The three finalists for the NHL’s Norris Trophy are more than capable in their own end.

The Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar, Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes and Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski have developed into fantastic all-around defenseman. But their recognition as the NHL's top defensemen of the year are are centered around their ability to produce offense from the back end.

Makar, Werenski and Hughes finished the regular season as the top three scorers among defensemen in the NHL. The Avalanche, Blue Jackets and Canucks also all heavily outscored their opponents with their star defenseman on the ice at 5-on-5, according to naturalstatrick.com.

Despite that, the NHL’s best defensemen at keeping the puck out of their net sometimes get overlooked and do not receive the praise they deserve. 

Here are five of the NHL’s best defensive defensemen this season. Advanced stats are according to Natural Stat Trick unless otherwise noted.

Gustav Forsling, Florida Panthers

Forsling has become more of a household name after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, but his ability to shut down his opponent's top players is evident each night.

In 80 games this season, the 28-year-old scored 11 goals and 31 points, averaging 22:57 of ice time. While his offence from the back end was appreciated, his 89 blocked shots and just 16 penalty minutes are the true indicators of where his value lies for the Panthers. 

Taking a deeper look at his game, it shows how much better the Panthers were with him on the ice. They had a 56.32-percent share of shot attempts, outscored their opponents 66-48 and dominated the high-danger chance share and scoring chance share at 5-on-5 with Forsling on the ice.

Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild

When Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek sustained long-term injuries, the Minnesota Wild went through a difficult stretch of games. What kept them afloat was their ability to keep the puck out of their net, highlighted by Brodin's play.

The 31-year-old Swede played just 50 games this season due to multiple injury absences but blocked 104 shots while averaging 22:57 of ice time. His return to the lineup in late March came at an important time, helping Brock Faber regain his footing and propelling the Wild to the playoffs despite a late push from the Calgary Flames.

At 5-on-5, the Wild outscored and outshot their opponents with Brodin on the ice. Brodin has not received the same appreciation as Kaprizov and Eriksson-Ek, but if you ask the players on the Wild roster, they will tell you how vital he is to their success. 

Why The NHL's Three Norris Trophy Finalists Each Deserve To WinThe NHL revealed the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, which goes "to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position."

Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes

Slavin has been known for his defensive game for quite some time now, but it became undisputed when he put his game on full notice at the 4 Nations Face-Off. 

His skating and tremendous stick work make him so difficult to beat in 1-on-1 situations. He reads the game extremely well, and it's why the Hurricanes held 56.44 percent of the expected goals with Slavin on the ice at 5-on-5.

In 80 games, Slavin blocked 136 shots and took just eight penalty minutes, while also adding six goals and 27 points offensively.

The Hurricanes have an identity of limiting chances against them that they stay true to no matter what, and Slavin personifies it. With Slavin at 5-on-5, the Hurricanes held 57.87 of the Corsi-for share, 56.83 percent of the high-danger chances and 57.38 percent of the scoring chances. 

Chris Tanev, Toronto Maple Leafs

Tanev is by far the oldest player on this list, but at 35 years old, he still managed to block 189 shots in 75 games, ranking sixth in the NHL. Pairing with Jake McCabe, the pair routinely served as the shut-down defenders for Craig Berube, and the Toronto Maple Leafs reaped the benefits.

The Maple Leafs outscored their opponents 55-34 for a goals-for share of 61.80 percent at 5-on-5 when Tanev was on the ice, the fourth-highest among defensemen to play at least 250 minutes. Tanev also limited opponents to 170 high-danger chances despite starting 279 of his shifts in the defensive zone. 

The Maple Leafs put a lot of faith into Tanev that he could continue to play at this level, signing him to a six-year contract. After one season, he showed that he was worth every penny.

NHL Awards Poll: Predicting The Winners Of The Hart, Vezina, Norris And MoreWhen playoff season rolls around in the NHL, it also signals award season for the league's best players and staff.

Dylan Samberg, Winnipeg Jets

When Samberg was out with a broken foot, the Winnipeg Jets went through their worst stretch of the season. When he returned, they immediately went back to their winning ways, in large part due to how calming a presence the 26-year-old is on the blueline.

Samberg played in 60 games this season, blocking 120 shots and adding six goals and 20 points. His work on the penalty kill was greatly appreciated by the Jets, but his 5-on-5 dominance may have been the more important factor to the Jets’ success.

Listed at 6-foot-4, Samberg moves very well for a player of his size and uses his reach to break up transition and cycle opportunities. The Jets outscored their opponents 57-36 and had the advantage in Corsi, Fenwick, high-danger chances, shots on goal and scoring chances with Samberg on the ice.

He ranked fourth on the Jets in ice time, averaging 21:08, in large part because of the lack of power-play time. He’s developed into a true shutdown defenseman at just 26 years of age.

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The Hockey News Big Show is here to not only discuss the closing stages of the first round but some of the other biggest topics in the NHL.

NHL Round 1 Surprises, MVPs, Coaching Job Openings And More by The Big Showundefined

Here’s what Michael Traikos, Ryan Kennedy and Katie Gaus discussed in this episode:

0:47: Game 6 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators is Thursday night. Are the Leafs still "fine," or could they blow another series lead again?

3:30: How much pressure is on the Maple Leafs in Game 6, and do you expect any lineup changes? 

