The NHL Network released its annual rankings for the top-20 defensemen in the league and the Calgary Flames did not have a representative.
They had two players featured in last year's edition. One of them (Dougie Hamilton) was traded earlier this summer while the other (Mark Giordano) fell off the list entirely.
ICYMI: Here are our Top 20 Defensemen Right Now! #NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/sO2SzXdnC3
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 13, 2018
Only Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson have produced 5v5 points at a higher clip than Hamilton over the last two seasons.
Perhaps more impressively, Hamilton's 2017-18 numbers compare favorably to the three Norris finalists in several key categories.
How he can drop from 16 to 18 after having that kind of year is a mystery to me. If anything, he should have moved up.
Giordano slipping was also strange.
In 2016-17, he recorded 39 points while posting a 54.01 Corsi For% and 53.95 Expected Goals For% at 5v5.
This past season Giordano registered 38 points while finishing with a 57.79 Corsi For% and 56.77 Expected Goals For% at 5v5.
He played the exact same role, his numbers improved, and yet it wasn't deemed good enough.
There will always be debates when it comes to rankings – that's the fun of it – but I think the NHL Network was wrong to drop these two.
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