The NHL's top 25 defensemen for the 2019-20 season

A mainstay in the Norris Trophy discussion, Hedman is one of the NHL's best all-around players mixing a dominant shutdown defensive game with game-breaking offense from the blue line. For as good as Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point are at forward, Hedman is often times the engine that drives this team. He has been a finalist for the Norris Trophy in each of the past three seasons, winning it during the 2017-18 season. 

The phrase "generational talent" gets thrown around a little too easily these days, but Karlsson fits the description. He is the best defenseman of his era and one of the most impactful players to play the position since Bobby Orr. Injuries have slowed him down just a little, but when he is healthy and at his best he is one of the five or six best players in the world. He is a two-time Norris Trophy winner but was probably robbed of at least one or two more. 

With Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky playing for new teams, Jones is now one of the faces of the Blue Jackets franchise. That is a good thing. Jones is a spectacular player and helps form one of the league's top defensive pairings alongside Zach Werenski (when the Blue Jackets use them together). He is just now entering his peak years in the league and should be a Norris Trophy contender for the foreseeable future. 

Giordano has been one of the most underrated defenders in the league throughout his career and finally got some real recognition this past season with his first-ever Norris Trophy. He was a tank for the Flames as they climbed all the way to the top of the Western Conference standings and is still going strong as an elite defender, even at age 36. He is one of the NHL's all-time great undrafted success stories. 

Burns has his shortcomings defensively and can sometimes be exploited in his own end, but there is not a better offensive defenseman in the league today. He has topped 75 points in three of the past four seasons (and had 67 points in the one in which he did not hit that mark) and is a regular finalist for the Norris Trophy. Alongside Erik Karlsson the Sharks have one of the most intimidating defensive lineups in the league. 

Carlson is probably the most underappreciated member of the Capitals core. It is easy for him to get lost in the shadow of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby, but given his role and ability he is as important as any other player on the roster. He has become an elite point producer on the back end and is a key part of the league's most fearsome power play. 

The captain of the 2019 Stanley Cup champions, Pietrangelo has been a rock on the Blues defense for the past decade and finally helped deliver a championship to the city. He has never really received a ton of Norris Trophy love throughout his career (he has a handful of top-five finishes) but he has always been an outstanding No. 1 defender on a team that has been a consistent contender. There is a lot to be said for that.  

When he is healthy he is one of the best blue liners in the league. The only problem is that he tends to miss 10-15 games every year to injury. Still, when he is on the ice he is as good as it gets and is right up there with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as a key part of the Penguins' core. A three-time Stanley Cup champion, the only thing Letang's career is missing is a Norris Trophy. He has been close a couple of times and so far this season is playing at a level that will again put him in the discussion.

The Stars are one of the NHL's most top-heavy teams, relying almost entirely on their top six or seven players to carry them. One of those key players is Klingberg, an outstanding No. 1 defender who has quietly been one of the league's best all-around defenders almost from the day he arrived in the NHL. He is off to a slow start this season, but that will not last. He and Miro Heiskanen are going to be the backbone of the Stars defense for the next decade. 

The Maple Leafs have their share of issues defensively, but Rielly is not one of them. He is a great puck-moving, offensive defenseman who is going to have a chance to put up some massive numbers given the forward talent he gets to pass the puck to in Toronto. He scored 20 goals during the 2018-19 season and looks like he is on track to make a run at that mark again this season. 

Slavin may not be a huge point producer, but he is the perfect example of a modern-day shutdown defender. He skates well, he moves the puck, he drives possession, and he is going to play big minutes against your favorite team's top offensive player and do a great job in shutting him down. He is the best all-around player on the league's deepest defense. 

There is a lot of projection going on here to put McAvoy this high because he is not only in just his third year in the league, but he has also missed some significant time in each of his first two seasons due to injury. Still, when he plays he already has the look of an elite player on the Boston blue line. He has become the Bruins' go-to, big-minute defender, and he has never looked out of place in that role. 

The Predators have been built through their defense and for the past decade have had an embarrassment of riches at the position. Josi is currently their best one and just signed a massive eight-year contract extension to remain with the team. He is a lock for double-digit goals every year and is always going to be coach Peter Laviolette's go-to player in big situations. 

