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The NHL’s top 10 most underrated defensemen and why they’re so valuable
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 23: Jonas Brodin #25 of the Minnesota Wild skates against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on March 23, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
By Harman Dayal
Mar 28, 2023
258
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Who are the most underrated defensemen in the NHL?
It’s a topic bound to create ferocious debate because of its subjective nature. We have to inherently assume the way the hockey world rates every defenseman and then determine which players deserve a lot more recognition.
It’s a nearly impossible exercise but it’s worth going through because of how fun it is to shine a spotlight on high-end players who fly under the radar. We’re going to be cognizant of the Aleksander Barkov dynamic, which is to say that if a player has been unanimously dubbed as underrated for many years, he’s probably not underrated anymore. That means we’ll avoid names like Jaccob Slavin, Devon Toews and Adam Pelech, for example.
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Here’s my personal take on the 10 most underrated defensemen in the NHL, presented in no particular order.
Jonas Siegenthaler, New Jersey Devils
Two years ago, Jonas Siegenthaler couldn’t even crack the Washington Capitals lineup. He was behind Dmitry Orlov and Brenden Dillon on the left-side depth chart, and after the club signed Zdeno Chara to a one-year deal, it left Siegenthaler on the outside looking in. He appeared in just seven games during the shortened 2021 season until he was dealt to the Devils at the trade deadline.
From the moment he landed in New Jersey, Siegenthaler has emerged as one of the NHL’s premier shutdown defensemen. Over the last two seasons, Siegenthaler’s impact on lowering shot attempts and expected goals against both rank top-10 among NHL defensemen according to Evolving-Hockey’s RAPM model.
Sieganthaler’s steady, stay-at-home presence has been a perfect complement to Dougie Hamilton’s elite talent as an offensive rover. That fit is why New Jersey’s top pair has been one of the best in the NHL this season. The 6-foot-2 Swiss defender is exceptional at winning board battles, recovering loose pucks and can make a poised first pass. He defends the rush well, too. Here’s an example of him leveraging his mobility, reach and strength to eliminate a Connor McDavid rush.
The 25-year-old hasn’t been as dynamite recently as he was during the first 2-3 months of the season, but his overall track record with the Devils is glowing.
Brett Pesce, Carolina Hurricanes
The attention for Carolina’s blue line is always on Slavin and, by extension, whoever his partner is. All of that praise is deserved but it’s caused Brett Pesce’s strong value on the second pair to fly under the radar.
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Contrary to what you may believe, it’s Pesce’s pair that absorbs the toughest matchups on Carolina’s blue line. Last year, the 28-year-old right-shot player ranked ninth among all NHL defensemen in terms of how often he matched up against elite players according to PuckIQ.
D who played toughest mins last season
RANK PLAYER 5V5 TOI % AGAINST ELITE PLAYERS
1
Erik Cernak
43.3%
2
Darnell Nurse
41.7%
3
Drew Doughty
40.9%
4
Charlie McAvoy
40.7%
5
Mattias Samuelsson
40.4%
6
Jonas Siegenthaler
40.4%
7
Scott Mayfield
40.3%
8
Adam Pelech
40.2%
9
Brett Pesce
39.2%
10
Jamie Drysdale
38.8%
Despite handling difficult minutes, Pesce’s underlying numbers are dominant across the board and they’ve scored 11 goals more than they’ve allowed with him on the ice at five-on-five. Pesce and his partner Brady Skjei are usually first over the boards on Carolina’s penalty kill as well, which is second best in the league.
Pesce contributes in a lot of areas that help drive play, but one of his best assets is defending the rush. He has stellar numbers when it comes to preventing zone entries with control, breaking up neutral zone plays and preventing rush chances according to Corey Sznajder’s microdata tracking.
Pesce’s a surprisingly agile skater in tight spaces for a player who’s 6-3 and over 200 pounds. That helps him move pucks up the ice. In the clip below, watch how smoothly he changes direction to recover the loose puck, skate it up while fending off back pressure and then send a bank pass to spring a teammate for a rush.
Pesce’s chipped in with 58 five-on-five points since the 2021 season, which is tied for 36th among all NHL defensemen in that span.
Vince Dunn, Seattle Kraken
For years, Vince Dunn flashed the potential to be a high-end top-four driver but never lived up to the promise. He could crush sheltered third-pair duties in St. Louis, but he didn’t have the coaching staff’s trust and carried frustrating inconsistency, including a really rough 2021 campaign.
Then there were growing pains during his first season in Seattle. He was mediocre in second-pair usage, driving just 45.8 percent of expected goals, which ranked sixth among Kraken defensemen.
