Building a talented, rock-solid blue line is an essential ingredient for nearly every NHL team with championship aspirations. Sure, there might be an exception like the 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins who won it all without Kris Letang, but looking at the most recent Stanley Cup winners, it’s clear they were loaded with high-end defensemen.
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Vegas’ back end was as deep from No. 1 to No. 6 as any in the league last season. Colorado had a star-studded group in 2022. Tampa Bay owned the NHL’s best left-side defense with Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and Mikhail Sergachev during its back-to-back championships.
Conversely, you can look at the league’s worst teams last season — Anaheim, Columbus, Chicago, San Jose and Montreal were bottom-five — and one of the common threads is the deficiency of their respective defensive units.
With that in mind, which teams are best positioned on the blue line heading into the 2023-24 season? Who’s in the middle of the pack and who should be concerned?
A clearcut ranking from No. 1 to No. 32 is a futile exercise because the margin separating a team with say the fifth and 10th best blue line is pretty thin. That’s why we’ll sort every team’s blue line into tiers where the stratification is a bit more distinct. To do that, I leaned on a combination of statistics, the eye test and feedback from industry contacts.
Teams are sorted into tiers strictly based on their projection for 2023-24 — we’re not factoring for future potential at all.
Tier 1: Elite
Carolina Hurricanes
Jaccob Slavin–Brent Burns
Brady Skjei–Brett Pesce
Dmitry Orlov–Tony DeAngelo
Other defense options: Jalen Chatfield, Caleb Jones
Carolina’s blue line has a special blend of offensive skill, defensive IQ and size.
Slavin is an elite all-around defenseman. Burns had a renaissance year where he finished 10th in Norris voting. Skjei, who scored 18 goals, and Pesce were an outstanding shutdown pair.
The luxury of having Orlov, who can legitimately move the needle for any team’s top four, on the bottom pair is absurd and DeAngelo could easily play top-four minutes alongside Slavin if he had to as well.
Colorado Avalanche
Devon Toews–Cale Makar
Bowen Byram-Josh Manson
Samuel Girard–Jack Johnson
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Makar is the best defenseman in the NHL and Toews has been universally recognized as a No. 1 defender in his own right, which makes this the league’s best defense pair on paper.
Byram has the dynamic puck-moving, offensive gifts and sturdy, competitive defensive play to be a top-pair caliber player. Manson’s sandpaper adds a rugged dimension to this unbelievably skilled group.
The biggest question with this group is durability. Byram only played 42 games last season, 30 the year before and has suffered multiple head injuries in his young career. Manson only played 27 games last year, too. This is where Girard, who would be a great top-four defenseman on most teams, is excellent insurance.
Vegas Golden Knights
Alec Martinez–Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb–Shea Theodore
Nic Hague-Zach Whitecloud
Other defense options: Ben Hutton
Vegas’ blue line is considered the gold standard by some NHL teams and that was true even before the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup. Collectively, this group’s size and defensive savvy allow them to clog the middle of the ice and defend the inner slot exceptionally well, which is why they excelled despite lacking a true No. 1 goalie.
There is an aging risk with the top pair as Martinez is 36 and Pietrangelo is 33. But they’ve shown no signs of slowing down yet and they’re insulated by the rest of the group.
Theodore and McNabb combine for arguably the best second pair in the league. Theodore’s dynamic offensive skills blend perfectly with McNabb’s zone entry defense chops, punishing hitting and overall defensive value from a stylistic perspective.
Hague and Whitecloud could easily step up as a second pair on most teams as well.
Boston Bruins
Matt Grzelcyk–Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm–Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort–Kevin Shattenkirk
Other defense options: Jakub Zboril, Ian Mitchell
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McAvoy and Grzelcyk have played 1,362 five-on-five minutes together over the last three seasons in which they’ve been on the ice for a ridiculous 86 goals for while only surrendering 32 against (73 percent of the goals share). They’ve flat-out been one of the best first pairs in the NHL.
Lindholm finished fourth in Norris Trophy voting, which makes him a heck of a pillar for the second pair. Carlo, a steady stay-at-home defender, is a solid complementary piece to round out the top four.
