NHL Thread

Thom Yorke · 12-05-2013, 04:07 PM

If you look at the best of the best for defensemen, they should be elite at both ends of the ice. No, they may not quite be at Subban's level offensively, but their primary job is to play D.

In no particular order:

Chara
Suter
Weber
Pietrangelo
Keith
Doughty
Ekman-Larsson

Those guys can change games at both ends of the ice. Karlsson and Subban may be the most offensively talented d-men, but they can't give you that shutdown ability that all of the guys listed above can, which is ultimately the most important thing for a defenseman.

If McDonagh can keep this offensive pace up for a while, I'd have to move him up into that group as well.

12-05-2013, 04:07 PM	#11 (permalink)
Thom Yorke Music Addict Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,848	If you look at the best of the best for defensemen, they should be elite at both ends of the ice. No, they may not quite be at Subban's level offensively, but their primary job is to play D. In no particular order: Chara Suter Weber Pietrangelo Keith Doughty Ekman-Larsson Those guys can change games at both ends of the ice. Karlsson and Subban may be the most offensively talented d-men, but they can't give you that shutdown ability that all of the guys listed above can, which is ultimately the most important thing for a defenseman. If McDonagh can keep this offensive pace up for a while, I'd have to move him up into that group as well.