Which NHL top defense pairs have been the best and worst in the 2024-25 season?

Any NHL team with Stanley Cup contention aspirations needs its top players to be firing on all cylinders. If a contender has an elite top line and first pair, that foundation can often mask flaws and weaknesses further down the lineup.

Two weeks ago we analyzed how every NHL team’s top line was producing. This time we’re turning our attention to each club’s first pairs. The goal is the same as it was with the forwards: Identify which teams have top pairs that are dominating and which ones are significantly trailing the competition.

Let’s begin by laying out our criteria for defining a “top pair” and then explain our methodology for tracking performance.

My initial thought was to take each team’s No. 1 defenseman and then look at that player’s results with their most frequent partner (e.g., Cale Makar is the Avalanche’s No. 1 defender and his most common partner is Devon Toews, so let’s break down the Toews-Makar pair’s numbers). That approach is great in theory, but the problem is that many teams haven’t had a consistent two-man top pair this season. Many teams have a No. 1 defender as their anchor for the top pair and then a rotating cast of partners that are constantly changing.

The next best thing we can do is use the No. 1 defender as a proxy for the top-pair results. Here’s a chart showing which No. 1 defender was used as each team’s proxy, plus a breakdown of who their partner(s) have been this season. We counted Jake Walman for the Sharks’ top pair despite his recent trade to Edmonton.

We’ll look at the goals for and against differential when that top pair is on the ice as a simple measure of performance. Goal differential obviously isn’t a perfect instrument because of environmental factors (it can be skewed by the quality of the forwards that the pair shares the ice with, shooting/goaltending luck and overall team quality). But if we apply context by also looking at the pair’s play-driving numbers (which we’ll mention for a team if it’s particularly relevant), we’ll get a decent 200-foot view.

Here are the numbers so far, sorted by each pair’s five-on-five goal differential rate. Note that all stats were compiled via Natural Stat Trick on March 20.

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Vancouver Canucks

This is the second year in a row that Vancouver’s top pair has ranked No. 1 in the NHL by five-on-five goal differential. The Canucks would frankly be closer to the draft lottery conversation than the playoff race without Quinn Hughes.

The 25-year-old captain leads the team in scoring by 21 points despite missing 14 games due to injuries. Hughes’ defensive metrics are also elite, with the Canucks’ top pair surrendering just 2.1 expected goals against per 60, a figure that ranks second-best in the NHL.

Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers have split time riding shotgun with Hughes. Hronek’s puck skills and offensive IQ have unlocked the best of Hughes going back to last year. Interestingly, though, Vancouver’s top pair has controlled a slightly better share of shots, scoring chances and actual goals when Myers has been elevated to play with Hughes this season.

Tampa Bay Lightning

With Ryan McDonagh’s return allowing the Lightning’s second pair to soak up the toughest defensive assignments, the Victor Hedman-led first pair is thriving. According to Puck IQ, Hedman’s on track to spend about 20 percent fewer head-to-head minutes against “elite” competition at five-on-five compared to last season.

Tampa Bay’s top pair has controlled 58.3 percent of goals, which is the club’s best figure since Hedman’s 2019-20 Norris Trophy finalist season. It’s all the more impressive because Hedman hasn’t had a high-end partner to play with. J.J. Moser missed a large chunk of the season due to injury, leaving Darren Raddysh to log over 500 five-on-five minutes next to Hedman.

The defensive results for Tampa’s top pair are slightly inflated by goaltending — Andrei Vasilevskiy has pitched a stellar .927 save percentage during the first pair’s shifts — and Hedman’s slowing foot speed is becoming a bit of a concern, but the main takeaway is that the Lightning’s top pair is excelling now that the McDonagh-driven second pair is doing a lot of the heavy defensive lifting.

Washington Capitals

Washington’s on-the-fly renovation of its top four over the last couple of years has been impressive. Longtime No. 1 defenseman John Carlson has been partnered with Rasmus Sandin and Jakob Chychrun, both acquired within the last couple of seasons, at various points on the first pair this season, and the results have been terrific.

This glow-up isn’t a lucky, PDO-driven bender — the Caps’ top pair has seen a night-and-day difference in how well it controls play below the surface.