Forbort is a strong penalty killer and Shattenkirk should balance his skill set out on the third pair with his offensive touch.
Tier 2: High-end
Calgary Flames
Noah Hanifin–Rasmus Andersson
Nikita Zadorov–MacKenzie Weegar
Jordan Oesterle–Chris Tanev
Other defense options: Oliver Kylington, Dennis Gilbert
The Flames may not have a household, Norris-quality No. 1 but they’ve assembled an impressive crop of two-way defensemen.
Weegar, Andersson, Hanifin and Tanev are all arguably at a top-pair caliber. All four of them skate well, defend hard and offer above-average size. With the exception of Tanev, who leans on his elite defensive chops, they can all drive offense, too.
We haven’t even mentioned Zadorov, who’s a solid No. 4/5.
This is a big, skilled, well-rounded blue line that was let down by bad goaltending and a lack of star forwards last season.
New York Rangers
Ryan Lindgren–Adam Fox
K’Andre Miller–Jacob Trouba
Erik Gustafsson–Braden Schneider
Other defense options: Zac Jones, Connor Mackey
Fox is an excellent No. 1 and Lindgren supports him well on the top pair with strong defensive value and a warrior playing style.
Miller is a blossoming, young top-four defender with a gifted combination of size and skating. New York’s second pair could use more from Trouba, however. He’s one of the most punishing hitters in the NHL, which has legitimate value, but Trouba didn’t bring enough with the other parts of his game last season. He didn’t look comfortable handling the puck and making plays on the breakout, was a poor fit on the second power-play unit and he’s not a lockdown defender.
New York’s third pair is in a better position than in years past. Schneider is a solid, young player with the type of heft and defensive orientation that should be a nice balance with Gustafsson, whose puck-moving and offense make him a much better No. 6 than what the Rangers have had recently.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Ryan Graves-Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson–Erik Karlsson
P-O Joseph-Chad Ruhwedel
Other defense options: Ty Smith
Pittsburgh’s blue line is significantly upgraded compared to last season, as it now boasts one of the better top-four groups in the NHL.
Karlsson’s arrival gives the Penguins a new game-breaker and takes some pressure off Letang. Graves should be a really nice upgrade on Brian Dumoulin, considering how precipitously the latter’s game fell off last season.
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Letang endured a really difficult season off the ice last year as he suffered a stroke and dealt with his father’s death. It’s totally understandable why he didn’t look like his usual self, but he’s well-positioned to bounce back in 2023-24.
Pettersson, meanwhile, was arguably Pittsburgh’s best defenseman last year and should offer a calm, steady presence caddying for Karlsson.
New Jersey Devils
Jonas Siegenthaler–Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes–John Marino
Kevin Bahl–Colin Miller
Other defense options: Brendan Smith, Simon Nemec
New Jersey’s top pair with Hamilton and Siegenthaler posted some of the best results in the league last season.
Hamilton had a monster bounce-back performance, scoring 22 goals and 74 points and finishing sixth in Norris Trophy voting. Siegenthaler’s excellent shutdown skills made him a strong stylistic complement.
The Devils lost Graves and Damon Severson but they should be well-equipped to handle their departures. Hughes is an elite prospect and should hang just fine in the top four as a rookie, especially since he’ll likely be paired with Marino, who’s a two-way stud.
Bahl and Miller should form a good bottom pair.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Victor Hedman-Nick Perbix
Mikhail Sergachev-Erik Cernak
Calvin de Haan–Zach Bogosian
Other defense options: Darren Raddysh, Haydn Fleury
The Lightning’s big three with Hedman, Sergachev and Cernak is still a force to be reckoned with.
Hedman’s play-driving results and point totals both slipped last season and he’ll turn 33 in December, so age is something to watch but he remains a high-end No. 1 defenseman with his all-around utility. It helps that Sergachev broke out and played at the level of a fringe No. 1, too, at least before the playoffs where he struggled.
Cernak is obviously a completely different player than Hedman and Sergachev, but his hard-nosed defensive game and ability to handle the toughest matchups are essential for the group.
