But who are the best shutdown beasts that come to mind for you? He has good puck and shooting skills. David Pastrnak, like Gaudreau, has a 93 rating in acceleration, agility, and speed. 4 platypus_bear CGY - NHL 2 yr. ago While he had no power play goals, he did have 19 assists on the power play. Josh Morrissey, WPG6. Sean Gentille:Dont let the multiple elements in play here confuse you; each teams respective goal is obvious. Erik Karlsson, SJS. Awareness by 4 points instead of Passing, and the ability to break up opposing passes is more important for defensemen than completing their passes. He had a quick stint with New Jersey last season for seven games (two assists). Kucherov is a menace on offense. Here, you will find the fastest forwards and defensemen to add to your team. Winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2016-17, Burns enjoyed five straight 60-plus point campaigns from 2014-15 to 2018-19, including a career-best 83-point effort. Vince Dunn, SEA14. The following is our ranking of the top-10 offensive defensemen in the NHL today. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. CS Media Limited All Rights Reserved. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. However, it's not unusual for there to be two swift-skating defenders who can also generate offense or two defensive-minded rearguards who can neutralize an opponent's top scorers. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Woos lines from last season with the Utica Comets saw him register three goals and two assists across 28 games. Some are fast, others are not. His aggressiveness is only an 81 and body checking is only an 80, but he does have good endurance (87), durability (85), and strength (84), helping to account for the lower ratings. However, the offensive-minded Klingberg now skates alongside offseason acquisition Ryan Suter. While his durability of 85 is fine, his other physical skills need improvement if he is going to make an impact. among defensemen last season with 45 points. Maybe Klingberg is in their future if they can navigate the cap complications. NHL 22: Fastest Players (Forwards and Defensemen), NHL 22 Strategies: Complete Team Strategies Guide, Line Strategies & Best Team Strategies, NHL 22 Franchise Mode: Best Young Players, NHL 22 Franchise Mode Draft: Best Prospects and Top Draft Steals 2022 (First Draft), NHL 22: Best Teams to Rebuild in Franchise Mode, NHL 22 Player Ratings: Best Young Centers. The rise of the Florida Panthers among the NHL's top teams since last season can be attributed in part to their first defensive pairing of MacKenzie Weegar and Aaron Ekblad. Inject some speed into your NHL 22 lines to get an edge against all of your opponents. This page will look at the best young up-and-coming defensive defensemen in NHL 22, with names like Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Depends on the Norris nominee, though. Best NHL Defenseman: Points per Game. Age: 21Rating: 86Position: Left DefenseType: Offensive DefensemanTeam: Vancouver CanucksShoots: LeftBest Attributes: 93 Puck Control, 93 Offensive Awareness, 93 Speed. The Predators are in transition longtime GM David Poile is calling the shots until the end of June, when his retirement becomes official. The Lead Editor at OG, Bruce has been an avid gamer since childhood, owning the NES, SNES, N64, PS one, PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Game Boy, GBC, GBA, DS, 3DS, and Switch throughout his life. For now, their priority was obvious they needed someone to strengthen their overall defensive play in front of goaltenders Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner. Since last season, Fox has averaged a team-leading 24:43 of ice time. However, even with that poise, his faceoffs are only a 77. He has a 77 in shot blocking, which is decent, and better ratings with 85 in awareness and 87 in stick checking. Unlike Burns and Karlsson, his point-per-game (0.83) over the. Since his sophomore campaign, he's been their overall leader in time on ice time per game (22:55). They won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, reached the Cup Final in 2015 and won the 2019 Presidents' Trophy with arecord-tying 62 wins. He's fifth in total points (94) over thepast two seasonsand has yet to reach his playing prime. This Specialty is a great choice for defensemen, as stretch passes can be vulnerable to interception by the opposing team. 1 in that span, ahead of Zdeno Chara (+82). WebThe best defence is a good offence. Hes part of the best power play most of us have ever seen, and his overall game has bounced back a bit in 2022-23. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. This perk will increase the player's Shot Blocking, Def. Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2014-15, the 6'4", 215-pound Ekblad sits fourth among Panthers scorers in points (241) since his NHL debut. Traits and Specialties will make or break a build NHL 21's online modes. He has a 93 in deking, passing, and puck control, though his hand-eye is lacking a bit (but still good) at 86. 