Little project I've been working on for fun - who has the best defensive group of defenders (in terms of defense, not overall play). I compiled data for each team's top 6 defensemen (subject to change in the next few weeks), so each team has a total of 6 player's defensive-goals-above-average (GAA) that takes into account both 5v5 and shorthanded defense. I’ve updated it in the past few days by ponderating ice time so that third pairing defensemen are worth 14.6% of the total, second pairing 16.5%, and first pairing 19%, respectively. In that way, it shows the bigger (worse) impact of having Nick Leddy playing 20+minutes vs Dylan Coghlan playing 14 minutes.

Defenders who are projected to make the opening night lineup but have played less 20 NHL games (Sanderson, Harris, Barron, A. Vlasic, Power) are replacement level for the sake of the exercise.


1. (McAvoy, Lindholm, Carlo, Forbort, Grzelcyk, Reilly)

2. (Hanifin, Andersson, Weegar, Tanev, Kylington, Zadorov)

3. (Spurgeon, Brodin, Middleton, Kulikov, Merrill, Dumba)

4. (Heiskanen, Lindell, Miller, Suter, Hakanpaa, Harley)

5. (Giordano, Rielly, Brodie, Sandin, Liljegren, Muzzin)

6. (Girard, Makar, Johnson, Toews, Byram, Manson)

7. (Pulock, Dobson, Romanov, Pelech, Mayfield, Aho)

8. (Hamilton, Severson, Marino, Siegenthaler, Graves, Smith)

9. :kraken (Dunn, Larsson, Oleksiak, Soucy, Borgen, Schultz)

10. (Hedman, Foote, Cernak, Sergachev, Cole, Myers)

11. (Doughty, Walker, Edler, Roy, Anderson, Durzi)

12. (Slavin, Skjei, Pesce, Burns, Coghlan, Bear)

13. (Josi, McDonagh, Ekholm, Carrier, Lauzon, Fabbro)

14. (Lindgren, Trouba, Fox, Schneider, Hajek, Miller)

15. (S. Jones, Murphy, McCabe, C. Jones, Stillman, Vlasic)

16. (Zub, Chabot, Holden, Sanderson, Brannstrom, Hamonic)

17. (Karlsson, Vlasic, Ferraro, Nutivaara, Benning, Simek)

18. (Fehervary, Jensen, Orlov, Carlson, van Riemsdyk, Gustafsson)

19. (Petry, Letang, Pettersson, Dumoulin, Rutta, Smith)

20. (Ekblad, Montour, Staal, Carlsson, Gudas, Forsling)

21. (Matheson, Savard, Barron, Harris, Edmundson, Wideman)

22. (Sanheim, Ristolainen, Braun, DeAngelo, Provorov, York)

23. (Chychrun, Brown, Stecher, Nemeth, Mayo, Gostisbehere)

24. (Hughes, Myers, Burroughs, Ekman-Larsson, Schenn, Dermott)

25. (Chiarot, Hronek, Maatta, Seider, Walman, Lindstrom)

26. (Nurse, Barrie, Ceci, Kulak, Broberg, Bouchard)

27. (Werenski, Peeke, Gudbranson, Gavrikov, Bean, Boqvist)

28. (Lyubushkin, Jokiharju, Samuelsson, Power, Bryson, Dahlin)

29. (Faulk, Krug, Scandella, Mikkola, Leddy, Parayko)

30. (Theodore, Pietrangelo, Martinez, Whitecloud, McNabb, Hague)

31. (DeMelo, Morrissey, Pionk, Stanley, Schmidt, Dillon)

32. (Klingberg, Drysdale, Fowler, Shattenkirk, Vaakanainen, Benoit)

EA has the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever



Make it happen guys.

At least Gudbranson is good on the 3rd pair in a purely defensive role and on the top PK unit, where the requirements are basically just to be big and strong and willing to block shots. Is Leddy even worth having in the lineup at this point? I feel like I’d much rather have Perunovich on the 2nd pair and Mikkola on the 3rd lol

I hope that’s a joke…

I hate it for the same reasons mentioned here

I really like Perunovich's game, would love to see him on the 2nd pairing with Parayko/Faulk (whichever one doesn't pair with Krug). Leddy is terrible, he's a very smooth skater and maybe slightly above average puck mover, but is awful at everything else, particularly defense. Terrible contract.

Nick Leddy, traded to STL, is a smooth-skating puck-moving defenceman who is also a major drain on his team's results at both ends of the ice. There might not be a blueliner in the game with a bigger gap between transition skills and on-ice impact. #STLBlues pic.twitter.com/CBlnMzqCk2

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 21, 2022

Gudbranson is an ok 6th D-man who is mediocre on the PK, and likes to throw shots on goal, he's awful at everything else. Also a terrible contract.

Erik Gudbranson, signed 4x$4M by CBJ, is a physical depth defenceman who likes to throw pucks on net. Did okay in Calgary but... man. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/xPoZugvKPw

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 13, 2022

Which one's worse? IDK, Leddy can provide mediocre puck movement and nothing else, Gudbranson can provide mediocre PK'ing and checking and nothing else. Pick your poison. (In short, neither one is significantly worse than the other-they're both terrible contracts.)

Alright hear me out

">

I really like Perunovich's game, would love to see him on the 2nd pairing with Parayko/Faulk (whichever one doesn't pair with Krug). Leddy is terrible, he's a very smooth skater and maybe slightly above average puck mover, but is awful at everything else, particularly defense. Terrible contract.

Nick Leddy, traded to STL, is a smooth-skating puck-moving defenceman who is also a major drain on his team's results at both ends of the ice. There might not be a blueliner in the game with a bigger gap between transition skills and on-ice impact. #STLBlues pic.twitter.com/CBlnMzqCk2

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 21, 2022

Gudbranson is an ok 6th D-man who is mediocre on the PK, and likes to throw shots on goal, he's awful at everything else. Also a terrible contract.

Erik Gudbranson, signed 4x$4M by CBJ, is a physical depth defenceman who likes to throw pucks on net. Did okay in Calgary but... man. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/xPoZugvKPw

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 13, 2022

Which one's worse? IDK, Leddy can provide mediocre puck movement and nothing else, Gudbranson can provide mediocre PK'ing and checking and nothing else. Pick your poison. (In short, neither one is significantly worse than the other-they're both terrible contracts.)

I really like Perunovich's game, would love to see him on the 2nd pairing with Parayko/Faulk (whichever one doesn't pair with Krug). Leddy is terrible, he's a very smooth skater and maybe slightly above average puck mover, but is awful at everything else, particularly defense. Terrible contract.

Nick Leddy, traded to STL, is a smooth-skating puck-moving defenceman who is also a major drain on his team's results at both ends of the ice. There might not be a blueliner in the game with a bigger gap between transition skills and on-ice impact. #STLBlues pic.twitter.com/CBlnMzqCk2

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 21, 2022

Gudbranson is an ok 6th D-man who is mediocre on the PK, and likes to throw shots on goal, he's awful at everything else. Also a terrible contract.

Erik Gudbranson, signed 4x$4M by CBJ, is a physical depth defenceman who likes to throw pucks on net. Did okay in Calgary but... man. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/xPoZugvKPw

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 13, 2022

Which one's worse? IDK, Leddy can provide mediocre puck movement and nothing else, Gudbranson can provide mediocre PK'ing and checking and nothing else. Pick your poison. (In short, neither one is significantly worse than the other-they're both terrible contracts.)

Thats a cool list

Where did you get the data from?

Top UFAs still unsigned

F
Patrice Bergeron
Phil Kessel
Evan Rodrigues
Sonny Milano
Paul Stastny
Sam Steel
Tyler Ennis
Johan Larsson
Sam Gagner
Jonathan Dahlen
Daniel Sprong
Derek Stepan
Alex Chiasson
Victor Rask
Tyler Motte
Evgeny Svechnikov
Alex Galchenyuk
Joe Thornton

D
PK Subban
Anton Stralman
Danny DeKeyser
Zdeno Chara
Keith Yandle
Calvin De Haan
Jack Johnson
Kris Russell
Michael Stone
Dennis Cholowski

G
Braden Holtby
Andrew Hammond
J-F Berube


Still a solid bunch left, potential for some good value two-way deals.

