An ode to the defensive defenceman

Photo illustration by Daniel Carrero

By Francesco Cautillo

Growing up, every hockey player is faced with a decision which will impact their careers forever. “Where would you like to play?” They ask the kid who can barely decide what to have for breakfast that morning. Most say center, after watching highlights of Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid the night before. Others say winger, dreaming of records and goal tallies like Alex Ovechkin. The brave ones say goalie, to which the parents look into their wallets and pray it’s only a phase.

But the rest? They play defence. The ones who were too small or too scrawny to play goalie. Or those who take every opportunity as a defenceman to pinch up and join the forwards, in hopes of impressing a coach and perhaps moving up front. But then, through the mess of it all, there lies the few of the few. A dying breed. Those who live off the feeling of batting away an opposing puck, or rejoice in the sting of a blocked shot.

The defensive defenceman.

While names like Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque will go down as the best of the blue line, others go underrepresented. Rod Langway. Chris Chelios. Ken Daneyko. These are the names that drew fear from opposition forwards and gained from a reputation of lock-down defence and pure grit. 

But this niche category of player is rare when analyzing all hockey leagues, but minor levels in particular. How many of these players will actually make it to the show? And how might a loss of defensive power affect the game as a whole?

So, what killed this style of player?

The Norris trophy always stood as a symbol of what a defenseman should look like. But over the years it has gained a larger reputation for being given to the defenceman with the most overall points, rather than the biggest defensive impact. While this isn’t entire a bad thing—players like Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes deserve recognition for their achievements—it means players like Jaccob Slavin fly more under the radar as defencemen.

The NHL, and the game itself, has evolved into a more fast-paced and possession-oriented sport, with many teams preferring the “offensive defenceman” or “quarterback defenceman” for their teams. These are players like Makar, for example: they are confident with possession on the blue line, control the pace of play at both ends of the ice, and are able to pinch up and off-set opposing defenders.

Not only is this playstyle desired in the present game, but it’s on the rise. For the 2025 NHL Draft, Erie Otters defenceman Matthew Shaefer is projected to go first. Despite having his season cut short by injury at the World Juniors in December, he is still at the top of many draft lists with 22 points in only 17 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) games. The first defenceman picked in last year’s NHL Draft, Artyom Levshunov, had 35 points in 38 games in the National Collegiate Athletic Association in his draft year and was lauded for his mobility paired with his size at six-foot-two. Looking back on the past ten years, we’ve seen offensive defencemen like Miro Heiskanen and two of the Hughes brothers (Quinn and Luke) drafted in the top ten of their respective drafts. 

On the other hand, the dying breed of “shutdown defenders” are getting old. Yes, there are still some players like Radko Gudas or Jonas Brodin. However, all these players are approaching or well past their thirties, signaling a shift into a role as a “veteran defender.”

Comparison

Nowadays, in a more fast-paced game, defencemen are seen as an extension of the offence. If you were to ask any one who the best defenseman in the league is, odds are that they’ll bring up Makar. And rightfully so. He has a Norris trophy, is currently leading Colorado and the National Hockey League (NHL) in points as a defenseman, and at only 26 years old, he already has his name on Lord Stanley.

But if you ask me, the answer is Jaccob Slavin. The Colorado native is in the 94th percentile of playing time in the defensive zone, spending only 36.6 per cent of his time there according to NHL Edge, compared to the league average of 40.3 per cent. Comparing him to Makar, the most noticeable difference is in points. But when analyzing a defenseman, another thing I look at is a player’s plus-minus. It doesn't matter how many points you put up if you’re allowing the same amount on your end of the ice. Now, Makar does have the better of this stat, leading Slavin +28 to +16, but considering he is contributing three times the amount of points as Slavin, you would think that the Avalanche’s star defenceman would have a bigger advantage than a measly 12 plus-minus.

I know, I know. Even with all this talk, the argument that Makar is better on paper still holds a lot of water. Even so, Slavin has something that can’t be measured by even the most specific stat book—his defensive awareness.