Tampa Bay is a little bit thin after those top three names. That was an issue in the playoffs when Hedman and Cernak got hurt and since then the Lightning lost Ian Cole, who offered steady second-pair minutes, in free agency.
Los Angeles Kings
Mikey Anderson–Drew Doughty
Vladislav Gavrikov–Matt Roy
Tobias Björnfot–Brandt Clarke
Other defense options: Jordan Spence, Andreas Englund
L.A.’s blue line might not feature the sexiest names, but it’s a rock-solid group from No. 1-6 that will be really difficult to play against.
Doughty isn’t an elite No. 1 anymore but he’s still top pair caliber while Anderson is one of the NHL’s best shutdown defensemen with his excellent skating, zone entry defense and stickwork.
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The Kings’ real advantage, however, is the depth of their back end.
Gavrikov was the perfect fit as a trade acquisition, with him and Roy forming a ludicrously dominant second pair following the trade deadline.
5v5 TOI | CF% | Expected Goals % | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
217 mins | 59% | 69.5% | 12 | 3 |
Clarke, the No. 8 selection in 2021, could provide a big spark as a rookie considering how electric he was in the OHL.
Buffalo Sabres
Mattias Samuelsson–Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power–Connor Clifton
Henri Jokiharju–Erik Johnson
Other defense options: Jacob Bryson, Riley Stillman
It might be a hot take to have the Sabres this high given how much they struggled to defend last year, but hear me out.
- Buffalo’s poor defensive results had a lot to do with bad goaltending and the forwards’ lackluster defensive play, it can’t solely be pinned on the blue line.
- When I spoke to other teams, there was a strong belief that Power can take a huge step defensively as a sophomore this season. Dahlin and Power could be one of the best 1/2 punches in the NHL.
- I’m probably higher than most people on Clifton. And when I asked around, there were people who also had time for him as a top-four defender.
- Samuelsson is an underrated defensive defenseman and deserves more recognition outside of Buffalo.
Buffalo’s blue line certainly has more to prove than others in this tier, but its potential this season is worth betting on.
Tier 3: Good
Ottawa Senators
Thomas Chabot–Jakob Chychrun
Jake Sanderson–Artem Zub
Erik Brannstrom–Travis Hamonic
Other defense options: Jacob Bernard-Docker
You can make a case that the Senators could have been bumped up one tier higher.
Chychrun, Chabot and Sanderson obviously make for a strong foundation. All of them are mobile puck transporters with good size and offensive touch. Sanderson’s eight-year, $64.4 million extension caused sticker shock for some NHL fans but it’s remarkable how polished his all-around top-four impact was as a rookie — he’s going to live up to that contract.
The reason Ottawa’s in Tier 3 is because the Senators don’t have a true No. 1 defenseman yet, even though all three of the aforementioned players are top-pair caliber. Chabot looked like he was trending as a No. 1 earlier in his career, but he hasn’t quite reached that level. Senators fans might point out that Calgary cracked Tier 2 despite lacking a Norris quality defenseman, but the Flames’ No. 4-6 defensemen (Tanev, Zadorov and Kylington/Oesterle) are significantly better than Ottawa’s.
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This is still a really promising group, one that could level up a tier if Chabot’s game can take the next step with more insulation around him or if Sanderson takes another huge stride after a sparkling rookie campaign.
New York Islanders
Adam Pelech–Ryan Pulock
Sebastian Aho–Noah Dobson
Alexander Romanov–Scott Mayfield
Other defense options: Samuel Bolduc
The Islanders were also 50/50 in terms of possibly being second-tier worthy. There aren’t any household names on this blue line, but there’s a lot of quality defensive talent.
Pelech is an elite shutdown defenseman. He’s been the anchor alongside Pulock for an Islanders top pair that has consistently delivered above-average results relative to the league.
Dobson, 23, has scored at a 50-point rate in consecutive seasons, which is really impressive. He’s coming off a rough year defensively, but he’s also at an age where many players significantly improve in their own end. Romanov is an interesting wild card — if the Islanders get the version of him they saw in the second half, they’ll be really well-positioned.
