It’s time for the newest addition of our league-wide positional rankings just in time for the 2024–25 season. Last week we covered the centre position, this week we’ll be looking at the blueline.
Having a stable blueline is a must for any team with Stanley Cup aspirations, and some teams clearly rise above the rest when it comes to the depth on defence.
1. Vegas Golden Knights
Depth chart: Shea Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo, Noah Hanifin, Nicolas Hague, Brayden McNabb, Zach Whitecloud
By adding Noah Hanifin to their blueline at the end of last season, the Golden Knights now have what looks to be the best blueline in the entire NHL. No team in the league can match a top three of Theodore, Hanifin, and Pietrangelo, all of whom grade out as top-pairing defenders. Theodore in particular is one of the top 15–20 blueliners in the world. Add in some solid depth in Hague, McNabb, and Whitecloud, and Vegas’ backbone is clearly its blueline.
2. Carolina Hurricanes
Depth chart: Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov, Sean Walker, Shayne Gostisbehere, Jalen Chatfield
Despite losing important pieces in the offseason, the Hurricanes still have one of the best bluelines in the league thanks to some solid free agent adds. The headliner is Jaccob Slavin, who operates as the best pure shutdown defender in the world. Burns meanwhile continues to chug along as a top-pairing offensive option, and Orlov is a great option as your number three. Past the top of the group, newcomers Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere bring some added depth. Most teams have at least one at or below replacement-level player on their blueline, the Hurricanes don’t have any.
3. Colorado Avalanche
Depth chart: Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Samuel Girard, Josh Manson, Calvin De Haan, Sam Malinski
Even in a down year, Cale Makar remained the very best defenceman in the world. His presence alone boosts Colorado up these rankings, but the addition of another number one in Toews gives the Avalanche the best top pairing in the NHL. The talent naturally drops off quite a bit after those two, but you can do a whole lot worse than Girard and Manson as a second pairing. All said, anytime you can trot out the best pairing in the NHL, you’re gonna rank high on lists like these.
4. Boston Bruins
Depth chart: Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Brandon Carlo, Nikita Zadorov, Mason Lohrei, Andrew Peeke
Charlie McAvoy leads the Bruins’ strong blueline. The 26-year-old continues to fly under the radar as a top-10 defender in the league. Lindholm is perfectly suited in the number two role here, and Carlo is the number three. Newcomer Zadorov adds an interesting skillset to the blueline even if he’s overpaid, but the big newcomer is top prospect Mason Lohrei. The talented rookie looked real solid in the playoffs last year and the Bruins are hoping he can take another step this year.
5. Edmonton Oilers
Depth chart: Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Ty Emberson, Brett Kulak, Troy Stecher
Led by superstar Evan Bouchard, the Oilers have a solid group on defence from top to bottom after some shrewd offseason moves. Bouchard went from playoff scapegoat to elite number one this past season and he still has room to grow. Ekholm meanwhile has been the picture-perfect veteran top-pairing add for the Oilers, and although Nurse is massively overpaid, he’s still a good second-pairing defender. Moving out Cody Cedi for the underrated Ty Emberson gives the Oilers one of the better top fours in the league. Kulak and Stecher are also decent third-pairing options.
6. New York Rangers
Depth chart: Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Jacob Trouba, Zac Jones, Braden Schneider
If there’s anyone who could bump Makar off the throne as the league’s best overall defenceman, it’s Adam Fox. The 26-year-old leads the way on a solid Rangers blueline. Fox gets the headlines, but K’Andre Miller quietly played like a top-pairing defender last season and is a great option as a number two. Lindgren and Trouba are both big, defensive specialists who help round out the top four, but neither are anything special and both had rough 2023–24 seasons. The Rangers have to hope one of their young guys in Jones or Schneider can take a leap this year and bump the veteran Trouba down the lineup.
