NHL's Top Ten Bluelines

Brian Campbell was unable to prove himself elite in the much more physical Western Conference in last year’s playoffs, but he is still one of the best skaters and passers at his position and also solid defencively. Duncan Keith is one of the best young defencemen in the game and an asset on both sides of the ice. A-

James Wisniewski is a physical presence on the blueline and has developed pretty good offencive skills. Brent Sopel is a veteran with good defencive skills who is not a liability on the offencive end. B-

Cam Barker is a very skilled blueliner who will continue to improve his mediocre defencive skills, and Jordan Hendry looks ready to step into the role of an every game starter, albeit a pedestrian one at both ends. C-

Chicago has a host of players with limited NHL experience ready to step in if necessary: Niklas Hjalmarsson, Dustin Byfuglien, Aaron Johnson, and Matt Walker. All can contribute on one end of the ice or the other. D+

5. The Pittsburgh Penguins are deep and gained valued playoff experience. Rating: 7.1

Sergei Gonchar remains one of the best puck-moving defencemen with one of the most dangerous shots from the point, but has really showed leadership, grit, and solid defencive play in the past two seasons. Ryan Whitney is young but already a skilled offencive blueliner who has developed decent defencive ability. B+

Kris Letang is a very young defenceman but already an asset on offence; expect him to continue to improve defencively. Hal Gill is among the slowest players in the league, but he still managed to score 24 points for this offencive juggernaut and his hulking size makes him a great hitter and shot-blocker. B-

I would expect to see Rob Scuderi and Brooks Orpik be elevated among the rather close talent in the rest of the roster. Both are good defencive player but lack offencive capabilities; Orpik’s nasty streak is an additional asset. C

Darryl Sydor has experience and is still a great offencive presence on the blueline; Mark Eaton is an asset on the other end of the ice. C-

6. The San Jose Sharks upgraded to a top 20 percent unit this off-season. Rating: 6.9

To be honest, Dan Boyle is a bit overrated. However, he is one of the finest offencive blueliners in the game, and his skill set is perfect for the style offence that new coach Todd McLellan prefers, he has experience and can handle the forecheck in his own end, and he is at least average defencively. Rob Blake is getting old, but managed 31 points on a bad team with no bona fide #1 goaltender last year (the latter also explains his -19 rating). His experience and skill on the power play are still an upgrade for the Sharks. B+

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