NHL’s best defensemen: the Habs have five in the top-100, according to fans

Last year, Dobson was ranked 17th, having just collected 70 points in one season. And despite a tougher season in 2024-25(where he wasn’t as bad defensively as you might think), he only fell two spots.

Hutson, meanwhile, was unranked last year for obvious reasons: he had only played two games in the NHL. That said, unsurprisingly, he’s the highest-ranked defenseman of all those who weren’t ranked last year.

It’s also worth noting that the ranking goes all the way up to 125th… but more importantly, that in the top-100, we find no less than five Habs defensemen. In addition to Dobson and Hutson, there’s Kaiden Guhle (76th, just ahead of Alexander Romanov), Mike Matheson (84th, down from 68th last year) and Alexandre Carrier (99th, up from 94th last year).

Last year, Matheson was the highest-ranked Habs defenseman at 68th, while Guhle was the only other member of the top-100. A year later, the Habs have more than double that number. That’s something.

In an ideal world, Reinbacher would join that top-100 in a few years’ time, but what’s clear is that the Habs have quality on the blue line right now. Dobson and Guhle are signed long-term, Hutson could become long-term at any time and Carrier has two years left on his contract.

Matheson, meanwhile, has a more uncertain future… but the quality of the Montreal blue line means the club can afford to sacrifice him for help elsewhere.

We’ll see if all this translates into results, but what’s clear is that the Habs are much better equipped on the blue line than they were at this time a year ago. And it’s great to see the quality of these players being recognized by fans across the NHL.

Overtime

– That’s right.

– That’s right.

– It’s about time.