NHL Power Rankings: Top 10 Eastern Conference Defensemen

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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

Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Power Rankings: Honorable Mentions

Starting off the list of honorable mentions is Jake Gardiner of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gardiner is a prime example of what being on an awful team does to you – people tend to not realize how good of an NHL player you actually are. Gardiner’s 49.8% even strength CorsiFor% is unimpressive at best on paper, but his CF% relative is 5.2%. Gardiner drives possession better than any other Maple Leafs defenseman except perhaps Morgan Reilly. He is often overlooked, but he’s quietly an extremely efficient defenseman.

Next up is Johnny Boychuk of the New York Islanders. As usual, Boychuk wasn’t that productive at even strength in 2014-15 (18 points). However, as usual, he shined on the power play (15 points). His combined 35 points set a career high. He’s also one of the better possession drivers in the league (3.5% CF% relative). He tends to struggle in his own zone, but he usually makes up for it with his offense.

Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers is, for lack of a better term, a man-child. It boggles my mind that he’s so young, yet he looked like he belonged in the NHL from day one. Ekblad had the third most productive rookie season ever from an 18-year-old NHL defenseman. The two above him? Phil Housley and Bobby Orr. That’s pretty darn good company. He had a 3.8% CF% relative at even strength as an 18-year-old. That’s even more impressive once you realize that he played a ton of minutes. It’s scary to think that he’s this good this early. He should skyrocket up this list over the next few years.

Keith Yandle of the New York Rangers is the definition of a “high-risk high-reward” defenseman. He tends to generate offense at a rate that few NHL blueliners can match (high reward), but he also tends to give up more scoring chances than most (high-risk). In 84 regular season games (split between the Rangers and the Arizona Coyotes), he had 53 points overall, including 22 at even strength.

Next: #10

Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Power Rankings: #10

Coming in at number ten on our list of the best blueliners in the Eastern Conference is Mike Green of the Detroit Red Wings. A lot of what Mike Green does revolves around what he can do on offense. Few NHL defensemen can match what he can do on offense when he’s healthy. He proved what he’s capable of when healthy when he scored 45 points despite playing third pairing minutes. While he did face inferior competition, keep in mind that also means that he also spent time with mostly inferior teammates.

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There are a lot of people who say that Green is horrible defensively. I wouldn’t go that far (his 1.74 goals against per sixty minutes at even strength was among the league’s lowest for defensemen), but he is clearly better suited in the offensive zone than he is in his own zone. To be fair, perhaps his usually inferior partners (ranging from Jack Hillen to Tim Gleason) had something to do with that.

Green has his greatest value when he’s on the power play. The Capitals have always had one of the NHL’s elite power plays. Alex Ovechkin is obviously the biggest reason for that. However, Green was an important cog as well, running the point and consistently getting pucks to Ovechkin’s stick.

If he’s healthy, Green is a top ten defenseman. It remains to be seen how healthy he can stay, though. The Red Wings have coveted him for a while. Now they finally have him. It’s quite obvious why they coveted him.

Next: #9

Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Power Rankings: #9

Coming in at number nine on our list is Justin Faulk of the Carolina Hurricanes. Like Gardiner, he is often overlooked because the team that he plays for is among the worst in the NHL. However, he is an extremely good young defenseman who should move up this list as he continues to improve.

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Faulk is an excellent possession driver (3.94% CF% relative at even strength despite a negative relative offensive zone start percentage) who has the ability to generate offense like few NHL defensemen can. His 24 points at even strength (0.96 even strength points per 60 minutes) and 49 overall points (1.46 points per 60 minutes) are quite impressive once you realize that he doesn’t have much to work with as far as forwards. Eric Staal was the only Carolina forward to have over 50 points in 2014-15. When a defenseman is your second leading scorer (which Faulk was), that’s bad news if you’re an NHL team.

Carolina is an entirely different team when Faulk is on the ice than they are when he’s not on the ice. When he was on the ice, 48.9% of even strength goals went their way. When Faulk was not on the ice, it fell to 42.73%. When Faulk was on the ice, 55.58% of shots at even strength went Carolina’s way. When Faulk was not on the ice, it fell to 51.06%. That is the kind of the difference that you expect an elite defenseman to make.

Faulk is going to shoot up this list over the next year or two. Expect him to become a household name soon as the Hurricanes continue to rebuild efficiently.

Next: #8

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NHL Power Rankings: #8

Coming in at number eight on our list of the best blueliners in the Eastern Conference is Nick Leddy of the New York Islanders. Leddy emerged as one of the best defensemen in the NHL after finally getting his chance at consistent playing time with the Islanders after being traded from the Chicago Blackhawks. In 2013-2014, Leddy averaged 16:22 of ice time per game for Chicago. In 2014-15, he averaged over 20 minutes per game with the Islanders. He proved that he is definitely worthy of getting top pairing minutes in the NHL.

