Six NHLers playing underrated defensive hockey in 2025-26
Defense has always been a tough skill to evaluate in hockey. The biggest problem is it’s not an event but the lack of an event: the lack of offense. Because of this conundrum, the only commonly used stats associated with defense are blocked shots, faceoffs, plus-minus, shorthanded ice time and takeaways. But none comes anywhere close to portraying a defensive skillset.
Even with more information and statistics available to us, it still only conveys what a player’s defensive impact is and not what their skillset is. But if they have a strong defensive impact when they’re on the ice, no matter whom they’re playing with and who they’re competition is, they have to be doing something right.
A player too often gets recognition for their defensive game not because of their current play on the ice but through an established reputation. Look no further than the Selke Trophy. The votes often go to already revered defensive players, not to the players just taking those strides this season.
So today, let’s look past those established reputations. Let’s look at players who have had strong defensive impacts this season but aren’t known for their defensive play yet.
Dylan Cozens, Ottawa Senators
If this was any other season, Cozens would be another nightmare result for the Buffalo Sabres. While he is not at the level of Jack Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly or Sam Reinhart, the biggest fear with dealing Cozens was seeing him find his form after he was traded. His scoring has improved this season, as he’s already eclipsed his point totals from the previous two seasons. But where he’s really broken out is in his own end.
Cozens’ defensive game is so underrated that even coach Travis Green hasn’t recognized it yet. Cozens isn’t the Senators’ top shutdown guy yet, and he hasn’t even logged six minutes on the penalty kill. You could take his defensive impact with a grain of salt knowing that, but even when you use Evolving Hockey’s regularized adjusted plus-minus (which excludes factors like quality of competition), Cozens is still one of the top players in the league in his own end. His -0.185 5v5 RAPM expected goals against per 60 minutes ranks 12th among forwards in the league with 500 minutes, and he’s a big reason why the Senators are one of the top defensive teams this season. The Sabres must be glad they’re back in the playoff hunt instead of mourning over another potential lost trade with Cozens.
Luke Evangelista, Nashville Predators
I already dove into Evangelista’s improved game last week when he was one of my underrated breakout players this season. But his defensive impact this season can’t be overstated with a -0.19 5v5 RAPM xGA/60, which is the 10th best among forwards in the league with 500 minutes. It’s also well ahead of any other Predator – including his frequent linemate and previous Selke winner, Ryan O’Reilly.
Like Cozens, Evangelista isn’t used as the defensive specialist he’s blossoming into right now. He isn’t given the toughest assignments too often, even when O’Reilly is deployed in that role, and Evangelista hasn’t even spent an entire minute on the penalty kill. It’s a role he could – and should – grow into, and with the Predators’ future uncertain as they push for a playoff spot without a general manager, he’s a bright spot for the road ahead.
Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens
You might be scratching your head right now. Lane Hutson? Underrated? What is this guy talking about? But just hold your horses for second. In no way am I saying Hutson is an underrated player. He is immensely talented, and he’s built off last season’s historic rookie campaign with another incredible year offensively by adding a goal-scoring touch to his playmaking ability. But I think he’s underrated for another reason: his improved defensive prowess.
Hutson’s offensive game is well documented, but last season, he was very much a one-way threat. He was bleeding chances against when he was on the ice with a 0.134 5v5 RAPM xGA/60, which was the 22nd-worst rate among defensemen with 500 minutes that year. The Canadiens’ defense as a collective wasn’t great either with the third-worst 5v5 xGA/60, but Hutson’s leaky defensive play contributed to it. While Montreal is still on the lower end of suppressing chances this season (allowing the 12th-most 5v5 xGA/60 with 2.85), Hutson’s defensive game has taken a complete 180 with a -0.114 5v5 RAPM xGA/60, which is tied for 37th in the league. Normally it takes a few seasons for young players to find their defensive games in the NHL, especially defensemen. But Hutson is proving why he’s already one of the game’s best with how quickly he’s adapted.
Jordan Kyrou, St. Louis Blues
To the casual hockey fan, Kyrou has had a bad season by his standards. He’s normally good for 30 goals and 70 points a year, but he’s fallen well below that mark this season with just 16 and 36. He was even healthy scratched in early November. At an $8.125 million cap hit, it doesn’t feel like enough. But he’s found other ways to contribute for the Blues, particularly in the defensive zone.
Kyrou wasn’t known for his defensive game when he first broke into the league in 2018-19. In his first five seasons, he managed a 0.09 5v5 RAPM xGA/60. It wasn’t horrible, especially considering he was contributing in his own end, but it wasn’t great either. But from 2023 to 2025, his play had improved to -0.101, and just when you think it couldn’t get any better, he’s operating at a rate of -0.315, which is the highest of any player in the league. I’m curious to know what the price for Kyrou was at the Trade Deadline. Between his contract and his dip in production, teams probably could have acquired him at a lower price than he’s actually worth. If that was the case, more teams should inquire about him in the summer.
Nils Lundkvist, Dallas Stars
Lundkvist has always been a perplexing player. With the New York Rangers, he was never given the proper usage, so the Stars took a swing on him in 2022. But after acquiring him, they never bothered to use him, especially in the playoffs. Despite the Stars’ lack of depth on the blueline, Peter DeBoer never trusted Lundkvist, even when his on-ice metrics were promising. But Glen Gulutzan has utilized Lundkvist a lot more in the Dallas lineup, particularly alongside Thomas Harley.
Harley and Lundqvist have made for a consistent second-pair option for the Stars this season, with a 58.67% 5v5 goals share and a 53.41% 5v5 expected goal share in more than 450 minutes of ice time. While Harley is a great defenseman and a contributor to that result, Lundkvist is no slouch in that regard with a -0.137 5v5 RAPM xGA/60, which is 31th among defensemen with 500 minutes of ice time. In fact, he may be the driver of this pair’s success, as Harley has struggled with a 0.092 rate this season. It’s a surprise the Stars never tried this pairing sooner, and also that the Tyler Myers addition didn’t disrupt it. But Gulutzan continues to have trust in Lundkvist as a top-four option.
Sam Malinski, Colorado Avalanche
Malinski may be the one player on this list whose defensive play is receiving enough attention for him to not be underrated anymore. But he’s far from a household name. Still, his play has caught the eye of many watching the Avalanche this season, and he’s been a big contributor in the team’s prolonged success all year. He’s seen his role evolve over the course of the season, and Colorado rewarded him for his great play with a four-year extension earning him $4.75 million a year.
While Cale Makar and Devon Toews get all the attention on the Avalanche blueline, it’s actually the second pairing of Josh Manson and Malinski driving the bus defensively (albeit coach Jared Bednar has experimented with different pairings recently). While Manson hasn’t been an elite defensive defenseman for quite some time, it’s not surprising to see a return to form with a -0.164 5v5 RAPM xGA/60, which ranks 18th among defensemen with 500 minutes of ice time. But Malinski is not far behind with a -0.142 rate which is tied for 29th, something no one saw going into the season. Considering this puts him ahead of names like Miro Heiskanen, Jake Sanderson and Josh Morissey, Malinksi should get much more recognition for his play. A deep playoff run always seems to get defensive defensemen on the casual hockey fan’s radar, so perhaps one from the Avalanche this season could garner Malinski the attention he deserves.
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