The NHL’s trade and free-agency period has died down, which gives us the opportunity to weigh in on the top teams in the league by position. We’re kicking things off by examining the NHL’s best defense corps.
The criteria for narrowing things down to five teams includes identifying the best blend of the limitation of quality scoring chances against and overall offensive production. If they were very strong in one category and above average in another, that helps. Of course, quality depth on ‘D’ plays a factor as well.
With that said, here are this writer’s picks for the top five defense groups in the NHL, with new-addition players in italics:
1. Colorado Avalanche
Defensemen: Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Josh Manson, Samuel Girard, Brent Burns, Sam Malinski
Adding Burns to an already-dynamic collection of blueliners gives the Avalanche as deep a group of D-men as there is.
Burns has lost some of the offensive punch he had in recent years, but Colorado doesn’t need him to lead the team in scoring by a blueliner. That’s because the Avs led the NHL in points from defensemen in 2024-25, with 211. Colorado was also 12th in the league with a 2.82 goals-against average and 11th in fewest expected goals-against per 60 minutes, with 2.87, according to naturalstattrick.com.
Superstar Norris Trophy winner Makar and Toews power the Avalanche’s defense group. Manson and Girard form an excellent second pair. Burns and young puck-mover Malinski comprise the third pair. It doesn’t get better than that.
2. Florida Panthers
Defensemen: Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones, Nikko Mikkola, Dmitry Kulikov, Jeff Petry
The back-to-back defending Cup champions had an embarrassment of riches on the back end. Re-signing Ekblad was a massive move, and having him and Jones on the right side is a heckuva one-two punch. Replacing veteran Nate Schmidt with the experienced Petry shouldn’t hurt the depth, either.
Regardless of how their final pair shapes up, Florida’s top four of Ekblad, Jones, Forsling and Mikkola are mobile puck-movers who limit opponent chances to the outside. They averaged the seventh-fewest high-danger chances against, the fourth-fewest expected goals against and the fifth-fewest shots against. While they were only 23rd in the NHL in points by defensemen, they were 13th in goals by defensemen and easily outchanced their opponents.
Their defensive acumen when the games matter most is the reason why they’re one of our top six defense corps.
3. Washington Capitals
Defensemen: John Carlson, Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy, Rasmus Sandin, Martin Fehervary, Trevor van Riemsdyk
The Capitals made some strategic improvements to their back end in the past couple seasons, acquiring Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators and signing Roy in free agency last summer. They also got Sandin from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023. But Washington has built a terrific defense corps, which finished fourth place in points by defensemen last year, with 200.
The Capitals’ 2.79 goals-against average also finished ninth in the NHL, while their shots against and high-danger chances against were above average. They’re clearly stronger offensively than defensively as a group, but their main pairings this past season outchanced their opponents when on the ice. And given that four Caps D-men – Chychrun, Roy, Sandin and Fehervary – are signed for at least the next four seasons, Washington’s defense corps will likely stay a top-level force for the foreseeable future.
4. Carolina Hurricanes
Defensemen: Jaccob Slavin, K’Andre Miller, Sean Walker, Shayne Gostisbehere, Jalen Chatfield, Alexander Nikishin
The Hurricanes had one of the best groups of blueliners last season, but they lost veterans Brent Burns to Colorado and Dmitry Orlov to San Jose this summer. Still, this group remains elite because Carolina GM Eric Tulsky acquired Miller via trade with the New York Rangers.
The Canes were 13th in the NHL in points from defensemen, with 171. But it’s their skill at preventing goals that’s why they’re an elite group of D-men. Jaccob Slavin is among the NHL’s best defensive defensemen, after all. Carolina finished 10th in the league in goals-against average (2.80), and the Hurricanes’ defense made life much easier on their goaltenders by limiting quality scoring chances for the opposition. They allowest the fewest shots per game in the NHL, with 24.9.
Of defense pairs that logged at least 500 minutes this past season, the Gostisbehere and Walker pair had the highest expected goals percentage, at 59.6 percent, according to moneypuck.com. The Slavin-Burns pair was fourth, at 57.4 percent.
5. New Jersey Devils
Defensemen: Luke Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Jonas Siegenthaler, Simon Nemec, Brenden Dillon
The Devils were snakebit by the injury bug last season, which limited star D-man Hamilton to only 64 games. However, when everyone’s healthy, New Jersey’s defense has the skill at both ends of the ice that’s the envy of many, if not most teams.
The Devils were 20th in the league in points by defensemen (161), but Hamilton led the NHL with 40 points among defensemen who played 65 games or fewer. Youngsters Hughes and Nemec are only 21 and still developing, and Siegenthaler and Pesce are 28 and 30 years old, respectively. Only Hamilton (32 years old) and Dillon (34) are closer to the end of their careers than the beginning, so this group should only improve. The team was also above average in limiting high-danger chances.
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