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He tied a career high with 37 points (24 at even-strength). He proved to be a very efficient power play point man with 11 assists with the man advantage. What makes Leddy so good is that he dominates puck possession at an elite level. His 4.5% CF% relative at even-strength was in the top 20 among defensemen with at least 500 minutes of ice time at even-strength. His 5.22% FenwickFor% relative at even-strength ranked fifth among all defensemen. However, it’s worth noting that 2014-15 was the first season that he had significant possession numbers in the NHL.

The scary thing about Leddy is that he’s only 23 years old. He’s likely going to continue to get better. If this is him at 23, imagine him in a couple of years.

Next: #7

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Power Rankings: #7

Coming in at number seven on our countdown is a defenseman who most casual NHL fans might not know: Anton Stralman of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Like Leddy, Stralman’s value comes in his elite puck possession numbers. In 2014-15, his first season with Tampa Bay, he ranked in the top 20 in CF% (56.24%), CF% relative (4.78%), FF% (55.93%), FF% relative (4.17%), scoring chances for percentage (58.47%), SCF% relative (6.94%), high danger scoring chances for percentage (58.28%) and HDSCF% relative (6.29%). Basically, if you can think of a puck possession number, chances are Stralman is among the NHL’s elite in it. He did all of that despite facing less offensive zone starts than his teammates.

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Stralman isn’t the most productive defenseman, but he still gets the job done. He finished 31st among all NHL defenseman with 1.03 points per 60 minutes at even-strength. He also finished just behind Duncan Keith in even-strength goals per 60 minutes (0.28). In assists per 60 minutes at even-strength, he finished 44th (0.75). He doesn’t have much of a history of being productive, though.

Even when he’s not productive, he dominates possession. He’s a huge reason why one of his teammates (who appears later on this list) has an excellent shot at winning the Norris Trophy in 2015-16. Stralman is one of the best defensemen in the NHL, no doubt about it.

Next: #6

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Power Rankings: #6

Coming in at #6 on our countdown is New York Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh. He’s coming off a down year thanks to injuries, but even so, he’s one of the best defensemen in the NHL. He’s been remarkably consistent for his whole career, averaging roughly a point per 60 minutes at even-strength virtually every year. Over the past four years, he has averaged no fewer than 0.7 points per 60 minutes at even-strength. Overall, he has averaged at least a point per 60 minutes in each of his past three seasons.

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His possession stats are not the best, and they’ve actually slipped over the past two seasons. However, that could be due to how much time he spends on the ice. McDonagh is the kind of defenseman you can throw out there for over 2o minutes a game nightly and can rely on to still be productive.

He has been extremely clutch over the past two postseasons. In 2013-2014, he averaged 1.5 points per 6o minutes during the playoffs as he helped lead the Rangers to the Stanley Cup finals. Though they lost to the Stanley Champion Los Angeles Kings, it was a performance that NHL fans will not soon forget. In last year’s playoffs, he averaged 1.2 points per 60 minutes. He’s consistently among the leading scorers amongst defensemen. For that reason, he gets a pass for his past two seasons, which have both been relatively unimpressive.

Next: #5

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Power Rankings: #5

Coming in at number five on our countdown of the best defensemen in the Eastern Conference is John Carlson of the Washington Capitals. Carlson is coming off the most impressive season of his career, setting career highs in points (55), even-strength points (38), goals (12) and assists (43).

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Carlson is a high-risk high-reward defenseman. While he tends to generate an impressive amount of offense, he also tends to give up quite a bit of scoring chances against. His offense justifies the volume of scoring chances that he gives up though. Since the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, he ranks 20th among all NHL defensemen (minimum 1000 minutes at even strength) in even-strength points per 60 minutes (1.01). He also ranks 13th in even-strength goals per 60 minutes (0.31). He ranks 8th (5.18) in power play points per 60 minutes (100-minute minimum) and 7th in power play assists per 60 minutes (4.21).

His only weakness is puck possession. That said, it’s worth noting that the entire team struggled with puck possession under Adam Oates (Carlson’s head coach for two of the past three seasons). It’s also worth noting that he tends to face very tough competition under Barry Trotz and that his partner (Brooks Orpik) is a Corsi and Fenwick anchor. Carlson is still very young and still has room to grow.

Next: #4

Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Power Rankings: #4

Coming in at number four on our countdown of the best defensemen in the Eastern Conference is Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins. While he has struggled to stay healthy for a variety of reasons (ranging from a stroke to severe concussion issues), when he’s healthy, he’s one of the best defensemen in the NHL.

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Since the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, Letang ranks sixth among all NHL blueliners (minimum 1000 minutes at even-strength) in even-strength points per 60 minutes with 1.19. With 0.92 assists per 60 minutes at even-strength during the same period of time, he ranks sixth among all NHL defensemen. He also ranks 20th in even-strength CF% relative (3.82%).

