NHL Network has made it an annual tradition to rank the top players in the league at each position — top 20 for centers, wingers and defensemen and top 10 for goalies. As is the case with virtually everything on social media, the lists are very much up for debate.
Utah Mammoth fans will notice the absence of Mikhail Sergachev from the top defensemen list, which was published Sunday evening.
Sergachev placed No. 18 in 2025, so this year’s rankings beg the question: Did Sergachev get worse, or did others simply get better?
Here are some factors to consider — some affirming the league’s ranking and others refuting it. The conclusion is up to the individual reader to determine.
What do the stats say?
More points, but fewer goals
Sergachev isn’t a 75-plus-point guy like the names at the top of the list, but he is consistently just outside the top 10 in points among NHL defensemen.
His point total increased from 53 in 2024-25 to 59 in 2025-26, but his goal total dropped from 15 to 10.
Offensive production is far from the be-all, end-all — especially when talking about defensemen — but the best defensemen in the world contribute at both ends of the ice.
Slight defensive improvement
One of the most telling stats in quantifying defensive impact is on-ice goals against — commonly referred to as “OiGA.” Like any stat, it has its flaws and it doesn’t necessarily tell a whole story, but it does give a good idea of a player’s abilities in his own zone.
At even strength, Sergachev allowed 78 goals against in 2024-25 and 75 in 2025-26. Across all strengths, his numbers improved from 110 to 105.
He played one more game last season than he did the previous one, but a combination of transactions and healthy teammates meant his number of on-ice minutes decreased by 39 in 2025-26. On a per-minute basis, Sergachev allowed fewer goals year over year (though the difference is minuscule).
Did Sergachev drop, or did others rise?
A number of Professional Hockey Writers Association members have noted that this year’s Norris Trophy, awarded to the league’s best all-around defenseman, was the most difficult decision on the 2025-26 ballot. Some have even said it was their hardest decision on any NHL award ever.
A total of 14 different players got votes and 10 received votes in the top three. That is to say that the league had an abnormal amount of stellar defensemen last season.
Matthew Schaefer took the No. 7 spot on NHL Network’s list after unanimously winning the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year. Moritz Seider (No. 9) and Jackson LaCombe (No. 17) also appeared on the list after not being on it the previous summer.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a knowledgeable hockey mind that thinks any of those guys shouldn’t be in the top 20.
Joining Sergachev as 2025 top-20 defensemen who didn’t make the 2026 list were Thomas Harley and Gustav Forsling — perhaps more jarring exclusions that Sergachev.
Out with the old, in with the new
It wasn’t long ago that Victor Hedman and Roman Josi were undisputedly among the league’s best defensemen. Both still made the 2026 top-20 list, but they both fell significantly compared to last summer’s rankings.
Hedman claimed fifth place last year and fell to 18th this time. Josi went from No. 9 to No. 15.
It’s not exactly surprising. Hedman and Josi will both be 36 years old by the end of the calendar year. Injuries limited their respective seasons in 2025-26, which makes it harder for them to impact their teams.
Taking over are the likes of Lane Hutson and Jake Sanderson, in addition to the three aforementioned youngsters who debuted on the 2026 list.
Hutson rose from No. 19 to No. 6, while Sanderson went from 13th place to eighth. The next generation of top-tier defensemen is here, and those guys are starting to get recognized as such.
