How Adam Pelech became one of the NHL’s best (and most underrated) defensive defensemen

Oct 15, 2026, 1:59 PM ET|Comments (0)

from Daily Faceoff, by Scott Maxwell,

To be fair to the casual follower, it’s sometimes difficult to properly enjoy a defensive masterclass. If you want to appreciate an elite goal scorer or intelligent playmaker, you just have to watch for when the puck is on their stick and witness them work their magic. Defensive players thrive when nothing is happening. Kind of hard to follow along with nothing, right? Unless these players accumulate enough points to catch people’s eyes, or go on a deep enough playoff run so everyone learns their names, they often remain obscure to all but the diehard hockey fan.

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