7. New Jersey Devils
Depth chart: Dougie Hamilton, Brent Pesce, Luke Hughes, Jonas Siegenthaler, Brenden Dillon, Simon Nemec
Perhaps no blueline in the league carries as much raw talent as the Devils. When healthy, their top six is absolutely loaded with skill. It’s easy to forget that just two years ago Dougie Hamilton looked like an elite number one. His age coming off a major injury is cause for concern though. The addition of Pesce meanwhile was a big one to add some more defensive prowess to the blueline. The big story is Hughes and Nemec, two top-five picks who have top-pairing potential. If one or even both can take another step this year, look out.
8. Dallas Stars
Depth chart: Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell, Matt Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin, Nils Lundkvist
It’s a tale of two very different stories for the Stars blueline. The top of the group is among the best in the league. Miro Heiskanen is a franchise number one among the best in the world, Thomas Harley is already a top pairing defender at 22, and Esa Lindell is one of the better shutdown defenders in the league. After that though, it gets ugly. Newcomer Dumba was dreadful last season in Arizona, and Lyubushkin and Lundkvist aren’t much better. The top of the group will have to carry the Stars in a big way.
9. Nashville Predators
Depth chart: Roman Josi, Brady Skjei, Jeremy Lauzon, Dante Fabbro Alexandre Carrier, Luke Schenn
The addition of another top-pairing defender in Brady Skjei during free agency gives the Predators a much more well-rounded group going into 2024–25, and one that isn’t completely floated by Josi. With that said, Josi is still the only needle mover on this blueline. He remains a top-10 defenceman in the league and one of the best point producers from the blueline. Carrier is a solid defence-first second-pairing option, but this ranking is all about the top pair.
10. Minnesota Wild
Depth chart: Jared Spurgeon, Brock Faber, Jonis Brodin, Jacob Middleton, Declan Chisholm, Zach Bogosian
Much like the Stars, the Wild are heavily carried by their strong group at the top. Both Spurgeon and Brodin remain solid top-pairing defenders even as they play into their 30s, but the big story is Faber. The rookie was a revelation last year and many believe he’s on his way to superstardom as one of the best defenders in the NHL. After those three though, the fall-off is dramatic with three replacement-level players and keeps the Wild from ranking higher on this list.
11. Buffalo Sabres
Depth chart: Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, Henri Jokiharju, Mattias Samuelsson, Connor Clifton
No team carries as much draft pedigree on their blueline as the Sabres. Two first-overall picks and one fourth-overall pick will do that. Still, though, it feels like the Sabres have so much more to give on defence. Dahlin remains a true number one, but he did take a step back last year. Power meanwhile has not yet fully come into his own, but with a step this year, the Sabres would rank a lot higher with two high-end number one’s on the roster. Byram meanwhile is still looking to break out, and at this point, it’s no longer a case of when, but if that ever happens.
12. Pittsburgh Penguins
Depth chart: Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Matt Grzelcyk, Ryan Graves, Marcus Pettersson, Jack St. Ivant
How much longer can this Penguins aging blueline stay afloat? For now, they remain in the upper half of the league due to their veteran duo up top. The Karlsson add wasn’t a complete disaster last year, but it definitely didn’t go as planned. Now at 34, Karlsson is no longer a high-end number one option in the NHL but he can still rack up points. The same goes for Letang who is now 37 and is not the offensive dynamo he once was, but still a decent number two. Pettersson also deserves some recognition as an underrated two-way gem.
13. Seattle Kraken
Depth chart: Vince Dunn, Adam Larsson, Brandon Montour, Jamie Oleksiak, Will Borgen, Ryker Evans
The Kraken spent a boatload of money this summer to add Brandon Montour, and for now, that should give them one of the better bluelines in the league. Montour is flawed, but he’s still a solid number two defenceman. The big name here is Dunn who has developed into a true number one in Seattle and leads the way. Larsson and Oleksiak offer some solid support as well to round out a good top-four. Ryker Evans meanwhile is an intriguing prospect who will be making his full-season debut this year.