0.85 PPG. Adam Fox, NYR3. Mmmm that Yotes Avs series is still too fresh for me to agree there, It's that weird thing teams outside of california do. His 107 goals since 2013-14 rank. As a sophomore, he tallied 44 points in as many games. Miska Kukkonen is rare for this list in that he has played all of his career for Finnish teams and the Finland national team. Esa Lindell and John Klingberg were the Dallas Stars' best defense pairing prior to this season. Jett Woo, former second round pick of Vancouver, finds himself atop this list thanks to his Top 4 D Med potential grade. Since last season, he's secondamong Rangers skaters in short-handed ice time per game (2:31) and inhits with 104. In just two seasons, Adam Fox has joined the ranks of the NHL's elite defensemen. Roman Josi, NSH8. WebGet team defense stats for the 2022-2023 NHL season, including goals and shots against for the regular season and playoffs. Four were game-winning though none were in overtime. Value has been quantified based on factors including but not limited to past production in the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, defense pairs, power-play usage, injury history or concern, age, contract status and overall upside for the rest of this season. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are the property of their respective owners. That suggests he still has some productive seasons left in him. Paired together since 2019-20, they've swiftly emerged among the league's best blue-line tandems. He can improve his 76 in aggressiveness and body checking, and his 73 in endurance should be targeted quickly. His puck skills and senses are even lower, but focus on one area at a time. 1 on 14 of the 20 ballots. Schaefer is a very good prospect. The 23-year-old New York Rangers star took home the James Norris Memorial Trophy last season, joining Hall of Famer Bobby Orr asthe only sophomoresto accomplish that feat. With a minimum of twenty game played, here is a look at the top 10 NHL defenseman based on a PPG %. 4. One of the aspects of his game that doesn't get enough attention: That the Lightning have been able to play him with anyone and still Hedman excels. The Def. It will also decrease the player's Wrist Shot Power and Puck Control by 4 and 2 points. The second version of this perk reduces the player's passing by 4 points instead of their Wrist Shot Accuracy, and defensemen will need to make a good outlet pass more often than they'll need to take an accurate wrist shot. Shawn enjoys discovering engaging stories, whether they be from movies, video games, books, or any other form in which they may be told. He scored 48 goals during the 2019-2020 season (with 47 assists) over 70 games, winning the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy as top goal scorer. The blueliners who didn't make the cut are as noteworthy as those who did. Like Kukkonen, Bryce Montgomery will take time and patience to develop for your franchise. However, having a constant boost to poke checking ability whenever the defenseman is in their zone will improve the chances of poking the puck, and not the opponent's skates, when the time for a poke check inevitably arises. The Oilers have previously been linked to a series of skilled mostly offensive defencemen Erik Karlsson and John Klingberg, to name just two. It's his offensive prowess, however, that draws the most attention. Theyre a better team now than they were a couple hours ago. A model of consistency, the 6'3", 215-pound Carlson has reached or exceeded 32 points in 10 of his 12 NHL seasons. He has a 95 in deking, passing, puck control, offensive awareness, and wrist shot accuracy. With a few well-placed trades, you could build yourself the fastest line in NHL 22, zipping by even the speediest of teams. A strong skater who logs big minutes for the Maple Leafs, the 27-year-old Rielly reached or exceeded 27 points in each of his eight NHL campaigns. 1. His discipline and poise are 70 while his offensive awareness is 69. Brodin is especially shut down exclusive, so often gets missed. Like his counterpart from Edmonton, MacKinnon excels in every aspect of the game. He also netted at least 40 points six times in the past seven seasons with the Bruins, Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes. Age: 28Rating: 92Position: Right WingType: SniperTeam: Tampa Bay LightningShoots: LeftBest Attributes: 96 Deking, 96 Puck Control, 96 Offensive Awareness. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. If Smid continues to improve, and young defenseman Justin Schultz makes an impact in his first NHL season, the Oilers' defense will take great strides in 2012-13. Of those 33 goals, 11 were game-winners, while two were netted in overtime. He has decent quickness with an 80 in acceleration, agility, and speed. Morgan Rielly, TOR27. He is also someone who rarely spends time in the penalty box, having spent just six minutes there during the 2020-21 season and amassing a total of 106 minutes over eight seasons. He also checks the boxes on the physical end. Discuss the NHL, AHL, PHF, IIHF, KHL, and every other hockey league you can think of! Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below. Thomas Chabot, D, OTT31. He did see a steep drop off in shots, 51 less of them in 2020-21, but he also played in 22 less games than the year prior. He was second among Isles skaters in short-handed ice time per game (2:14) and takeaways (25), third in ice time per contest (21:03) and fourth with 73 blocked shots. Evan Bouchard, EDM (NEW)37. We canvassed 10 active NHL players -- seven skaters, three goaltenders -- and 10 individuals in team hockey operations, from coaches to general managers to player personnel executives. Fox led. Awareness, 95 Wrist Shot Accuracy, 96 Deking, 96 Puck Control, 96 Off. If not, oh well youve got to ice a full lineup. Winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2016-17, Burns enjoyed five straight 60-plus point campaigns from 2014-15 to 2018-19, including a career-best 83-point effort. In other words, they didnt sacrifice either Evan Bouchard or Philip Broberg in the deal, two of their better young defensemen. WebBest 3s Defensive Build . His defensive skills are good with an 85 in both shot blocking and stick checking and an 81 in awareness. He led them in short-handed ice time per game (2:35), was second in average ice time (23:47) per game andblocked shots with 534, and he was fifth with 167 points. Team: New York IslandersAge: 20Position: Left DefenseType: Defensive DefensemanShoots: LeftContract: $0.750M, 0 Years Left, Two-WayBest Attributes: 85 Balance, 85 Slap Shot Power, 85 Durability. The below table lists all of the best young defensive defensemen in NHL 22. He is also one of five players with a speed score of 93, so the order of these five are interchangeable. Nevertheless, hetied for thirdamong defensemen last season with 45 points. The 35-year-old Yandle sitsfourth overallamong defensemen with 600 points since his NHL debut in 2006-07. Now 31, Carlson continues to produce at a high level, tallying 44 points in 52 contests last season. Theyre blowing things up. Covers disclaims all liability associated with your use of this website and use of any information contained on it. It didn't take Cale Makar long to secure his spot among the NHL's top stars. He also has an 89 in hand-eye, puck control, and slap shot power with the other three shooting ratings at 88. Advertisement. Best Canadian Casinos. Two more had him second. Last season for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, he had eight assists and six goals over 24 games. The Oilers can stick him on the left side of their second pair, where he can help eat some tough minutes and lighten the load on Darnell Nurse, and forget about him. Letang is approaching the period in his career when his offensive output could start to decline. Rasmus Sandin, WSH (NEW)45. He also sits second among their blueliners with 124 points. On offense, Kuznetsov is a dangerous foe. by His physical ratings are good with an 83 in aggressiveness, body checking, and strength. His production from the blue line during the 2018 playoffs played a crucial role in their march to the 2018 Stanley Cup, A model of consistency, the 6'3", 215-pound Carlson has reached or exceeded 32 points in 10 of his 12 NHL seasons. WebMost valuable options at position for standard leagues; new podcast episodes. But Hedman wasnt the only Last night I ran a 6"5 defensive defenseman with stick em up and defensive minded. Team: Buffalo SabresAge: 21Position: Right Defense/Left DefenseType: Defensive DefensemanShoots: RightContract: $0.750M, 1 Year Left, Two-WayBest Attributes: 85 Durability, 82 Slap Shot Power, 82 Wrist Shot Power. Lightning. He needs vast improvement in his senses and puck skills, and a bit more focus on his skating. RELATED:NHL 21, 10 Prospects To Draft In Franchise Mode. Though sidelined by a recent injury, the 30-year-old has four points in his first three games whileaveraging 24:09 minutes per game. What metrics best define value for scoring defensemen or "defensive" defensemen? Signed in July by the Oilers to athree-year contract, Barrie's production should remain among the league's best. Crusher 1. The 23-year-old McAvoy rose in just four seasons to become the Bruins' top defenseman. Where he could use improvement are his senses and puck skills. John Klingberg wasted little time establishing himself among the NHL's scoring defensemen, tallying 40 points in 65 games in 2014-15. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. among NHL defensemen last season with 45 points. But the poke check is back and actually useful/pretty balanced. This perk will apply to poke checks, but not for the ability to intercept passes with their stick. Grzelcyk may be small for an NHL defenseman at 5'9" and 178 pounds, but he possesses good puck-moving skills. Dougie Hamilton's offensive skills were apparent early in his NHL career with the Boston Bruins, exceeding 40 points for the first time in 2014-15. 2022-23 Mayfield 2022-23 Pulock 2022-23 Forsling 2022-23 Staal 2022 28. Awareness boost also helps the user pick up loose pucks after a blocked shot. 1.00 PPG average. When the other team is in your zone and running a tight triangle just spinning and waiting for u to make a mistake if u just hold your poke check out and wag your stick around the added height makes your stick longer and having 96 poke check u just wag your stick back and forth till u get good at swatting away pass attempts. He is a tall, mobile, intelligent defender who provides value at both ends of the ice. If you enjoy his writing, feel free to follow him on Twitter: @ShawnDoherty1, NHL 21, 10 Prospects To Draft In Franchise Mode, NHL 21, 10 Under The Radar Players To Acquire In Franchise Mode, NHL 21, 10 Tips To Win The Stanley Cup In Franchise Mode, Minecraft: The Best Level for Diamonds in 2023, Where To Find (& Catch) Thestrals In Hogwarts Legacy, Hogwarts Legacy: 10 Best Cloaks You Need To Find ASAP. His shot power for both is a 92 with his wrist shot accuracy edging his slap shot accuracy 93 to 90. A gifted puck-handler who uses his skills well at both ends of the ice, the 23-year-old netted 44 points in as many games last season. During the 2020-21 season, Pastrnak had 28 assists and 20 goals over 48 games with six of those goals and 14 assists coming on the power play. On the ice, change up your attack with all new moves, dekes, dangles and evasive maneuvers, inspired by the leagues most groundbreaking innovators. Eric Duhatschek:It was only two years ago when the Nashville Predators Mattias Ekholm was at or near the top of everybodys trade board heading into the 2021 NHL trade deadline. Respondents were asked to rank their top 10 players at center, winger, defenseman and goaltender, based on a predetermined list of the top 20 to 30 players at each position. Noah Dobson, NYI21. His puck-moving abilities and offensive instincts make him among the league's top rearguards. Signed to a new. Team: Vancouver CanucksAge: 21Position: Right DefenseType: Defensive DefensemanShoots: RightContract: $0.860M, 2 Years Left, Two-WayBest Attributes: 85 Durability, 84 Slap Shot Power, 84 Wrist Shot Power. Hes able to score from the dots and around the net. At the bottom of the page, you will find a list of the fastest players in NHL 22. By DylanFremlin @dylanfremlin May 17, 2021, 8:00am CDT Share this story He has a 90 in deking and passing, a deadly combination when paired with his speed ratings. He leadsall their skaters in time on ice per game (22:52) and total blocked shots(395) over his four-plus seasons. Dougie Hamilton, NJD7. His 0.67 points-per-game average is second to Erik Karlsson (0.79), Letang is approaching the period in his career when his offensive output could start to decline. Now 30, the long-time Lightning rearguard shows no sign of slowing down. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Bowen Byram, COL25. As for Nashville, the Predators have now traded three contributing players off the roster Nino Niederreiter to the Winnipeg Jets and Tanner Jeannot to the Tampa Bay Lightning harvesting mostly draft choices, two young players and Barrie. Which non-quarterback group will define each top-25 team's season? The play of top-pairing defensemen Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock has been a significant contributing factor in the club's early success. He could move up among the elite puck-movers with a strong outing in 2021-22. This is a great Specialtythat gives a boost to some of thevery bestdefensive attributes when a defenseman will need them the most. These are the best perks for defencemen who want to shut down opponents. His stats with the Predators over the past five seasons back this up. That led to Miro Heiskanen becoming Lindell's partner. Brent Burns, CAR10. The first-round pick is the prize, and Schafer sounds like an interesting piece to have around, too. Age: 29Rating: 86Position: CenterType: PlaymakerTeam: Washington CapitalsShoots: LeftBest Attributes: 93 Acceleration, 93 Agility, 93 Speed. NHL trade deadline: Winners and losers, including the Bruins, Devils and Bruce Boudreau? He had five game-winning goals and two in overtime. He and his teammates also struggled defensively, giving up the third-highest, (33.4) and sixth-most goals-against per game (3.34). Players who were ranked in the top 10 on each ballot were given a numerical score: No. Getting help on the blue line and more specifically getting the right kind of help leaps the Oilers near the front of the Pacific Division line, where only a handful of points separate the top five teams.