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Top-5 defensemen in the Western Conference?

August 11, 2017, 11:25 AM ET [149 Comments]
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In this edition of the hotstove, we rank the top-5 defensemen in the Western Conference.

Todd Cordell

1. Brent Burns (SJ)

It's harder than ever to score in the NHL and Burns has 56 goals, 151 points over the last two seasons. He plays somewhat sheltered minutes but, to his credit, he has certainly made the most of them.

2. P.K. Subban (NSH)

Subban can skate, shoot, hit, drive possession, produce offensively, and people are finally starting to realize how capable he is without the puck. He was given the toughest assignments during Nashville's run to the Stanley Cup, which says a lot given the talent on their defense.

3. Drew Doughty (LAK)

He's generally good for ~10 goals, 40+ points, and he's among the best players in the league without the puck.

4. Hampus Lindholm (ANA)

He's not flashy like some of the other guys listed but he is extremely smooth with and without the puck. He has an effortless stride, makes smart decisions, his gap control is excellent, and the Ducks always seem to dictate play when he's on the ice.

5. Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ARI)

He's one of the best but has been held back by a lackluster supporting cast in Arizona. Having the likes of Derek Stepan, Clayton Keller, and Niklas Hjalmarsson, among others, in the mix should help him elevate his game and show just how good he can be.

Honorable mentions: Dougie Hamilton and Duncan Keith. Hamilton tallied 50 points last season while posting remarkably good underlying numbers. Keith also put up 50+ points and played ridiculous minutes. With Brent Seabrook declining and Niklas Hjalmarsson in Arizona, he'll be asked to do even more this season. That poor soul.

James Tanner

Top Five Best in the West:

1. Oliver Ekman Larsson......the top two defenseman in the NHL reside in the east, but the OEL is the tops in the west. He's a two-way defenseman who's value and abilities are a bit of a secret because of where he plays. He's also managed to develop into an elite player while being saddled with the likes of Connor Murphy and Michael Stone for much of his career.

2/3 Dougie Hamilton and Mark Giordano.

The best pairing in the NHL. It blows my mind the Bruins manage to remain competitive year after year despite making seemingly every bad trade there has ever been.

4. Oscar Klefbom - Great stats, fun to watch, doesn't get the credit he deserves.

5. Duncan Keith, Colton Parayko, Hampus Lindholm, Jacob Trouba, Chris Tanev, PK Subban, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, Jared Spurgeon, Brent Burns.

Lots to choose from, and again, I'm not very picky when it comes to which order you want to rank these guys. You could take off my top four and put any five guys from #5 in any order. To me, no one really is so far above the others that it matters. These are all guys who could win the Norris and be the centrepiece of a Cup winning blue-line. The difference in any of their abilities is marginal, at best.

Matt Henderson

Top 5 defenders of the Western Conference? I'm going to go with this group.

1. Brent Burns: We know the Sharks shelter him from the toughest competition, but that's a luxury they can afford and it opens him up to demolish the B squads of the West. His offense is overwhelming and he's a huge load.

2. PK Subban: I love everything about PK and he might have been number 1 very easily. It was a toss up. Basically, you're a monster if you don't appreciate him.

3. Drew Doughty: I think he's being held back from what he can really do. I honestly believe that. Should he have been on the Sharks or the Senators or whomever else, he would have the restrictions taken off. Maybe under new direction in LA he takes more risks.

4. Oscar Klefbom: He keeps improving year over year in a straight line, but what's most remarkable is that he just doesn't take penalties. He plays tough opposition and is always in solid position. His contract is a lifesaver for Edmonton.

5. Dougie Hamilton: I'm a huge Hamilton fan. I get the knock on him that he's a big guy who doesn't use his size very often, but whatever he's doing seems to be working just fine. He's an offensive producer and a possession beast. Way underrated in my opinion. Could easily be number 4 or higher on my list but he's a Flame so enough of that garbage.

Peter Tessier

Why is does the West seem so much deeper in talent on defence than the East? Because it is, and this list is probably far more debatable than the east too. After #1 every spot should really be a tie.

#1 Burns- Reigning Norris winner and deservedly so- Burns does it all and does it all so well.

#2 Subban- Flame away but after Burns is there a distinct difference in the next four? Subban before Josi because he's doing heavy lifting that Weber was not as good at.

#3 Giordano- Super steady and does everything in an efficient manner rarely making mistakes. Does he help make life easier for Hamilton?

#4 OEL- Like a pick in the east I'm giving him some love because of the train wreck he plays for imagine him on a contender.

#5 Klingberg, Pietrangelo, Josi tie- there I can't do it anymore it's too tight so I'm making these three my 5th pick.

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