Adam Fox of the New York Rangers, who is entering his third NHL season, won the Norris Trophy last season, voted as the best defenseman in the NHL. Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, who also is entering his third season, won the Calder Trophy in 2019-20, voted as NHL rookie of the year. Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks finished tied for 10th among NHL defensemen in scoring with 41 points (three goals, 38 assists) in 56 games last season after leading all rookies in scoring in 2019-20 with 53 points (eight goals, 45 assists) in 68 games.
There also are veterans like Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning who are among the elite at the position.
Who will be the best defensemen this season? We asked eight NHL.com writers for their thoughts.
Here are their answers (listed alphabetically):
Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
Out of sight, out of mind, it seems. My colleagues will make some excellent cases for players like Fox and Makar, who have taken the League by storm the past two seasons. There is even some love for Hedman. But Ekblad, at 25 years old, sits between the new and the old guards. He was having a dominant season prior to breaking his leg in a game against the Dallas Stars on March 28. Ekblad scored 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 35 games and his average of 0.63 points per game was the best of his seven-season NHL career. He also was a workhorse, averaging 25:05 of ice time per game, a personal best since entering the NHL and sixth-highest among NHL defensemen in 2020-21. His puck-possession numbers also were the best of his career, with the Panthers having 54.6 percent of the shot attempts while he was on ice during 5-on-5 play. Ekblad is just reaching his prime and the ceiling with a much-improved Panthers team could be much higher. -- Shawn P. Roarke, Senior Director of Editorial
Adam Fox, New York Rangers
Fox made tremendous strides last season, rounding out his game in the defensive zone as he maintained his offensive abilities. He was second in scoring among defensemen with 47 points (five goals, 42 assists), one fewer than Tyson Barrie of the Edmonton Oilers, while averaging 24:42 of ice time per game. I don't think he's hit his ceiling; Fox is 23 years old and two seasons into his NHL career. I understand the love for Makar, but I'm sticking with Fox. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer