What is the modern NHL defender? As the game trends away from slow-moving, hard-hitting, shot-blocking machines of the previous era, scouting staffs are forced to examine this question.



For the most parts, the Luke Schenns, Erik Gudbransons, and Griffin Reinharts have been replaced at the top of the draft with Cale Makars and Quinn Hughes’s, high-flying, dynamic offensive defenders.



However, many of hockey’s best defencemen aren’t dynamic scoring threats. Rather, they are modern-day “shutdown” defenders, who lean on their speed, range, stick work and transition as their primary strengths. Think of Niklas Hjalmarsson, Josh Manson, Brett Pesce or Jaccob Slavin.



These are defenders who, historically, tilt shot share and expected goal share in their team’s favour. They play an efficient brand of defence, excelling at defending to the point that they’re always playing offence.



Identifying these players in the...