Who are the most underrated defensemen in the NHL?

It’s a topic bound to create ferocious debate because of its subjective nature. We have to inherently assume how highly the hockey world/public sphere rates every defenseman and then determine which players deserve more recognition.

In an exercise like this, we have to be aware of the Aleksander Barkov effect, where if a player has been unanimously dubbed as underrated for many years, they’re probably not underrated anymore. With that in mind, we’re going to avoid names like Jaccob Slavin, Devon Toews, Miro Heiskanen and Shea Theodore.

I’d also argue that Chris Tanev has finally gotten his flowers as an elite shutdown defenseman after last year’s tremendous playoff run with the Dallas Stars. Thomas Harley would have been perfect for a list like this, but I believe he turned heads and landed on the casual fan’s radar with his impressive play subbing in for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

I debated whether MacKenzie Weegar has flown under the radar enough to be on this list, but fans voted him one of the game’s most underrated players just a few years ago, and I saw lots of people clamoring for him to be brought in as an injury replacement for Team Canada at 4 Nations, so I leaned toward him being closer to being fairly rated now and left him off.

I haven’t included Josh Morrissey or Rasmus Dahlin, either. You could argue both deserve more attention, but they’re still generally recognized as bona fide stars.

Finally, I made a similar list a couple of years ago. I won’t be repeating names from that story, which means no Mikey Anderson, Gustav Forsling, Jonas Brodin, Nick Jensen, Vince Dunn or Jake Walman, among others.

Here’s my personal take on the 10 most underrated defensemen in the NHL, presented in no particular order.

Jackson LaCombe, Anaheim Ducks

LaCombe, a 6-foot-2 left-shot defenseman playing in his second NHL season, has blossomed as the Ducks’ undisputed No. 1 defenseman.

The smooth-skating 24-year-old is averaging a team-leading 21:58 per game this season. He’s a budding offensive star, ranking in the top 20 among all NHL defensemen with 14 goals and 43 points in 67 games (a 52-point pace prorated over 82 games).

It’s extremely impressive that he’s racked up those types of point totals considering how lackluster the Ducks are offensively and how abysmal their power play has been. LaCombe ranks sixth among all NHL blueliners in scoring 1.51 points per 60 at five-on-five (minimum 1000 minutes), behind only Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin and Adam Fox.

Top 5v5 point-producing D

Minimum 1,000 five-on-five minutes

LaCombe is a dynamic, elite puck transporter. With his confidence and poise rushing the puck, he singlehandedly drives controlled breakouts and offensive entries. His zone exit numbers are in the same neighborhood as the league’s best puck-moving defensemen, according to Corey Sznajder’s tracking project.

Here are two examples of him effortlessly beating heavy forecheck pressure to engineer breakouts with speed:

LaCombe’s terrific play with the puck hasn’t come at the expense of defensive warts, either. He breaks up plays defending the rush because of his ability to aggressively close gaps with his skating, he’s positionally sound, and he logs major minutes on the penalty kill. Anaheim’s two-way results in terms of controlling shots, scoring chances and actual goals significantly improve when LaCombe is on the ice.

He’s breaking out as one of the league’s premier top-pair puck-moving/offensive defensemen without much fanfare outside of SoCal.

Dylan Samberg, Winnipeg Jets

Samberg is enjoying a monster breakout season in which he’s emerged as the Jets’ clear-cut second-best defenseman.

The 26-year-old left shot is averaging 21:25 per game and has been trusted by the coaching staff to eat the toughest matchups against top forwards of all Winnipeg blueliners. The Jets have controlled nearly 55 percent of expected goals and outscored opponents by a whopping 20 goals during his five-on-five shifts.

Samberg is driving stellar short-handed results while averaging the most PK minutes per game on the team. He checks many boxes for a modern-day elite shutdown player: he’s 6-foot-4 which gives him a massive reach/wingspan, he skates well which enables him to quickly gap up to eliminate time and space, his anticipation is impeccable and his active defensive stick is constantly breaking plays up.