Colorado Avalanche

Is anyone surprised to see Makar and Toews driving elite results again?

Makar is in a heated three-horse race for the Norris Trophy with Hughes and Zach Werenski. It’s absolutely true that he has more help around him than Hughes and Werenski — it’s a luxury to be on the ice with Nathan MacKinnon, and the first pair’s underlying numbers fall off harshly in non-MacKinnon minutes — but matchup data also shows that Makar is tasked with tougher defensive assignments than Hughes and Werenski.

We all know what Colorado’s top pair can do offensively, but their stellar defensive profile (sparkling expected and actual goals against rates) shouldn’t be overlooked, either.

Buffalo Sabres

It’s a shame that the Sabres are clouded in negative storylines because Rasmus Dahlin’s ascension as a superstar defenseman probably deserves more league-wide recognition.

Buffalo’s top pair is crushing opponents, controlling nearly 56 percent of shot attempts and 57 percent of goals. Dahlin is clicking at a near point-per-game rate while also driving high-end defensive numbers, which is impressive considering the club’s overall defensive struggles.

Bowen Byram also deserves credit for excelling in a supporting role as Dahlin’s partner for most of the season.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus’ electric first pair has played a massive part in the team’s surprisingly promising season. Werenski isn’t just the engine of this pairing but the best player on the team, period. He’s played at a bona fide superstar level and is deserving of Norris votes and perhaps even some Hart Trophy consideration if the Jackets reverse their recent skid and storm back into the playoffs.

Werenski has also accomplished all of this without a high-end partner. Dante Fabbro has been Werenski’s primary caddy, and while he’s been a terrific find from waivers, he’s not the same caliber of partner as Makar and Hughes’ running mates, for example.

New York Rangers

It’s been a bit of a strange year for Adam Fox.

The Rangers’ star defenseman hasn’t quite looked as dominant compared to years past when you watch him play. Part of that comes down to his longtime partner Ryan Lindgren’s struggles prior to the latter’s trade, but even individually, it feels like Fox has taken a bit of a step back. We even saw that at the 4 Nations Face-Off where he struggled at times.

Despite all those factors, New York’s top pair has still decisively won its matchups. That matters for a team having a nightmare season. This isn’t a case where the top pair’s goal differential is being carried by Igor Shesterkin’s spectacular play, either — the Rangers’ top pair has controlled a commanding 56.8 percent of scoring chances at five-on-five.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils have a deep blue line with three pairs that are deployed in an ultra-balanced way rather than leaning on a workhorse top pair to do the heavy lifting. Five of New Jersey’s six defensemen this season have averaged between 19:30 to 21:08 per game.

Dougie Hamilton and free-agent signing Brenden Dillon have spent most of the season together on the first pair, though the pairs have been totally reconfigured since Hamilton’s injury.

The Hamilton-led top pair is scoring a league-best 3.23 goals for per 60, but they are also surrendering quality chances and goals against at high rates defensively. The offensive gains outweigh the defensive struggles for this pair, but it also helps that they get favorable matchups relative to most first pairs in the NHL.

Edmonton Oilers

Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm haven’t always passed the eye test with flying colors this season, but the numbers don’t lie: They’re still handily winning their minutes. The Oilers have controlled 58.7 percent of scoring chances and own a plus-12 goal differential with their top pair on the ice at five-on-five.

It obviously helps to share the ice with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s lines, but the first pair’s results are strong even when deployed with the bottom six. Bouchard has played nearly 300 five-on-five minutes this season away from McDavid and Draisaitl, in which the Oilers have dictated nearly 55 percent of scoring chances and have a positive goal differential.

Florida Panthers

Florida’s top pair led by Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad has been formidable for most of this season. But with Ekblad suspended, newcomer Seth Jones has been elevated to play with Forsling and the early returns are disappointing.

Opponents have outshot and out-chanced the Forsling-Jones pair by a nearly two-to-one ratio, with the pair ultimately outscored 4-1. It’s only a tiny eight-game sample size and Jones deserves time to settle in, but his fit in Florida’s top four is a storyline to monitor.

New York Islanders

Noah Dobson’s offensive production (32 points in 57 games) has fallen precipitously after last season’s monster 70-point breakout. But there are two promising developments to acknowledge.