6:06: Even if the Maple Leafs do win the series, have they changed your mind about them being a "contender?"

9:30: The Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals will meet in the second round. Thoughts on this series? 

13:28: In Game 5 between the Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights, there was a league review for a kicking motion, which gave Vegas time to watch the goal, and when it was determined there was no kick, Vegas challenged for offside, and the goal was overturned. Many online comments suggest that this is ruining hockey. Do you agree?

16:43: Most surprising series so far?

20:11: First-round MVP candidates so far?

22:07: Player that's been the biggest surprise in the first round, for good or bad reasons?

25:19: The NHL’s coaching carousel is spinning like crazy, with so many open jobs. Where do we see Rick Tocchet and Mike Sullivan landing? Could more coaches lose their jobs?

29:15: The NHL’s Hart Trophy finalists are Leon Draisaitl, Connor Hellebuyck and Nikita Kucherov. Thoughts on no Nathan Mackinnon? Who will win it? 

33:16: Taylor Hall signed a three-year contract extension worth $3.167 million annually. Do we like it? 

34:25: Utah Hockey Club’s YouTube channel briefly showed "@UtahMammoth"  as the handle... sounds like this is it? Yay or nay?

36:58: Who do you want to see win the NHL draft lottery? Who actually wins it?

39:59: Patrik Laine enters the final year of his contract next season. Do the Habs re-sign him over the summer?

Watch the full episode here.  

Subscribe to The Hockey News Big Show on your preferred platform.

Even though the Montreal Canadiens went down in five games to the best team in the Eastern Conference in the first round of the playoffs, there is every reason to frame the 2024-25 season as a tremendous success.

The Canadiens pushed their rebuild ahead by a couple of years and exposed their young players to games down the stretch and in the playoffs that will make them more mature, more battle-tested and better.

Coach Martin St-Louis basically said after the game that the disappointment they feel now will create even more joy when this team becomes a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

He, like a lot of other people, are assuming that their great, young talent is going to become great, older talent.

That might happen, but all the Canadiens need to do is to look to their Atlantic Division neighbor to the west to know that compiling terrific young players doesn't necessarily or instantly lead to playoff success.

The Canadiens need to get bigger, tougher and better defensively. And the work on that begins now. Watch today's video column to learn how they can accomplish that.

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The talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs has shifted greatly from their first three games against the Ottawa Senators to the last two.

The Maple Leafs were on the verge of sweeping the Senators after the first three games of their first-round playoff series. While the Senators probably deserved to win at least one of those first three games, the competitive pendulum swung the other way in Games 4 and 5. The Maple Leafs probably deserved to win one of those two games, only to lose both of them as Ottawa clawed its way back to respectability.

What we’ve wound up with is a series that is considerably closer than people who were talking about a sweep had figured on. The truth is, predicting the Maple Leafs would be in a Game 6 situation versus the Senators is not surprising.

If things played out slightly differently, and it was a straight-ahead back-and-forth, we-punch-you, you-punch-back situation from game to game, alarmist Leafs fans might not be as up in arms as they are at the moment.

“We expected it to be challenging,” Leafs blueliner Morgan Rielly told reporters on Wednesday. “No one expected it to be easy. So, again, we're up in a series, and we're in a position where we have a chance to regroup and refocus and go out there and play some good hockey.”

Indeed, we picked Toronto to win this series, but we picked the Buds to win in six games. It doesn’t make a difference exactly how we arrived at this moment – the truth is, the Senators were never going to roll over and be embarrassed en route to a sweep. Ottawa is a well-coached, dynamic and talented group, and so are the Maple Leafs. Nothing we’ve seen through five games has changed our mind in that regard.

“We’re up 3-2 in the series, so we’re fine,” Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev told reporters after Tuesday’s Game 5 loss. “We’re going to prepare for our game Thursday, and we’ll make the adjustments that we need to.”

We’re still confident the Maple Leafs can pull this one out with a Game 6 win in Ottawa, if not then, then in Game 7. The Leafs have already shown they can win at home and on the road, and they’ve been a resilient bunch throughout the regular season and thus far in the post-season.

Of course, we completely understand why Leafs fans would be swimming in anxiety right now. The history with this collection of talent does not lend itself to optimism at crossroads moments like these. Until Toronto proves it can close out opponents, there’s going to be significant doubt among Leafs Nation that it can do so.

But you know what? Sometimes teams do take that next step in their evolution. Sometimes teams can shake off the demons of the past. That’s where we see the Leafs right now. Beating the Sens is certainly not going to be easy. However, Toronto management and coaching have prepared Leafs players for this challenge.

These Maple Leafs Were Supposed To Be Different, But In Game 5, It Was More Of The SameAnyone who has watched the Toronto Maple Leafs over the past decade has seen Game 5 of the Battle of Ontario so many times.

The Leafs know the ramifications that await them if they can’t get the job done. A complete collapse could trigger massive changes from top to bottom in the organization. That pressure may well choke them out, but it’s equally likely that it motivates them to prove their doubters wrong. And so, if Toronto wins in six or seven games, no one should be surprised. 

Sometimes the pundits do get things right, and the way things are shaping up in this emotional and rollercoaster series, the Leafs are in the position many of us thought they’d be in. That’s what makes this particular series so compelling. Toronto and Ottawa are worthy rivals for one another, and the rest of this showdown promises to be high drama.

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