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Top 5 NHL defensive duos approaching 2023/24 season
The old saying goes, defense wins championships and some NHL teams are following that motto.
Although some teams like to split up their best defenseman so they can even out their pairings, some teams decide to stack them. When they stack their pairings, it is nearly impossible to score while they are on the ice.
Let's take a look at the five best NHL defense duos ahead of the 2023-24 NHL season.
5: Thomas Chabot-Jakob Chychurn
The Ottawa Senators best defensive line will be Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychurn and it will be one of the best in the NHL.
Chabot is already one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL as last year he recorded 41 points in 68 games. Chychurn, meanwhile, was acquired partway through the year and he fits in well with the Sens.
Chabot and Chychurn should be a plus-minus machine and create a lot of scoring for Ottawa in their hopes of getting back into the playoffs.
4: Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock
The New York Islanders have been known to play shutdown hockey and a big reason why is Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock.
Pelech and Pulock are the Islanders' first-line pairing and last season, they were +15 and +10 respectively, which is impressive considering New York didn't score much.
Both Pelech and Pulock are great defenders and use their body to minimize chances. They've continued to be a shutdown pair and one of the best in the league at that.
3: Jaccob Slavin-Brent Burns
Brent Burns was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes last season and he fit in perfectly with Jaccob Slavin.
Burns continued to be a great offensive defenseman as he recorded 61 points in 82 games and was a +19 as his defense also was much better. Slavin, meanwhile, is more of a defensive player which makes this pairing so effective.
Slavin can stay back while Burns goes on the rush, and in Carolina, Burns was also much better defensively, making them that much better.
2: Charlie McAvoy-Matt Grzelcyk
The second-best NHL defense duo is the Boston Bruins pairing of Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk.
Although Grzelcyk is not a big household name to many NHL fans, he doesn't make many mistakes and plays the position so effectively. McAvoy, meanwhile, is a great two-way defenseman, and arguably a top-three or top-five defenseman in the NHL.
McAvoy and Grzelcyk just play so well together and have so much chemistry it's hard for opposing teams to do well while they are on the ice.
1: Cale Makar-Devon Toews
There is not much debate on who the best D-pair in the NHL is as its Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar and Devon Toews.
Makar is the best defenseman in the NHL as he can take over the game on his own. He is a solid defender, but where he really excels is on offense as he can go end-to-end and score highlight-reel goals or set up goals.
Toews, meanwhile, is a great defender and can sit back while Makar goes on the rushes. He rarely makes any mistakes which allows Makar to play as hard as he does as Makar has trust Toews will defend well on an odd-man rush.
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