Since I’ve been manning the point in this exercise, there’s no better time to spice things up a little than with the defense. For the series so far, the structure has been a countdown of each position from ten to one and then listing the rest not mentioned. Since there’s 30 defensemen that qualified, I’ll not only do the normal countdown, I’ll also do a “Next 10” with full rankings listed.
If you’re not familiar yet with what has occurred, all week I’ve been breaking down the top players of the last decade by position using analysis from Evolving Wild’s RAPM and GAR models, as well as my own models. We started with the centers, followed by the left wingers and right wingers. For the sake of organizing and generalizing these stats, I created three categories to rank, “Offense”, “Defense”, and “Overall”.
As I’ve previously noted, these rankings are based off a per-60 rate basis, allowing us to compare players with sizable differences in total games played and ice time throughout the decade. I didn’t want to reward or discredit players for their length of time in Buffalo, since that is mostly out of their control. Instead, I felt it was more appropriate to see which player played the best in his time given.
Consistency is the key here, as this is not a ranking of peak seasons. I did, however, list the best season for the top 10 for the sake of nostalgia. With that said, here are the defensemen:
The Next 10
20 – Craig Rivet
Overall – 59th
Offense – 65th
Defense – 33rd
19 – Brandon Montour
Overall – 58th
Offense – 49th
Defense – T-54th
18 – Nikita Zadorov
Overall – 56th
Offense – T-32nd
Defense – 72nd
17 – Marco Scandella
Overall – 53rd
Offense – 34th
Defense – 70th
16 – Henrik Tallinder
Overall – 52nd
Offense – 36th
Defense – 51st
15 – Colin Miller
Overall – 51st
Offense – 61st
Defense – T-40th
14 – Tyler Myers
Overall – 44th
Offense – T-32nd
Defense – T-54th
13 – Zach Bogosian
Overall – 43rd
Offense – 21st
Defense – 66th
12 – Jordan Leopold
Overall – 41st
Offense – 27th
Defense – 61st
11 – Jake McCabe
Overall – 37th
Offense – 52nd
Defense – 29th
10 – Nathan Beaulieu
Overall – 36th
Offense – 19th
Defense – 67th
Best season – 2018-2019
Beaulieu went through a couple seasons where he was battling to be in the lineup, but, when he was, he fared pretty well. Due to this, his trade request in he second season was somewhat warranted, since the names ahead of him in the lineup are mostly names behind him on this list.
9 – Cody Franson
Overall – 30th
Offense – 39th
Defense – 14th
Best season – 2016-2017
Not the fleetest of foot, Franson looked suspect at times on the ice upon first glance. He always measured well in the analytics community, however, and his 2016-2017 season was considerably better than his previous. Positioning and composure under pressure were qualities that helped his defensive game, and specifically helped his expected goals against.
8 – Casey Nelson
Overall – 28th
Offense – 62nd
Defense – 6th
Best season – 2018-2019
Brought in as a college free agent signing with hopes of becoming a powerplay quarterback, Nelson bounced between the AHL and NHL refining his game in a completely different way. He measured as the third best defensive defenseman of the decade, which makes you wonder if he deserved a shot to play in the NHL again this past season.
7 – Mark Pysyk
Overall – 26th
Offense – 41st
Defense – 12th
Best season – 2015-2016
Point-blank, Pysyk’s 2015-2016 season made him an analytics darling. At even strength, his expected goals percentage and corsi percentage were remarkable, suggesting that he was poised to become a pivotal part of a suspect blueline. Instead, Tim Murray traded him for Dmitry Kulikov, turning the tide significantly.
6 – Toni Lydman
Overall – 24th
Offense – 31st
Defense – 16th
Best season – 2009-2010
Lydman’s tenure only carried one season into the 2010s, but he is remembered as one of the most consistent defensemen in Sabres history. His play waned a bit after time, as did his team’s, but he was still able to still successfully limit goals against despite giving up better quality opportunities.
5 – Andrej Sekera
Overall – 19th
Offense – 20th
Defense – 15th
Best season – 2011-2012
Seemingly Brian Campbell’s successor, Sekera had big shoes to fill. He put up a couple really strong seasons in the decade, although he molded himself into a mobile defensive defenseman as opposed to Campbell’s powerplay quarterback role. Shots attempts and shot quality were hard to come by with Sekera, which vaulted him to fifth on this list.
4 – Steve Montador
Overall – 15th
Offense – 21st
Defense – 5th
Best season – 2010-2011
Montador was a fan-favorite, and put up his best offensive years in Buffalo. His corsi-for numbers at even strength were stellar, and he did an even better job at limiting chances against before moving on to Chicago. Unfortunately, Montador suffered from CTE and post-concussion depression after his time in the Windy City, and tragically passed in 2015.
3 – Chris Butler
Overall – 13th
Offense – 11th
Defense – T-40th
Best season – 2009-2010
If you were waiting for a surprise in the rankings, well, you’ve probably found it here. Chris Butler put up two strong seasons to begin the decade, despite playing only 59 and 49 games, respectively. 2010-2011 was the stronger of his two seasons at even strength, but it was his special teams play that boosted him up this list. Butler was remarkably efficient in 2009-2010 on the powerplay, and nearly as effective on the penalty kill when given the opportunity.
2 – Christian Ehrhoff
Overall – 11th
Offense – 10th
Defense – 37th
Best season – 2012-2013
Robyn Regehr and Christian Ehrhoff were acquired in the same offseason, giving the Sabres two shiny new big-named defensemen in the lineup. Only one, however, prospered in Buffalo. Ehrhoff was very strong all-around, providing offense that turned out to be the best from anybody on the back-end in the decade. Heck, he even teamed with Alexander Sulzer and turned that into a formidable first pair. His ranking should come as no surprise, taking a backseat to the only one blueliner he possibly could.
1 – Rasmus Dahlin
Overall – 6th
Offense – 12th
Defense – 2nd
Best season – 2018-2019
Where to begin? Dahlin burst onto the scene as advertised, playing with incredible poise as an 18 year-old. He started a little slow in his sophomore season, but by the new year was back to form. Dahlin’s defensive numbers were second-best among all skaters, and his offensive numbers were very strong, specifically on the powerplay. It will be interesting to see if the even strength production takes off in the coming years, as well as how he’ll fare if he ever receives time on the penalty kill.
Not mentioned:
Shaone Morrisonn (60th overall)
Josh Gorges (63rd)
Mike Weber (66th)
Rasmus Ristolainen (67th)
Henri Jokiharju (69th)
Justin Falk (71st)
Andrej Meszaros (73rd)
Jamie McBain (74th)
Robyn Regehr (76th)
Andre Benoit (80th)
Other position rankings:
Centers
Left Wingers
Right Wingers
Goaltenders
If the poll below is not showing up on your newsreader, please click here to go vote.
Who would you rank as the Sabres best defenseman of the decade?
| Rasmus Dahlin | 98 |
| Christian Ehrhoff | 21 |
| Other | 18 |