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    The NHL’s Five Most Underappreciated Defensemen

    7 Mins Read
    The NHL’s Five Most Underappreciated Defensemen

    Adam Pelech and MacKenzie Weegar

    Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

    Defensemen are often the most underappreciated players in hockey. 

    The forwards usually score that clutch goal. The goalies make jaw-dropping saves. And the rearguards? Well, they’re scoring, too, but they can get their home fans cheering whenever they prevent a possible scoring chance or lay some big hits.

    That brings us to the second part of our three-part series on underappreciated players. Today, we will look at the NHL’s five most underappreciated defensemen.

    Related: The NHL’s Five Most Underappreciated Forwards

    Adam Pelech, D, New York Islanders

    You’d be hard-pressed to find a sturdier defenseman than Adam Pelech.

    The 30-year-old is a straight-up workhorse. Year after year, he’ll log 20-plus minutes a night and post elite underlying metrics during 5-on-5 play, all while playing against opponents’ best players. But you rarely hear a peep about him. Part of that has to do with the fact that he’s never reached the 30-point mark or scored 10-plus goals. He’s only played in the All-Star Game once, in 2022.

    Given that Pelech’s strengths aren’t sexy — such as his stickwork and ability to kill plays — it’s not surprising he flies under the radar. He’s the prototypical meat-and-potatoes shutdown defenseman, and he’s darn good at it.

    According to allthreezones.com data, Pelech ranked 18th in 5-on-5 entry denials per 60 minutes among defensemen last season, with 3.5.

    “He doesn’t give anybody any room,” one Western Conference scout told The Hockey News. “He smothers guys. It’s like he throws a blanket on them, and it’s hard to get around him and beat him 1-on-1.”

    Jonas Brodin, D, Minnesota Wild

    Speaking of prototypical defensive defensemen who fly under the radar, we’d be remiss not to mention Jonas Brodin.

    The 31-year-old has played a top-four role ever since breaking into the NHL as a 19-year-old in 2012-13, averaging 22:13 of ice time per game in his career. He’s produced elite 5-on-5 underlying defensive metrics in each of his 12 NHL seasons.

    “His mobility, stickwork and intelligence make him so effective,” said one NHL assistant coach. “He’s another guy that isn’t the biggest offensive producer, but he makes those around him better, and he’s always in the right spot. He closes on guys really quickly. He’s got the stick skills to take the puck away from you and then make an intelligent play to push the puck back up the ice.”

    Since the 2021-22 season, Brodin ranks sixth in expected goals against per 60 minutes (2.14) of any defenseman who played at least 500 minutes, per naturalstattrick.com.

    Somehow, though, Brodin has never received much leaguewide recognition. The highest he ever finished in the Norris Trophy race was in 2019-20, tying for 19th place.

    MacKenzie Weegar, D, Calgary Flames

    The Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster sign-and-trade paid off for the Florida Panthers, but MacKenzie Weegar is no slouch for Calgary.

    Tkachuk, of course, led the Panthers to their first-ever Stanley Cup this summer. Huberdeau, on the other hand, has struggled to produce as much as he did in Florida since arriving in Alberta. But fresh off two strong campaigns with Calgary, it’s time for Weegar to get his flowers.

    While he’s got some mobility, the bread and butter of Weegar’s game consists of his heavy shot and a knack for blocking shots, killing penalties, hitting guys and nullifying passing lanes. Think Chris Tanev-lite, paired with high-end offensive ability. Oh, and he’s coming off a career-high 20-goal, 52-point campaign.

    “He has blossomed into a highly effective offensive defenseman, but his competitiveness defensively has mirrored his offensive growth,” said the assistant coach.

    Weegar led all NHL defensemen in even-strength goals last year (17), and only Roman Josi and Cale Makar scored more goals in all situations than him.

    Vince Dunn, D, Seattle Kraken

    Vince Dunn is probably just shy of being Norris-worthy, but boy, has he ever been a fantastic pickup for the Seattle Kraken.

    Over the last two years, Dunn has stealthily evolved into one of the NHL’s best puck-moving defensemen. The mobile, six-foot 27-year-old can make effective plays with the puck in all three zones.

    Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Dunn ranks eighth in 5-on-5 goals per 60 minutes (0.43) and seventh in 5-on-5 points per 60 minutes (1.49) among NHL defensemen who played at least 500 minutes, according to naturalstattrick.com.

    “Whenever he’s on the ice, you’ve got a good chance to maintain possession,” the assistant coach said. “Every time he touches the puck, he creates something, and he moves the puck north. He can make something out of nothing. You need those defensemen that can make plays under duress, escape oncoming pressure and transition the puck the other way.”

    Shea Theodore, D, Vegas Golden Knights

    Shea Theodore probably wouldn’t be on this list if he hadn’t missed 62 games in the last two seasons due to injury.

    He’s produced at such a good clip for so long that one ought to think he’d be atop the scoring leaderboards if he remained healthy. 

    Since the 2020-21 season, Cale Makar, Roman Josi, Erik Karlsson and Devon Toews are the only defensemen to score more even-strength points per game than Theodore’s 0.54. Yet, he wasn’t named an all-star, and his highest finish in Norris Trophy voting in the last four years was a sixth-place finish in 2020-21 and 2019-20.

    Then again, Theodore isn’t the guy for Vegas, and even when he’s on his A-game, he’s overshadowed by either Alex Pietrangelo or the team’s stars up front — Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. 

    Few in the game possess Theodore’s combination of size, smooth skating and game-breaking passing ability. He’s not the best 1-on-1 defender — although that’s not to say he can’t handle tough matchups — but he’s the perfect complement to a more defensive defenseman, such as Brayden McNabb or Pietrangelo. 

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