Here’s an example of him making a defensive stop on Aliaksei Protas, the Caps’ monster 6-foot-6 power forward:

The amazing thing about Samberg is his passing and decision-making with the puck are very sharp and advanced for a player who’s primarily focused on the defensive side of the game. You can always count on him to make poised, efficient decisions with the puck to connect plays in all three zones.

In fact, according to Sznajder’s tracking, Samberg has created more zone exits with possession per hour this season compared to his usual defense partner Neal Pionk, despite the latter having the reputation for being more dynamic and offensively involved.

And as his confidence has grown, Samberg has become more ambitious with his playmaking. How many shutdown defensemen can join the rush and make a play like the one below, leading to a scoring chance?

Samberg is the indispensable two-way linchpin of the Jets’ second pairing.

Vladislav Gavrikov, Los Angeles Kings

Gavrikov has long been a defensive dynamo, but he’s putting together an especially outstanding campaign this season.

The 29-year-old Russian was a massive reason why the Kings’ blue line held its own for 47 games without Drew Doughty. Gavrikov averaged 23:56 through late January, which led the Kings and ranked top 20 among all defensemen. Despite being forced to regularly play the right side as a left-shot defenseman, he decisively won his minutes on the top pair playing with Mikey Anderson.

With Doughty back, Gavrikov is now driving the second pair on his natural left side. He’s still responsible, however, for absorbing the toughest defensive matchups against top competition, with Doughty’s pair handling slightly easier assignments.

This season, Gavrikov is helping the Kings control nearly 56 percent of expected goals and has a plus-13 goal differential during his five-on-five minutes. Nearly all of that success comes from his elite defensive impact.

Evolving-Hockey RAPM chart

Gavrikov suffocates opponents’ time and space offensively. He’s a big body (6-foot-3 and 220 pounds) and leverages his massive wingspan and strong positional play to masterfully clog passing and shooting lanes on the inside. He also eats the most short-handed minutes on the Kings’ top-10 penalty kill. Gavrikov is a below-average puck-mover, but the Kings have the right environment to insulate that.

Cam Fowler, St. Louis Blues

Fowler had been a great player in his prime but appeared to be rapidly declining when the Blues acquired him in mid-December at a reduced $4 million cap hit. His underlying metrics were ugly, with virtually every public analytical model suggesting his defensive game had fallen off a cliff and that he shouldn’t be counted on for high-end top-four results. Fowler’s point production had cratered to just four points in 17 games at the time of the trade, too.

It’s amazing, however, what a change in the on-ice environment can do to revitalize some defensemen.

Fowler has scored nine goals and 30 points in 45 games (a 54-point pace prorated over 82 games) since joining the Blues. Twenty-five of those 30 points have come at even strength, which ranks top five among all NHL defensemen since the trade.

Most even-strength points since Dec. 14

Colton Parayko also benefited enormously from Fowler’s arrival; 40-year-old Ryan Suter was struggling as Parayko’s partner early in the season, and the five-on-five results instantly flipped once Fowler took that role.

Fowler’s impact on top pair

Pair CF% xG% Goals %

Parayko with Fowler

51.5%

53.0%

60.9%

Parayko with Suter

43.1%

41.8%

44.4%

The Blues lost Parayko, their No. 1 defenseman, to injury in early March. Despite that, they’ve gone 11-1-1, with Fowler stepping up hugely in Parayko’s absence. He’s driven a commanding 58.1 percent of scoring chances and helped the Blues outscore opponents 14-7 during his five-on-five minutes since Parayko went down.

Adding Fowler has been one of the best bang-for-buck moves any team has made this season.

Ryan McDonagh, Tampa Bay Lightning

Everybody focuses on the Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei signings when discussing the Nashville Predators’ surprisingly catastrophic 2024-25 season. The huge offseason change people rarely talk about — one that gutted the defensive solidity of Nashville’s top four this season — is the loss of Ryan McDonagh. That, in a nutshell, perfectly captures McDonagh’s underrated reputation: People have always known he’s a good top-four player, but you don’t realize exactly how valuable and irreplaceable he is until he’s gone.

It’s a lesson the Lightning experienced firsthand during the last two seasons without McDonagh, when the club’s blue line and overall defensive structure suffered significantly in his absence.

