Ranking the top-10 best NHL defensemen in 2021

Ivan Provorov‘s name doesn’t come up too often in the conversation of the best defensemen in the NHL. Is he really one of the top-10?

Well, here’s how he scored:

TOI: 92% (13th overall)
TOI vs. Elite: 92% (3rd overall)
Points: 48% (14th overall)
Corsi For %: 57% (11th overall)
(+/-): 63% (seventh overall)
Blocks: 55% (seventh overall)
Hits: 40% (seventh overall)

Overall score: 64%

Flyers fans surely knew Provorov was “the guy” last year. When it came to minutes against elite competition, Provorov was among the league leaders. And he checks all the other boxes. He posted good (but not great) point production, and the team is better when he is on the ice.

Last season was a big defensive turnaround for Philly. Alain Vigneault and Carter Hart were certainly instrumental. But it was Provorov shouldering the heavy load on the blue line. And at just 23 years of age, there is an improvement on the horizon.

And Provorov managed to get two fifth-place Norris votes this year. That means there are at least two PHWA members who think he should be that much higher than 10th.

Given his age, I suspect that’s going to change. I think we’re going to be hearing a lot more about Provorov in the seasons to come.