core in Detroit. He won the calder trophy also had 200+ blocks and hits last season which last happened a decade ago. He will be on pp1 this season and might hit more than 60 points. LGRW
Not even an honorable mention to Mackenzie Weegar, the highest goal-scoring defenseman in the league, clutch OT goals, and really solid defensively on a bad team. Brutal.
For those who obsess over "size" the first three are not exactly giants, especially for defendemen.
I love forsling. Hes been my favorite defensman for a while now. He def belongs on the list. The guy makes nooo mistakes, shut downs the best of them AND contributes offensively at the right moments. The guy always launches a puck from the blueline on net successfully without it hitting chinpads. Absolute stud.
Hedman, im worried about. Amazing qb defenseman but have become slow and somewhat a little lost on his own zone. I would even consider not having him on the list or atleast near the bottom
Great top 4. Last 2-3 years I think Josi, Makar, Fox, and Hughes have made it clear they are easily the top 4 guys in the world (probably why they won 1 Norris each in the last 5 years) like to see which one gets the next one or if someone else swoops in
Were Werenski on a stronger team and a bigger market, he'd be more recognized for his game. Pretty solid player.
No Shea Theodore?
Or another defenseman on the Knights with two cup wins, who consistently plays against top lines in every postseason?
It's hard to say that Werenski is a great defenseman on a bad team when he's a huge part of the team, leading defenseman. A 10 minute per night underplayed player might be able to pull that off, but when you're playing near half the game, the team is a bit of a reflection of your best players and he's a solid piece of why they're not good. The same applies to Seth Jones. Yeah, there's some holes in the lineups, but they're meh on a bad team that's bad because they're the best the team has to offer.
Glass
@@Marixa1979 So what you're saying is if Makar was on Columbus, they'd be a way better team?
@@jeremy.fordavon4030 They'd certainly be better than with Werenski as their best D man. You saying they'd be worse?
Only using the players listed
1. Makar
2. Fox
3. Josi
4. Hughes
5. Heiskanen
6. McAvoy
7. Dahlin
8. Slavin
9. Morrissey
10. Forsling
11. Toews
12. Hedman
Pretty solid list, but I think Hedman is still top 10.
All Hail Cale, best defenseman of this generation. Quinn Hughes is a close second. I love watching both of them play, straight up Dogs!
Yeah good at regular season stacking points against shit teams. Heiskanen way better playoffs player than both of those guys
@@pekkale dude makar literally has a conn smythe
@@carterrother2198 i know colorado team was so stacked then but he has never won a playoff series against Heiskanen (2020 and 2024 playoffs)
@@carterrother2198he outplayed makar and even had more points than makar in those series
That Itchy and Scratchy jersey is so so cool, where could I find one ?
Assuming it’s a “Geeky Jerseys” jersey.
Oh wow, I didn't even know this website existed. Thank you
Here's my top 12 - Roast me:
1. Makar
2. Hughes
3. Hedman
4. Heiskanen
5. Dobson
6. Fox
7. Morrissey
8. Mcavoy
9. Skjei
10. Josi
11. Theodore
12. Bouchard
HM:
Weegar
Dahlin
Pietrangelo
Ekholm
Forsling
I believe Bouchard was definitely missing from his list. I believe (especially in this last year) he has made his has to be higher than someone like Devon Toews.
Josi waaaay too low. He's for sure better than everyone except arguably Fox on your list. Coming from a Canucks fan who watched him during the 6 game series and more this year.
Shout out to TEG for holding the fort while THG is on vacation. But will THG return the favour?
Its a pretty solid list though, there isnt a lot to argue with.
Looking at the gf vs ga stats from moneypuck, the order is: Ekholm, Heiskanen, Forsling,
I know he doesnt cut the top 12, but i wonder if Seider will make the cut anytime. He just seems to keep impressing and improving.
Wouldn't surprise me at all if it's as early as next year.
Crazy that the AVS have 2 guys in this. And people only talk about our offense.
Seider overlooked
Edit: Stupid Entertainment Guy
Yea because he isnt top 12. Maybe 15, probably 20-25. Not 12.
Think about it. Its one player from almost every third team. Cant tell me 2/3rds of clubs dont have 1 better Dman than Seider.
@@TheScotian82 Yeah pretty much saying that, looking at this list he slots right at 8 honestly.
@@TheScotian82 I think you could argue him over multiple guys on this list but hey that’s just my opinion just like everyone else’s opinion is their own :)
@@TheScotian82 hes arguably better than morrisey and toews and one can almost make the argument hes better than slavin. dahlin may be a bit low on this list too.
I think Seider doesn't make the list yet bcs of he hasn't had enough time in the league to show consistency, give him time and already next summer he'll have better chances of being here
Makar, Fox, Hughes, Dahlin, and Heiskanen all came into the league within 2 years(ish). I knew it was a new era of defensemen. It’s great to see.
