Top 50 Defensemen in the NHL for 2024-25

Who are the 50 best defensemen in the NHL for the 2024-25 season?

Not even at the halfway point of the 2024 offseason, we have a lot of time on our hands before hockey resumes in October. An exercise that we see plenty of around this time of year is simple: ranking the top players in the league by their position in the modern day. Here, we do that with the 50 best defensemen in the NHL for the 2024-25 season.

Adam Fox and Quinn Hughes (The Hockey Writers)

In descending order, we rank the top 50 defenders in the league for next season. Regarding formatting, each defenseman will have a short summary of their style and what makes them a worthy player for their spot, as well as their stats. Some basic and advanced stats (here’s a glossary for what they mean) will be provided, which will include the following:

• Basic stats: Games played (GP), goals (G), assists (A), points (P), plus-minus, average time on ice (ATOI), blocks (BLK), hits (HIT)

• Advanced stats: Relative expected goals for per 60 (xGF/60 Rel), relative expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60 Rel), relative expected goals percentage (xGF% Rel), relative Corsi percentage (CF% Rel), relative goals percentage (GF% Rel)

For the basic stats, we’ll be using all strengths of play (5-on-5, 5-on-4, etc). For our advanced stats, courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, we’ll use only the numbers recorded at even strength (EV). Without further ado, let’s get into the list.