Top-four defensemen are at a premium these days, and teams that have suffered recent injuries, or whose cap restrictions prevented them from adding one in the offseason, have had to experiment with journeymen and rookies. These gambles have paid off perfectly in some cases, as with Jan Rutta of the Chicago Blackhawks, but most of these teams should start looking elsewhere.
Here are 10 of the most unexpected top-four deployments of 2017-18, how each one has worked out so far and the deployment each team should consider going forward, based on those early results.
Matt Tennyson, Buffalo Sabres
Injuries to Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges, Nathan Beaulieu and Rasmus Ristolainen have thrown Buffalo's blue line into disarray. To fill the holes, new coach (and Hall of Fame NHL defenseman) Phil Housley pressed journeyman stay-at-home defenseman Matt Tennyson into a second-pairing role. Prior to this season, Tennyson, who is 27, had averaged 13:42 minutes per game in 105 NHL contests in a depth role with San Jose and Carolina.
So far, the results have not been encouraging. At 5-on-5, the Sabres have been outscored 19-7 with Tennyson on the ice. Housley has tried Tennyson with partners like Marco Scandella, Beaulieu and Jake McCabe, and has already started to experiment with fellow stay-at-home journeyman Justin Falk, who is 29, on the top pair with Scandella. It's only a matter of time before he abandons the Tennyson experiment altogether, and considers someone like Taylor Fedun, Zach Redmond, Viktor Antipin or prospect Brendan Guhle for a top-four role instead.
Looking ahead: Injuries or not, this experiment is likely to end soon.
Jan Rutta, Chicago Blackhawks
With cap-imposed restrictions leading to limited blue-line options, coach Joel Quenneville chose to deploy first-time NHLer Jan Rutta, 27, on Chicago's second pair.
At first, Rutta played with Gustav Forsling, 21, who had 38 games of prior NHL experience, but once Quenneville split up Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, Rutta has played with the latter. Regardless of his partner, Rutta has filled this new role quite capably.
At 5-on-5, Chicago has outscored its opponents 12-8 with Rutta on the ice, which ranks second among the team's defensemen to Michal Kempny, at 10-3. Rutta has also been effective on the penalty kill, where his average of 2:47 per night ranks second to Keith, with 3:23, and his offensive upside has been demonstrated by his five points, which is tied for second among Hawks defensemen behind Keith, with eight.
Looking ahead: Rutta was a very shrewd top-four addition to a cap-strapped team and should remain in the quartet.
Patrik Nemeth, Colorado Avalanche
Very few people took notice when Colorado selected depth defenseman Patrik Nemeth off waivers from the Dallas Stars on Oct. 3. Little did anybody know that he would be used on the team's second pair with Tyson Barrie and that they'd combine for 20 points through the team's first 14 games.
In reality, Nemeth is a defensive specialist, and his offensive upside is capped at a previous career average of 0.13 points per game in the NHL, and 0.27 in the AHL. In the long run, he will be more helpful killing penalties, where his average of 3:11 per game ranks second among the team's defensemen to Erik Johnson, with 3:45.
Statistically, Nemeth's shot-based metrics are cause for some concern, with a Corsi for percentage of 42.6 that ranks seventh among the team's eight defensemen, according to the data compiled at Natural Stat Trick.
Looking ahead: Nemeth's performance will gradually fade, and he'll settle back into a third-pair role.
Victor Mete, Montreal Canadiens
Initially, 5-foot-9 rookie Victor Mete, 19, won the linemate lottery and enjoyed an immediate opportunity to play on Montreal's top pair alongside the legendary Shea Weber.
Despite an obvious talent for handling the puck and transitioning the play up the ice, Mete has only two points and has occasionally struggled defensively against some of the tougher matchups. The Habs have also been outscored 13-9 at 5-on-5 during his time on ice. As such, he may have already lost his spot on Montreal's top pair in favor of one of the team's more veteran players, like Jordie Benn.
Looking ahead: It's only a matter of time before a skilled player like Mete gets another top-four opportunity.
Steven Santini, New Jersey Devils
New Jersey's youth movement can be clearly observed on a blue line that includes Santini, Mirco Mueller and Will Butcher, all 22, and Damon Severson, 23. Together, they have pushed veteran options like Ben Lovejoy, 33, and Dalton Prout, 27, out of the lineup.
Of the four younger players, Butcher may be scoring the most points, but Santini, with his combined 59 games of professional experience in the AHL and NHL, has taken on the most prominent top-four role. He ranks second to captain Andy Greene in average even-strength ice time, with 16:48, and when killing penalties, at 3:58.
While the Devils have allowed only five goals at 5-on-5 with Santini on the ice, that may be because of the team's .954 on-ice save percentage in those circumstances. In terms of shot attempts, New Jersey is being outplayed 197-136 with Santini on the ice, for a Corsi for percentage of 40.8 that ranks last among the team's defensemen.
