#d men

The fellas having a helluva NIGHT, the fellas having a helluva SEASON

what an excellent question! 

kris letang and olli maatta - pittsburgh penguins- both tanger and olli had difficult starts to this season, but since being put together as a pairing their play has sky rocketed. they are the pens first d-pairing and for good reason - they’ve been a huge part of the teams success in the new year. also they’re adorable and they’ve both been through so much hardship with their health and to see them be successful is so great and i love them so there- (honorable mention for the pens: i thought lovejoy and dumo were an excellent shut down pairing, but im also a big fan of dumo and daley. surprisingly very pleased with the pens D of late) 

roman josi and shea weber - nashville predators - one of the preds greatest strengths is their defensive core, and these 2 are the cream of the crop. to say they’re one of the best d-pairings in the league wouldn’t be far off. they can play both shut-down and offensively, and watching them play is always a treat. PLUS - they are the hottest d-pairing in the league and no one can fight me on that   

brian campbell and aaron ekblad  - florida panthers  - i want to start this by saying that I LOVE BRIAN CAMPBELL AND HE IS HANDS DOWN ONE OF THE MOST UNDER RATED D-MEN IN THE LEAGUE. ahem. okay so ekblad, while the face of the panthers and an elite d-man right now, is still essentially a kid. pairing him with a steady vet on the blue line was imperative, and the panthers successfully did that with cambell. this pairing is the backbone of that team, and i don’t think the panthers or ekblad would be where they are right now without campbell …. i love u soupy 

alex edler and chris tanev - vancouver canucks - there was a point in time at the beginning of this season (might still be true) where tanev and edler had a greater defensive impact at 5 on 5 than any other single pairing in the league. throughout the canucks struggles, the emerging tanev and the quietly good edler have been the backbone of the team. a lot of focus on d-men recently have been about their offensive contributions - but if we’re talking their #1 job as defense, there is hardly a better pairing anywhere in the NHL. tanev and edler deserve better tbh 

ryan mcdonagh and dan girardi - rangers - i have such a love/hate relationship with the new york rangers,  but you can’t deny that they possess some elite talent on that blue line. both mcdonagh and girardi are real leaders on the team, both on the ice and in the room. like tanev and edler, they don’t have the best offensive contributions, but they do their job right and they do it terrifically. frankly, they’re a huge pain in the ass for other teams to play against which is why i both love them and hate them. oops

OKAY SO. i can’t make a list of d-men without naming my favourite d-pairing of all time. 

DUNCAN KEITH AND BRENT SEABROOK - chicago blackhawks- AHHHHHH the d-pairing of days past. these dudes are brothers, best friends, lived together, were in eachothers weddings, won gold medals together, bought houses near each other, have their kids play together, seabs has duncs teeth that got knocked out in 2010 … ALSO they were the ultimate d-pairing on the ice. seabrook’s steady and massive presence and heavy shot on the blue line allowed duncs to go zooming in between other teams and set up plays like a god damn center. they played SO FUCKING WELL TOGETHER OH MY GOD??? they were magic.they knew where eachother were at all times and just were the best compliments to eachothers style of play. alas, as they got better they needed to be split up to make the hawks d-core more balanced. but there’s still those plays sometimes (especially in the playoffs) where they get put back together and my heart fucking sores. BASH BROS 4 LIFE. 

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