Maybe not even 15 years ago Krug would have been considered too small to be a top defender in the NHL and probably would have been relegated to being a power play specialist or bottom-pairing player. Thankfully the NHL has started to recognize that talent means more than size, and Krug has blossomed into a stud on the Bruins defense who plays a huge role in the team's offense. 

Probably the most stunning thing about Hamilton is that he is still only 26 years old, plays on a team-friendly contract under the salary cap and has somehow already been traded by two different teams (Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames). The Hurricanes are the fortunate team that ended up with him, and he has become a key player for one of the league's best up-and-coming teams. He drives possession, he produces offensively and he simply makes a huge impact every time he is on the ice. 

Heiskanen was so impressive during his rookie season that Stars goalie Ben Bishop had already called him one of the best defenders he had ever played with and a future Hall of Famer. That is strong praise when you consider that Bishop has been teammates in his career with Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman. Heiskanen is still only 20 years and is only going to get better. 

If he had spent the past decade playing on a better team, he would be far more highly regarded than he is (and he is still pretty highly respected). Ekman-Larsson is the cornerstone of the Arizona rebuild and is one of the most productive defenders in the league. He is a lock for at least 10 goals and 40 points every season and doesn't give up much on the defensive end. He produces, he drives possession, and he plays every role you expect from a No. 1 defender. 

One of the big things the Sabres' perpetual rebuild has been missing was a clear No. 1 defender. They finally had some draft lottery luck go their way in 2018, which allowed them to select Dahlin, one of the most anticipated defense prospects to enter the NHL in years. He did not disappoint in his rookie season. Not only did he take home the Calder Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year, but he also showed the ability to be a superstar if he continues on his early path. He's a must-watch player every night. 

If you were expecting to see a Wild defender on this list, and especially this high, you were probably thinking of Ryan Suter. But if we are being honest that would probably be based more on reputation than anything else. If we are talking who is the actual best all-around defenseman on the Wild, it is probably Spurgeon at this point. That is not a knock on Suter (who is still very good). It is just a testament to how good of an all-around player (and how underrated) Spurgeon currently is. One of new general manager Bill Guerin's first priorities in Minnesota was getting him signed to a new contract extension, and it was a strong move. 

He has probably lost a half-step, but he can still take over a game and is going to be relied on to help carry the Devils defense following the big offseason trade that sent him from Nashville to New Jersey. One of the best skaters in the league and the owner of a booming slap shot from the point, Subban can make a huge impact offensively when he is at his best. He owns a Norris Trophy and was a finalist two other times in his career and has consistently been one of the top players at his position. 

His contract is bad and will probably cause problems for Montreal in the very near future. The trade that sent him to the Canadiens was not great as they sent away a younger and arguably better player with a more favorable contract (P.K. Subban). He is starting to break down a little bit physically and has missed a lot of games the past few years. But even with all of those concerns, Weber is STILL a really good and impactful player when he is on the ice. The Canadiens are a different team when he plays and even though he is not as dominant as he was in his prime, he can still be a game-changer. 

Werenski is the other half of Columbus' outstanding defense duo, and as long as the Blue Jackets have hiim and Seth Jones patrolling their blue line, they are going to have a chance to win on most nights. While Jones is the more complete, well-rounded player, Werenski is no slouch and can make a huge impact offensively. He has scored at least 11 goals every year he has been in the league and is a great possession driver, always coming out on the positive end of shot attempt and scoring chance numbers. 

He is in only his third year in the league, but there is every reason to believe Chabot is on his way to being a star for the Senators. He is one of the few bright spots the fan base in Ottawa has to cling to, and management already made a long-term commitment to him by signing him to a massive eight-year, $64 million contract. After trading Erik Karlsson, the Senators needed someone to step forward on their blue line, and while Chabot may not be Karlsson's equal, he is at least a solid replacement at the top of the lineup. 

A few years ago it would have been madness to consider Doughty this far down the list, but one of the reasons the Kings have fallen off so drastically is that Doughty is not quite an elite player anymore. He can still be productive and good in his own end, but he is no longer the shutdown defensive force that once made him the best defensive player in the game. 

He is not going to wow you with individual numbers (he is going to give you six or seven goals and 35 points every year) or even his overall style of play (it is not flashy or overly exciting), but he is a top player who plays tough minutes on what has been one of the league's best defensive teams.