It’s a battle of attrition for a defense during a Stanley Cup run. Teams approach a seven-game series differently than a one-off during the season. The best defensemen are targeted. Pucks are dumped in their corner, and forwards take aim.
So you’d better have depth, because injuries are going to happen over the course of a long postseason run. And for guys who are already banged up entering the playoffs? That’s a major concern.
In ranking the best defenses in the postseason, depth, health and star power were all taken into account. As we did with the forwards earlier this week, let's go 1-16 for the blue-line groups:
1. There just isn’t a weak link on the Capitals. They have one of the best goalies in the game in Braden Holtby, they’re loaded up front and have an embarrassment of riches on defense with the addition of Kevin Shattenkirk.
Even Dmitry Orlov, who sat at times in the playoffs last season, made major strides and will be expected to make a postseason impact.
“He adds energy,” an NHL coach said. “He grew from that [playoff experience]. Now, I think he’s ready. He’s ready for this. He adds youth and energy to guys like Karl Alzner and John Carlson.”
That Nate Schmidt can’t find more ice time shows you just how deep this defense is. It’s all there for the Capitals this season.
2. This defense is loaded. P.K. Subban is P.K. Subban, one of the most dynamic defensemen in the league. Roman Josi was No. 5 on my Norris Trophy ballot. It’s a one-two punch that is tops in the league.
It’s crazy to think this defense has lost Shea Weber, Ryan Suter and Seth Jones -- three defensemen making huge contributions for other teams this postseason -- and can still boast a top defense.
That said, losing those players still left a mark. Mattias Ekholm is a really good defenseman, but he’s not of that high-end caliber.
“I like him, but he’s not Weber,” an NHL scout said. "He’s not Suter. He’s not Seth Jones. He can come in after those guys."
And, fair or not, there are still plenty of people who question whether a Subban-led defense can win a Stanley Cup.
3. Overlooked in the successful hiring of Bruce Boudreau and the rejuvenation of Eric Staal has been a defense in Minnesota that is quietly the most lethal part of the Wild’s success. Ryan Suter quietly does everything well, and the way one coach described his frustrations in playing the Wild says everything you need to know about the rest of the group.
“You can’t get to their net,” the coach said. “Their defense, although not physical, is really mobile, really smart and really good with the puck.”
Suter had another strong season, and his game would probably get more appreciation on a bigger stage if the Wild can have a postseason breakthrough.
“Suter doesn’t break a sweat,” the coach said. “He plays 29 minutes [per game]. ... Sometimes the best play is kissing the glass and getting the puck out. He pitches it out, flips it off the glass, makes a simple pass. When he needs to make a play, he makes it. Doesn’t even sweat.”
4. GM Bob Murray resisted the temptation to invade his depth on defense in the search for more scoring at the deadline, and the payoff could pay off in the playoffs, where the Ducks will start without Cam Fowler.
Anaheim has capable replacements, but Fowler was having a big season, and those minutes won’t be easy to replace.
“That’s a really big shift,” the scout said. “That’s 25 minutes the coach has to worry about that they didn’t have to worry about. They have capable guys to take that ice time, but they don’t have the trust like [Fowler] had. It’s going to be a bigger adjustment for the coach than the team.”
5. The big story to watch with the Sharks is the health of Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. But it was definitely noticed that the play of Brent Burns fell off a bit down the stretch. He still turned in a season that earned him a No. 1 spot on my Norris ballot ahead of Erik Karlsson, but he wasn’t great in the final few weeks of the season.
“He tapered off at the end of the year,” one Eastern Conference head coach said. “It’s hard to be good when the team struggles. So much of what they do goes through him, it’s unbelievable.”
This coach especially appreciated Burns’ ability to quickly get the puck off the wall and get a shot off before anyone can quite adjust.
“And he’s shooting diagonally wide to allow the high tip from [Joe] Pavelski,” the coach said. “It’s a set play. They’re the best in the league at it.”
6. In Ryan McDonagh, the Rangers have the high-end defensemen that teams need to make a long run. This season, he got help from a couple new regulars in Nick Holden and Brady Skjei who had strong seasons. Holden, especially, proved to be a crucial piece to the Rangers' defense.
“Holden had a terrific year,” a coach said. “He can play in any situation. He’s mobile, physical -- he’s not going to run people through the glass, but he’s a good open-ice hitter. He plays through his man and has great timing offensively, joining the rush.”
Dan Girardi has slowed down, but he was fifth among Rangers defensemen in ice time and the addition of Brendan Smith at the deadline gave Alain Vigneault another option who can play 20-plus minutes per night.
7. On paper, it looks like the Blackhawks have as deep a defense as they’ve had in years. Brian Campbell and Trevor van Riemsdyk certainly aren’t a bad third pairing, but the expectation from those around the league is that Joel Quenneville will once again lean hard on his horses in the playoffs.
“Adding [Johnny] Oduya helped,” one Western Conference coach said. “Now you have two pairs who can play a boatload of minutes. I’m not in love with their depth. I don’t think Campbell is the player he was. Their third pair is more of a skill pair.”
A Western Conference scout said Oduya was the perfect addition for Quenneville’s system come playoff time: “He’s a first-pass-only guy. He moves it, he does not want to carry it. ... He is exactly what their system requires.”
8. If you were critical of the Shea Weber trade, the hope for Montreal is that this is the time of year that trade makes its biggest impact. The Canadiens had a Stanley Cup in mind, and not far on the horizon, when dealing Subban for Weber.
“This is where it pays off,” one coach said. “He is a terrific player. When you say Shea Weber, you think of the slapshot, but there’s so much more to his game. He’s a mean [guy], and he plays hard. I like Subban a lot, but this guy, when you’re around the net, you’re going to get a stick to the chops. When he finishes you, he finishes you to hurt.”
No, that won’t be a lot of fun for the Rangers.
9. Even without Kevin Shattenkirk, the Blues' defense is one that stacks up favorably against other teams. Alex Pietrangelo's game found another gear after the Shattenkirk trade. In 19 games following the deal, Pietrangelo had 17 points and averaged 26:31 of ice time. He scored five power-play goals in that stretch.
He raised his game, and the Blues still have talented players around him.
“I love Pietrangelo,” one coach said. “And I love [Jay] Bouwmeester. I really like [Colton] Parayko.”
10. Zach Werenski's health is at the forefront here. If he’s effective and ready to go, this defense has the horses to beat the Penguins. But if not, that’s a major loss to overcome.
“He’s an elite player,” an Eastern Conference head coach said.
“The impact he had had on Columbus, taking a non-playoff team to the playoffs -- a lot of that is on Werenski’s shoulders,” another coach said. “But how healthy is he?”
That’s the big question.
Ryan Murray is out while recovering from a broken hand, raising the degree of difficulty even more for the Blue Jackets' defense. If everyone was 100 percent healthy on the Blue Jackets defense, this is a top-five group.
11. You can’t overstate the loss of Kris Letang to this defense, which knocks them down considerably on this list. One coach said he thought Letang should have won the Conn Smythe last year during the Penguins' Cup run, and there’s a strong case that supports the claim. The Penguins might win a series or two without Letang, but it’s hard to imagine them winning it all without such a key player on that defense.
“How do they play without Letang?” one GM asked. “That’s a different animal going into the playoffs.”
One veteran coach defended the Penguins' defense without Letang, suggesting they could find a way in the short term to survive.
“It’s two months of hockey you have to play, not six months,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of veteran guys who will be hungry -- [Trevor] Daley, [Ron] Hainsey, [Mark] Streit -- they want to win. They have veteran guys hungry as hell. If the group is healthy except for Letang, they might be better than they were last year.”
12. Calgary Flames
Dougie Hamilton's game blossomed when paired with Mark Giordano this season, and he set career highs in points (50) and goals (13). Those days where there was talk he might get traded seem like a long time ago.
“Having Giordano as a partner for him is huge. You can look at the other defensemen and look at what happens when they play with him and it’s monumental,” a scout said. “He falls into that category.”
The addition of Michael Stone has paid off for GM Brad Treliving. With Stone in the lineup, the Flames went 13-6.
13. Boston Bruins
Different teams find different motivations to dig deep during a potential playoff run, and the fact this could be Zdeno Chara's last real shot to win a Stanley Cup should light a fire under his teammates. Chara is 40, still played more than 23 minutes per game this season and remains a major presence on the Bruins' blue line. That won’t last forever.
“I like the way the Bruins play,” a Western Conference coach said. “But this is their last kick at it.”
The Bruins are downgraded on this list because of injury concerns, with Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo expected to miss the start of the playoffs, according to ESPN.com’s Joe McDonald. It’s a luxury for the Bruins that they can plug in the talented Charlie McAvoy, but it’s asking a lot for a rookie defensemen to come in and play big minutes in the playoffs.
14. Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers' defense is usually pretty far down the list of anything anyone wants to talk about with this team. Connor McDavid gets the headlines. Cam Talbot generated enough conversation for being underrated that he ended up being properly rated.
But their defense? It was considerably better than in years past. They still don’t have that bona fide No. 1 defenseman you want in a Stanley Cup contender, but this defense is capable.
Oscar Klefbom turned in a great campaign and validated some of the whispers you heard from Edmonton suggesting the impact of his loss last season wasn’t appreciated.
“He had a better year than I expected,” a Western scout said. “He’s been more of a factor in the game. He’s been a contributing part of that team. I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to do that. He’s got some softer tendencies that he seemed to get past.”
15. The defense was a real concern heading into this season, with a majority of the Maple Leafs' best young players at forward. But the addition of Nikita Zaitsev proved to be a big one for GM Lou Lamoriello. Zaitsev and Morgan Rielly aren’t a high-end top pair, but it’s not bad for a developing team.
Roman Polak gives the Leafs some bite to compete against some of the Capitals' big forwards, but there are certainly speed concerns there. Last year with San Jose, his ice time dropped about two minutes per game as he was used more selectively by Sharks coach Pete DeBoer. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Mike Babcock do the same.
“Babs is a good coach,” one NHL GM said. “Especially in the playoffs. The Leafs might push [the Capitals].”
16. Ottawa Senators
Injuries crushed this defense down the stretch with Cody Ceci, Marc Methot and Erik Karlsson all missing time in crucial games. Karlsson is back, but there are major questions about how effective he can be. The Senators' success rests on his shoulders, so if he’s not playing at his normal high standard, the Senators don’t have a shot.
“He’s the straw that stirs the drink,” one coach said of Karlsson. “They said he’s going to be ready for the playoffs, but that’s a big if.”
If Karlsson and the others were healthy, we’d move the Senators up this list considerably, but injuries push Ottawa to the bottom.