from Sam McCaig of The Hockey News,

First, this is a ranking of each team’s No. 1 defenseman. It is not a ranking of the NHL’s top 31 defensemen. In other words, only one Nashville Predators blueliner made the list, not three or four. (The choice here was P.K. Subban, with all due respect to Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm.)

Second, these rankings reflect each blueliner’s projected value for this coming season, 2018-19. No more, no less. It’s not about each defenseman’s past body of work or long-term future upside. That’s why the likes of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, both of whom are dealing with injury issues that will impact their performance this season, are ranked lower than you might expect.

29. Mike Green, Detroit Red Wings
In reality, you want him on the second pairing and running the power play.

30. Nick Leddy, New York Islanders
Knows what to do when the Isles have the puck, but his minus-42 rating last year was by far the worst in the league.

31. Kevin Shattenkirk, New York Rangers
The Rangers’ No. 1 by default, he’s a boon on the PP but doesn’t kill penalties.

28 more defensemen...