Counting stats
NHL Goals per Game Leaders: Defensemen
2025-26All situationsThrough 82 team games
Jakob Chychrun (WSH) leads NHL defensemen with a G/GP of 0.33 in 2025-26, ahead of 
Darren Raddysh (TBL) (0.30).
Showing 2025-26 · 2026-27 becomes the default after ~10 games per team2026-27 so far →
Leaders: Goals per Game: defense, 2025-26
- 1stJakob ChychrunWSH · 80 GP0.33
- 2ndDarren RaddyshTBL · 73 GP0.30
3rdZach WerenskiCBJ · 75 GP0.29
4thMatthew SchaeferNYI · 82 GP0.28
5thCale MakarCOL · 75 GP0.27
The full ranked table, with filters, follows.
What Goals per Game: defense measures
This board ranks NHL defensemen by goals per game played, all situations, this season. Players under the minimum sample are hidden, and every row shows the games or minutes behind the number. Goals per game played, all situations, this season.
Rates settle faster than totals but need games or minutes: early in the season, part-time players swing the most. A row needs at least 33 games to qualify, a bar that rises as the season goes on, so early leaders with a handful of games do not crowd the top.
Defensemen only. Per game puts players who missed games on equal footing with those who played them all. Goals scored this season, every situation including the power play and empty nets. The goal race swings more than the points race, because shooting percentage runs hot and cold. In 2025-26, 219 defensemen qualify for this board; the median is 0.06 and Jakob Chychrun leads at 0.33.
Goals per Game: defense leaderboard
| # | Player | Team | G/GP | GP | G | Pctl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jakob ChychrunDWSH | WSH | 0.33 | 80 | 26 | 100 | 99% |
| 2 | Darren RaddyshDTBL | TBL | 0.30 | 73 | 22 | 100 | 98%▲0.5 |
| 3 | Zach WerenskiDCBJ | CBJ | 0.29 | 75 | 22 | 99 | 100% |
| 4 | Matthew SchaeferDNYI | NYI | 0.28 | 82 | 23 | 99 | 100% |
| 5 | Cale MakarDCOL | COL | 0.27 | 75 | 20 | 98 | 100% |
| 6 |  Evan BouchardDEDM | EDM | 0.26 | 82 | 21 | 98 | 100% |
| 7 |  Rasmus DahlinDBUF | BUF | 0.25 | 77 | 19 | 97 | 99%▼0.5 |
| 8 |  Shayne GostisbehereDCAR | CAR | 0.24 | 55 | 13 | 97 | 96%▲0.6 |
| 9 |  Rasmus AnderssonDCGY/VGK | CGY/VGK | 0.21 | 81 | 17 | 96 | 87%▲1.8 |
| 10 |  Jake SandersonDOTT | OTT | 0.21 | 67 | 14 | 96 | 96%▼0.7 |
| 11 |  Justin FaulkDSTL/DET | STL/DET | 0.21 | 78 | 16 | 95 | 54%▲4.7 |
| 12 |  Erik KarlssonDPIT | PIT | 0.20 | 75 | 15 | 95 | 95% |
| 13 |  John CarlsonDWSH/ANA | WSH/ANA | 0.20 | 71 | 14 | 94 | 98% |
| 14 |  Roman JosiDNSH | NSH | 0.19 | 68 | 13 | 94 | 98% |
| 15 |  Brock FaberDMIN | MIN | 0.19 | 80 | 15 | 94 | 87%▼1.2 |
| 16 |  Josh MorrisseyDWPG | WPG | 0.18 | 77 | 14 | 93 | 96%▼2.5 |
| 17 |  John KlingbergDSJS | SJS | 0.18 | 56 | 10 | 93 | 0.1% |
| 18 |  Denton MateychukDCBJ | CBJ | 0.17 | 75 | 13 | 92 | 41% |
| 19 |  Brandon MontourDSEA | SEA | 0.17 | 64 | 11 | 92 | 85% |
| 20 |  Vladislav GavrikovDNYR | NYR | 0.17 | 82 | 14 | 91 | 62%▲4 |
| 21 |  Mattias SamuelssonDBUF | BUF | 0.17 | 78 | 13 | 91 | 81%▲4.9 |
| 22 |  Adam FoxDNYR | NYR | 0.16 | 55 | 9 | 90 | 99% |
| 23 |  Simon NemecDNJD | NJD | 0.16 | 68 | 11 | 90 | 48%▼2.5 |
| 24 |  Charlie McAvoyDBOS | BOS | 0.16 | 69 | 11 | 89 | 97%▲1.3 |
| 25 |  Dougie HamiltonDNJD | NJD | 0.16 | 77 | 12 | 89 | 82%▼0.9 |
Minimum sample: 33 games (it scales with games played). 106 below the minimum are hidden.
Frequently asked questions
Who leads the NHL in Goals per Game: defense in 2025-26?
Jakob Chychrun leads with 0.33. The median of the 219 qualified defensemen is 0.06.
How is Goals per Game: defense calculated?
Goals per game played, all situations, this season. Regular season only, from the NHL's official game data.
How reliable is Goals per Game: defense?
Rates settle faster than totals but need games or minutes: early in the season, part-time players swing the most.
Why are some players missing from the board?
Rows below the minimum sample (33 games) are hidden; 106 are below it right now. The minimum grows with the number of games teams have played.