NHL Top Players: Top 20 defensemen

Whether it's breaking up a big play, setting up a goal or scoring on the power play, some defensemen can do it all. NHL Network producers and analysts chose the top 20 defensemen in the League right now, which were revealed Wednesday in the second of a nine-part series. Here is the list:

20. Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild

The 22-year-old had 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 78 games and averaged 25:32 of ice time per game, fourth in the NHL. Faber had 47 points (eight goals, 39 assists) in 82 games in his rookie season in 2023-24 when he was a finalist for the Calder Trophy and made the All-Rookie First Team.

19. Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens

Hutson led all rookies in assists (60), points (66) and ice time per game (22:44) in 82 games last season. He also became the fourth defenseman in the NHL's modern era (since 1943-44) to lead all rookies in scoring, joining Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins (41 points; 13 goals, 28 assists in 1966-67), Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers (71 points; 23 goals, 48 assists in 1988-89) and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks (53 points; eight goals, 45 assists in 2019-20). The 21-year-old's 60 assists matched Larry Murphy, who had 60 for the Los Angeles Kings in 1980-81, for the most by a rookie defenseman in League history, and his 66 points were tied for the fourth-most by a rookie defenseman.

18. Mikhail Sergachev, Utah Mammoth

Sergachev had an impressive first season with his new team, putting up 53 points (career-high 15 goals) in 77 games and finishing sixth in the NHL in ice time per game (25:07). His 23 power-play points were tops among defensemen on Utah and his 140 blocked shots were second. The 27-year-old was the only player in the NHL who averaged more than 3:00 on both the power-play (3:19) and penalty kill (3:02) last season. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.

17. Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche

Toews had 44 points (10 goals, 34 assists) in 76 games last season, the first time in four seasons he didn't get at least 50 points. The 31-year-old had 103 blocked shots and 35 takeaways, finishing second on the team in ice time per game (24:35) behind Cale Makar (25:43). Toews led Colorado in short-handed ice time per game last season (2:21). Since joining the Avalanche prior to the 2020-21 season, his plus-178 rating leads the NHL. He also won the Stanley Cup with them in 2022.

16. Adam Fox, New York Rangers

Fox finished ninth among defensemen with 61 points (10 goals, 51 assists) in 74 games last season and had 18 power-play points. His 23:15 of ice time per game led New York, and his 108 blocked shots were third. The 27-year-old finished fourth in Norris voting in 2023-24 and is a two-time finalist, having won the award in 2020-21.

15. Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights

Theodore quietly had his best offensive season in the NHL with 57 points (seven goals, 50 assists) and a plus-18 rating in 67 games for the Golden Knights. His 19 power-play points were also a career high. Over the past six seasons, the 30-year-old has averaged 46 points and more than 22 minutes of ice time per game. Theodore won the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023.

14. Thomas Harley, Dallas Stars

Harley proved that his first season in the NHL was no fluke. After having 47 points (15 goals, 32 assists) and a plus-28 rating in 79 games with Dallas in 2023-24, he put up 50 points (16 goals, 34 assists) in 78 games and a plus-32 rating last season. The 23-year-old also averaged 23:23 of ice time per game, stepping up in the absence of Miro Heiskanen, and had 110 blocks, third on the team. He also had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 18 playoff games.

13. Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators

The 23-year-old had career highs in goals (11), assists (46) and points (57) playing in 80 games last season. He also led Ottawa in ice time per game (24:27) and blocked shots (163). Sanderson was also one of only three players in the NHL with at least 3:00 of power-play ice time per game (3:26) and 2:30 of short-handed time per game (2:36). His four game-winning goals tied for third among NHL defensemen.

12. Gustav Forsling, Florida Panthers

Since joining the Panthers four seasons ago, Forsling has been one of the best defensive defensemen while also blossoming on offense. He had 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 80 games last season to go along with a plus-33 rating while averaging 22:57 of ice time per game, and has had at least 30 points in four straight seasons. His plus-149 rating is tied with Toews over that span for best in the League. The 29-year-old has won the Cup each of the past two seasons with the Panthers.

11. Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins

Although he missed part of the season with injury, McAvoy had 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) and led the Bruins in ice time per game (23:40). McAvoy, 27, had at least 47 points in each of the three seasons from 2021-24 and has had a plus-20 or better rating in five of his eight NHL seasons. McAvoy also led Boston in blocked shots for six straight seasons from 2018-24.

10. Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers

Bouchard had 67 points (14 goals, 53 assists), including 26 on the power play in 82 games last season in a career-high 23:28 of ice time per game. This came after he set career highs in goals (18), assists (64), plus-minus (plus-35), power-play goals (eight), power-play points (35) and game-winning goals (seven) in 2023-24. Bouchard also ranked fifth in the NHL at the position in SAT percentage during the regular season, with the Oilers controlling 58.8 percent of shot attempts at 5-on-5 when he was on the ice. The 25-year-old had 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 22 playoff games and his 1.08 points per game in the playoffs (81 points in 75 games) are tied for second in NHL history behind Orr (1.24).

9. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

In his 14 NHL seasons, Josi has been as consistent as they come. He was limited to 53 games last season (nine goals, 29 assists), but has had more than 50 points eight times and at least 20 power-play points six times. Since the 2014-15 season, he's tied with Victor Hedman of the Lightning for the most points among defensemen (650). The 35-year-old won the Norris Trophy in 2019-20 and was a finalist in 2021-22 when he led the position with 96 points.

8. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes

Slavin had 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) in 80 games last season while averaging 21:34 of ice time per game. He led the Hurricanes in blocked shots (136) and takeaways (61) while finishing eighth in the NHL among defensemen with a 57.0 SAT percentage. The 31-year-old had eight penalty minutes for the third straight season and won the Lady Byng Award for gentlemanly play in 2020-21 and 2023-24.

7. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres

The 25-year-old captain of the Sabres had 68 points (17 goals, 51 assists) in 73 games last season along with 21 power-play points while averaging 24:14 of ice time per game. Dahlin has had at least 50 points and 20 power-play points in four straight seasons. He had 101 hits and 98 blocked shots last season and tied his career high with a shooting percentage of 8.5.

6. Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets

Over the past three seasons, Morrissey has been an offensive force with 76, 69 and 62 points, finishing in the top five in Norris voting twice. He had 14 goals, 48 assists, a plus-17 rating and 22 power-play points in 80 games last season, leading Winnipeg in ice time per game (24:23). His 113 blocked shots were second on the team behind defenseman Dylan Samberg. The 30-year-old helped the Jets allow an NHL-low 191 goals (including shootout-deciding goals) during the regular season in 2024-25 and has also been durable, missing only 10 games over the past four seasons.

5. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

In his first season as captain, Hedman had 66 points (15 goals, 51 assists) and 26 power-play points in 79 games. His 23:05 of ice time per game led the team and his 133 blocked shots were second. Hedman, 34, won the Norris Trophy in 2017-18 and was a finalist six straight seasons from 2016-22. During that stretch, he was named to the NHL First All-Star team once and the Second All-Star team five times. He is the Lightning's all-time leader among defensemen in games (1,131), goals (171), assists (623) and points (794), and was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP in 2020 when he helped them win the Stanley Cup for the first of two straight seasons.

4. Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars

Heiskanen led the Stars in ice time per game (25:10) although his season was limited due to an injury; he did not play in the regular season after Jan. 28 and did not return until the second round of the playoffs. The 26-year-old had 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 50 regular-season games and is two seasons removed from a career-best 73 points (11 goals, 62 assists) in 79 games. He has helped Dallas advance to the conference final each of the past three seasons and had 26 points in 27 games in the 2020 playoffs, the sixth-highest total by a defenseman in a single postseason.

3. Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets

A first-time finalist for the Norris last season, Werenski was second among defensemen behind Makar with 82 points (23 goals, 59 assists) in 81 games. The 28-year-old set Blue Jackets single-season records at the position in all three categories, and average ice time (minimum of 25 games played), an NHL-best 26:45. Werenski also was third among all skaters with 298 shots on goal and was the ninth different defenseman since 1997 to finish a season with at least 80 points.

2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Hughes won the Norris Trophy in 2023-24 and was a finalist last season. He had 76 points (16 goals, 60 assists) in 68 games for the Canucks in 2024-25 and his average of 1.12 points per game tied with the highest of his seven-season NHL career, set in 2023-24. The Vancouver 25-year-old captain is first in assists (264) and second in points (312) and power-play points (132) at the position since the 2021-22 season, trailing Makar (334 points, 138 power-play points). In 2023-24, Hughes led the position in points with 92 (17 goals, 75 assists) and was plus-38. That season, he had nine games with at least three assists, something only two others at the position have done in a single season, Hall of Famers Orr (four times) and Ray Bourque (once).

1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

No. 1 on this list for the third year in a row, Makar had 92 points (30 goals, 62 assists) and was plus-28 in 80 games last season. He was the ninth defenseman in NHL history to score at least 30 goals in one season and the first since Mike Green had 31 for the Washington Capitals in 2008-09. He was also the first at his position with back-to-back 90-point seasons since Paul Coffey (1988-89, 1989-90, 1990-91) and Al MacInnis (1989-90, 1990-91), and set NHL career highs in power-play goals (12), short-handed goals (two) and shots on goal (246) while averaging 25:43 of ice time per game, third in the NHL. The 26-year-old has been a Norris finalist each of the past five seasons. He won the award in 2021-22, the same season he helped Colorado win the Stanley Cup while taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy.