The primary goal of this piece is to steer fantasy owners towards defensemen that have high value in the make believe world of fantasy hockey. A make believe world that can have real world consequences to your wallet.

The players here have value in fantasy scoring so players who are outstanding shutdown defensemen who don’t score, won’t be considered. Additionally, some leagues have scoring formats that include penalty minutes, power play goals, and other ancillary categories. The total value of each player on the list takes all this into account.

10. Drew Doughty, LA Kings

2017-2-4 PHI vs LAK
Defenseman Drew Doughty (#8)

The Kings had a down year. Nearly every player on their roster not named Carter lost value where fantasy is concerned. Doughty had a slight regression statistically but not nearly as pronounced as the team around him. He still managed to finish with 44 points and 19 of those came on the powerplay.

The kings played most of last season without their number one goalie in Johnathan Quick and this showed up all over the stat sheets. Doughty plays more than thirty minutes per game and usually finishes with over fifty penalty minutes. He is not in the elite category of defensemen but he helps you more than he hurts you. With Quick back in net, he should return to form and have a bounce back year.

9. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

Ian Cole (28) celebrates his goal with Kris Letang – Photo by Jack Lima

Kris Letang, when he is on the ice, is a game changing elite defensemen. He averages just shy of a point per game, when he plays. You can see where this is going. He has only played two full seasons in his career and one of those was a strike shortened year. If he stays healthy he could put up 67 or more points like he did in 2015-2016. Last season he played 41 games and still managed to net 34 points.

The last thing a fantasy owner wants to do is use a top two or three pick on a player and have to replace them throughout the season. If Letang wasn’t so injury prone, he would be near or at the top of this list. That being said, you still draft him in the top four rounds if he is available but maybe pick up Justin Schultz too, as his value goes way up when Letang is out of the lineup for the Penguins.

8. John Klingberg, Dallas Stars

John Klingberg is a young defensemen who has only been in the league for three seasons. In that short time, he has averaged .7 points per game and 49 points per year. Over that span, he has eight power play goals and 43 assists. He is not an elite defensemen yet, but if he does break through you want to be the one that owns him.

While there other similar young defensemen to be had, like Zach Werenski for example, consistency can often be more important. If you are not convinced yet, consider that he logs over 22 minutes per game and plays on the top power play with Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov.

7. Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens

2017-2-2 PHI vs MTL
Defenseman Shea Weber (#6)

Weber has one of the best shots in the league. Most would not argue this fact. He has the type of shot goalies cannot stop even when they know it’s coming. That shot has allowed him to score more than 25 goals in each of the last four seasons. Weber is averaging almost 50 points per year over that same period. That is a ton of production from the blueline. He also plays on the top power play where two-thirds of his goals have come from. He is a goal scoring machine.

Goals are a premium in fantasy and powerplay goals can put your team over the top. Most experts are down on the Candiens this season, but lets not forget, Weber put up good numbers in Nashville when they were terrible. Certain players simply know how to score, despite the team around them. Be patient in your draft as Weber will likely fall to the third or fourth round. He is good but not better than an elite forward who might be there when you pick.

6. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

Photo By: Brianna O’Mara

Before the critics their dander up, P.K. Subban is very good and fun to watch but for fantasy value the Nashville defensemen to own is Roman Josi. The past three seasons Josi is averaging 55 points, 41 assists, and is plus 19. In addition, he has only missed twelve games in the last three years so you won’t have to worry about adding and dropping players to fill in gaps in your roster. He logs nearly 30 minutes per game and plays on both the power play unit and the penalty kill. He also has seven game winning goals in the past three seasons, worth noting if your league scores that category.

5. Dougie Hamilton, Calgary Flames

The Flames have been up and down the past few seasons and have not been able to find any kind of consistency. Dougie Hamilton on the other hand has been steadily improving every year. Last season was his best with 50 points, 64 penalty minutes and he finished at plus 12 on the year. He has only missed one game in the past two seasons and is logging 25 or more minutes of ice time per game. He may not be the sexy pick but in terms of fantasy value he is among the best.

4. Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets

The list thus far has discussed mostly points, minutes and the like and Dustin Byfuglien provides plenty of value in the traditional point categories. He averaged over 50 points a year over the past three and plays close to 30 minutes a game. He has consistently averaged 0.7 points per game for the last seven seasons. Consistent elite level production.

Sure consistent production is good and all, but why so high on this list? Having top ten level production is nice but consider that over the past three seasons he has averaged 120 penalty minutes per year. This one stat alone is enough to get owners a bonus point every week. Considering how much time he spends on the ice, you have to wonder if he goes to the box just to get a break.

3. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Last year was a bit of an anomaly for the Lightning. The perennial playoff team couldn’t seem to put the right pieces together. Victor Hedman on the other hand had a breakout season and would have likely won the Norris Trophy if not for (see below) the next two on the list. Hedman finished the season with 72 points, 16, goals, and 56 assists 33 of which came on the power play.

He logged 27 minutes per game and in 79 games played averaged .9 points per game. Compare that to the top ten forward list here, and he is right up there with the best forwards in production. When you set your pre-draft ranking make sure he is in your top 30 players.

2. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

2016-4-2 NHL PHI vs OTT
Defenseman Erik Karlsson (#65)

Last year the league finally noticed what an elite talent Erik Karlsson is due to Ottawa’s hard fought playoff run. He single-handedly carried his team to the Conference Final on a broken foot. Over the past three seasons he has averaged 73 points. He logs over thirty minutes per game and plays on the top power play and penalty kill. He even added two short handed assists for good measure. If he wasn’t starting the season coming off foot surgery he would be higher on this list. You no doubt noticed we’re near the top already? Exactly. Draft him.

1. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

No surprise here. The Norris Trophy winner is in the top spot. Burns finished last season with 76 points and was plus 19. Some say he disappeared in the playoffs but fantasy owners don’t really care about the playoffs for scoring purposes. He finished in the top ten in scoring as a defensemen! He is even going number one overall in some mock drafts. If you draft late in the first round he is worth considering as your number one pick. There is no better defensemen to own on your fantasy team.

Just Missed the List

Zach Werenski, Duncan Keith, Kevin Shattenkirk, P.K. Subban, Rasmus Ristolainen

Do you agree with the list? Let me know on twitter @apoptosian

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