6. Paul Martin – Pittsburgh Penguins – 33 years old
Prior contract: five years, $25 million ($5M cap hit)
Martin isn’t flashy and the points have never really been there (his career high is 37 in 2005-06) but he’s a smooth-skater who can move the puck up ice and is as reliable as they come.
He can log big minutes against top competition tilting the ice in his team’s favor in the process, and is a guy who can contribute in all situations.
From 2010-14 Martin posted a 53.3CF%, which ranks behind only Kris Letang and Matt Niskanen among Pens regulars (minimum 1,500 5 v 5 minutes) in that span.
His best days are behind him, but he is probably still a top-4 guy.
5. Johnny Boychuk – New York Islanders – 30 years old
Prior contract: three years, $10.1 million ($3.366M cap hit)
Boychuk is sort of a strange player in that he has a booming shot, but beyond 20 goals in Providence during the 2008-09 AHL campaign, he’s never been much of a goal scorer.
What he is, though, is a big body who throws his weight around and a guy that can skate and do well in terms of possession.
Playing big minutes on a very good Islanders team, Boychuk owns a 56.42CF% at even-strength, which ranks only behind Nick Leddy on the team.
There’s nothing flashy with Boychuk, but he can log big minutes in all situations and his underlying numbers suggest he can hold his own against anyone.
4. Christian Ehrhoff – Pittsburgh Penguins – 32 years old
Prior contract: one year, $4 million
Like Andrej Sekera, Ehrhoff is another under-the-radar European defenseman who more than holds his own logging big minutes and doesn’t get a ton of credit for it.
He has dealt with some injury problems at times throughout his career, but generally he’s good for around 40 points per season and will at least break even in possession (relative to his team) while playing big minutes.
His best days are probably behind him, but he’s still a top-4 guy and the mobility is there so he should draw plenty of interest if he’s not re-signed in Pittsburgh.
3. Mike Green – Washington Capitals – 29 years old
Prior contract: three years, $18.25 million ($6.083M cap hit)
Green is a guy who is generally underappreciated due to what some consider defensive deficiencies, but the reality is he’s not that bad in his own zone, and he spends more time in the offensive zone than his own.
From 2011-14 Green posted a 50.9CF%, which ranked 1st among all Capitals defensemen.
This season he’s rocking a 54.64CF% – 2nd on the team behind Alex Ovechkin – and a 54.5GF%, which is good for 4th on the team. So, when he’s on the ice the Capitals are consistently getting a larger number of shot attempts than their opponents, and the goal totals reflect that.
On top of the possession numbers, he produces offense at an elite rate. He averaged 1 point/60 during 5 vs 5 play from 2012-14, which ranked 11th among defensemen in that span, and he posted a 4.82 points/60 on the man advantage (tied for 2nd) to go with it.
2. Andrej Sekera – Carolina Hurricanes – 28 years old
Prior contract: four years, $11 million ($2.75M cap hit)
Sekera is perhaps the most underrated defenseman in hockey.
He’s a very good skater, makes smart decisions with the puck, and consistently posts good possession numbers while logging huge minutes against top competition on a nightly basis.
From 2012-14 Sekera averaged 1.04 points/60 at 5 vs 5, which ties him for 8th among defensemen who played 1,500 minutes or more over that span.
If you combine his Corsi For% and the Hurricanes’ Goals For% when he is on the ice, his number this season is +8.55 relative to the team without him.
At 28 he still has plenty left in the tank, and he’s a guy I’d certainly be targeting if I were looking for a reliable two-way defenseman.
1. Cody Franson – Toronto Maple Leafs – 27 years old
Prior contract: one year, $3.3 million
Whether Franson stays in Toronto or hits the open market, one thing is for sure: he’s going to a rich man come July.
Franson is 8th in the NHL this season averaging 1.34 points/60 of 5 vs 5 ice, and he’s 12th among defensemen (minimum 1,500 minutes) averaging .97 points/60 of 5 vs 5 ice over the last two seasons.
Not only does Franson produce at a high level during full strength, but he’s also elite on the power play.
Franson is averaging 4.7 points/60 during 5 vs 4 play over the last two years, which ranks 10th during that span and is higher than Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang and Kevin Shattenkirk, among many others.
On top of the points, the Maple Leafs are a better possession team with Franson on the ice than without, and that’s been the case since he was acquired.
He’s only 27, too, so he should have no problem landing a long-term, big money deal after the season.
Top 10 Unrestricted Free Agent Centers | Top 15 Unrestricted Free Agent Defensemen
