The newest member of the defense debuts in the number three spot in our list. His NHL readiness is a big reason he places so high on the list despite never playing in the organization.
| Name | J.J. Moser |
| Position | Defense |
| Age (as of October 1) | 24 |
| Height/Weight | 6’1″, 187 lbs. |
| Expected 2024-25 Team | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Draft – Year, Round | 2021, Round 2 #60 (by Arizona |
| Previous Rankings | #5 (2023 – for Arizona) |
| Writer’s Ranking | 3 |
| Reader’s Ranking | 4 |
| Final Rank | 3 |
Stats
Our Thoughts
We’ve already shared our thoughts on J.J. Moser back when he filed for arbitration earlier in the summer. In short, he’s a very solid defender who plays aggressively at the blueline and is pretty darn good at denying entries into the zone.
Back then we were thinking that he would slot in on the third pairing behind Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh on the left side. Now, it looks like the coaching staff has other plans as he has suited up on the right side opposite of Hedman. That makes for an intriguing first pairing for the Bolts as Moser and Hedman can both excel at stopping other teams from entering the zone.
It will be intriguing to see if he is as comfortable pressing at the blueline on his off-side as he was on his natural side. Moser has experience playing on the right side, though he didn’t do it much last season. That’s part of playing big minutes for a team in Arizona that was struggling. Now, he’ll get to do it for a much better team with one of the best defenseman in the history of the game next to him.
Through two preseason games, there have been some mixed results. The duo has skated together for 29 minutes at 5v5 and have a 64% corsi-for percentage (that’s good!) as well as a 66.67% scoring-chances for (also good!). However, they are below water on expected goals for at 44.88% (that’s not good) and have seen three of the four high-danger chances that have happened while they are on the ice go against them (also not good).
Now, all preseason numbers should be taken not with a grain of salt, but a boulder the size of Wisconsin of salt. Line combinations are being churned about at a high rate and there is often little flow in these games. Hedman and Moser are adjusting to how each other likes to play, where they like to set up in the zone, and what the instinctual moves are. That takes some time to get used to, but that’s what preseason is all about.
Moser is a very good defenseman, and if Utah wasn’t getting Mikhail Sergachev in return, they would have held onto him and played him more than 20 minutes a night. If Moser sticks on the first pairing with Hedman, he’ll be getting the same type of ice time in Tampa. While his power play time will decrease, he’ll still be out there for 5v5 play and shorthanded opportunities.
At 24-years-old he’ll likely be in the Lightning’s future for some time. They have him under contract for the next two seasons, and if he continues to play well, could be in for a lengthy extension. For now, we’ll have to see how he fits into Tampa Bay’s defensive scheme and adjusts to playing meaningful games for the first time in his career.
Readers’ Thoughts
Moser received several first place votes, the third most of any player to be exact. Here are a couple of the comments that y’all left:
“I believe Moser has already proven that he is a reliable, top notch NHL defenseman. Everyone else is not quite as much of a sure thing.”
“Most likely to make the Lightning and play [a] meaningful role at the top.”
Highlight Videos
This is a really nice transitional, link-up type play by Moser. He saw that his teammate had the puck and immediately started out of the defensive zone to give him an outlet. He knew that Logan Cooley had split the defense and put the pass in front of him so that he could keep his momentum moving forward.
He skated into the open space and then snapped off an absolute beauty of a wrist shot here.
One-timer? He can do that.
He drove the center lane on his backhand, shielding the puck with his body, before letting the shot go. After he missed, he didn’t give up on the play and dug it out behind the net to keep the play going.
Head up on the PK and he’s in the right spot to spring a 2-on-0 with a zone-to-zone pass.
Here he started the play with a pass out of his own zone. Then he had to get his shot off under pressure. If he had hesitated, there is a good chance that becomes a turnover at the blueline.