Aho was arguably the Isles’ most improved player last season. His smooth skating and offensive tools were a welcome addition. Mayfield is a strong defensively oriented No. 4/5.
Edmonton Oilers
Darnell Nurse-Cody Ceci
Mattias Ekholm–Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak-Vincent Desharnais
Other defense options: Philip Broberg, Markus Niemeläinen
Ekholm’s arrival changed everything for the Oilers’ blue line.
Ekholm played like a No. 1 with his lockdown defensive ability, poised puck-moving and the 14 points in 21 games he scored down the stretch. He was the perfect partner to help Bouchard break out, too. Together, they controlled a dominant 63 percent of scoring chances, with the Oilers outscoring teams by a whopping 27-8 margin during their five-on-five minutes. That’s a big reason why Edmonton went 18-2-1 after acquiring Ekholm to close out the regular season.
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Nurse will never live up to his $9.25 million cap hit but he’s still a bona fide top-pair caliber player.
Kulak is a really nice piece to have on the third pair, but they’ll need better play from the third pair right defense spot because Desharnais was a liability at times in the playoffs. Perhaps a Broberg breakout can be the solution.
Dallas Stars
Ryan Suter–Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley–Jani Hakanpää
Esa Lindell–Nils Lundkvist
Other defense options: Joel Hanley, Gavin Bayreuther
Heiskanen has always been an incredible shutdown player, but last year we got to see his immense offensive potential as he exploded for 73 points. He’s a nice trump card to have, although there are question marks for the rest of the blue line.
Suter’s declining and wasn’t always reliable in the playoffs. Lindell is coming off a down year, but there’s reason to believe he can bounce back. It was a bad stylistic fit to partner Lindell with Hakanpää last year, as you had two big defensemen who struggled to move the puck on the same pair. Lindell’s performed his best in years past when paired with a dynamic puck transporter like John Klingberg, so playing with a new partner could help him bounce back.
Harley was excellent in the playoffs and should break out as a top-four defenseman. Lundkvist, who’s talented but inconsistent, is a candidate to take a step forward as well.
Tier 4: Middle of the pack
Toronto Maple Leafs
Morgan Rielly–T.J. Brodie
Jake McCabe-John Klingberg
Mark Giordano–Timothy Liljegren
Other defense options: Conor Timmins
The Leafs have solid pieces on the back end — I was close to bumping them up a tier — but they were disappointing in the playoffs and legitimate questions linger.
Will the second pair hold up in the postseason? Klingberg was disastrous in a top-four role last year — he defends poorly and turned the puck over a lot. He’s moving to a Leafs team that’s miles better than Anaheim so that could help stabilize his game, plus he’s obviously played a much higher level earlier in his career; we’ll see if he can bounce back. McCabe is a decent player but looked a bit overmatched in the playoffs — he needs to be better.
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Any pair with Klingberg on it won’t play against top lines, which means that the Rielly-Brodie top pair will likely handle the toughest minutes. That’s asking a lot out of Rielly, who is below-average defensively. Brodie is typically excellent but he’s now 33 and you’re hoping his rough playoff performance was just a slump and not the first sign of age-related decline.
Giordano, who’s soon to turn 40, was great in the regular season but borderline unplayable at points in the playoffs. The Leafs could really use a breakout from one of Liljegren or Timmins.
This is still a decent blue line, good enough even for the Leafs to win the Atlantic Division, but there’s uncertainty about whether this group will actually be championship-caliber come playoff time.
Minnesota Wild
Jake Middleton–Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin–Brock Faber
Jon Merrill–Calen Addison
Other defense options: Alex Goligoski
Spurgeon routinely delivers elite defensive results during the regular season, although he’s yet to prove he can translate it in the playoffs, where his play and on-ice numbers have been substantially worse. Brodin is a strong No. 2 because of his elite shutdown skills.
It’ll be interesting to see how Faber fares in the top four as Matt Dumba’s replacement. He looked sharp in the eight NHL games we saw from him, and even as a rookie he should excel defensively right away.
