Last week, NHL Network launched a summertime series counting down the best players in the NHL today. Claude Giroux made the list of top 20 forwards, clocking in at number 17.
This week, defensemen were the focus. And hey, what would you know: Shayne Gostisbehere made the list at 18th overall.
Gostisbehere is coming off of a rookie season that saw him score 46 points in 64 games, including a historic 15-game point streak. He really announced himself to the NHL stage – especially as someone who didn’t even make the Flyers out of training camp – to the point of NHL Network actually listing him as one of the top defensemen in the game right now.
Here’s the full list:
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, Nashville Predators
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
What do you think? Does Ghost deserve to be named among the 20 best in today’s game, or is NHL Network getting a little ahead of themselves here?