Another great list
Great video as always! Altho I feel like forsling over morrissey is interesting…
I enjoy your videos so much . They are so educational and funny sometimes. You are way better than watching ESPN post game analysis 🤣. I just sub to your channel. Keep up the good work.
I think Zach Werensky is criminaly overlooked and underrated
Always injured and plays for Columbus.
I completely agree mike although dukeford is correct he doe play for Colombus😂
Dougie Hamilton overlooked but I get it when he’s been seriously injured 2 out of the last 3 years. But when healthy he’s been a top 5-10 point producer among defensemen
Yeah he should be on here imo
I’m guessing lack of playing time played into this. Certainly noticeable when he was out last season
Really surprised Seider isn't on this list. I think he deserves to be about 8th, over the ones listed
Id have Miro top 4 probably but overall solid list
Love Fox’s game, patience and intelligent. But 3 on this list for this year is fair.
Think he goes back to Norris contention if he stays healthy
Great list. I respect your opinions.
I’m a die hard Bruins fan and I am up and down about how I feel about McAvoy. He’s definitely a solid #1 and maybe his defense is a little underrated.
Would be interesting to see some prospect rankings for all positions :) Been a ducks fan it would be interesting to see how they stack up
Am I the only one who thinks that the Paul Coffey award would be more fitting than the Bobby Orr award for best offensive defenseman because Paul Coffey was actually an offensive defensive unlike Bobby who was a two way defender and if you wanna have a Bobby Orr trophy it’d make more sense to rename the Norris
No. Orr lead the league in scoring in his prime. Coffee never came close.
Yes, you're the only one
@@urbanoutdoorsman5654 I haven't looked, but who were the top scoring forwards when Orr was leading the league in scoring? Was it equivalent to what Coffee would have been compared to in this scenario?
@@Marixa1979 Phil Esposito has 72 goals during that era. But you're capable of using Google aren't you?
The best offensive defenceman is usually the best defenceman. These are players just faster on pucks, better at breakouts and therefore do not spend time defending.
This is a solid list really can’t make a solid argument against it. Personally I’d maybe flip McAvoy and Headman but that’s really pushing to find a flaw in the list.
they do need 2 different trophies for dmen...one offensive dmen and defensive dmen...I say make an Orr trophy for offense dmen and keep norris for defense dmen.
The disrespect towards Hedman over the last season has been crazy considering he had one of the best offensive seasons of his career. I’m glad at least THG knows how good he still is
@@GWh135 his defense fell off
@@Bertza00 I can acknowledge that, but at his age and size it’s expected for his mobility to take a nosedive. I’m just surprised how many people discard him now even though he’s still good. McDonagh and Moser will definitely help him on the blue line, Hedman had no help last year
Having guys on the list that actually play defense is quite the concept...
Just the video i was looking for 🎉
Forsling may climb this list after this year, but this was a good list. I agreed with this more than your forwards list.
Rating defencemen is difficult. A lot of what is valuable in their work is not easily measured so things that can, like goals and points, take an out of proportion value.
Brave to put these lists together.
Man, really love the list but not even a mention of Moritz Seider is crazy. Dude plays the #1 hardest pairings in all of the nhl and looks like an absolute beast doing it. Definitely a top 10 defensemen in my book
I find it interesting that the Norris trophey winner from 2023, Karlsson, is not even mentionned here, and I agree. It is fascinating how he had a phenomenal career year but failed to be near the top of the league only a year after that. Interested also to see your thoughts.
as a stars fan i have to admit bouchard is underrated defensively. he's not necessarily incredible to watch on defense but he apparently grades out as a far better chance suppressor than people give him credit. whether that's only because of his usage (primarily offensive zone? i dont know) or his offensive dominance simply keeping the puck out of his own zone, i'm not sure. it's undeniable that he has had several boneheaded anti-highlight reel mistakes that make their rounds on twitter, but i do think he's very much a top 10 defenseman.
1. Makar
2. Fox
3. Qhughes
4. Josi
5. Heiskanen
6.mcavoy
7. Forsling
8. Bouchard
9. Slavin
10. Dahlin
11. Hedman
12. Morrissey
Agree with Toews
I’m Canuck fan through and through, but if I had to pick a player to build around, it would be Makar arguably over McDavid too
Hope Hedman can win at least more Calder before retiring
(in all seriousness great video Shannon, thanks a million!)
Calder Trophy is for top rookie
Correct: see (11:30, 11:34) for what inspired the joke
could you make a list purely based on defensive defenceman ?
Ive also asked for that
Personally, I would have liked to see Brock Faber on the list, but I understand he has a small sample size right now, but I think perhaps a few Norris Nominations are in his future.