Minnesota’s defensemen are stingy in their own end but they lack offensive punch. This is where it’s crucial for Addison, who’s undersized but has lots of offensive talent, to improve after an up-and-down season last year.
Nashville Predators
Roman Josi–Luke Schenn
Ryan McDonagh-Tyson Barrie
Dante Fabbro-Alex Carrier
Other defense options: Jeremy Lauzon
Josi remains an elite defenseman, even at 33. Schenn should complement him well — he’s resurrected his career and proven he can effectively caddy a top offensive defenseman on the top pair, first in Vancouver with Quinn Hughes, and later in the playoffs with his strong play for Toronto alongside Rielly.
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McDonagh is probably overmatched as Nashville’s second-best defenseman, especially if he’s asked to match up against top lines again. The 34-year-old is still a decent top-four player, but his defensive results saw a sharp decline last season.
Carrier is an underrated piece — he can play competent top-four minutes or drive an above-average third pair.
This is a decent group overall, even if it lacks high-end talent beyond Josi.
Florida Panthers
Gustav Forsling–Aaron Ekblad
Oliver Ekman-Larsson-Brandon Montour
Niko Mikkola–Josh Mahura
Other defense options: Mike Reilly, Dmitry Kulikov
There are a ton of intriguing questions surrounding Florida’s back end.
- How will they hold up to start the season considering that Ekblad and Montour will miss a decent chunk of games?
- Ekblad was a borderline Norris quality player in 2021-22 but took a huge step back last season. He then rebounded in the playoffs. What version of Ekblad will we get in 2023-24?
- Can Montour sustain his huge breakout from last season?
- Can Ekman-Larsson bounce back as a top-four defender after a disastrous year in Vancouver?
Forsling has been an all-situations top pair rock for this team, and he’ll have to do a lot of heavy lifting to keep the Panthers afloat in the early going.
Seattle Kraken
Vince Dunn–Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak–Will Borgen
Brian Dumoulin-Justin Schultz
Other defense options: Cale Fleury, Ryker Evans, Jaycob Megna
Seattle’s blue line performed much better than the sum of its parts last year. The big question is whether they can do it again because this isn’t an inspiring group on paper. Part of me, in fact, considered dropping them a tier but they got the benefit of the doubt.
Dunn broke out and played like a bona fide No. 1 defenseman last season. Larsson was the perfect stylistic complement in amplifying that pair’s success.
CF% | Expected Goals % | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|---|
55% | 53.3% | 81 | 60 |
Oleksiak and Borgen isn’t an exciting second pair on paper, but they quietly drove decent underlying numbers.
I’m not a fan of the Dumoulin signing given how hard he declined in Pittsburgh last year, but he should be fine in a reduced role. Schultz, meanwhile, can still really move the needle offensively — he was an unsung hero for the Kraken in the playoffs.
Tier 5: Question marks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Zach Werenski–Andrew Peeke
Ivan Provorov–Erik Gudbranson
Adam Boqvist-Damon Severson
Other defense options: David Jiricek, Tim Berni, Nick Blankenburg
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Columbus’ back end is substantially upgraded from last season, especially with a healthy Werenski. The blue line be a huge strength for Columbus once some of their top prospects hit, but there are questions for 2023-24.
Werenski is a fantastic player but can he perform at the level of a $9.58 million cap hit player? There’s breakout potential but for now, he’s probably a bit below league average when you compare him to other No. 1 defensemen.
Provorov had a rough time in Philadelphia but should rebound in a second-pair role rather than the do-it-all No. 1. Severson is a nice top-four piece to add as well. One of Gudbranson or Peeke could play top-four minutes this season, which is an issue.
Columbus’ blue line could definitely move up a tier if a player like Boqvist or Jiricek breaks out.
Winnipeg Jets
Josh Morrissey–Dylan DeMelo
Brenden Dillon–Neal Pionk
Dylan Samberg–Nate Schmidt
Other defense options: Logan Stanley, Ville Heinola
Morrissey had a monster breakout last year, playing like a No. 1 defenseman. It’s the first time he’s played at a true star level, so we’ll see if he can sustain it.