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Overnight, Dunn’s put it all together and started playing like a bona fide No. 1 defenseman. The 26-year-old has scored 60 points in 72 games, including the most five-on-five points of any defender besides Erik Karlsson.
The improvement spans far beyond his offensive explosion, however.
Dunn is averaging 23:48 per game which is three minutes more per game compared to last season. He’s also been asked to defend top lines which wasn’t the case before. Dunn’s taken a huge step in his two-way performance despite the significantly tougher usage, driving a 54.9 percent shot attempt share that leads all Seattle defensemen. With Dunn on the ice at five-on-five, the Kraken have outscored teams by a whopping 34 goals.
Dunn isn’t getting enough buzz for a player who’s dominating as the No. 1 on a team bound for the playoffs.
Jake Walman, Detroit Red Wings
Jake Walman looked like an afterthought as the third piece involved when the Red Wings shipped Nick Leddy to the Blues as a rental for a package that also returned a second-round pick and Oskar Sundqvist. Walman’s inability to crack the Blues’ weak left-side defense as an everyday contributor certainly wasn’t a ringing endorsement.
It turns out Steve Yzerman unearthed a diamond in the rough.
Walman was elevated into a top pairing role this season when Ben Chiarot initially struggled to mesh with Moritz Seider. He hasn’t looked back since. Walman boasts the strongest play-driving numbers of all Red Wings defenders this season, leading the team in five-on-five shot attempt share and expected goal differential despite facing some of the toughest matchups in the league. That territorial control has translated to a plus-10 goal differential at five-on-five.
Seider’s obviously the main driver of the pair but it isn’t a coincidence his game took off as soon as he was paired with Walman. Walman’s a sublime skater, competitive defensively and has cut down on the big mistakes that resulted in the perception of him as a high-risk player in years past.
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Below is an example of how he uses his standout skating to drive play.
He races back to deny a scoring chance, wins the physical battle to gain full possession and then wheels around the net to escape pressure and snap the puck up the ice.
Juuso Valimaki, Arizona Coyotes
Just six months ago, Juuso Valimaki was trending toward becoming a bust. Injuries hampered his development, he was poor in his brief NHL opportunities following his ACL tear and didn’t play well enough in training camp to win a job. He was waived and picked up by Arizona where he’s rebuilt his career.
Valimaki was effective as an everyday contributor and has completely taken off now that he’s become the Coyotes’ de facto No. 1 defenseman. Valimaki’s scored 19 points in his last 25 games while averaging a team-high 22:39. In this top-pair role, he’s driven a positive shot share and 52.1 percent of expected goals, both of which lead Coyotes defensemen by a significant margin. That’s translated to a plus-6 goal differential at five-on-five during the last 25 games.
All of that is impressive considering the lack of help around Valimaki. Nobody’s suggesting the 24-year-old is suddenly a proven top-pair defenseman — he would need to keep this up over a much larger sample to earn that label. But within one season, Valimaki has gone from being waiver fodder to scoring 31 points in 69 games and excelling in the last couple of months while being deployed like a No. 1 defenseman. It’s a remarkable bounce-back story that’s flown under the radar.
Gustav Forsling, Florida Panthers
Gustav Forsling has scored 17 five-on-five goals over the last two seasons, which is tied for seventh-best among all NHL defensemen. For reference, Cale Makar leads the group with only five extra goals. Forsling’s tied for 12th in five-on-five points during that span, which is just shy of names like Quinn Hughes, Shea Theodore, Dunn and Devon Toews.
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This season, Forsling leads all Panthers players in five-on-five ice time per game. He’s performed well in that workhorse role, controlling 55.9 percent of shot attempts and giving the Panthers a plus-13 goal differential when he’s stepped on the ice at five-on-five. Forsling’s skating and effectiveness jumping up in the play has been a unique fit in Florida.
Forsling’s probably being asked to do a bit too much on a thin Panthers blue line, and his value might not translate the same way on a team with an environment that’s less suited to his strengths, but he’s performing at a genuine top-pair level.
We also know he’s much more than just a product of Aaron Ekblad, who’s had a disappointing year. Forsling played some of his best hockey carrying the Panthers’ blue line alongside MacKenzie Weegar when Ekblad got hurt last season. This season, Forsling’s underlying numbers have actually improved in his minutes away from Ekblad.
Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild
Jonas Brodin is arguably the best shutdown defender in the entire sport. Over the last five seasons, Brodin’s five-on-five impact at limiting quality chances is the best of any active NHL defenseman who’s logged at least 1500 minutes according to Evolving-Hockey’s RAPM model.
