- NHL Network unveils its top 20 defensemen for 2026-27 on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET
- Cale Makar is expected to hold No. 1, with Zach Werenski and Lane Hutson pushing
- Read below for last season’s full 20 and where Matthew Schaefer lands
Cale Makar should still be the best defenseman in hockey when NHL Network reveals its top 20 for 2026-27 on Sunday night.
That’s the read from the NHL.com side of the panel that voted on the list, even after a season that qualified as a dip by Makar’s standards. He had 79 points (20 goals, 59 assists) in 75 games for Colorado, which would be a career year for almost anyone else. Makar had cleared 90 points in each of the two seasons before it.
NHL.com senior director of editorial Shawn P. Roarke was asked directly whether Makar keeps the top spot on this year’s edition.
“Zach Werenski is going to push for the top spot, as might Lane Hutson, but it says here that Makar will hold onto the top spot for another season.”
Take a look at what a full year of Makar looks like:
Hutson is the obvious candidate to climb. The Canadiens defenseman sat 19th a year ago as a 21-year-old, then put up 78 points (12 goals, 66 assists) in all 82 games. Only Evan Bouchard (95), Werenski (81) and Makar (79) scored more among blueliners.
Then there’s the guy who wasn’t eligible last time. Matthew Schaefer hadn’t played an NHL game when the 2025-26 list came out, and a year later he owns the Calder Trophy after a unanimous vote, all 198 first-place ballots. He scored 23 goals, second among all defensemen, added 36 assists and averaged 24:41 a night for the Islanders.
Dan Rosen, a senior writer at NHL.com, called Schaefer the easy answer for who joins the group, and figures the 19-year-old lands in the top 20 at worst and the top 10 at best.
Here’s every goal from the rookie year that got him there:
Cole Hutson got a mention too. Lane’s younger brother had 10 points in 14 games with Washington after leaving Boston University, and he was skating more than 18 minutes in six of his final seven games while the Capitals chased a playoff spot.
For reference, here’s how the 20 shook out last season:
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cale Makar | Avalanche |
| 2 | Quinn Hughes | Wild |
| 3 | Zach Werenski | Blue Jackets |
| 4 | Miro Heiskanen | Stars |
| 5 | Victor Hedman | Lightning |
| 6 | Josh Morrissey | Jets |
| 7 | Rasmus Dahlin | Sabres |
| 8 | Jaccob Slavin | Hurricanes |
| 9 | Roman Josi | Predators |
| 10 | Evan Bouchard | Oilers |
| 11 | Charlie McAvoy | Bruins |
| 12 | Gustav Forsling | Panthers |
| 13 | Jake Sanderson | Senators |
| 14 | Thomas Harley | Stars |
| 15 | Shea Theodore | Golden Knights |
| 16 | Adam Fox | Rangers |
| 17 | Devon Toews | Avalanche |
| 18 | Mikhail Sergachev | Mammoth |
| 19 | Lane Hutson | Canadiens |
| 20 | Brock Faber | Wild |
The wings went last Sunday, and Nikita Kucherov was tabbed as a slam dunk to stay No. 1 on that one. The defensemen go at 7 p.m. ET Sunday on NHL Network, with the voting split between the network, media and NHL.com.
