Most Under-Rated NHL Defencemen Today

Ok, with all the lists hitting HTR lately, I decided to join the fun with a different type of list. This is a list dedicated to the under-rated defencemen who do all the little things that lead a team to victory. Without the contribution of these players, their respective teams would not be as good as they are.

20. Andrej Mezaros- Ottawa
19. Glen Wesley- Carolina
18. Paul Ranger- Tampa Bay
17. Chris Chelios- Detroit
16. Hal Gill- Toronto(No this isn’t a joke)
15. Christoph Schubert- Ottawa
14. Colin White- New Jersey(How much does Jersey miss his hard hitting style?)
13. Kurtis Foster- Minnesota
12. Rostislav Klesla- Columbus
11. Ron Hainsey- Columbus
10. Craig Rivet- San Jose
9. Kurt Sauer- Colorado
8. Steve Staios- Edmonton
7. Brett Lebda- Detroit
6. Nick Schultz- Minnesota
5. Douglas Murray- San Jose (+15 so far, not bad for a “Tough Guy”)
4. Jason Smith- Philadelphia
3. Anton Volchenkov- Ottawa(Incredible shot blocker and checker)
2. Chris Phillips- Ottawa(Has been under-rated since his 1st Overall Selection)
1. Mike Komisarek- Montreal(Their is no other D-man you’d rather have on a 2 on 1)

Honourable Mention- Mike Van Ryn-Fla, Cory Murphy-Fla, Greg De Vries-Nsh, Ryan Suter-Nsh, Jason Strudwick-NYR, Nolan Pratt-Buf, Lasse Kukkonen-Phl, Shane O’Brien-TB

I don’t get to see a lot of these guys on a regular basis but when I do see their respective teams play, it’s these guys that stand out in my mind. This isn’t based on actual talent but based on how much they are actually over-looked by the fans and media.