Defensive impact leaders since 2018
RANK PLAYER XGA/60 IMPACT
1
Jonas Brodin
-0.21
2
Jonas Siegenthaler
-0.20
3
Chris Tanev
-0.19
4
Jared Spurgeon
-0.19
5
Adam Pelech
-0.18
6
MacKenzie Weegar
-0.18
7
Brandon Carlo
-0.17
8
Devon Toews
-0.16
9
Charlie McAvoy
-0.16
10
T.J. Brodie
-0.16
Elite mobility is the foundation of Brodin’s game, especially his backward skating which is unmatched around the league. It gives him the superpower of almost always being able to stay in front of speedy puck carriers, match their pace off the rush and kill plays.
On top of that, Brodin has elite defensive instincts. He’s a step ahead in anticipating plays which allows him to extinguish fires all over the defensive zone.
Here’s an example below. In this clip, Brodin makes a sharp read to recognize that his partner, Matt Dumba, probably won’t win the loose puck race. Brodin dashes all the way across, leveraging his elite skating to aggressively close the gap and reach with his stick to block a pass attempt into the slot. Then when the puck is dumped deep, Brodin turns sharply on his edges to evade the forecheck pressure and makes a poised pass into the middle to orchestrate a clean breakout.
You won’t see Brodin making highlight-reel plays but he consistently executes sequences like the one above that drive outstanding defensive results.
Nick Jensen, Washington Capitals
Nick Jensen exudes so many qualities you love to see in a modern second-pair defenseman.
He’s played the most minutes matched up against elite players of any Caps defender over the last couple of seasons according to PuckIQ. Jensen’s performed well in that arduous workload, helping the Capitals gain a modest edge in shot attempts and expected goals. Since last season, the Capitals have scored 25 goals more than they’ve allowed with Jensen deployed at five-on-five.
It’s a huge advantage for your team if you have a second-pair defender that can not only absorb the toughest matchups but decisively win them. It’s especially rare to find that type of second-pair impact from an affordable right-shot defenseman, which Jensen is.
Jensen drives these quality results because of his excellent skating ability. He and former partner Dmitry Orlov both had strong puck-moving numbers, but Corey Sznajder’s tracking this season indicates Jensen was the real workhorse at being the first man back to cleanly retrieve the puck in the defensive zone. That ability to transition the puck is why he’s consistently driven excellent defensive results — whether it be in terms of his shots, scoring chances or actual goals-against rates.
Mattias Samuelsson, Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are an elite offensive team, ranking third in the league behind Edmonton and Boston with 3.57 goals per game. They’ve faded from the playoff race because they lack quality defensive players. That’s put a spotlight on the importance of Mattias Samuelsson, their go-to rugged defensive defensemen, who’s been in and out of the lineup because of injuries.
Buffalo has a 28-16-4 record when Samuelsson’s played and a dismal 7-15-2 record when he’s been hurt.
Samuelsson is 6-4, 231 pounds and plays a throwback style with his physical nature. He’s also mobile which combined with his long reach and excellent stickwork makes him an excellent one-on-one defender. Watch how he effortlessly eliminates a Brayden Point rush.
Animated GIF
Here’s another example of a brilliant defensive stop against a puck carrier with speed.
Animated GIF
Samuelsson, 23, is going to be a crucial piece for the Sabres as a caddy for either Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power.
Mikey Anderson, Los Angeles Kings
It wasn’t too long ago that some looked at Drew Doughty and his $11 million cap hit through 2026-27 as one of the worst contracts in the NHL. Doughty deserves lots of credit for bouncing back over the last 2-3 years, but Anderson’s emergence as Doughty’s partner has been a pivotal force for the veteran’s resurgence, too.
Anderson, 23, is an elite shutdown defenseman. He skates well, employs fantastic body position, disrupts with his stick, can play an assertive physical style and blocks lots of shots. Anderson is the complete package in his own end. He’s allowed a controlled entry on just 41.2 percent of zone entry attempts against him according to Sznajder’s data, which leads the Kings and is one of the best marks in the NHL.
Anderson’s surrendered just 2.15 goals against per 60 minutes since the 2020-21 season, which ranks 35th out of the 233 defensemen who have logged at least 1,000 five-on-five minutes. The eight-year extension he signed at a $4.125 million cap hit already looks like a bargain.
All stats collected on Mar 25. Stats courtesy Natural Stat Trick, PuckIQ, Corey Sznajder’s tracking and Hockey-Reference
(Top photo of Jonas Brodin: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
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Harman Dayal is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Vancouver Canucks. He combines NHL video and data analysis and tracks microstats as part of his coverage. Follow Harman on Twitter @harmandayal2
258 COMMENTS
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Lumberjack W.
