Devon Toews: No question Avalanche boast league's best defense

Devon Toews may be a little bit biased, but the rearguard is steadfast in his belief that his Colorado Avalanche own the NHL's best defense corps.

"I don't even think it is a question," he said, per the Denver Post's Corey Masisak. "I feel like no one can contend with us because of the way we move the puck, the way we skate, and the way we help push offense."

Toews also shouted out the Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, and Boston Bruins due to their strong defensive structures, but he still gave the crown to the Avalanche.

"I feel like the players that we have and the structure we play in as a team is really good," he said. "There's definitely some out there that can really defend and play hard in their own zone. We pride ourselves on that, but we also pride ourselves in helping to contribute offensively."

Leading the way for Colorado is Cale Makar, who's been a Norris Trophy finalist for the past three seasons. He took home the hardware, as well as the Conn Smythe Trophy, in 2022. He ranks second among all defensemen with 246 points in 238 contests since his regular-season debut in 2019-2020.

He and Toews - who's coming off his second consecutive 50-point season - have formed one of the league's most dominant top pairs since their first campaign together in 2020-21. Since Toews' arrival in Denver, he ranks second among all defensemen league-wide in goals above replacement (53.2) and wins above replacement (9.3), trailing only Makar in both metrics, per Evolving Hockey.

Filling out the remainder of the Avalanche's back end are Bowen Byram, Josh Manson, Samuel Girard, and Jack Johnson. Johnson opted to prolong his second stint in Colorado by signing a one-year, $775,000 deal with the club in the summer. A veteran of 17 NHL seasons, Johnson has seen many defensive groups in his time, but he acknowledged that they were "nothing like this one."

Byram, meanwhile, is a fan of the physicality that Johnson and Manson bring to the table, adding that it gives Colorado a "good balance."

All six defensemen helped the Avalanche lift the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Toews is entering the final season of his current four-year, $16.4-million pact and can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. However, the 29-year-old has made it clear that he wants to re-sign with Colorado.