Firstly, while the Islanders’ top pair is having a tough time generating offense, they are defending at a high level. Dobson’s pair ranks top five this season at suppressing expected and actual goals against per 60.

Secondly, Dobson has rediscovered his elite form since coming back from injury. The Islanders have owned a dominant 58 percent of high-danger chances and have outscored teams 11-5 with Dobson on the ice at five-on-five since his late February return.

Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg’s top pair has consistently ranked high in this exercise and this year is no different.

Josh Morrissey is a top-10 defenseman in the NHL. He manufactures a ton of offense, is a slick puck mover and has a lengthy track record of driving quality two-way results. Dylan DeMelo, on the other hand, has underperformed at times this year riding shotgun with Morrissey. Hopefully, he can return to the form he’s shown in previous seasons.

The Jets’ top pair has surrendered just 1.81 goals against per 60, which is the second-best mark in the NHL. They’re probably due for slightly better luck offensively, too. Winnipeg’s first pair has created 2.82 expected goals for per 60, but its actual goals for rate is just 2.35 per 60.

Calgary Flames

Dustin Wolf has earned a lot of credit for his spectacular play in net, but Calgary’s first pair also deserves its flowers for defending exceptionally well in front of him.

The Flames’ top pair owns the third-best expected and actual goals-against rates of all first pairs in the NHL.

MacKenzie Weegar has been the stud anchoring the first pair. He hasn’t even had a true top-four caliber partner this season, as he’s often played with either Daniil Miromanov, or more recently, Joel Hanley. This pair doesn’t create a lot of chances or goals offensively, but that’s understandable because the forward group they play with is pretty limited at attacking.

St. Louis Blues

Cam Fowler has been one of the league’s most underrated midseason acquisitions. The 33-year-old’s numbers looked shaky in Anaheim, but he’s thrived with a fresh start and elevated the Blues’ top pair significantly.

Fowler has notched seven goals and 25 points in 39 games for the Blues. Colton Parayko’s results on the first pair have been miles better alongside Fowler than with any other defense partner.

Fowler has kept the top pair steady even with Parayko’s recent injury.

Dallas Stars

It’s too bad the Stars need to rely on Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley to drive separate pairings because if they were ever together full-time, they’d be hands-down one of the best first pairs in the NHL.

Heiskanen and Harley have controlled around a dominant 60 percent share of shots, expected goals and actual goals in over 300 five-on-five minutes together this season. Without Harley, Heiskanen’s pair has only been about break even in terms of its numbers across the board.

Since Heiskanen’s injury, Harley has effectively kept Dallas’ first pair afloat. The results aren’t spectacular, but they’re holding their own in tough minutes, which is notable when you’re missing your No. 1 defenseman.

Boston Bruins

Injuries have hammered Boston’s blue line. Hampus Lindholm has only appeared in 17 games this season, and Charlie McAvoy is stuck at the 50-game mark and still out of commission since getting hurt at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The McAvoy-led top pair has been decent but unspectacular this season. Boston’s top pair has been above-average defensively, but they’ve mustered just 2.35 goals for per 60 offensively, which ranks 22nd among first pairs in the NHL.

McAvoy hasn’t found an ideal partner this season, as he and Nikita Zadorov didn’t have much chemistry. Mason Lohrei also got spot duty alongside McAvoy.

Carolina Hurricanes

The hockey world finally got an up-close look at Jaccob Slavin’s elite shutdown skills at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Carolina’s top pair is still excelling defensively, but they’re struggling to manufacture goals.

Slavin is doing his part, but Brent Burns’ decline on the top pair has been quite noticeable. The 40-year-old’s foot speed is slowing, his point production has dipped and his decision-making has been questionable at times. Slavin will likely need a new partner next season.

Los Angeles Kings

L.A.’s top pair has held up admirably considering Drew Doughty missed the first 48 games of the season with an injury. Vladislav Gavrikov exceeded all expectations while stepping up on the first pair. He and Mikey Anderson played terrific shutdown hockey.

The Kings’ top pair is the most low-event group in the sport. They surrender just 1.6 goals against per 60, which is by far the best rate in the NHL, but the 1.8 goals for per 60 they generate offensively ranks 31st. Again, the Kings will happily take that because of how long Doughty was out, but long-term, they’ll need the first pair to be a bit more involved offensively.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings’ lack of high-end defensemen beyond Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson is a problem. Seider and Edvinsson excelled together on the top pair, but the weak bottom four has necessitated splitting those two up.