· Tue
Jonas Brodin and Spurgey are the heart of what have allowed the Wild to thrive on mediocre goaltending, this last half decade especially.
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Brad J.
· Tue
If the Wilds top 6 D stay healthy, this could be an amazing run this year. Throw in a healthy Dumba and an underrated Middleton and I'll take our top 4 against anyone. Just keep Merrill in the rafters
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Todd S.
· Tue
The Wild have had amazing goaltending this year.
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Lumberjack W.
· Tue
I'm super encouraged that for the first time in a while, brods was out with that injury and we still won (though we had to score a lot to make it happen).
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Dale P.
· Tue
Let's keep it our little secret here in Minnesota. The national writers still think the Wild don't deserve to make the playoffs. (You can bet they will pick against Minnesota in every round)...
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Ian F.
· Tue
@Dale P. Wild fan here. I would also pick against them v. COL, and think it's a coin flip v. DAL.
National writers pick against the Wild more often than not because they pay far more attention to other teams than most Wild fans do. But that's Minnesota sports for you.
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Sean T.
· Tue
@Brad J. Kings fan here, the Wild are absolutely loaded at D, current squad and in their prospect pool. I can’t wait to see what Brock Faber does in Minnesota, myself and a lot of Kings fans were really sad to see him a part of the Fiala trade.
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Zak K.
· Tue
@Sean T. You guys enjoy Fiala down there he’s a treat.
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Tom B.
· Tue
Wild fans were sad to see Fiala go, especially before Boldy got on his hot streak recently, but the economics didn't allow it. That being said, it was still worth every penny to purge 11 and 20 from the dressing room. The Wild have been far more of a cohesive unit since their departure. Just sucked to lose Fiala in the process.
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Denis G.
· Tue
@Dale P. As a Leafs fan, I agree that your team is underrated. Down Goes Brown didn’t mention Minney as a contender (nor the Leafs, Kings, Rangers!).
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Jimmy N.
· Tue
@L Jack.. the Wild have been thriving!? I guess the bar is pretty low when it comes to MN sports teams.
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Keith H.
· Tue
Well the Wild are leading the Central...
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Chase B.
· Tue
@Jimmy N. 20-1-4, hottest team in the league brosef
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Steve C.
· Wed
@Ian F. I believe the Wild were picked by the national writers last season to win the first round of the playoffs.
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Grady M.
· Tue
I have the "Real Men of Genius" Bud commercial playing in my head - "Today we salute you - Mr. Underrated Shutdown Defensive Defense guy..."
Very, Very enjoyable read, highlighting critical yet unheralded play. Awesome vids.
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Johnny Q.
· Tue
@Grady M. Fully agree, great article. Excellent mix of analysis and video. I learned a lot! Thanks.
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Dave S.
· Tue
@Grady M. That is OUTSTANDING. Funny but also gets a great point across.
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Chris Z.
· Tue
@Grady M. Love those 'Real Men of Genius' spots. 'We salute you Mr pro wrestling wardrobe designer'
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Max C.
· Tue
Now I really want a Taco Salad....
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Jeff B.
· Tue
@Grady M. Killed it Grady!
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Josiah M.
· Tue
@Chris Z. We salute you, Mr. Used car salesman..
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Zach B.
· Tue
You just had to have 2 of the top 4 be former Blues (Dunn and Walman) who we decided to give away, so that we could hold onto 2 of the most overrated Defenceman, Colton Parayko and Torey Krug.
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Adam P.
· Tue
@Zach B. It's mind-blowing, but to be fair neither player did much while on the Blues.
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Jeffrey M.
· Tue
Paging Mr. Berube…….paging Mr. Berube
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Keith S.
· Tue
@Jeffrey M. Dunn was given numerous, numerous chances and he didn't produce with any consistency on offense or defense.
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Jeff M.
· Tue
To be fair, Krug was only signed after giving up on Pietrangelo …
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Sarah B.
· Tue
@Zach B. Dunn has definitely been a long term project and I think if you did this analysis this time last year, he's not nearing the top 10. Being able to play big minutes in Seattle last 2 years while being their main offensive threat from the back-end really helped him take that next step in his game.
Gave him a chance to work through mistakes without getting buried in the lineup isn't a luxury St. Louis could afford, especially when he's competing with Krug for PP QB minutes
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David R.
· Tue
@Zach B. Yep, I'd rather have Petro and Dunn than Krug and Faulk.
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M. M.
· Tue
@Zach B. current underrated defenseman they'll give up on next - Calle Rosen. He's been their most consistent guy in their group, but they were already benching him for Tucker. Nothing against Tucker, but Rosen should not be the odd guy out when he's one of the few consistent performers in a group of underachievers.