14. New York Islanders
Depth chart: Noah Dobson, Alex Romanov, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Mike Reilly, Scott Mayfield
Noah Dobson’s breakout 2023–24 season with 70 points established the 24-year-old among the game’s best defenders and a high-end number one. He’s the clear and only standout piece on the Islanders’ blueline, but this is a solid group. Pelech and Pulock remain stout defenders and a perfect shutdown second pairing. Mayfield and Romanov meanwhile round out what is a strong top five but one that lacks any elite talent past Dobson.
15. Tampa Bay Lightning
Depth chart: Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, J.J. Moser, Erik Cernak, Darren Raddysh, Nick Perbix
The Lightning went out and brought in two top-four defenders this offseason in J.J. Moser and Ryan McDonagh, which should keep their blueline afloat for another year. Hedman is no longer the elite Norris candidate he once was, but he’s still a solid number one. McDonagh is aging but still incredibly effective on defence. The rest of the group in Cernak, Moser and Perbix are a solid supporting cast to insulate the top dogs even if there’s nothing super interesting there.
16. Toronto Maple Leafs
Depth chart: Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Simon Benoit, Connor Timmins
The Maple Leafs went out and added two veteran defencemen in free agency in Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Tanev in particular is a picture-perfect add and will be a great complement to Rielly on the top pairing. Rielly is what he is at this point, an elite point producer who gives up a lot defensively, so Tanev should help to improve his game. McCabe is a strong number three, but the Leafs are really lacking any high-end top-pairing defenders in this group.
17. Washington Capitals
Depth chart: John Carlson, Matt Roy, Jakob Chychrun, Martin Fehervary, Rasmus Sandin, Trevor Van-Riemsdyk
The Capitals completely overhauled their blueline this offseason and it’s helped them rise up these rankings since last year. Carlson is no longer a surefire number one defenceman, but he’s not far off and can still rack up a lot of points. Newcomer Roy meanwhile is arguably the most underrated defenceman in the NHL and is a legitimate top pairing shutdown defender and a huge addition. Chychrun meanwhile is incredibly flawed but he can chip in points. Having Sandin, Fehervary and Van-Riemdsyk rounding out your group is perfectly fine as well.
18. Florida Panthers
Depth chart: Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad, Niko Mikkola, Adam Boqvist, Nate Schmidt, Uvis Balinskis
After winning the Stanley Cup last season, the Panthers blueline was raided in the offseason, but they remain in the upper half of the league when it comes to blueline strength. Forsling is no longer a secret and is a locked-in number one who will carry the load, allowing Aaron Ekblad to settle into his role as a number two which should suit him perfectly. After that though it gets dicey. The Panthers are taking a big bet on Adam Boqvist in the hopes he can find some of that form that once made him a top draft pick. The rest of the group can stay afloat but isn’t special.
19. L.A. Kings
Depth chart: Drew Doughty, Mikey Anderson, Jordan Spence, Vlad Gavrikov, Brandt Clarke, Joel Edmundson
Drew Doughty is expected to return this season, so we’ll include him in the Kings group. Even with Doughty, there’s a lot of question marks for the Kings. Losing the underrated Roy was a big loss, and there’s no obvious replacement right now. Spence and Clarke both carry lots of potential, but neither is tested in the NHL and there’s a ton of uncertainty there. Gavrikov and Anderson are decent defence first pieces, but the Kings really need one of their young guys to take a big leap this year.
20. Vancouver Canucks
Depth chart: Quinn Hughes, Filip Hronek, Carson Soucy, Tyler Myers, Derek Forbort, Vincent Desharnais
It’s the Quinn Hughes show in Vancouver once again this year. The Canucks group is completely reliant on the reigning Norris winner to have another huge season as a top-three defender in the league. If not, things could get ugly. Hronek is a good complement on the top pair, but his numbers were almost certainly inflated last year and on many top teams he’d be on the second pairing. Soucy and Desharnais bring good defensive impacts, but man this group is boring behind Hughes.