Detroit’s first pair results would be significantly better if Seider had a quality partner, but he’s been stuck with Ben Chiarot, who is dragging the pairing’s results down.

Detroit’s first pair has conceded just 1.93 goals against per 60, which ranks top-five in the league, but they’re well below average at driving offense.

Anaheim Ducks

Jackson LaCombe’s breakout as the Ducks’ No. 1 defenseman is one of the team’s most positive storylines this season. He’s a dynamic, gifted puck mover and offensive driver. LaCombe and Radko Gudas have been about break even at controlling shots, scoring chances and actual goals, which is respectable considering how weak the overall roster is.

Minnesota Wild

Brock Faber is an outstanding young talent, but the monstrous workload he’s handling has taken a toll on his second-half performance so far.

The 22-year-old sophomore ranks second among all NHL players in average ice time since Feb 1, in large part because Jonas Brodin has been sidelined. Faber is showing clear signs of fatigue as he’s driven just 43 percent of expected goals and has been outscored 13-5 in that timeframe.

Talent is not the issue for the Faber, Jake Middleton pair. Ease their workload, and the results will likely rebound.

Utah Hockey Club

Mikhail Sergachev was asked to do a ton of heavy lifting for Utah’s top four because of John Marino and Sean Durzi’s long-term injuries. The results weren’t always pretty in the first half but Utah’s first pair held up fine considering the injuries and overreliance.

Utah’s top pair has reached a new level since Marino’s return, however. Sergachev and Marino have logged nearly 300 five-on-five minutes together since mid-January, in which the club has controlled 54.4 percent of shot attempts and outscored teams by a wide 15-7 margin.

Seattle Kraken

Vince Dunn’s pair has decisively won its minutes in previous seasons, but this year, they only have a neutral goal differential.

Seattle’s first pair has been involved in driving plenty of offense, but the defensive results have been disappointing. Their 3.23 goals-against per 60 rate is second-worst in the NHL and they rank near the bottom in terms of their expected goals-against rate too.

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks top pair has delivered quality results relative to the barren, difficult environment around them. Jake Walman was an impressive offensive catalyst, with San Jose scoring 3.14 goals for per 60 during the first pair’s shifts. They gave back a decent chunk of that value defensively, but their overall goal differential was right around break even, which is impressive considering the dire state of the overall roster.

San Jose has lost four of five games since the Walman trade. The new defacto first pair led by Mario Ferraro is underwater, but they’re not being outshot and out-chanced by wide margins, which is a promising early sign.

Vegas Golden Knights

It may be a bit surprising to see that the Golden Knights’ first pair has a slightly negative goal differential, but it’s understandable for a few reasons.

Firstly, they’ve been unlucky to some extent. Vegas’ top pair has controlled a healthy 53 percent of scoring chances but their on-ice save percentage is just .896 at five-on-five. With steadier goaltending, the top pair wouldn’t be leaking as many goals against.

Secondly, Alex Pietrangelo hasn’t been at 100 percent health this season. Don’t forget that he was forced to withdraw from the 4 Nations Face-Off because of an undisclosed ailment.

Third, Noah Hanifin got off to a slow start this season on the top pair. He’s been significantly better lately now that he’s on the second pair.

Toronto Maple Leafs

You can debate what exactly the Leafs’ “first pair” actually is. Some would consider it to be the Jake McCabe-Chris Tanev duo, which has been lights out defensively and by far Toronto’s best pairing this season. Morgan Rielly, however, leads the blue line in five-on-five minutes per game and has long been considered the No. 1 defenseman so we looked at his pairing’s results for this exercise.

Rielly’s pairing has had a much rougher ride than Tanev’s pair. Rielly’s pair is having a tough time creating offense, as they’ve mustered just 2.27 goals for per 60. Individually, Reilly has just 15 five-on-five points this season, which is half the total he managed in 2023-24.

The good news is that he and his new partner, Brandon Carlo, have gelled well. The duo has controlled 64 percent of expected goals through seven games so far. Toronto’s top four will be in really good shape if that pair can maintain their promising start, coupled with the McCabe-Tanev pair’s continued defensive excellence.