Holtby said he isnt playing this year so leave him off. Either retires mid way through the season or comes back for 2023-2024

As for who goes where (my guess)

Patrice Bergeron (BOS) Runner up: None
Phil Kessel (VGK) Runner up: CGY
Evan Rodrigues (MIN) Runner up: WPG
Sonny Milano (OTT -If Batherson and Formenton are ejected) Runner up: TOR
Paul Stastny (COL) Runner up: CGY
Sam Steel (If not convicted CHI)
Tyler Ennis (ANA)
Johan Larsson (MIN)
Sam Gagner (TOR) Runner up: EDM
Jonathan Dahlen (WPG) Runner up:
Daniel Sprong (OTT - If Batherson and Formenton are ejected) Runner up: WPG
Derek Stepan (CHI)
Alex Chiasson: (SHL or KHL)
Victor Rask: (NSH) Runner up: ANA
Tyler Motte (NYR)
Evgeny Svechnikov (SHL or KHL)
Alex Galchenyuk (SHL or KHL)
Joe Thornton (Does a Williams and goes to a contender league min with 1mill bonus)

D
PK Subban: (SEA) Runner up: MTL
Anton Stralman: Retires
Danny DeKeyser (ARI)
Zdeno Chara: Retires
Keith Yandle: (SHL or KHL)
Calvin De Haan:
Jack Johnson: Retires
Kris Russell: (NJD)
Michael Stone (CGY) Runner up: VGK
Dennis Cholowski: (SHL or KHL_

G
Andrew Hammond (Whoever needs a #3)
J-F Berube (Whoever needs a #3)

Some rumors about Stastny signing in Vegas

Well he was a former guy but honestly Colorado makes more sense as they need a vet 2c to fill in for a year until Newhook or Meyers is ready

Oh, don't get me wrong I have been a fan of Stats return to the Avs for a few years now. Not sure if his exit created too much bad blood however. I don't see him as a 2C and we can't afford to pay him anything close to what he was making; maybe $1.5 million to be on our 3rd line and help mentor Newhook and Meyers into the roles. Sakic still wants to accrue $ towards the deadline no matter what.

Can't remember which podcast it was but some guest of the show said they run into Stastny in Vegas frequently during this off season that he has a summer residence there or something like that and drew the connection to them.

Dom Luszczyszyn (I copied and pasted that, I'm not even going to attempt typing it) ranked how much every team improved (or didn't) over the offseason for The Athletic, and put the Wings first, followed by SEA at #2, WAS at #3, NJD at #4, and OTT at #5. There is no possible way you can get me to believe that those first 4 teams improved more than the Senators did.

Additionally, how did WAS improve that much? Signing Kuemper (which was essentially their only notable move) is an improvement over Samsonov/Vanecek, but is it more of an improvement than, say, Campbell over Smith/Koskinen? Even if yes, it really makes the Caps the 3rd-most improved team over the offseason?

I don't think Luszczyszyn (copied and pasted again) is an idiot, but I find his rankings (thinking of yesterday's about contract efficiency as well) to be a little strange.

Dom Luszczyszyn (I copied and pasted that, I'm not even going to attempt typing it) ranked how much every team improved (or didn't) over the offseason for The Athletic, and put the Wings first, followed by SEA at #2, WAS at #3, NJD at #4, and OTT at #5. There is no possible way you can get me to believe that those first 4 teams improved more than the Senators did.

Additionally, how did WAS improve that much? Signing Kuemper (which was essentially their only notable move) is an improvement over Samsonov/Vanecek, but is it more of an improvement than, say, Campbell over Smith/Koskinen? Even if yes, it really makes the Caps the 3rd-most improved team over the offseason?

I don't think Luszczyszyn (copied and pasted again) is an idiot, but I find his rankings (thinking of yesterday's about contract efficiency as well) to be a little strange.

I haven’t read it yet, but it’s probably more about quantity brought in. The Sens only brought in 3 guys, and while DeBrincat and Giroux are great, I would assume that the model projects Giroux to decline slightly next year, and I know it hated Talbot (justifiable based on how he played prior to the last month tbh) and didn’t think Murray was too bad last year, plus Connor Brown is pretty good. For Washington I assume Kuemper is seen as a major upgrade, plus they brought in guys like D. Strome and C. Brown and didn’t really lose anybody notable. I wonder if he treated Zaitsev as out of the lineup and projected a value for Sanderson. My guess is probably not, but I think in reality that will be a pretty major swing, because Zaitsev provides negative value (way below replacement level) and Sanderson will likely be a solid top 4 guy as a rookie, but I don’t think Dom does prospect stuff (and I hate analytics for prospects at the best of times, I’d be happy to never see another Bader chart telling me every small, skilled forward drafted in the 7th round is the next Gaudreau).

