Both right-shot shutdown defenseman. How are they the same? How are they different?

I think Tanev is the better defenseman, albeit not by much, but when you factor in age/contract/injuries I would definitely take Pesce, who also has a bit more offense to his game then Tanev.

Can definitely make the case that Pesce is a more valuable asset, but wow, I didn't actually expect someone to proclaim that Tanev is the better defenseman

I think he's surprised a lot of folks by continuing to be elite defensively this far into his career, especially since he has quite the injury history, although he has missed virtually no time over the past three seasons. He looked to be on the downswing during his last season in Vancouver, but he rebounded in Calgary and has held up his reputation as a defensive stalwart. He does turn 33 this season, so I also wouldn't be surprised if his game ended up taking a nosedive or if he misses time due to injury, causing Pesce to overtake him.

Pesce is still quite good and I do think he's underrated since Slavin get a lot more of the praise and attention, but I think he gets dragged down by having to play a lot with Brady Skjei, who in my opinion is one of the more overrated players in the NHL. He'll likely still get overlooked since Carolina now has their shiny new (old?) toy in Brent Burns.

Tanev still got injured when it mattered the most last season, and I sort of wonder if the acquisition of Weegar is kind of a Tanev band-aid should he be out longer-term than we've been lead to believe, even though Weegar, like Pesce, has more offense to his game than the likes of Tanev. I should also point out that Weegar completely disappeared in the playoffs for Florida last season

Wait, you really believe Pesce gets dragged down by Skjei? I mean I'll admit that it sounds like Skjei is pretty mediocre analytically and he's not on a great value contract, but I've heard other Canes fans say they're arguably the best shutdown pair in the league

This poll further confirms my suspicions of how clueless most users of this site are

I think a lot of their perceived value comes from the fact that they play in a really good system that can hide a lot of deficiencies. And I would obviously disagree with the notion that they're one of the best shutdown pairs in the league. I'm sure they complement each other's skillsets in a way that makes them better together than apart, i.e. Skjei's skating/transition play paired with Pesce's defensive abilities, so perhaps they are a better pairing than I'm giving them credit for.

But on an individual basis, I personally think Skjei would be better suited in a third pairing role, while Pesce would be better suited playing with Slavin, as they were truly one of the best shutdown pairings in the league for the couple seasons they did play together. Of course that would make the blue line much more top-heavy and less balanced, so it's likely not ideal from a team-building perspective.

Excuse me?

Tanev is a better player. The poll has the opposite result

The poll isn't necessarily objective you know

I’m aware I’m just saying the opinions of people on capfriendly tend to be quite delusional. Look at ACGM’s and you’ll see.

You're allowed to disagree with what looks to be popular opinion, but you don't need to continually use loaded accusatory words just to make others pay attention