How The NHL's Best Defensemen Are Raising The Bar For Offensive Production

Producing offense in the NHL isn't easy, but defensemen around the league sure are making it look that way.

There are 11 blueliners who have scored at a point-per-game pace or better so far. This time last year, there were only two; Josh Morrissey (16 points in 16 games) and Cale Makar (23 points in 17 games).

Of those 11 defensemen who have started out hot, five of them lead their team in scoring. That exclusive list features Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators, Adam Fox with the New York Rangers, Erik Karlsson with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens, and Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders.

The six who don't lead their team in scoring are mainly the ones who are surrounded by the upper echelon of offensive talent in the NHL. Think Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Quinn Hughes with the Minnesota Wild, just to name a few.

In previous eras, having a defensemen leading a team in scoring likely meant the roster was lacking offensive firepower elsewhere. In some cases that's still true, like with Schaefer, Karlsson, and Fox.

However, having a dynamic defender who can produce from the back end and drive play has become integral to building a well-rounded offense in the modern NHL.

Of the top 10 scoring teams last season, eight of them had a defensemen with at least 60 points. It would've certainly been 10-for-10 if Shayne Gostisbehere of the Carolina Hurricanes (50 points in 55 games) and Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators (54 points in 67 games) remained healthy.

Sure, teams that score more are more likely to have a defensemen that produces at a high level, but that 60-point mark was a milestone that only 13 D-men reached last season. Even then, that benchmark still omits a crop of blueliners that would still be considered high-end among most fans like Jackson LaCombe, Mikhail Sergachev, Josh Morrissey, and more.

While this season has shown unprecedented offensive numbers from defensemen, this evolution of the position shouldn't come as a total surprise for a few reasons.

The league-wide save percentage (.891) hasn't been this low since the 1976-77 season, so players in general are capitalizing on some weak goaltending. Additionally, the top blueliners in the league usually play the most out of anyone on their team and quarterback a primary power-play unit, giving them plenty of opportunities to rack up points.

However, this season has taken scoring from the back end to new heights.

There are now 14 defensemen on pace to put up at least 70 points. It's unlikely that sticks, but the offensive bar is being raised by the league's top defenders in a way we haven't seen before.

More of these players are emerging with each season, and there's plenty of ways to quantify how important they are to their respective teams. But perhaps the best way to present the value of a true top-pairing, point-producing defensemen is by analyzing the teams that don't have one.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are probably the best example. Darren Raddysh may change their fortunes, but Morgan Rielly's days as a high-end scorer were short and sweet. They might be the only team in the Atlantic Division without a true No. 1.

The Philadelphia Flyers haven't had a defensemen reach the 60-point mark since Gostisbehere put up 68 in 2017-18, and it's hard to imagine Jamie Drysdale or Cam York will ever get there.

The San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks, two rebuilding teams, have been missing this exact type of player for quite some time. The Blackhawks haven't been able to develop an offensive defensemen in essentially two decades, and the Sharks have some promising players in the pipeline, but no true playdriver has emerged since Karlsson and Burns left.

These game-changers aren't easy to come by, and there's a reason why Makar became the NHL's first $20-million man. But as the position continues to evolve, having one could be the difference between keeping pace and falling behind.

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