The 2015-16 NHL Season is just around the corner, sending hockey fans in quite a craze. Before the start of the season, it’s important that we get to know who the best players are there in the league. It’ll give us a chance to know which players and teams to follow and also give us an idea which ones to draft into our fantasy hockey teams.
For this particular feature, we take a look at the top 10 fantasy defensemen for the upcoming NHL season. Read on as we give you the best blue liners who could boost your fantasy teams.
Plan your fantasy draft with care. Check out our features for the top 10 goalies and top 10 centers to give your team a boost.
[sc:NHLArticles ]Top 10 Fantasy Defensemen for the 2015-16 NHL Seaason
10. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
[sc:NHL240 ]Victor Hedman is on the cusp of breaking out as one of Tampa Bay’s top blue liners. But battling injuries has him pretty low on this list as No. 10. Hedman finished with 38 points in 59 regular season games last season. His offensive edge was in full display in the playoffs, leading the Bolts with 13 assists. He’s one of the stars when it comes to blue liners if he remains healthy.
9. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
Roman Josi thoroughly outplayed and out-produced touted teammate Shea Weber last season. While they put up the same amount of goals (15 good for second in the team), Josi had 40 assists to finish with 55 points.
8. Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks
If you watched the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup Playoffs run, then you’ll know that Duncan Keith is worth a high pick. He led Chicago with 18 points and a plus-minus of 16 in winning the Stanley Cup. Keith was also pretty solid in the regular season with 45 points to lead all Chicago defensemen. Considering that he has the potential to break away for 60-point seasons, he’s one of the best blue liners you can have in your roster.
7. Keith Yandle, New York Rangers
Keith Yandle’s minus-26 last season may be unappealing to you. But that was due to a slow start with the lowly Arizona Coyotes. He was minus-32 with the Coyotes before finishing with a plus-6 with the Rangers. Yandle had 21 points in his last 31 games with the Rangers, including the postseason. Assuming the Rangers have Yandle involved in their offense, he’s one of the top blue liners in the league this season.
6. Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Mark Giordano could be a Norris Trophy winner, maybe a Hart winner as well. But injuries have cut short what had been back-to-back impressive seasons for Giordano. He’s finished with 47 and 48 points in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons respectively. Considering he remains healthy, Giordano is in the running to become one of the top scoring defensemen in the league.
5. Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets
Dustin Byfuglien has the potential to be a fantasy beast. At 6-foot-5, Byfuglien could be solid on offense. He had 45 points last season, a little bit of a step down from his 56-point campaign in 2013-14. What makes Byfuglien such a good fantasy defenseman is his ability to soak up penalties in minutes. He had a career-high 124 minutes last season.
4. Kevin Shattenkirk, St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was having a breakout campaign last season, but abdominal surgery put the clamps on his campaign. Shattenkirk finished with 44 points, a plus-minus of 19 and 52 penalty minutes in 56 games last season. Considering he remains healthy this season, Shattenkirk should have a better campaign this time around.
3. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins
If not for injuries, Kris Letang could be the best defenseman in the league. Concussions shortened his excellent 2014-15 campaign but he still finished with a career-high 11 goals and 54 points in 69 games. Still, it’s too difficult to pass on Letang. He’s deadly on the power play, which will receive a boost with the addition of Phil Kessel.
2. P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens
We may not have reached P.K. Subban’s peak just yet. But he was pretty solid as Montreal’s star defenseman last season. He set career-highs with 15 goals, 45 assists, 60 points, a plus-minus of 21 and 26:12 time on ice. Assuming that he keeps his upward trajectory, then Subban should be one of the top two blue liners in the league.
1. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators
Erik Karlsson is the best defenseman in fantasy hockey and it’s not even close. He’s had two straight seasons with 20 goals and over 65 points. His 300 shots would be good enough for a forward. Karlsson has plenty of time on ice as evidenced by his 27 minutes per game. Karlsson is worth a high-draft pick just because no other defenseman comes close to his production.
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