Even at 35, McDonagh is one of the best shutdown defensemen in the NHL. The Lightning have controlled 58 percent of high-danger chances and surrendered just 1.85 goals against per 60 during his five-on-five shifts this season, which is one of the best marks in the league. Tampa Bay has outscored opponents by a whopping 23 goals when McDonagh is on the ice at five-on-five.

He’s helped revitalize longtime partner Erik Cernak, whose game had regressed hard during the two years when the hard-nosed veteran was in Nashville. He’s also the backbone of Tampa Bay’s elite penalty kill.

Dom Luszczyszyn’s player card

McDonagh is responsible for soaking up the hardest defensive matchups on Tampa Bay’s blue line. His success in that daunting role has freed up Victor Hedman to spend about 20 percent fewer minutes against elite competition compared to last season, according to PuckIQ’s data. And Hedman’s two-way numbers have improved a ton now that he isn’t carrying as large a defensive burden.

Michael Kesselring, Utah Hockey Club

Kesselring first caught my eye as a rookie last season. The 6-foot-5 right shot skated well, made poised decisions against heavy forechecking pressure on breakouts and had good puck skills for such a big body. He was relatively sheltered as a third-pair contributor and his game was still raw, but his physical attributes and skill hinted at intriguing upside.

With John Marino and Sean Durzi injured on the right side, Kesselring took on a much bigger role in the first half of the season and largely excelled in it. Kesselring averaged 19:04 of ice time through the first 48 games of the season. He was winning those matchups, with Utah controlling about 52 percent of high-danger chances and outscoring opponents 31-18 during his five-on-five shifts.

In the clip below, you can see an example of Kesselring’s mobility, range and underrated offensive chops. He begins the play by making a nice pass, carries the puck through the neutral zone when he gets it back, dishes it out to a forward and then drives to the net where he creates a Grade-A chance.

Kesselring has faced challenges down the stretch since Marino and Durzi returned. The 25-year-old’s ice time has been cut to the 15-to-16-minute range over the last couple of months, and he’s made some defensive mistakes here and there.

None of that should be overly alarming, however. It’s normal for sophomore defensemen to face bumps in the road as they gain experience. Most encouragingly, his play-driving metrics have been dominant in this reduced workload, with Utah controlling a team-high 57 percent of shot attempts and 66 percent of high-danger chances during his five-on-five minutes since late January.

Kesselring proved in the first half that he can succeed in a top-four role, yet he’s mostly anonymous outside of Utah. He’ll finish with just shy of 30 points this season, with 22 of those points coming at five-on-five, which ranks top 50 among all NHL defensemen.

Massive right-shot defenders who can skate well and make plays are pretty rare commodities. As he matures, improves his positioning and learns how to leverage his size to defend better, he could grow into a valuable, full-time top-four defenseman.

Jake McCabe, Toronto Maple Leafs

I know what you’re probably thinking: How can a player in a market as enormous as Toronto be underrated? McCabe deserves more attention around the league, however, for how indispensable he’s been as a top-four workhorse. His rugged, hard-to-play-against, stingy defensive game has replaced some of the critical traits the Leafs lost when Jake Muzzin’s career was derailed by injuries.

McCabe’s ability to munch big minutes (second among Leafs defensemen in average five-on-five ice-time) and win tough matchups (most minutes against “elite” competition of all Leafs defensemen, according to PuckIQ) has been especially critical this season because Morgan Rielly hasn’t played like a top-pair-caliber defenseman.

Tanev and McCabe have been one of the best shutdown pairs in the NHL, helping the Leafs control nearly 57 percent of high-danger chances and 62.9 percent of goals in their shifts together. They’ve surrendered a minuscule 1.76 goals against per 60 despite defending against top lines.

Here’s an example of McCabe bodying Connor McDavid on a full-speed rush this season.

Tanev is obviously a huge part of that pair’s success, but while he’s universally recognized as a top-flight player, McCabe’s name is often overlooked. And for those who think McCabe is being carried by Tanev, keep in mind McCabe was still winning his top-four matchups last season when his primary partner was Simon Benoit, a fringe NHL player. Oh, and Toronto’s record has taken a huge hit anytime McCabe has been out of the lineup.

