Washington Capitals: Top 10 Defensemen In Team History

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals have been in existence for 40 seasons. Since the 1974-1975 season, there have been some great and entertaining players who have worn a Washington Capitals sweater.

Defensemen will be the first part of our series of the best players in Washington Capitals history by position.

To be eligible for selection, players have to meet our qualifications. Here are the criteria that helped decide which Washington Capitals players were eligible and where they will fit on this list.

• At least 150 games played with the Washington Capitals
• Only games with the Washington Capitals count as far as stats. Stats that will be used to judge a player are goals, assists, points, and +/-. The quality of the team around them will matter as well.
• Post-career honors and awards (such as a Hockey Hall of Fame induction or retired jersey number) count

Using those qualifications and criteria, 34 Washington Capitals defensemen qualified for the list. While several defensemen clearly stand out among those who qualified, compiling the top ten list for defensemen was extremely difficult.

That says more about the number of great defensemen that the Washington Capitals have had than anything else.

To make this list, we had to look not just the stats compiled by each player. Things such as time with the Washington Capitals and memories of that player will come into play. In some cases, two or more players are very similar as far as stats are concerned.

It’s always fun to try to guess which players will make the list and where they will be placed on the list. We all have our personal favorites. This is our personal top ten.

Without further ado, here are our top ten Washington Capitals defensemen in franchise history. We hope you all enjoy it!

Next: Honorable Mentions