All good with the list, but I feel like Hughes is bit early to be 2nd. I guess the consistency of Hedman and Josi is something which would make me put Q. Hughes would be 4 or 5. But I am sure next season would be another stellar season for him and 2nd will be justified. Again, very subjective opinion. Maybe Bouchard might get in the conversation next year, he was pretty decent defensively (other than a couple of blatant giveaways) but way better than regular season. Part of me feels, Heiskanen is still underrated.
Good stuff!!
Dahlin definitely gets overlooked in the NHL
I knew Bouchard wasn’t going to be chosen, and it’s hilarious. Gonna be ppg every season likely.
Its more than about points and Bouchard is not top 12
No Doughty?!
I think you did a good job with this list the only subtraction I would make is Forsling . Definitely would have gone higher on Morrisey
Interesting list. I agree with #1, but respectfully I can’t say I agree with a lot of the rest of it. I think the bottom three definitely need to be higher, for one thing.
i like you always call the norris trophy the calder!! :) love the content
Very capable list. I give you Mackenzie Weegar. Shutdown D man whose offense has been consistently better every season.
Great jersey very good picks. Scratchy should get honorable mention his stock is on the rise.
Where’s the GOAT, Sam Malinski
He needs to stop being a 26-year-old padawan. Maybe next year?
IDK... Ekholm and Bouchard finished +86 3rd and 5th and 2nd and 9th in points and went to the cup game 7.
Pretty good list.
I know this is random, but please tell me that I'm not the only soul who invariably sings "How soon is now?" by The Smiths EVERY time Josh Morrissey's name is mentioned...ever.
Thanks Jim Benning for letting Forsling go on wavers another quality move by you. THG will do a where are they now video and Benning will be working at Starbucks stuffing up peoples coffee orders
Personally I’d have Fox at 2, longer track record at the top of dmen than Hughes but I can see why Hughes would be ahead
Personally I would have swapped hedman and mcavoy purely due to the fact that hedman has slowed down quite a bit as he has been aging and mcavoy is entering his prime right now along with learning how to play well with lindholm on the #1 pairing.
I think victor hedman is extremely overrated his defensive numbers are not very good as well as offensively he’s a bit of a pp and kucherov merchant stills top 15-20 guy
Bouchard not being behind Hedman or Heiskanen is a little odd. Forsling is a little high, and Slavin is way to high. But the biggest thing that I disagree with is Josi should be jammed up under Makar. Those two guys are number 1 & 2, and then there's everyone else.
I think its criminal not having John Carlson on the list but, i could definitely be out of my gourd on that one.
That's the coolest godamned jersey I've seen you wear!!!😅🤣😂
Josi Makar Slavin Hedman?
Everyone else
Yes, Hughes is very good. I need to see more Van to weigh in on his 200ft game.
Has anyone actually won both Calders? The Calder cup and then the Calder trophy?
I am really surprised to see Mcavoy that high. I'm floored that he is above heiskanen
I think we can all agree its between hughes and makar for the Norris trophy. Both are elite. Hughes is better at defence, while makar is better at scoring
Feel like Ekholm is still elite, anyone else next to Bouchard and he doesn't have half the confidence he gained this past year
Thought Dougie Hamilton would make it to 12th but I guess being out for almost an entire season would change things.
When watching live... not sure how you can consider anyone over Makar. 11 should be higher. Seider should be on the list, and 6 should be lower.
Gonna be honest not having Ekholm or Bouchard is kinda suspect when they were each half of the best defensive pairing results-wise last season
Ekholm is very good defensively but lacks that offensive flair. Slavin is a better overall dmen than Ekholm. Bouchard is elite offensively only because hes playin PP1 with one of the best PP, his defensive play has improved but still suspect.
Very solid list. I would probably move Dahlin to 7 and Fox to 2 (Fox over Hughes cause Fox has been more consistently at a the top of the league since year 2 and while Hughes has been near the top he hasn’t been at THE TOP until this year and while I do think Hughes defensive game is underrated I still think Fox’s is better)
I would have put Karlsson Before Toews but just my opinion! Thanks very good show!
Erik karlsson? He isn't even the best dman on his team lol
Makar & D. Toews is hands down the best defensive pairing in the entire NHL. If you want to make arguments for who is the number one defenseman fine. If you want to make arguments for teams that have better defensive depth, fine. But there is not a single defensive pairing in the league (currently) that is better than this.
This past season the Bouch/Ek pairing outperformed the Makar/Toews pairing in every way.
May not be very long until all the Hughes brothers are on these lists. There could be two on this one. Time will tell
Colton parayko should undoubtedly be here
I agree with forsling being here, and I see him to be similar to parayko in ways
Bouchard would be at the top of the list if he could actually play defense. He's a great top 6 4th forward .
I dont know why you dont do the HMentions at the end. It takes away from the suspense!