NHL's Top Ten Bluelines

The blueline is a transition unit. It can be a catalyst for the offence and protect its goaltender. The last two Stanley Cup Champions rode the two best bluelines in the game to the title. Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks unit struggled to handle the forecheck, turned over the puck exposing Evgeni Nabokov, and was among the poorest point-producing units in the league. The result: they bowed out in the second round three years in a row. In part two of this series, I analyze the top ten bluelines in the NHL. Because a team's top two defencemen play more minutes than its bottom two, I am emphasizing the unit at an approximate 40-30-20-10 ratio. The best two may not pair up, but they will be the ones getting the extra time on special teams. Therefore, please note I am not projecting actual pairs but gauging total minutes. Furthermore, I will list a "fourth" blueline of players that may not dress but will be relied on over the course of the season due to injuries. All players are graded ... (link)