The top 5 NHL defensemen of 2025

With the final days of 2025 ahead, what better way to celebrate the year than by highlighting some of the best performances that we’ve witnessed in the calendar year?

Over these last few days of the year, I’ll look at the best players at all five positions (goaltender, defense, right wing, left wing, and center) from 2025, which includes the January to April months of the 2024-25 season, the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the October to December months in the 2025-26 season, as well as some consideration from the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Today we’ll look at the blueline. While the names making up this list are expected, the order in which they appear may be a bit more surprising. Injuries to some and poor defensive performances from others has created a more volatile list than years past. Many often associate the highest-scoring defensemen with the best defensemen, but while production does have an impact on who’s on this list, their defensive ability and the role they play with their team is also important.

First, a few honorable mentions:

Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers – It’s fitting that after I mention how I weighted production and defensive ability that Bouchard is an honorable mention. He’s the poster child for offensive defensemen who struggle defensively, largely due to the occasional blunder or lackluster coverage. While his defensive struggles are overexaggerated, they do exist (even in the underlying metrics), but his offensive game usually makes up for it. However, his regular-season production was down by his standards in 2025 (74 points in 83 games), so it didn’t quite make up for his defensive struggles, and it only earns him an honorable mention. He at least stepped up his game in the playoffs with 23 points in 22 games.

Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens – Speaking of offensive defensemen, Hutson’s defensive performance in his rookie season is what many think Bouchard is. Hutson has an excuse as a rookie, but it was a glaring issue in an otherwise phenomenal rookie season. However, it’s already seen improvement this season, all the more reason Habs fans should be excited for the future with him on their back end. And then there’s his offensive game, which was borderline historic for a rookie and earned him a Calder Trophy in the 2024-25 season. His performance has improved even more in the latter stage of 2025, and on the year as a whole, he has 80 points in 87 games (including the playoffs).

Moritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings – It’s been a few years since Seider found himself on this list. He hasn’t since winning the Calder in 2022, as playing in one of the toughest roles in hockey hurt his overall game over the past few seasons. But with the Red Wings boasting a deeper defense corps in 2025-26, it’s allowed Seider a lighter workload, and he’s thrived as a result. He’s first among defenseman in 5v5 regularized adjusted plus-minus goals against per 60 minutes and first overall in goals above replacement this season, a performance that should earn him consideration for the Norris Trophy. His January-April 2025 stretch was good but not great, yet his performance from October to December was too good not to mention.

5. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks/Minnesota Wild

Regular Season: 66 GP, 11 G, 50 A, 61 P
Playoffs: N/A

It may be controversial to put Hughes so low on this list, but remember, this list is based on his performance in 2025, not for how good of a defenseman he is overall. Hughes is consistently in the running for the title of best defenseman, and in the past two years has swapped with Makar for first and second place. Health plays a role in Hughes’ lower ranking this year, as he missed 17 games with various injuries, but his play did take a slight step back. Of course, a slight step back is still far better than most defensemen.

Normally good for producing around a point-per-game, he only managed 61 points in 66 games. That’s still excellent production for a defenseman, but it puts him at a similar level to other defenders on this list, and a step back in his defensive game with the Canucks in 2025-26 is what ranks him lower than some. In his 26 games in Vancouver, there was a clear lack of pizazz in his game, and it showed in the numbers with a 0.117 5v5 RAPM xGA/60.

It was only that stretch where Hughes’ defensive game was a significant problem, as he was fine in the first third of the year, and he’s since improved after he was dealt to the Wild. But it’s enough to drop him for now with the high standard we’re dealing with on this list. Perhaps a full year in Minnesota with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy will see him back at the top.

4. Adam Fox, New York Rangers

Regular Season: 65 GP, 12 G, 47 A, 59 P
Playoffs: N/A

Fox’s appearance in the top five is also likely a controversial one, but unlike Hughes, some might think he’s too high. He missed time with injuries, played on a disappointing Rangers team who struggled defensively, and most notably had a bad showing at the 4 Nations Face-Off. But a few rough games at the tournament shouldn’t spoil what was otherwise a great season, one where he performed well in spite of New York’s sloppy blueline away from him.