On the power play, he’s even more dangerous. He ranks third among all NHL defensemen with at least 125 minutes played on the power play in power play points per 60 minutes (5.41) and assists per 60 minutes (4.62).

Letang would be higher on this list if he could prove he can stay healthy. However, coming off a stroke in 2013-2014 and several concussions in 2014-15, his lack of health is a concern. He must prove that he can stay healthy in 2015. That’s something that I honestly don’t know if he can do at this point in his career. I think Pensburgh said it best.

Letang is almost literally off the charts for his advanced numbers- almost every aspect he’s top on the team, and among the league leaders in the league. All the while he played a hefty 25:29 per game, eating a ton of minutes along the way… The big question is – can he avoid future head injuries and be able to play a full season? Letang only missed 13 regular season games to injury, his fewest in a season since 2010-11. – Pensburgh

Next: #3

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Power Rankings: #3

Coming in at number three on our list is Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s funny, everyone says that the Stanley Cup Playoffs were Hedman’s coming out party as an elite defenseman. The people who believe that clearly haven’t been paying close attention to the incredibly gifted blueliner because he’s BEEN elite over the past three seasons.

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It’s almost unfair how physically gifted Hedman is. He is Bobby Orr-esque. That might be a little bit of an outlandish comparison, but he’s the last defenseman I’ve seen with Hedman’s size (6’6″ 230+ pounds) and speed. My dad loved Bobby Orr, so I’ve seen my fair share of game tape of the Bruins legend. Every time Hedman leads the rush up the ice, I see so much of Orr in him.

Since the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, he ranks second among NHL blueliners in even-strength points per game (1.42). He doesn’t get much powerplay time, so his point totals don’t look as gaudy as those who get powerplay time. However, he outright dominates at even strength, which is where a majority of NHL games are played.

He doesn’t have elite possession numbers, but they are still quite good. His CF% relative (2.5%) is impressive when you consider that Tampa Bay has been an elite possession team over the past three seasons. His SCF%, HDSCF%, and FF% are all extremely impressive as well.

There are two reasons why he likely won’t win a Norris Trophy this season. First of all, he has had issues staying healthy. He likely would have been a finalist last season had he not missed a month. Secondly, as cruel as this sounds, he doesn’t get the power play time that guys like the two blueliners above him get. Sadly, that negatively affects his case. But give me Hedman over anyone at even strength.

Next: #2

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NHL Power Rankings: #2

Coming in at number two on our list is a Norris Trophy winner who has embraced his role as one of the NHL’s villains: P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens. Subban has a bit of a negative reputation around the league because of his confidence (often confused as arrogance), his hard hits and his undeniable penchant for embellishment. However, there are very few defensemen better than Subban. He has quite the resume.

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Over the past three seasons, Subban ranks 16th (minimum 1000 ES minutes) in even-strength points per 60 minutes (1.06), 14th in assists per 60 minutes (0.82) and 36th in goals per 60 minutes (0.24). However, he also ranks 184th in penalty differential (-23). Perhaps he isn’t as good at embellishment as everyone thinks he is? He also ranks 17th (minimum 100 minutes on the PP) in power play points per 60 minutes (4.67).

What makes Subban stand out? His impressive possession numbers. He ranks sixth in even-strength CF% relative (5.36%), 14th in SCF% relative (4.39), seventh in FF% relative (4.41%) and 11th in HDSCF% relative (5.32%). The Canadiens are an entirely different team when Subban is on the ice. There is no reason to believe that he won’t be a serious Norris Trophy candidate again this season after being a finalist last season.

Next: #1

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NHL Power Rankings: #1

The best Eastern Conference defenseman should come as a surprise to nobody. It’s your reigning Norris Trophy winner, Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators. Karlsson is a unique defenseman who generates offense at a rate that hockey fans haven’t seen in quite some time and still manages to be quite good in his own zone. He has won two Norris Trophies over the past four seasons.

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Since the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, Karlsson ranks 4th in even-strength points per game (1.26). It’s worth noting that one of the three guys above him will be a second-year player in 2015 (John Klingberg) and another is a hybrid forward/defenseman (Brent Burns). If you’re interested, the third is Hedman.

Like all elite defensemen, Karlsson makes the Ottawa Senators a much better team when he is on the ice. He ranks in the top 15 in CF% relative (4.62%), FF% relative (3.79%), and SCF% relative (4.35%). Those numbers aren’t quite as impressive as others on the list, but when you consider how much ice time he gets per game, you realize just how elite Karlsson is.

Subban and Karlsson are literally neck and neck. Karlsson gets the slight edge because his resume is slightly more impressive (two Norris Trophies compared to Subban’s one).

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