St. Louis Blues: Alex Pietrangelo The 16th Best Defenseman
By Todd Panula
Shortly after releasing the list of the best forwards in the league, the NHL released it’s list of the best defenseman in the league. While the forward list was spot on, there are a few more arguments as far as the St. Louis Blues are concerned with the defenders.
Alex Pietrangelo is one of the top defenders in the National Hockey League, but all St. Louis Blues fans know that. Now, he was recognized as such being listed as the 16th best defenseman by NHL.com. While the list of forwards was pretty air tight, with an exception here or there, the defensemen list has some more room for argument.
When you view it on the surface, saying Pietrangelo is the 16th best defenseman seems pretty fair. However, as we did when comparing Vladimir Tarasenko‘s spot, when you look at some of the names above Petro, there are a few more holes.
Pietrangelo is highly regarded in the city. There are plenty of arguments being made that he could and should be the next captain of the St. Louis Blues. Even if he is not, he is definitely going to be one of the new locker room leaders come the 2016-17 season.
Pietrangelo is a good all-around blueliner as well. He can score, but isn’t a pure goal scorer. He’s never had double digit goals in the NHL, but has eclipsed the 50 point mark twice and only failed to score more than 40 points in a full season once.
Defensively, he’s pretty solid as well. While there were a few times he was exposed during the 2016 playoffs, some of that was due to the offensive fire power of the opponent and some was due to the failings of his teammates. Regardless, he has only been a minus player twice in his season with one time coming in a year where he only featured in nine NHL games before being sent back to the juniors.
Focusing on the list, the top two are pretty solid. Erik Karlsson and Drew Doughty have been the consensus duo dueling for the Norris Trophy the last handful of seasons. After that, there are a few that seem a bit iffy.
NHL Network’s Top 20 Defensemen Right Now
1. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
2. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators
3. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks
4. Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks
5. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
6. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins
7. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
8. P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens
9. Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
10. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes
11. Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild
12. Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets
13. Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks
14. John Klingberg, Dallas Stars
15. Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
16. Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
17. Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers
18. Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers
19. John Carlson, Washington Capitals
20. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks
Burns is fair, I suppose, but I just don’t care for him myself. Most of that, admittedly, is having to watch him for an entire series.
He’s one of those players that you hate to play against, but would love on your team. He’s very talented, but just rubs me the wrong way. However, arguing against his inclusion that high is a bit pointless.
The same is true of Keith. I’ll never support him in any fashion after the “Wakey, wakey Backes,” comment. Him denying it on the Blues/Blackhawks documentary cemented that. Still, he is a good player.
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Hedman at fifth is where I have an argument. I have nothing against him or am I saying he’s not talented. Why is he fifth and Pietrangelo 16th though?
Pietrangelo averages more points per season and he blocks more shots. Hedman has an advantage in hits per season, but that doesn’t seem like enough for a large gap.
You can’t even argue Hedman is more important to his team because his average ice time is actually under Pietrangelo’s. Hedman has scored double digit goals a few times, but that still doesn’t explain the gap.
I’m not saying Pietrangelo should be at fifth, but why Hedman is becomes a bit puzzling.
Also, why is John Klingberg ahead of Pietrangelo? Is it because of goal production again?
Through two full seasons, Klingberg only has four more points than Pietrangelo at the same point. Yes, he had an amazing plus/minus of plus 22, but that has just as much to do with his forwards as himself.
Projecting Klingberg out, he looks poised to have a stellar career, but he doesn’t seem better than Pietrangelo right now. One can argue he’s more important to Dallas simply because their defenders weren’t great last year, but that’s fairly weak sauce.
Letang, Subban and Weber are quite understandable. Josi is arguable, but I get why he’s where he is.
At this point in his career, I would argue Pietrangelo and Suter are on par with each other. However, Suter does get the nod for doing more for longer.
Ekman-Larsson is purely based on goals. If I had to choose one, I would not take him over Pietrangelo, but perhaps I’m just biased.
I would argue Pietragelo over Seabrook as well. Seabrook has been around longer, but Pietragelo averages a few more points per year. Seabrook has also been aided by some of the strongest offensive teams in the league in front of him.
Ekblad is confusing as well. Granted, what is one spot ahead on the list, but he hasn’t scored as much per season and hasn’t played nearly as much. He’s going to be a top player, but at this point in his career and projected out he does not seem like he’s better than Pietrangelo.
These lists are just for fun, most times. They spark debate, which is what we are doing right here. No one opinion is more valid than the other, however this list is much more open than the one with the forwards.
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If I was making the list, I would have him around 10 to 12. There are enough names on the list that aren’t that much better than Pietrangelo to move him up, but enough of the list is correct to leave him out of the single digits.
Many of us are biased toward St. Louis Blues, but there is room for movement in this list. Where do you think Petro ranks on the list? Is he about right? Would you have him crack your top five?