21. Utah Hockey Club
Depth chart: Mikhail Sergachev, Sean Durzi, John Marino, Juuso Valimaki, Michael Kesselring, Ian Cole
The Utah HC made a note to improve their blueline this offseason by bringing in Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino. Sergachev immediately becomes their best defenceman by a wide margin and the only true top-pairing option on the team. With that said the supporting cast isn’t bad, it’s just lacking any high-end support for Sergachev. Durzi, Marino and Valimaki are all okay defenders, but there is just nothing special at all in that group. Utah desperately needs another high-end defender at some point.
22. Winnipeg Jets
Depth chart: Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo, Neal Pionk, Dylan Samberg, Colin Miller, Logan Stanley
Josh Morrissey’s career turnaround has been huge for the Jets who now have a locked-in number one defenceman. DeMelo meanwhile is incredibly underrated in his own right and a perfect defence-first partner for Morrissey. It’s after the Jets’ great top pair that the issues start. Pionk and Samberg are both average at best on the second pairing and the options on the third pair don’t get much better. The Jets’ top pairing is great, everything else is not.
23. Ottawa Senators
Depth chart: Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub, Thomas Chabot, Nick Jensen, Tyler Kleven, Travis Hamonic
It certainly didn’t take long for Sanderson to turn into the Senators’ number one option on the blueline. The 22-year-old is already an average number-one and should in no time move into the top tier of number-one defenders across the league. The issues start after him. Chabot has fallen off a cliff in recent years and at this point is just an offensive specialist number two at best. After the top two, it gets even more dicey. Zub is a good defensive defender but there’s nothing else of note here.
24. Detroit Red Wings
Depth chart: Moritz Seider, Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry, Simon Edvinsson, Olli Maatta, Erik Gustafsson
Despite the Yzerplan, the Red Wings are really lacking defensively. Moritz Seider is a star and should only continue to get better, but after him the talent drop-off is frightening. Jeff Petry is 37 and should not be playing higher than a third pair, ditto for Ben Chiarot. Maatta provides some decent defensive metrics but he’s nothing more than a number four or five on a playoff team. The big wild card is rookie Edvinsson who has real top pairing potential, but he’s yet to play a full season in the NHL. The Red Wings desperately need their top pick to get there sooner rather than later cause things aren’t looking great right now.
25. Calgary Flames
Depth chart: MacKenzie Weegar, Rasmus Andersson, Daniil Miromanov, Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean, Tyson Barrie
A year after going into 2023–24 with one of the deepest bluelines in the league, the Flames now rank near the bottom of the league with a barebones blueline. That’ll happen when you lose three of your top six defenders within one season and do nothing to replace them. MacKenzie Weegar is truly on an island for the Flames as the only elite defender on the roster. Coming off a gigantic year, Weegar will have to do a ton of heavy lifting to keep this group afloat.
Andersson fits nicely as a number two and a defender who is capable of 45 points, but that’s about all there is going for this group. Bahl and Miromanov are interesting reclamation projects, but on any good team, they’re your third pair at best. Bean and Barrie meanwhile are barely even NHL players.
26. St. Louis Blue
Depth chart: Colton Parayko, Nick Leddy, Justin Faulk, Philip Broberg, Ryan Suter, Matthew Kessel
The Blues shook up their blueline this offseason, but it likely won’t amount to much. The group is chock-full of decent support players, but there isn’t a single top-pairing defender on the roster. Parayko is the best of the bunch after a nice bounceback year, and Faulk remains a strong offensive contributor, but neither are worthy of top-pairing minutes. Broberg is the big wildcard here. The 2019 eighth-overall pick has plenty of talent and potential but has yet to show it in his career. If he can take a big step this year it’ll go a long way to helping the Blues.