The Jets are short on high-end talent after that — you look at many of their remaining blueliners like DeMelo, Dillon, Schmidt and Samberg as solid but unspectacular No. 4/5 types. This is where Winnipeg could really use a Pionk bounce-back.
Pionk played like a legitimate No. 2/3 early in his Jets tenure but has really disappointed and played closer to a third-pair level during the last couple of seasons as he’s also been affected by injuries.
Detroit Red Wings
Jake Walman–Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot–Jeff Petry
Shayne Gostisbehere–Justin Holl
Other defense options: Olli Määttä, Simon Edvinsson
Seider was underwhelming in the first half of the season but he started playing like a bona fide No. 1 again once he was paired with Walman, who’s been a revelation for the Red Wings.
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Detroit’s second pair could be a little dicey. Petry is well-equipped for that role but Chiarot hurt any top-four pair he was on last year. Chiarot was a huge drag on Seider and had a similarly harsh impact on Filip Hronek prior to the latter getting traded.
The Red Wings’ third pair should be above average as they’re loaded with quality options like Gostisbehere, Holl and Määttä.
Vancouver Canucks
Quinn Hughes-Carson Soucy
Ian Cole-Filip Hronek
Christian Wolanin–Tyler Myers
Other defense options: Guillaume Brisebois, Cole McWard, Akito Hirose
Vancouver’s blue line should be significantly better than last year but it’s still an open question whether it’s playoff-caliber.
Hughes has taken huge strides in rounding out his defensive game, making him one of the league’s top No. 1 defensemen. Hronek is the big new piece for the back end. If he can sustain last year’s breakout, it’d go a long way toward stabilizing the second pair.
Soucy and Cole’s ability to perform well in top four minutes will make or break this defense.
Soucy has been excellent in a third-pair role, but he’s unproven in the top-four, especially with the challenge of playing his offside. Cole has top-four experience but he’s 34 and is moving away from an elite Lightning team — that type of change in environment can negatively impact a player sometimes. If they play to their potential, Vancouver’s backend should be good enough for the playoffs. If not, the Canucks will only be left with two bona fide top-four players.
Washington Capitals
Rasmus Sandin–John Carlson
Martin Fehervary–Nick Jensen
Joel Edmundson–Trevor van Riemsdyk
Other defense options: Alexander Alexeyev
The right side of Washington’s blue line is a strength. Carlson is a stud offensively, Jensen is one of the league’s better second-pair defensemen with his skating and two-way smarts and van Riemsdyk is very reliable for the bottom pair.
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Washington’s left side, on the other hand, is young and unproven after trading Orlov last season. Sandin has potential but he needs to show better defensive acumen and strength to excel in a top-four role. Fehervary is young and promising, too, but he had rough underlying numbers, with the Caps controlling just 45.8 percent of shot attempts and 44 percent of goals during his five-on-five minutes.
St. Louis Blues
Nick Leddy–Colton Parayko
Torey Krug–Justin Faulk
Scott Perunovich–Robert Bortuzzo
Other defense options: Calle Rosen, Tyler Tucker
St. Louis’ blue line was a disaster last season. Parayko isn’t equipped to be a No. 1 defender and the matter’s only made worse by the fact that he doesn’t have a legitimate top pair partner to help him out.
Krug has been a big letdown and Leddy’s overpaid too. Faulk was excellent only a year ago in 2021-22, so he has a legitimate chance of bouncing back this season.
The Blues desperately need their aging top-four defenders to rebound. If Perunovich can stay healthy, he could break out, too.
Tier 6: Problematic
Arizona Coyotes
J.J. Moser–Sean Durzi
Juuso Välimäki-Matt Dumba
Troy Stecher–Josh Brown
Other defense options: Victor Söderström, Travis Dermott
Arizona’s main problem is that it doesn’t have a single top-pair caliber player, although there are some intriguing pieces on the back end.
Durzi is inconsistent defensively and prone to the big mistake, but he should be a major offensive catalyst in the top four. Dumba isn’t the player he was in his prime, especially offensively, but remains a decent top-four player. Moser and Valimaki each took big strides last year and can hang in the top four, too.
