Over the years hockey has developed, grown, and changed in numerous ways. One of which is the way positions are played, more specifically defence. What was once seen as a good defenseman is vastly different from what is considered one today, expectations have changed. Long gone are the days of sitting back blocking shots and stopping goals. In today’s game a good defenseman is classified as someone who can do that while also having an elite skating and puck moving ability with a touch of scoring. Bobby Orr was a pioneer in the position paving the way for modern d-men with his quick first step and end to end goals, he made the position cool for kids growing up in the sport. Today we’re going to be looking at the current top 5 defenseman in the NHL.
Starting with number five is Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets. Morrissey, drafted 13th overall by Winnipeg in 2013 broke into the league ten years ago and has steadily gotten better with every passing season. Having played the first few years of his career in the shadows of names like Jacob Trouba and Dustin Byfuglian he was never looked to, to be the guy for the Jets blueline. Since being thrown into the deep end as Winnipeg’s number one guy he’s thrived having maintained steadily climbing point totals while playing a shutdown brand of hockey. He’s a great skater and transitions the puck well in all directions of the ice. He’s been a major part of why Winnipeg has found their recent resurgence over the past couple years and it’s time that he finally gets his flowers. Having been named to the Canadian National team for the 4 Nations Faceoff it appears the hockey world is finally catching on to just how good Josh Morrissey actually is. The veteran of over 600 NHL games is sitting at just below a point per game pace this season and has made a real strong argument for himself to be considered a finalist in this year’s Norris trophy voting.
At the number four spot for NHL D-men we’re talking about Adam Fox. It was an unconventional road to the NHL for Fox to say the least. Having been signed by the Calgary Flames in round three of 2016, Fox notified the team shortly after having been drafted that he had no plans to sign with them. He was then dealt to Carolina in what today looks like a blockbuster along with Dougie Hamilton in exchange for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm. Fox was quite open about being only willing to sign with certain teams, potentially even just the New York Rangers. Despite this, Carolina made the trade for him hoping they could convince him to play, a losing effort and so he was later traded yet again to the Rangers before ever even having stepped on NHL ice. In just his second season Fox won the Norris trophy for best defenseman in the league that season after putting up an impressive 47 points in 55 games during the Covid-19 shortened season. He’s continued to grow and develop his game as a perennial 70 plus point defenseman while being a fast skater with a wicked point shot. I’m positive we still haven’t seen the best from Fox and he will continue to show why he is among the elite.
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Coming in on this list’s number three spot is the Columbus Blue Jackets, Zach Werenski. Werenski, similar to Morrissey, has not gotten the respect he deserves. Since breaking into the league in the 2017 season, he’s been among the most elite of defenseman having consistently been putting up fantastic point totals on what’s been for the most part a bottom feeding team. In his rookie season he finished as a finalist for the Calder trophy (rookie of the year) and has never looked back. Injuries have put the young blueliner on the shelf for a large portion of his career to this point and has hurt his fairing in the media. I mean, it’s hard to judge a player that doesn’t always play right? Just two years removed from a year he missed almost entirely due to injury, Werenski is making it known that he is one of the top dogs in this league having made a strong case for himself to be in the running for this year’s Norris trophy. He has put his team on his back and helped elevate Columbus to within a finger tips grasp of a wildcard spot in the east with just a quarter of the season remaining, making him a worthy mention when talking about this season’s MVP. Additionally he was named to the US National team at the 4 Nations, where he has been playing top minutes in helping his country reach the final. Having finally had a healthy season, Werenski is showing that he is as elite as they come and don’t be surprised if this is the player we see moving forward.
Here is where this list changes from the elite players to generational. At number two is Cale Makar. The Avalanche superstar has won numerous awards in his young career so far. At just 26 he has won the Norris once although has been nominated as a finalist nearly every season he’s played. He won rookie of the year in 2020, a Stanley Cup in 2022, along with the Conn-Smythe for playoff MVP that season. He is a generational defenceman and has even garnered compliments of potentially being better than Bobby Orr. Having well over a point per game career as a defenseman is no small feat and he continues to take over games with his exceptional foot speed, sharp edges and quick hands. Having him on the ice is almost like having a fourth and best forward that is also your best defenseman. His game is so well rounded and polished it would be easier to talk about what he’s not good for.
Which is nothing.
The best defenseman in the NHL currently is drumroll please… Quinn Hughes. Like Makar, Hughes is a generational talent and at just 25 years old has already solidified himself as the best Canuck to ever touch Vancouver ice. He currently sits just 17 points back from franchise leader Alex Edler in points by a defenseman in well under half the games played. He is coming off a norris winning season and is currently the front runner to go back to back which hasn’t been done since Nicklas Lidstrom did it in the mid 2000’s. He’s a lightning rod for the Canucks squad and was putting the team on his back for several months earlier this season. His name is likely to be considered in MVP talks this coming summer and don’t be surprised if this is just the start for the franchise’s generational talent.
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The game has evolved so much and there are so many great defencemen in the NHL today. The skill of the game is at an all time high and we’re seeing defenseman play a style of hockey that players in the 90’s even could never have dreamed of. Who are your top 5 D-men in the NHL today?