Brett Kulak, Edmonton Oilers

Kulak has long been one of my favorite third-pair defensemen in the NHL.

The 31-year-old left shot is an effortless skater, breaks the puck out efficiently and is reliable defensively. Watch how he breaks a play up in the neutral zone and flips the puck ahead to his forwards, leading to a Grade-A chance.

Kulak can singlehandedly win his minutes further down the lineup — last year he was posting terrific results despite being saddled with Vincent Desharnais, a slow skater who’s really limited with the puck. He’s been a strong playoff performer, comfortably handling 16-17 minutes in high-leverage games, which matters because coaches often feel the need to shelter some of their bottom-four defensemen during the postseason.

This year, Kulak has been elevated to top-four usage and is averaging a career-high 20:08 per game. He hasn’t skipped a beat in this higher-leverage role. The Oilers have driven nearly 54 percent of scoring chances in Kulak’s five-on-five minutes this season. That’s included impressive work playing his off side with Darnell Nurse at times.

Kulak is an underrated, versatile player whose puck-moving acumen allows him to thrive anywhere on a team’s bottom four.

Brayden McNabb, Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas’ blue line has long been considered one of the best in the NHL. It’s a deep, well-rounded group that can move the puck, play a heavy defensive style and chip in with offense. Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin get the majority of the spotlight on the back end, but McNabb’s steady contributions as a defensive stopper often fly under the radar.

McNabb is leaned on as the clear No. 4 on the blue line. He’s consistently averaged 20 minutes per game and is tasked with handling tougher-than-league-average matchups. The 6-foot-4 defender is a dying breed/style of player in a couple of ways. Firstly, he’s a punishing, explosive open-ice hitter.

Secondly, and most importantly, he’s found a way to drive effective defensive results despite being a really slow skater, which is impressive considering how fast and skilled the game is today. He protects the inside defensively with his smart reads, positioning, ability to clog passing and shooting lanes and the way he leverages his size to win battles down low and at the net front.

McNabb is driving 54.8 percent of scoring chances and a plus-23 goal differential during his five-on-five shifts this season. He’s surrendered just 1.71 goals against per 60, which ranks top 10 among all defensemen who’ve played in a full-time top-four role this season.

Best GA/60 rate among top-4 D

Theodore is the perfect stylistic fit for McNabb as a partner because of his dynamic puck-moving and offensive talent. McNabb isn’t just a Theodore merchant, however — he’s played a ton of time away from him over the last three seasons because of Theodore’s injuries, and his underlying numbers have still been pretty decent.

Making just $2.85 million against the cap for 2024-25 (with a new extension kicking in next season), McNabb has one of the best defenseman contracts in the league.

Jalen Chatfield, Carolina Hurricanes

Chatfield has blossomed into a capable second-pair option on a contending team without any fanfare outside of Carolina.

Carolina lost Skjei and Brett Pesce in the summer. General manager Eric Tulsky signed Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere in free agency, but both have played together on the bottom pair. The Canes have weathered the top-four departures relatively well thanks to the success Dmitry Orlov and Chatfield have had stepping into a bigger role this season.

Chatfield’s rise in Carolina is a terrific story. The scrappy, hard-nosed 28-year-old right shot went undrafted and originally signed as a free-agent prospect in Vancouver. The Canucks let him walk in 2021 after a mostly underwhelming NHL campaign. He signed with the Hurricanes and has since developed into a solid defensive-minded No. 4/5 defenseman.

Chatfield is ultra-reliable defensively. He’s mobile and has a tenacious work rate, which allows him to aggressively kill plays and win battles. He defends the rush well, forcing dump-ins and breaking up entries at above-average rates according to Sznajder’s tracking. He can make a clean first pass to drive quality zone exits, too. The Canes have controlled 56 percent of scoring chances and own a plus-10 goal differential during Chatfield’s five-on-five minutes this season.

The big key this year is he’s proving he can maintain that success in a higher-leverage role. He’s averaging nearly 19 minutes per game and handling significantly harder matchups compared to last season.

— All stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, collected prior to April 2 games

(Photo of Michael Kesselring and Jackson LaCombe: Rob Gray / Imagn Images)



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