Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin has been ranked 18th overall on NHL Network’s countdown Top 20 Defensemen Right Now, ranking the best defensemen in the National Hockey League, earlier yesterday evening. The 2022 All-Star finished one spot ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights’ Alex Pietrangelo and one spot behind the Los Angeles Kings’ Drew Doughty.
NHL Network’s Tony Luftman, Ken Daneyko and Steve Konroyd counted down the best defensemen based on player performance over the past several seasons, with an emphasis on the 2021-2022 regular season and 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
On the countdown, Daneyko said of Dahlin –
“Rasmus Dahlin had a career year. Just his ice on ice awareness, his playmaking ability, he has all the tools. He’s very good on his edge work as far as alluding defenders and twisting and turning in the offensive zone, walking the line. He sees the ice very well, he had a great year and I only expect him to get better and better, especially with that other young guy Owen Power. They’re going to be special in the future between Dahlin and certainly Owen Power.”
NHL Network’s Top 20 Defensemen Right Now, 1-20:
- Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
- Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
- Adam Fox, New York Rangers
- Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
- Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
- Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
- John Carlson, Washington Capitals
- Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars
- Moritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings
- Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
- Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
- Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights
- Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
- Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
- Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights
- Brent Burns, Carolina Hurricanes
Continuing next Sunday, NHL Network will unveil its latest edition of Top 10 Goalies Right Now. The player rankings will culminate with NHL Network’s five-part series, Top 50 Players Right Now, beginning on Sunday, September 11 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Viewers can visit NHL.com/TopPlayers for videos on the latest rankings following each edition of NHL Tonight. Fans can use #NHLTopPlayers on NHL Network’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages to discuss each position’s countdown.