A lot of hockey publications put together their annual lists and quite often they are a little “out to lunch”. The lists are often biased with East coast favorites and quite often are based on players who have recently over achieved or had but one great season. Therefore The Hockey Fanatic polled some NHL hockey fans and came up with our own series of top players by position. We begin with defensemen and look at the league top 20 defenseman for 2012.
If you don’t agree with the fans selections, email us thehockeyfanatics at gmail.com and let us know who you think the top defenseman in the NHL are. Selections are based on who you feel is the best overall defenseman and includes criteria such as defensive play, plus/minus, physical play, hockey smarts, points, goals, special teams and team contribution.
Top 20 NHL Defenseman – 2012
Here is a look at the NHL’s top defensman for 2012.
- Shea Weber – Nashville Predators
- Drew Doughty – Los Angeles Kings
- Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators
- Zdeno Chara – Boston Bruins
- Alex Pietranglo – St. Louis Blues
- Duncan Keith – Chicago Blackhawks
- Brian Campbell – Florida Panthers
- Ryan Suter – Minnesota Wild
- PK Subban – Montreal Canadiens
- Dan Boyle – San Jose Sharks
- Dustin Byfuglien – Winnipeg Jets
- Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins
- Alex Edler – Vancouver Canucks
- Dion Phaneuf – Toronto Maple Leafs
- Keith Yandle – Phoenix Coyotes
- Michael Del Zotto – New York Rangers
- Kevin Bieksa – Vancouver Canucks
- Ladislav Smid – Edmonton Oilers
- Jack Johnson – Columbus Blue Jackets
- Tyler Myers – Buffalo Sabres
No shortage of Norris trophy candidates here. A number of great defensemen and a few that you would most likely not expect to see on the list.
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