Looking ahead: While the enthusiasm in his potential is warranted, Santini's top-four promotion may be slightly premature.
Robert Hagg, Philadelphia Flyers
Since the Flyers don't have a depth of experienced NHL defensemen, it was always assumed that they would have a top-four opportunity available for one of its younger blueliners. The only surprise is that the role was filled by defensive specialist Hagg, 22, instead of a more highly touted prospect like Travis Sanheim, 21, or Samuel Morin, 22.
Nobody knows where the Flyers keep finding all of these great young defensemen, but Hagg started the season on the second pair with 2015-16 rookie sensation Shayne Gostisbehere, now 24, and has worked his way on to the top pair with 2016-17 breakout rookie Ivan Provorov, who is now 20. Some combination of these five defensemen could form the nucleus of the best top four in the coming seasons.
This season, the Flyers are outscoring their opponents 13-5 at 5-on-5 with Hagg on the ice, but some of that is because of a .960 on-ice save percentage. In terms of shot-based statistics, Hagg ranks last among Philadelphia's defensemen with a Corsi for percentage of 44.0.
Looking ahead: Once the minor injury bugs are sorted out, Hagg may be moved down the depth chart.
Joakim Ryan, San Jose Sharks
Initially starting the season with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL, Ryan was called up to the Sharks to replace veteran Paul Martin, who needs more time to recover from offseason ankle surgery.
Rather than replacing Martin on the top pair with veteran Brenden Dillon, Ryan was immediately paired up with last season's Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns. Despite both being offensive specialists, the pair has struggled to get on the scoreboard, and the Sharks have been outscored 5-1 at 5-on-5 with Ryan on the ice during the past 11 games. However, the duo's shot-based metrics have been strong.
Looking ahead: Ryan will likely return to the AHL upon Paul Martin's return.
Carl Gunnarsson, St. Louis Blues
Between 2009-10 and 2013-14, Gunnarsson handled most of the tough minutes on Toronto's blue line. Since being acquired by the Blues in 2014-15, Gunnarsson was gradually transitioned into a depth role. In 2016-17, he averaged just 13:36 minutes per game and was a healthy scratch on several occasions.
With the loss of Kevin Shattenkirk to a late-season trade in 2016-17, and with Jay Bouwmeester's preseason ankle injury, the Blues required two players to step up into a top-four role alongside Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko this season. Coach Mike Yeo selected Gunnarsson and Joel Edmundson. The results? They are the only two Blues defensemen with Corsi for percentages below 50 percent, at 43.6 and 49.7, respectively.
Given that the Blues have outscored their opponents 10-4 with Gunnarsson on the ice at 5-on-5, and that he is just one goal shy of his single-season career high of four goals, there's no reason to shuffle the deck just yet -- especially since journeymen Robert Bortuzzo and Nate Prosser are next up on the depth chart. Gunnarsson has played a top-four role before, and he may be able to hold the fort a little while longer.
Looking ahead: Until Bouwmeester returns, the Blues are without any superior options.
Nate Schmidt, Vegas Golden Knights
Not a lot of top-four defensemen were made available in the NHL expansion draft, and what few Vegas GM George McPhee selected were quickly dealt elsewhere, like Marc Methot to the Dallas Stars and Alexei Emelin to the Nashville Predators. Someone was going to get a big jump in playing time.
After various preseason experiments, coach Gerard Gallant selected Schmidt as the franchise's first No. 1 defenseman. In 2016-17, Schmidt averaged 15:29 minutes per game on Washington's third pair, and this season he's averaging 21:58 on Vegas's top pair, alongside Luca Sbisa.
Offensively, the results have been outstanding, with eight points in 13 games, while the Golden Knights outscored their opponents 10-7 when Schmidt has been on the ice at 5-on-5. However, his Corsi for percentage of 43.7 ranks last among the team's defensemen, except for his partner Sbisa, with 43.6.
Looking ahead: At times, Vegas looks like a dam that's about to burst, and the Schmidt-Sbisa pairing could be where it springs the first leak.
Madison Bowey, Washington Capitals
Faced with a cap crunch, the Capitals made some difficult decisions about which players to keep and how to affordably fill the balance of the roster around that core. When Matt Niskanen was placed on long-term injured reserve with a hand injury on Oct. 14, they were faced with another tough decision.
Ultimately, they chose to call up Madison Bowey from the AHL's Hershey Bears to play with Dmitry Orlov in the second pair. On the first pair, John Carlson has been double-shifting, with rookie Christian Djoos occasionally replacing Brooks Orpik.
Bowey has risen to the challenge, with four points in nine games and a Corsi for percentage of 48.7. That may not seem particularly exceptional, but it's far better than Washington's next two options -- Taylor Chorney, at 42.9, and Aaron Ness, at 42.6 -- and even Orpik, at 44.3.
Looking ahead: Bowey should be able to manage the role until Niskanen's return.