With a couple of additions and subtractions from the forward group, and the backup goalie job behind Jet Greaves looking somewhat uncertain, it's nice to have some consistency on the back end, which will be the case as there have been no changes to the defensive group so far.
And while the bottom pair will be subject to change with Dante Fabbro, Erik Gudbranson, and Jake Christiansen all in the mix, the top four seems to already be in great shape.
The Blue Jackets' top four was the best in the league analytically
Obviously a lot of the attention among defenders goes to Zach Werenski, and for good reason. The reigning Norris Trophy winner is a gamebreaker who led the charge for the Blue Jackets offensively while not sacrificing much on the other end.
However, Damon Severson, Ivan Provorov, and Denton Mateychuk have all done their part to bring Columbus lots of stability, reliability, and skill on the back end.
Last season, out of every defensive pair in the NHL with more than 250 minutes of ice time together, the pair of Werenski and Severson were ranked first in expected goals percentage, with 66.4% according to MoneyPuck.
This duo was also second among all defensive pairs in both expected goals for and least expected goals against per 60 minutes. They weren't all offense or all defense, they just dominated on both ends of the ice.
It doesn't end there, as the pair of Provorov and Mateychuk was the next highest in expected goals percentage, ranking second in the league with 65.7%. They were also first in least expected goals against and tenth in expected goals for per 60 minutes.
After those two pairs, there's a pretty big drop-off down to 60.4% expected goals by the third-best pair. So not only is the Blue Jackets' top four leading the way, but they're a full step ahead of anyone else.
Over the course of the full season, the defensive pairings were switched up quite a bit, with Provorov and Severson actually playing together the most out of all Columbus defenders. The two pairs I just highlighted were the third and seventh most frequent pairs, respectively.
But with this kind of observable success, the top four should pretty much be locked into these two pairs to maximize their impact. Especially if they're given even more time to build chemistry with each other, the Jackets' top four could be very dangerous this season.
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