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Greg S.
· Tue
Neither of those players had anything to do with Parayko. Walmart was traded for Leddy, who is the guy that should be listed with Krug. He's the worst on of all, but somehow gets a pass.
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Jim L.
· Tue
@Greg S. Agree Leddy is awful. Can’t believe they traded for him, then I never thought they would resign him and let Peron walk
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Denis G.
· Tue
@M. M. Former Leaf we passed along too.
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Zach B.
· Tue
@Greg S. His dollars and term are less, that’s why
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Andrew G.
· Tue
Brodin is by far the best pure defender. Only defender that can skate with top skill and speed like McDavid. Oh, and he does it backwards.
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Anthony P.
· Tue
@Andrew G. The Wild have been very successful against Edmonton, and Brodin's a huge reason why. McDavid has trouble against him and JEE
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Jeff G.
· Tue
Is JEE getting any Selke votes this year you think?
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· Tue
@Andrew G. have you heard of our Lord and savior Cale Makar
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Sasky B.
· Tue
He said pure defender, Makar is an amazing offensive defenseman but doesn't touch Brodin as a defensive defenceman.
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Nathan Z.
· Tue
@Jeff G. doubt it. the award, much like the norris, is "who is the best scoring defensive forward."
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Matthew W.
· Tue
@Sasky B. You're joking, right? Cale is better than Brodin at defending. Just because he's also better on offense doesn't make it any less true.
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Ben C.
· Tue
@Matthew W. You can’t seriously claim to know anything about hockey if you are saying Makar is better than Brodin at defending. That’s actually such a bad take I have secondhand embarrassment for you. Would I take Makar over Brodin on my team? Absolutely any day of the week. There’s no doubt he has a larger overall impact on his team but to say Makar is better at defending is objectively incorrect.
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Shane S.
· Tue
@Matthew W. Are you high??
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Jason L.
· Tue
@ Matt W. That's equivalent to saying Brodin is better offensively than Makar. 🤦
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Andy A.
· Tue
@ Cale who?
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Andrew G.
· Tue
End of game protecting a lead I'm taking Brodin over Makar 9/10 times. I talking pure defender, not offense. Makar is the more well rounded one no doubt, but his D is not in the same league as Brodin.
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Andrew G.
· Tue
@matt w. You are higher than a kite
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Jason K.
· Tue
@Andrew G. Makar sure looked like he could skate with McD is last year’s playoffs…
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Steven E.
· Thu
@Matthew W. I couldn't help but think of this comment last night as Gaudreau blew past Makar...
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Ken B.
· Tue
Feel like Brodin should be in the Barkov category. Who doesn't know he's been one of the top shutdown guys for 5+ years?
Love the article either way. These types don't get proper coverage. Most writers nowadays dismiss the like of Anderson, Lindgren, Samuelsson despite the fact that teams can't win without these guys
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Benjamin L.
· Tue
@Ken B. Brodin is in this weird category where hockey savants who watch every team know how good he is, but average fans who only see him 2-3 times per year have no clue. Because he never puts up a lot of points and rarely makes highlight reel plays, he’s rarely talked about after games - even in Minnesota. And I think his ‘underrated’ status is confirmed by the annual Norris voting. He’s never been a finalist and he’s only had a small handful of votes in his entire career. The voters just don’t seem to put him in that top tier even if the data and the on-ice results say otherwise.
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Victor R.
· Tue
@Ken B. the Barkov of defensemen until 2 or 3 years ago was Spurgeon - the guy everyone talked about as being underrated, but doing it so often that it defeated the meaning of that word. But him getting recognized only made the lack of similar praise to Brodin look more stark IMO.
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Mark M.
· Tue
@Benjamin L. That's because he doesn't put up points. The Norris has basically turned into the best offensive defensemen. They should have their own category just like the selke for best defensive forward. Make it the Bobby Orr Trophy - most points by a defensemen. Do that and then have the Norris be a best pure defender category.
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Chris R.
· Tue
@Benjamin L. I like this because it doesn’t honor the Karlsson-type defensemen- all of these guys actually play shutdown defense and should be under Norris consideration
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Matt R.
· Tue
@Benjamin L. People have been saying this about Brodin for close to a decade now
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Tony L.
· Tue
@Mark M. Just like the Selke? That award has gone the same way as the Norris; you need to have big points to be a candidate.
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Sorry, probably should have deleted some of the junk before posting but list included Samuelsson.
Rest could be good targets in the
This was posted yesterday
otherwise, there may be problems 
