Is Charlie McAvoy a Top 3 Defender in the NHL?
I think we all know where this is going.
It’s an endless debate - who’s the top defenseman in the NHL? Often, it depends on what style of defense the individual responding to this question prefers. It tends to be a very biased answer.
At one point, Erik Karlsson was considered the greatest defenseman in the league due to his two-way ability, scoring goals and creating offensive opportunities while being a fairly good defenseman, too. Others said it was Zdeno Chara, due to his long reach, his 6’9” frame, and his second-to-none shutdown abilities.
The reality is unless you’re Bobby Orr, there’s unlikely to be a current unanimous top defender in the league. That being said, it still begs the question - how close is Charlie McAvoy to the top of the list?
Picture courtesy of the amazing @JFreshHockey on Twitter.
According to this graph, Charlie McAvoy is the #5-ranked defenseman in the league. Fans across the globe were polled in order to get these results - and as the graph indicates, there are only four defensemen considered “better” than McAvoy. Adam Fox, who’s had a breakout career in the NHL with the Rangers, but arguably is relatively equal if not ever-so-slightly behind McAvoy in terms of defensive production. In third is Roman Josi, whose $9,059,000 cap hit, albeit hefty, still feels like a steal when considering how dynamic he is. In second, unsurprisingly, is Victor Hedman, who has the best supporting cast of all defensemen in the top 5, and transparently had an extremely underwhelming Stanley Cup Playoff for being the #2 defenseman in the NHL. And lastly, at the top, is Cale Makar, who’s both one of the youngest listed in the top 32, and considered the greatest defenseman in the NHL. It’s fair recognition for the 23-year-old Calgary native, who’s widely compared to Bobby Orr. But is McAvoy’s rating fair?
According to Chace McCallum, a writer for ActionNetwork.com and a podcast host on the MnM Hockey Podcast, Charlie McAvoy’s consistency in being a play-driving defender is arguably the best in the league. And at the end of the day, isn’t that ultimately what defense is all about? Stopping quality offensive chances from the opposing team,, and in turn creating offensive chances for your team?
I believe McAvoy isn’t widely considered in the top three greatest defensemen in the NHL due to lack of flashiness - he’s not the flashiest defenseman in the league. But he’s likely the most consistent, and I’d take consistency over bursts of flashiness any day of the week. That’s not to say McAvoy doesn’t give us some jaw-dropping moments throughout the season - he certainly does. Regardless, McAvoy clearly shows signs of inspiration from his time playing with Zdeno Chara while also establishing his own identity.
As long as McAvoy is in the league, there will always be a few players he’s compared to by “haters” in an effort to invalidate his productivity. That being said, Bruins fans will always recognize the impact he makes, an impact so large it’s criminal to not put in in the top 5 if not the top 3 greatest defensemen in the NHL.