In the Four Nations Face-Off, both games between the United States (USA) and Canada were decided by a tight defensive battle. In these two games, Slavin’s defensive impact was immense as he was able to control an all-star roster of Canadian forwards. Despite anxiously awaiting a Canada goal, Slavin was noticeable with the little things from a stick lift in front of the net to how he uses his body to angle off forwards and minimize threats. In one analysis, Along The Ice Hockey dove into Slavin’s playstyle, providing an interesting breakdown for coaches or intrigued players.

Why this player is needed (a Maple Leafs and Penguins case study)

We live in a world where many coaches have taken on a doctrine of “Offence is the best defence”. Well, I can assure you that though that may seem true, the truth is “Defence wins championships”. When we think of the 2017 St. Louis Blues, or the 2023 Las Vegas Golden Knights, we think champions, as well as emerging goaltenders who stepped in and secured a name for themselves. I will admit my respect to both Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill, who have both proved themselves as incredible goaltenders in crucial moments. However, I believe that if you put high-quality defensive defenders like Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko or Shea Theordore and Brayden McNabb in front of them, any goaltender will look amazing.

This is something that I’ve learned from my father, who is a die-hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Leafs fans like him have argued this is the solution their team needs to get over this hump for years and now, they're taking a step. Let’s take the Leafs for example, who clearly have a severe offensive threat. Now in the second round of the playoffs, coach Craig Berube and general manager Brad Treliving have emphasized defence in front of  goaltender Anthony Stolarz all year. Banking on Stolarz flourishing under the protection of a defensive defenseman, Chris Tanev was a great addition, but it remains to be seen whether that will be enough depth to have that safety for Stolarz.

Otherwise, defensive defencemen can also aid their more dynamic offensive counterparts. For instance, when the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in the 2015-16 season, their most key defensive line revolved around the balanced pairing of Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin. Letang was always seen as an extension of the forwards like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, with Domoulin being preferred in defensive scenarios. Statistics from Hockey Reference show during that iconic playoff run,Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan had a clear prerogative making offensive and defensive decisions using these two players. Letang was preferred in offensive zone starts 59 per cent of the time. Additionally, when Letang was on the ice, the Penguins averaged 57.5 per cent possession. Now, his defensive counterpart Dumoulin averaged 52.9 defensive zone starts, compared to Letang’s 40.9 per cent. The Pens also had less possession when Dumoulin was on the ice, with 52.7 per cent. For most this seems a degrading stat, but in reality it shows that Sullivan trusts Dumoulin more when his team doesn’t have possession. The duality of the two players is emphasized in shooting stats, which shows when Letang was on the ice, the Penguins put up more shots on their opposition (758), but also gave up a scary amount as well (561). On the other hand, Dumoulin’s time on ice conveyed the Penguins shooting less (524), but also showed a significantly less number of shot attempts from the opposition (469). Any championship team requires balance in the roster, and the 2016 Penguins are a prime example of the role that defence plays on this balance.

What is the solution? If any? 

My proposition to the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) is to create a new award, reserved specifically for the best defensive defenseman. Since it feels like Norris always goes to the one with the most points, it seems fitting to create a separate award for those who go underappreciated. Nevertheless, if someone were to step up to this role (I don’t really see a player as of now who could), there would of course be a possibility of winning both awards if deserved.

This would create a higher demand for this fading style of player. It would allow players like Slavin, Brodin or Tanev to get the recognition they rightfully deserve and create a new market of defensive defenseman in the league, not only among bottom pairing players but the best of the best. Thus solidifying a place for all defensive defensemen in the future.

So…why the fuss?

Many times throughout my years of playing youth hockey, I was encouraged to move forward up the ice. As a child, when my team was in the offensive zone, I would hang around near center ice because I was scared of allowing breakaways. My dad, although he loved watching me play defence, would always tell me to play winger because my experience on defence would complement my skills on forward. 

Yet, I never did make the change. Whether I was defending a two-on-one or defending an odd man rush, I was always comfortable as ever. I always formed a great connection with my goaltenders too, telling them “If I’m screening you, let me know. But I would rather step in front of a shot then give it the chance of going on net.”

So let this be a sign of encouragement for all young defensive defencemen remaining out there. Don’t let this game write us off, because you are the glue that holds championship teams together.