In the calendar year of 2025, Fox lead all Rangers with 500 minutes played in 5v5 expected goal share with 56.75%. When he wasn’t on the ice, New York had a 44.5% 5v5 xGF%. He finally has support on the top pair this season with Vladislav Gavrikov, and as a result, the Rangers have played their best defense in over a decade.

And of course, Fox is still producing at a high-end rate with 59 points in 66 games. Injuries hindered his chances of ranking higher on the list, but for my money, he’s consistently a top five defenseman in the league. If the U.S. is going to leave him off of the Olympic team because of four bad games at 4 Nations, it will be an incredibly shortsighted decision.

3. Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets

Regular Season: 78 GP, 26 G, 56 A, 82 P
Playoffs: N/A

I had my doubts about Werenski. I’ve never doubted he was a great offensive defenseman, but to perform at the level he did in the 2024-25 season was nothing like what we’d seen from him. Even when you accounted for his injury problems, he generally produced at a 50-60 point rate. 82 points in 81 games felt like too much of an outlier to expect this level of production from him going forward.

And I was wrong. Werenski has not only produced at that rate again, it’s increased even more with 40 points in 35 games, good enough for 93 points if he continues at this pace. He’s one of only two defensemen to average above a point-per-game pace in 2025, and it’s become clear this is his new level of performance.

Werenski’s defensive game needs improvement, which is why he isn’t higher on this list, but it has improved from horrid to at worst passable. This evolution in his game couldn’t have come at a better time, as the rest of the Blue Jackets’ young core is breaking out.

2. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres

Regular Season: 76 GP, 15 G, 55 A, 70 P
Playoffs: N/A

Dahlin doesn’t get enough credit for how good he is. It’s not that he doesn’t get any recognition for his elite play, especially on a team who’s so consistently out of the playoff race, but I don’t think people appreciate his talent. He only gets recognition for the Norris when he produces, and even then, he’s never finished higher than sixth in voting, which was in 2024-25. But his defensive game is what also brings his game to such an elite level, and it doesn’t get as much attention as it should.

Perhaps the most impressive part about Dahlin’s game is, despite all the chaos surrounding him in Buffalo and all the failed developments with other prospects, he’s as talented and poised as ever. It’s not a surprise his defensive game has improved even more this season with a more competent blueline surrounding him, but he still raises the bar.

Case in point: Mattias Samuelsson. When away from Dahlin in 2025, he struggles with a 44.76% 5v5 xGF% and has a contract the Sabres try desperately to get rid of. When with Dahlin, he’s up to 50.83% and a much stronger defensive presence. Dahlin is a key cog on this Sabres team, and a run to the postseason should given many more Norris votes.

Although he does have one guy in his way…

1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

Regular Season: 78 GP, 30 G, 59 A, 89 P
Playoffs: 7 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 P

Who else was it going to be? While Hughes enters the debate from time to time, it feels like Makar is in a class of his own on the blueline when he’s on his game, and this season he’s gone above and beyond. The 2024-25 season saw him set a new career-high in points with 92 and become the first defenseman since 2008-09 to score 30 goals, a total he also has in the calendar year of 2025. Of course, his performance earned him his second Norris. This season, he’s poised to get close to 100-point territory, and he just might with how well the Avalanche have played and how much of a role he plays in their success.

If there was anything that made me consider dropping him lower on the list, it’s that his defense isn’t at the same level it used to be. Makar’s peak saw him play just as capably in his own end as he did in the offensive zone, but he has taken a step back at times. He does pick up his play come playoff time, so perhaps as someone who’s already won the Stanley Cup, he recognizes he doesn’t need to wear himself in the regular season. Regardless, he’s one of the most talented players in the league, and is well deserving of the top spot this year.

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