In this edition of the hotstove, we share our choices for the NHL's best defense pairing.
Todd Cordell
Zach Werenski and Seth Jones.
They're the perfect combination in today's NHL. They have the skating ability to maintain tight gaps defensively, they're excellent in transition, and they're very good at generating opportunities once shop is set-up in the offensive zone.
Analytically, they're as impressive as they look by the eye. Since the beginning of last season, 61 pairings have logged at least 500 minutes together at 5v5. Werenski and Jones rank 6th in Corsi For% (only one duo still together slots higher) and 3rd with a +17 goal differential. They're already special and the best may still be yet to come.
Peter Tessier
There's a few that stand out but is the Hamilton Slavin pairing getting enough love? They are deadly and perhaps the only blight on their record is the GF%- otherwise, they dominate. Oh right, let's keep looking at Carolina with De Haan and Faulk who have played a ton of minutes together and are almost as good as Hamilton and Salvin.
What's interesting is that when you look at the top pairings you don't see anyone on Nashville come up. That's okay because Carolina is icing maybe the best two pairs on defence and it isn't really close when looking at TOI either.
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