NHL Power Rankings: Top 10 Eastern Conference Defensemen
Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Last week, we took a look at the best goaltenders in the NHL. This week, we take a look at the ten best defensemen in the Eastern Conference. They are often overlooked because the Western Conference contains most of the big name defensemen, such as Shea Weber, Kevin Shattenkirk, Brent Burns, Drew Doughty and Duncan Keith. However, the defensemen listed are extremely good and very valuable to their respective teams.
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To compile this listing of the best Eastern Conference defensemen in the NHL, I used a variety of NHL advanced stats. I primarily relied on even strength CorsiFor%, CorsiFor relative (how much better they make their team), the quality of competition that they face and points. I also factored in whether or not they contribute on the penalty kill and the power play. Since I’m only considering the best defensemen for the 2015-16 season, I mostly ignored age.
I had six blueliners from the Metropolitan Division and four from the Atlantic Division. That doesn’t surprise me one bit because I think the Metropolitan Division is deeper and more competitive than the Atlantic Division. After the Canadiens, Lightning, and Red Wings, the Atlantic Division takes a huge drop. The Metropolitan Division, on the other hand, features five potential NHL playoff teams and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if each of those five teams made the playoffs.
Next: Honorable Mentions