Ranking the top-10 defensemen in the Metro Division

Dougie Hamilton slipped following a down year in his debut season with the New Jersey Devils.

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Every year I like to go position-by-position and rank the top-10 players in the Metro Division.

I have already shared my opinions on the top-10 centers and top-10 wingers. Considering goaltenders are voodoo, today’s ranking of the best defenders in the Metro will conclude the mini-series.

Let’s get to it.

1. Adam Fox

Fox was No. 1 on last year’s list and he only reaffirmed his position as the lead dog with the season he just put together.

Fox piled up 74 points in 78 games while ranking top-10 among defensemen in points at even-strength and on the power play.

I’ve marvelled at his ability to dissect opposing defenses with slick, in-zone passing since the day he stepped into the league. That skill was on display early and often in 2021-22; Fox led all NHL defensemen in primary assists on the power play.

He was so good at reading the defense and putting the puck on a platter for the open target, be it Mika Zibanejad teeing up for a one-timer or Chris Kreider positioned for a backdoor tap-in.

Fox also posted strong on-ice differentials at 5v5, was the only Rangers defenseman to finish above water in terms of xGF%, and set a new career-high in GAR (+16.2).

It was a fantastic season across the board for the 24-year-old, who has quickly established himself as one of the best players in the league.

2. Jaccob Slavin

For all the talk about how Hamilton would fare away from Slavin, I was looking forward to seeing how the latter would do without a play-driver of Hamilton’s caliber by his side. Not that I thought we’d see a big drop off; but I expected something.

The 28-year-old did not skip a beat without Hamilton. He actually flourished with even more opportunity, setting new career highs in assists (38), points (42), and time on ice per game (23:32) while leading the Hurricanes’ defense in expected goals relative to the team (+2.36 xGF%).

Slavin also played more against elite competition than any other tier and posted a +8 goal differential in those minutes.

He is one of the best two-way players in the game.

3. John Carlson