Pittsburgh Penguins

It isn’t too surprising to see the Penguins land this low.

Expecting Kris Letang to singlehandedly drive a top pair at 37 years old, with a rotating cast of subpar partners, just isn’t fair. Letang’s offensive production is declining, and his pair has scored just 2.12 goals for per 60 offensively. Matt Grzelcyk has spent the most minutes partnered with Letang this season, but the club is now experimenting with Conor Timmins in that support role.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers’ top pair probably doesn’t deserve to rank this low. Travis Sanheim and Cam York have actually controlled a slightly positive share of shots and scoring chances this season. However, Philadelphia is plagued by some of the worst goaltending in the NHL, which has sunk the top pair’s defensive results.

Philadelphia’s top pair has conceded just 2.35 expected goals against per 60, which ranks 10th best in the NHL. But their actual goals-against rate has ballooned to 3.11 per 60 because their on-ice save percentage is just .880.

Montreal Canadiens

Lane Hutson is undeniably the Canadiens’ best defenseman, but we still considered Mike Matheson’s unit to be the “first pair” for this exercise. Why? Well, Matheson is top-10 among all NHL players in average ice time, he’s been tasked with the toughest defensive assignments on the blue line, and he still takes line rushes as the first defense pair. Matheson’s challenging deployment suggests that he still deserves first-pair designation for now.

Matheson’s numbers are strong when he’s been paired with Hutson — they’ve controlled 54.4 percent of shot attempts and 55 percent of goals together — but with every other partner, he’s struggled statistically. For the season as a whole, Matheson’s pair has a minus-16 goal differential at five-on-five. He only has 13 five-on-five points this season and the Canadiens have coughed up high-danger chances and goals against at a pretty alarming rate during his shifts.

Chicago Blackhawks

Alex Vlasic was one of the NHL’s most improved players last season. The hulking 6-foot-6 shutdown defenseman chewed up difficult top-four minutes in 2023-24 and came away relatively unscathed. He posted terrific defensive metrics and his five-on-five goal differential was only minus-1, which is remarkably impressive considering how bad the Blackhawks were last year.

Unfortunately, Vlasic’s second season handling top-pair duties has been much more up and down. The 23-year-old’s point production has improved but the rate at which his pair is conceding scoring chances has spiked and they’re giving up a league-high 3.41 goals against per 60.

Eating big minutes on a bad, rebuilding team is an exceptionally tough assignment, so this isn’t meant to reflect too poorly on him individually. It’s more of a sign that the Blackhawks need to surround him and Connor Bedard with a significantly better supporting cast.

Nashville Predators

After finishing second in Norris Trophy voting last season, I don’t think anybody could have predicted that Roman Josi’s pair would struggle to this extent.

Josi and newcomer Brady Skjei were a poor fit together at the start of the season. They didn’t create as much offense together as you’d expect and their defensive breakdowns were costly, leading to their splitting up relatively early.

Bad luck is a big part of the story, too. Nashville’s top pairing actually has decent underlying numbers — they’ve controlled 54 percent of shot attempts and scoring chances — but they haven’t gotten any saves and aren’t getting the bounces offensively in terms of their shooting luck, either.

Ottawa Senators

Jake Sanderson will be a star defenseman for a very long time. Unfortunately, he might be the unluckiest top pair player in the league this season.

The Senators have outshot and out-chanced opponents during Sanderson’s five-on-five shifts — albeit only by a slim margin — yet his goal differential is deeply red. He’s been submarined by some pretty bad PDO luck — the Sens are scoring on just 5.6 percent of their shots during his minutes and he isn’t getting as many saves in net as his teammates.

Artem Zub’s injury troubles have really hurt them, too. Travis Hamonic has been elevated to the top pair at times this year because of that and he’s singlehandedly dragged the unit down. Hamonic and Sanderson have played nearly 400 five-on-five minutes together this season, in which the Sens have controlled just 44.2 percent of expected goals and been outscored by a whopping 16-5 score.

(Top photo of Zach Werenski and Quinn Hughes: Sam Navarro / Imagn Images and Steph Chambers / Getty Images)