Evaluating the top defensive units in the NHL isn't as cut and dry as determining the best offenses, as defensive play can be more difficult to quantify. Goaltending, while technically an element of defense, can skew true prowess and make it seem as though an average club is better than the underlying numbers truly indicate.

The New York Islanders are a prime example. They allowed the fewest goals in the NHL last season, but a closer look at their metrics shows that they placed near the middle or bottom of the pack at suppressing shots, preventing scoring chances, and killing penalties, and that the defense was bailed out by outstanding goaltending from Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss.

We focused on which groups are the best at limiting opportunities and keeping the puck out of their respective nets.

Here are the top five defenses in the league for 2019-20, based on last season's performance, the personnel, and how each stack up for the upcoming campaign:

GA/G: Goals against per game
SA/G: Shots against per game
SCA: Total scoring chances against at 5-on-5
HDCA: Total high-danger chances against at 5-on-5
xGA: Expected goals against at 5-on-5
PK%: Penalty killing percentage
(League rank in parentheses, all figures from 2018-19 season)

5. Nashville Predators

The Predators still boast one of the most effective groups in the NHL despite trading away P.K. Subban at the draft.

Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis remain one of the most rock-solid pairings and Mattias Ekholm is still a key member of a commendable group. Promising rookie Dante Fabbro will have a chance to carve out a top-four role, and he's one of the reasons general manager David Poile felt comfortable dealing Subban.

The loss of Subban's puck-moving abilities will hurt the Predators to a degree, and goaltender Pekka Rinne will be 37 in November, but Nashville's unit is still one of the best.

4. Minnesota Wild

The Wild couldn't translate their defensive dominance into a playoff spot last season, as they were one of the league's worst offensive teams and got subpar goaltending from Devan Dubnyk. However, what their rearguards accomplished in their own end was quite remarkable, especially considering they were without Matt Dumba for the final 50 games.

Minnesota was the league's best team when it came to preventing scoring chances at five-on-five - both of the standard and high-danger variety - and the club also boasted excellent shot-prevention, expected goals against, and penalty-killing rates despite missing a key member of its top four for more than half of the season.

Ryan Suter's contributions to this unit are invaluable, as the 34-year-old workhorse led all NHL skaters in average ice time while playing every game. Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin are also ultra-dependable, and with Dumba back taking part in the preseason, the Wild should once again be among the league's top defensive clubs.

3. Calgary Flames

Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie are arguably the best pairing in the NHL, and the Flames possess impressive depth on the back end. While Giordano - the soon-to-be 36-year-old reigning Norris Trophy winner - will be hard-pressed to duplicate his 74-point campaign, Calgary boasts a formidable collection of blue-liners, as the numbers reinforce.

No team allowed fewer shots per game last season than the Flames did, and Calgary also limited scoring chances and expected goals to an elite degree.

Noah Hanifin and Travis Hamonic make up a more than serviceable second pairing. The return of Michael Stone should help mitigate the loss of Juuso Valimaki to a torn ACL, while youngsters Oliver Kylington and Rasmus Andersson will continue to develop.

Beyond some potential regression from the top pairing, the Flames' defensive group should excel again.

2. Boston Bruins

The Bruins own perhaps the NHL's deepest top four with Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, Torey Krug, and Brandon Carlo.

The Cup finalists got very good goaltending from Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak in 2018-19, but their success in their own end was due to far more than just that. Only the Wild were better than the Bruins were at preventing scoring chances during the regular season, and Boston's ability to shut down opposing offenses clearly carried over into the playoffs, helping them come within a game of winning another championship.

Chara isn't what he once was, but he's still effective enough, while increased contributions from the likes of Connor Clifton and Matt Grzelcyk will ensure Boston once again ices one of the best defense corps.

1. St. Louis Blues

That old adage that defense wins championships certainly rang true last season, as the Blues locked down opponents en route to the Stanley Cup. With the same six primary rearguards set to suit up for St. Louis, the champs enter this season with the most well-rounded and proven group of blue-liners in the league.

The Blues performed well across the board in both the conventional defensive categories and the advanced ones. That wide-ranging success is a major reason they won the title in June, and there's little reason to believe it will drastically change.

Jordan Binnington may regress, but as the analytics illustrate, he benefited from his teammates' elite defensive play last season, and the largely veteran group in front of him should continue to do what they do best.

Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo, underappreciated 6-foot-6 force Colton Parayko, the seemingly ageless Jay Bouwmeester, the experience of Carl Gunnarsson and Robert Bortuzzo, and the young Vince Dunn now comprise the NHL's best defense until proven otherwise.

Honorable mentions: Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights

(Analytics courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

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Arizona Coyotes defenseman Alex Goligoski said he lost his love for the game during the 2018-19 season.

"I'd say maybe mid-December," Goligoski told The Athletic's Craig Morgan. "Personally, I really got down and I wasn't having a ton of fun. It wasn't due to anything in particular. I can't even really explain it. There was nothing really causing it. I just didn't have that excitement that I normally have coming to the rink."

Goligoski isn't the first player to feel this way. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson admitted to experiencing "burnout" in 2017-18 and Ryan O'Reilly said he "lost the love of the game multiple times" during the end of his tenure with the Buffalo Sabres.

More recently, Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is reportedly mulling retirement because he isn't sure whether he wants to continue playing hockey.

"The feelings I had were exactly the same kind of stuff they were talking about," Goligoski said, referring to Atkinson and O'Reilly. "It probably is more common than we all think."

Goligoski managed to bounce back following the Coyotes' bye week in late January - a relatively new quirk to the NHL's schedule.

"I remember playing San Jose after the break in San Jose and those games are tough," he said. "A week off, then you travel and play. It's a tough spot for everyone.

"I just remember feeling so good going into that game and during the game I was having a blast. If there's one point, that'd probably be it. That's when I knew I had found that fire again and now it just seems easy because it's natural for me. I love competition and I love hockey. Looking back, I almost can't believe that I had a period where I felt like that. When I was in it though, it's almost like I didn't realize it until I had that feeling again, then it was so obvious."

Goligoski had averaged 40 points per 82 games during his career entering the 2018-19 season. However, he collected just 27 points in 76 contests last season, which was his lowest point total during a full year in his 11 NHL campaigns.

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The Colorado Avalanche are apparently looking to strike a six- or eight-year deal with restricted free-agent forward Mikko Rantanen at an average annual value ranging from $8.4 million to $8.75 million, according to The Athletic's Ryan Clark.

The club's goal is to sign Rantanen to a long-term deal because of what's on the horizon, a source told Clark.

Colorado has six restricted free agents in need of a new deal for next season, and will also have to pay highly-touted defenseman Cale Makar and captain Gabriel Landeskog prior to the 2021-22 campaign.

Rantanen's agent, Mike Liut, said Wednesday that he is "not close" in negotiations on a new deal for his client.

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported Thursday that the Avalanche are unwilling to give Rantanen the same amount of money that fellow restricted free-agent forward Mitch Marner fetched on his new deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marner signed a six-year, $65.63-million deal with an average annual value of $10.89 million.

The 22-year-old Finn is coming off a career year in 2018-19 in which he set career highs with 31 goals and 87 points in 74 contests.

The Avalanche hold $15.6 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly.

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The Professional Women's Hockey Association announced Friday that the NHL Players' Association has been named as a premier partner.

"The success of women's hockey is integral to the growth of the sport," NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said. "NHL players are proud to continue with their support of the women's game by sponsoring the PWHPA. We look forward to seeing these talented hockey players on the ice as they demonstrate their skill and passion for the game throughout the PWHPA's Dream Gap Tour."

As part of the NHLPA's sponsorship, each player jersey worn at PWHPA on-ice events, beginning this weekend with the kickoff of the Dream Gap Tour, will be outfitted with an official NHLPA patch.

The Dream Gap Tour is a multi-city event that will feature nearly 200 of the world's top female hockey players in an effort to showcase the women's game and build a more sustainable future.

The tour is set to begin Sept. 21-22 in Toronto before moving to Hudson, New Hampshire, from Oct. 4-6, and Chicago, Illinois, from Oct 18-20.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Ryan Poehling is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a concussion, the team announced Friday.

The 20-year-old center was hit into the boards by Florida Panthers forward Dryden Hunt during the second period of the Canadiens' preseason opener Wednesday night.

Hunt was assessed a two-minute minor for boarding on the play.

Poehling remained in the contest, however, and assisted on the game-winning goal in the third period.

The St. Cloud State product was selected by Montreal with the 25th overall pick at the 2017 NHL Draft. He scored a hat trick in his first and only NHL contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs last season.

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