Bruins forward Alex Chiasson is ready to bet on himself once again

Defensemen are the backbone of every NHL team. They’re the last line of defense between some of the league’s elite goal scorers finding themselves all alone against the goaltender. On the defensive end, players are expected to be physical and limit the opposing team’s scoring chances as best they can. On the other hand, they’re looked at as quarterbacks on the power-play and sometimes lethal goal scorers on the offensive end.
And now more than ever, NHL defensemen are more expected to produce on the offensive end. During the 2022-23 season, there were 12 NHL defensemen that registered at least 60 points.
Since defensemen are such an integral part of the sport, I compiled a list of the league’s top 10 blue-liners. Career production, where their career currently stands and how they could perform in the future were all factors that were taken into account.
Josh Morrissey WPG • D • #44 G 16 A 60 BLK 119 HIT 89 View Profile
Josh Morrissey had the most impressive season of his NHL career in 2022-23, as he registered a career-high 76 points (16 goals and 60 assists). Morrissey previously had no more than 37 points in a single season. During the 2022-23 campaign, The 28-year-old also set a franchise record for the longest point streak by a defenseman as he did so in 11 consecutive games in December 2022. Morrissey ended up being named a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top blue-liner. If this ends up being the new norm for Morrissey, then he will cement himself as one of the NHL’s top defensemen.
Quinn Hughes VAN • D • #43 G 7 A 69 BLK 71 HIT 29 View Profile
Quinn Hughes has quickly established himself as a marquee defenseman in the NHL. Hughes became the fastest defenseman in NHL history to reach 200 assists when he accomplished the feat in just 263 career games. The Canucks blue-liner tallied a career-high 76 points, which was good for third among defensemen behind only Erik Karlsson and Josh Morrissey. Hughes became the first defenseman to register back-to-back 60-point season since Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque did so in 1993-94. The former first-round pick excels as a puck handler and really is a phenomenal playmaker as he always is looking for his teammates. At just 23 years old, Hughes has already developed into a superstar, and the sky is the limit for what he’ll be able to accomplish throughout his career.
Rasmus Dahlin BUF • D • #26 G 15 A 58 BLK 132 HIT 105 View Profile
The great