Little project I've been working on for fun - who has the best defensive group of defenders (in terms of defense, not overall play). I compiled data for each team's top 6 defensemen (subject to change in the next few weeks), so each team has a total of 6 player's defensive-goals-above-average (GAA) that takes into account both 5v5 and shorthanded defense. I’ve updated it in the past few days by ponderating ice time so that third pairing defensemen are worth 14.6% of the total, second pairing 16.5%, and first pairing 19%, respectively. In that way, it shows the bigger (worse) impact of having Nick Leddy playing 20+minutes vs Dylan Coghlan playing 14 minutes.

Defenders who are projected to make the opening night lineup but have played less 20 NHL games (Sanderson, Harris, Barron, A. Vlasic, Power) are replacement level for the sake of the exercise.


1. (McAvoy, Lindholm, Carlo, Forbort, Grzelcyk, Reilly)

2. (Hanifin, Andersson, Weegar, Tanev, Kylington, Zadorov)

3. (Spurgeon, Brodin, Middleton, Kulikov, Merrill, Dumba)

4. (Heiskanen, Lindell, Miller, Suter, Hakanpaa, Harley)

5. (Giordano, Rielly, Brodie, Sandin, Liljegren, Muzzin)

6. (Girard, Makar, Johnson, Toews, Byram, Manson)

7. (Pulock, Dobson, Romanov, Pelech, Mayfield, Aho)

8. (Hamilton, Severson, Marino, Siegenthaler, Graves, Smith)

9. :kraken (Dunn, Larsson, Oleksiak, Soucy, Borgen, Schultz)

10. (Hedman, Foote, Cernak, Sergachev, Cole, Myers)

11. (Doughty, Walker, Edler, Roy, Anderson, Durzi)

12. (Slavin, Skjei, Pesce, Burns, Coghlan, Bear)

13. (Josi, McDonagh, Ekholm, Carrier, Lauzon, Fabbro)

14. (Lindgren, Trouba, Fox, Schneider, Hajek, Miller)

15. (S. Jones, Murphy, McCabe, C. Jones, Stillman, Vlasic)

16. (Zub, Chabot, Holden, Sanderson, Brannstrom, Hamonic)

17. (Karlsson, Vlasic, Ferraro, Nutivaara, Benning, Simek)

18. (Fehervary, Jensen, Orlov, Carlson, van Riemsdyk, Gustafsson)

19. (Petry, Letang, Pettersson, Dumoulin, Rutta, Smith)

20. (Ekblad, Montour, Staal, Carlsson, Gudas, Forsling)

21. (Matheson, Savard, Barron, Harris, Edmundson, Wideman)

22. (Sanheim, Ristolainen, Braun, DeAngelo, Provorov, York)

23. (Chychrun, Brown, Stecher, Nemeth, Mayo, Gostisbehere)

24. (Hughes, Myers, Burroughs, Ekman-Larsson, Schenn, Dermott)

25. (Chiarot, Hronek, Maatta, Seider, Walman, Lindstrom)

26. (Nurse, Barrie, Ceci, Kulak, Broberg, Bouchard)

27. (Werenski, Peeke, Gudbranson, Gavrikov, Bean, Boqvist)

28. (Lyubushkin, Jokiharju, Samuelsson, Power, Bryson, Dahlin)

29. (Faulk, Krug, Scandella, Mikkola, Leddy, Parayko)

30. (Theodore, Pietrangelo, Martinez, Whitecloud, McNabb, Hague)

31. (DeMelo, Morrissey, Pionk, Stanley, Schmidt, Dillon)

32. (Klingberg, Drysdale, Fowler, Shattenkirk, Vaakanainen, Benoit)

Top UFAs still unsigned

F
Patrice Bergeron
Phil Kessel
Evan Rodrigues
Sonny Milano
Paul Stastny
Sam Steel
Tyler Ennis
Johan Larsson
Sam Gagner
Jonathan Dahlen
Daniel Sprong
Derek Stepan
Alex Chiasson
Victor Rask
Tyler Motte
Evgeny Svechnikov
Alex Galchenyuk
Joe Thornton

D
PK Subban
Anton Stralman
Danny DeKeyser
Zdeno Chara
Keith Yandle
Calvin De Haan
Jack Johnson
Kris Russell
Michael Stone
Dennis Cholowski

G
Braden Holtby
Andrew Hammond
J-F Berube


Still a solid bunch left, potential for some good value two-way deals.

"TECHINCAL TEST" ?

bad typo, so obviously a fake?

I have no problem with new cover ideas; I just don't think Trevor Zegras is the "face of the new NHL"; certainly not on par with what Sarah Nurse is for the women's game.

Very cool.

Vegas at 30 was unexpected.