The Coyotes’ blue line needs a star or two at the top of the lineup, but it should be competent enough for the club to be competitive this season.
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Anaheim Ducks
Cam Fowler–Jamie Drysdale
Olen Zellweger–Radko Gudas
Robert Hagg–Ilya Lyubushkin
Other defense options: Pavel Mintyukov, Jackson LaCombe, Colton White, Urho Vaakanainen
The Ducks’ back end could be a future juggernaut once some of their blue-chip prospects hit their prime. There’s probably going to be some growing pains for now, though.
Fowler’s a strong player but overmatched as a No. 1. Drysdale, 21, is uber-talented but missed all but eight games last year with an injury, so there’s a wide range of outcomes for how he could perform in 2023-24.
Anaheim will also hope that at least one of its prospects like Zellweger, Mintyukov or LaCambe can make a positive impact as an everyday player this season.
Philadelphia Flyers
Travis Sanheim–Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York–Sean Walker
Nick Seeler–Marc Staal
Other defense options: Emil Andrae, Egor Zamula
Philadelphia is desperately short on high-end top-four defensemen.
Sanheim had a disappointing year and while Ristolainen improved significantly last season, he’s not well-suited to driving a top pair.
York is the most exciting player to keep an eye on. The 22-year-old is a skilled, intelligent player and smooth skater. He offered strong play-driving results last season and held his own playing his off-side on the top pair. Walker was once a sturdy top-four option for the Kings but he’s coming off a down season after tearing his ACL and MCL in 2021-22.
Andrae, 21, is highly talented and could force his way into the lineup as well.
Montreal Canadiens
Mike Matheson-Kaiden Guhle
Arber Xhekaj–David Savard
Jordan Harris–Johnathan Kovacevic
Other defense options: Justin Barron, Chris Wideman, Gustav Lindstrom, David Reinbacher
Montreal’s similarly positioned as Anaheim: There’s a bright long-term future with its defense prospects but it could be painful until they arrive and reach their peak.
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Matheson was excellent and should be a top-pair fixture. Guhle handled himself well last season considering how difficult his minutes were but he’s still only 21 so there will be ups and downs. The same applies to fellow youngsters Xhekaj and Harris. Savard was fed to the wolves last year due to injuries, so people shouldn’t read too much into his rough underlying numbers; he’ll be an important veteran for the group.
Chicago Blackhawks
Wyatt Kaiser–Seth Jones
Kevin Korchinski–Connor Murphy
Alex Vlasic–Nikita Zaitsev
Other defense options: Jarred Tinordi, Filip Roos, Isaak Phillips
Look, it doesn’t take a genius to know that Chicago’s blue line is going to be bad. But in a rebuilding year, it’ll be fun for Blackhawks fans to see which young prospects can graduate to the NHL and how they develop, even though it’s going to be a bumpy process.
Korchinski, the No. 7 pick from 2022, is an electric talent and has a good chance of making the big club. Kaiser played nine NHL games down the stretch last season and was really impressive during the recent prospect tournament Chicago participated in. Vlasic is 6-foot-6 and already looked like he could defend at an NHL level during his cup of coffee last year.
San Jose Sharks
Mario Ferraro–Jan Rutta
Marc-Édouard Vlasic-Matt Benning
Henry Thrun–Kyle Burroughs
Other defense options: Shakir Mukhamadullin, Nikolai Knyzhov, Radim Simek, Jacob MacDonald,
Yeah … this looks really, really rough without Karlsson. But that also means there will be opportunities to seize and there are some intriguing youngsters who could make a mark.
Can Mukhamadullin, the 21-year-old centerpiece of the Timo Meier trade, break out as an NHL player or is he best served with more seasoning in the minors? Thrun, who was solid in college hockey, could be ready for an everyday NHL role. Knyzhov will also be interesting to watch after a couple of injury-plagued years.
(Top photos of Charlie McAvoy, Cale Makar and Adam Fox: Steve Babineau / NHLI via Getty Images, Ron Chenoy / USA Today and Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)