In most fantasy hockey leagues, a team has to dress five defensemen for their lineup. Of course, there aren’t too many defensemen out there that can be labeled as “great” in order to fill up even two spots.
To continue to ‘Fantasy Hockey Preview’ posts, it now moves on to defenseman. Read the goalie preview here for the top ten goalies going into this season.
Zdeno Chara, captain of the Boston Bruins, handles the puck.
The number one ranked fantasy defenseman is an obvious one, and that is Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators. At the age of 22, last season was his best and struck the NHL by storm. In that amazing season, he had 78 points in 81 games. Also, Karlsson won the Norris Trophy in Las Vegas during the NHL Awards this past summer.
As many know, Erik Karlsson is not the best defenseman in the NHL, however those in Ottawa would disagree. The title for best defenseman is between Shea Weber and Zdeno Chara, also battling for the title of the hardest shot in the world. Karlsson is an offensive minded player that lacks solid defense in his game.
Knowing that, Karlsson is the best fantasy defenseman because all one needs to be the best in fantasy hockey is to score.
Expect Erik Karlsson to be drafted in the mid to late parts of the first round. He is also expected to put up between 75-80 points this season as a much more improved player going on the age of 23.
Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins is second in defensemen. Chara, as most people know him as, is the hardest shot champion or “the giant”. Standing at 6’9″, Chara is the tallest player in the NHL. Last season, Chara put up a respectable 52 points in 79 games. Look for those numbers to go down this season, and the year after that until he retires. At 35, Chara’s Hall-of-Fame worthy career is going to end very soon.
Chara is the safest choice in fantasy hockey for a defenseman. He is guaranteed at least a point in every-other game he plays in. Not only is Chara’s point production good, but his plus/minus is even better. The plus/minus category will get teams wins and fantasy hockey, and he is the guy to have on a team.
Expect a drop off of Zdeno Chara’s production this season. Chara should range between the 45-50 point mark this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins’ defenseman Kris Letang is at third on this list. Kris Letang is still a young player and is about to enter his prime. With six seasons of NHL experience under his belt at only the age of 25, Letang could be considered a Norris Trophy winning defenseman.
Last season, Letang had an injury problem and missed 31 games. However, he was still able to put up some very fine numbers in only 51 games played, 10 goals 32 assists with a 21 plus/minus rating. If Letang is able to stay healthy most of the season, he could put up crazy numbers close to, or better than Erik Karlsson’s stats last season.
If Kris Letang stays healthy most of the season, he will range between 70-75 points. Letang has a great supporting cast around him with Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and James Neal who can all help him reach those numbers.
Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Dustin Byfuglien takes a shot in pregame warm-ups.
Dustin Byfuglien of the Winnipeg Jets is fourth on this list. Byfuglien is known for his fantasy hockey stats, not for winning games. He has also been in the news this summer for pleading guilty in a careless boating charge. Hopefully that will be the only off the ice incident Byfuglien will have this season. That is something to keep an eye out for fantasy hockey owners because he could be a risk.
Byfuglien is also known for his physicality, fast shot and for being a dynamic player. As most do recall, while Dustin Byfuglien was playing for the Chicago Blackhawks in their Stanley Cup winning season, he played forward. Now with Winnipeg, he is back to where he started out, which may not be a good thing.
Expect Byfuglien to get 60-65 points this season. Being paired up with most likely Tobias Enstrom, should raise his playing ability up. However, Byfuglien is a risk because he is inconsistent.
Nashville Predators’ captain Shea Weber finished fifth on the list. Shea Weber made a huge splash this offseason in signing a fourteen year contract with the Predators worth $110 million. Also this offseason, his defensive partner Ryan Suter signed with the Minnesota Wild with Zach Parise.
Even without Ryan Suter, Shea Weber should be able to get the job done. Weber is now in the prime of his career and many people around the NHL expect big things from him this season. Especially after the new contract.
The thing to remember when evaluating Weber is that he still has the ability to shoot a fast shot, ability to shut-down the top forward on the opposing team, and the ability to be physical when need be. Weber can do all that with Suter.
Weber’s stats will be better this than season, rather than worse. Without Suter, now it can be “all about Shea”. Expect 50-55 points from Weber this season.
6. Brian Campbell – Florida Panthers. Projects 45-50 points. Campbell is getting older and it is starting to show at the age of 33. He is a very reliable player because he isn’t injury prone.
7. Alex Pietrangelo – St. Louis Blues. Projected to have 55-60 points. Pietrangelo is a part of a dangerous Blues team and he is a scorer on the back end. At such a young age, Pietrangelo can only get better as he develops in the NHL.
8. Ryan Suter – Minnesota Wild. Projects 45-50 points. Suter isn’t known for his scoring ability, which is why he is ranked 8th. However, Suter is very dangerous on the power play and, without Shea Weber getting most of the shots from the point, he should increase his point production this season.
9. Dan Boyle – San Jose Sharks. Expected 45-50 points. Boyle is a highly-skilled reliable defenseman. He played 81 games last season, so he is there just about every game. Boyle is also the Sharks’ number one power play defenseman.
10. Alexander Edler – Vancouver Canucks. Expected 50-55 points. Edler is not the guy fantasy owners want if they need plus/minus contribution. Last season, he went even and it won’t get better if the goalie debacle doesn’t get solved in British Columbia.
11. P.K. Subban – Montreal Canadiens. Expected 35-40 points. Subban is a reliable player for the Canadiens. His time on ice (TOI) is very good, and should improve from last season — 24:18. Also, Subban’s point production should rise if he the surrounding players on his team in Montreal improve.
12. Tobias Enstrom – Winnipeg Jets. Projects 35-40 points. Enstrom will be paired with Byfuglien, which will improve both of their stats. He is entering the prime of his career and is a solid fantasy option for anyone.
13. Dion Phaneuf – Toronto Maple Leafs. Projects 40-45 points. Phaneuf has been known for most of his career as an outstanding offensive forward with good defensive skills. However, his play is guaranteed to decrease this season as he is aging. Stay away from Dion Phaneuf in new keeper leagues.
14. Keith Yandle – Phoenix Coyotes. Expected 50-55 points. After an impressive Stanley Cup playoff run, Keith Yandle turned many heads with his great defensive play. Yandle is a relatively healthy guy and is very reliable for a fantasy team’s back end. His playoff experience will show this upcoming season and he could be a steal in many drafts.
15. Drew Doughty – Los Angeles Kings. Projects 45-50 points. Doughty just snuck into the top 15 defenseman coming off a Stanley Cup victory last season. He is a young player that can improve to be the best defenseman in the NHL in the coming seasons.
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