27. Montreal Canadiens
Depth chart: Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, David Savard, Lane Hutson, Arber Xhekaj, Justin Barron
Can Lane Hutson save the Canadiens’ blueline? Maybe eventually, but not yet. The dynamic defender will make his rookie debut this year and while he does give the Canadiens a boost, he’ll still be just 20 years old and can’t be relied on as a saviour just yet. Both Guhle and Barron are defenders with a lot of potential but they’ll need to take a step this year to give the Canadiens a boost. Matheson remains an underrated option given the role he plays as the number one, but on any other team, he’s on the second pair. Still though, there’s a lot to like about this blueline, it’s just too early to rank them outside the bottom 10.
28. Columbus Blue Jackets
Depth chart: Zach Werenski, Damon Severson, Ivan Provorov, David Jiricek, Jordan Harris, Erik Gudbranson
Another year, another season with no supporting cast for Zach Werenski. The stud number one is very much on his own once again in Columbus with little to no support. On a different roster, Werenski would likely be recognized among the elite defenders in the game, but there’s only so much one can do in Columbus and with his injury history. Both of the Blue Jackets’ big veteran adds last year in Provorov and Severson failed to provide much support and are second-pairing options at best. The only hope is Jiricek and the newly acquired Harris can take a step this year.
29. Anaheim Ducks
Depth chart: Cam Fowler, Olen Zellweger, Radko Gudas, Pavel Mintyukov, Jackson Lacombe, Brian Dumoulin
Come back in a couple of years and the Ducks will rank much higher on this list. For now, though, their blueline looks pretty rough. Leading the way are two veterans in Fowler and Gudas who are both decent, but neither are top pairing calibre. Mintyukov showed some real flashes in his rookie season last year, but he’s still only 20 and has a lot more developing to do before we can consider him a top-pairing defender. Ditto for Zellweger who has a ton of talent but is still way too young to be counted on in a major role. This is very much a group in flux for a team looking to exit a rebuild soon.
30. Philadelphia Flyers
Depth chart: Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Nick Seeler, Rasmus Ristolainen, Egor Zamula
Cam York is the main man to focus on here. The 23-year-old played a ton of heavy minutes last year and has very real number-one potential, but he’s not there yet. Drysdale meanwhile has loads of talent but really struggled last year and looks like a shadow of the player that was picked sixth overall in 2020. The Flyers desperately need him to take a step. The Flyers do at least have two dependable vets in Sanheim and Seeler to help insulate their younger players, but neither move the needle much.
31. Chicago Blackhawks
Depth chart: Seth Jones, Alec Martinez, T.J. Brodie, Alex Vlasic, Connor Murphy, Nolan Allan
The Blackhawks went out and added two veterans in Martinez and Brodie this summer, and while that should help them, it doesn’t mean they don’t have one of the worst bluelines in the league once again. Jones is the only top-pairing calibre defender on this roster, but on any good team, he’s a number two or three. Brodie was awful last year in Toronto, and Martinez is well past his prime at this point so they won’t move the needle much. Vlasic however deserves a shoutout for putting up elite defensive metrics last year and developing into a strong shutdown defender.
32. San Jose Sharks
Depth chart: Mario Ferraro, Jan Rutta, Matt Benning, Jake Walman, Cody Cedi, Henry Thrun
Last and certainly least are the San Jose Sharks. The reigning lottery winners added a couple of veteran pieces this offseason but they still remain the worst blueline group in the league. There isn’t a single top-pairing player in this group. In fact, almost the entire blueline would be third-pairing options on a Cup contender. Walman was a nice low-cost pickup, but he’s not a needle mover by any means. Ferraro is a decent defender, but again he’s likely a number four on a strong team. This group has pretty much nothing going for it.
Boosted or busted on the blueline
Some teams have established great pairings from top to bottom for their defence corps, while others are hobbling away and hoping to find something that works. With how the NHL has shifted for more mobile defencemen, you can see how top teams have worked to find players who can complement each other to be active in all three zones. Meanwhile, other teams are still working on figuring it all out.
