2021 NHL Fantasy Rankings: Defensemen
The 2019-2020 NHL season was a platform for budding rookie defensemen to show that they are the next crop of elite fantasy blueliners. Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes became go-to players on fantasy rosters, as some of the previous top-end producers took a back seat. So where will they rank this season? Let's take a look:
1. Dougie Hamilton, CAR
If not for being sidelined for a good portion of the 2019-2020 season, Hamilton would've likely been the top scoring defenseman in the NHL. With Carolina's lineup basically returning as is, you can write him in as a sure top-tier fantasy defenseman.
2. Roman Josi, NSH
Not far behind Hamilton in our projections is the reigning Norris Trophy blueliner. Josi has quietly been as consistently great as they come in producing offense from the backend, and should without a doubt find himself near the top of the league again in fantasy production.
3. John Carlson, WSH
Carlson has been very strong offensively from the backend for some time now, but last year he took it to a new level. Washington as a whole is an aging team, but the veterans they have in place seem to have a little more left in the tank. It should be interesting to see, speaking of ageless wonders, if newly added Zdeno Chara is paired up with Carlson and if this improves his defensive zone play.
4. Brent Burns, SJS
Burns is in a unique situation. He is on a team projected to bring up the rear in the West Division, and his best teammate plays the exact same position as him. That teammate, of course, is Erik Karlsson, and it's easy to see these two as interchangeable as fantasy options. As of now, we project both defensemen on the top powerplay unit. Although, San Jose does like to use four forwards from time to time, so there could be lulls in powerplay production from either player on given nights.
5. Victor Hedman, TBL
It wouldn't be smart to leave Hedman out of the top five in defensemen rankings, despite some of the quality talent following him on this list. As the clear lead pivotman on the reigning Stanley Cup champions, to expect anything less than another big year would be foolish.
6. Kris Letang, PIT
With Justin Schultz not returning to the Penguins this season, there is no longer a serious threat to Letang's powerplay time on the top unit. When that unit, of course, includes Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Letang will find himself comfortably among the top ten defensemen.
7. Mark Giordano, CGY
The Flames' top players were interestingly not up to form last season, but Giordano provides a high floor for any fantasy owner due to the club's reliance on him in all situations. If Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan can regain their offensive dominance, that will only benefit the 37 year-old defenseman.
8. Morgan Rielly, TOR
Another defenseman who should benefit by subtraction, Rielly will almost certainly remain on Toronto's top powerplay unit throughout the upcoming season with Tyson Barrie leaving the team. On top of that, his expected d-partner, T.J. Brodie, is a major upgrade at even strength from the departed Cody Ceci. All this, along with his team expected to roll through the North Division, sets up Rielly for what could be a career-year type scoring pace.
9. Torey Krug, STL
A new team for Krug will lead to a bit of an adjustment, but ultimately it should be more of the same. The Blues are not much different than the Bruins in many ways, and Krug should get the best crack at powerplay time from the blueline. With powerplay specialist Mike Hoffman likely joining the team, Krug could be the beneficiary of plenty of "easy" assists and powerplay points.
10. Ryan Ellis, NSH
The highest rated defenseman on this list who is unlikely to garner much playing time, Ellis' value comes mostly at even-strength and on the penalty kill. Remember that blocked shots accumulate points too, and Ellis is as elite as they come in that department. Secondary assists and offensive zone possession help as well, and, by being paired with Josi, Ellis has quite a lot going for him to be a steady force in your fantasy lineup.
11. Erik Karlsson, SJS
12. Cale Makar, COL
13. Shea Weber, MTL
14. Ryan Pulock, NYI
15. Alex Pietrangelo, VGK
16. Shea Theodore, VGK
17. Neal Pionk, WPG
18. Alex Edler, VAN
19. Zach Werenski, CBJ
20. Seth Jones, CBJ
21. John Klingberg, DAL
22. Thomas Chabot, OTT
23. Quinn Hughes, VAN
24. Jeff Petry, MTL
25. Tyson Barrie, EDM
26. Ryan Graves, COL
27. Darnell Nurse, EDM
28. Charlie McAvoy, BOS
29. Keith Yandle, FLA
30. Jared Spurgeon, MIN
31. Aaron Ekblad, FLA
32. Matt Dumba, MIN
33. Matt Grzelcyk, BOS
34. Adam Fox, NYR
35. Jake Muzzin, TOR
36. Ryan Suter, MIN
37. Rasmus Dahlin, BUF
38. Ivan Provorov, PHI
39. Duncan Keith, CHI
40. Kevin Shattenkirk, ANA
41. Tony DeAngelo, NYR
42. Jacob Trouba, NYR
43. Drew Doughty, LAK
44. Alec Martinez, VGK
45. P.K. Subban, NJD
46. Justin Faulk, STL
47. Jakob Chychrun, ARI
48. Miro Heiskanen, DAL
49. Sean Walker, LAK
50. Mackenzie Weegar, FLA
51. Connor Murphy, CHI
52. Esa Lindell, DAL
53. Ben Chiarot, MTL
54. Damon Severson, NJD
55. Tyler Myers, VAN
56. Colton Parayko, STL
57. Alex Goligoski, DAL
58. Jaccob Slavin, CAR
59. Mikhail Sergachev, TBL
60. Hampus Lindholm, ANA
61. Noah Hanifin, CGY
62. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI
63. Nate Schmidt, VAN
64. Ryan Murray, NJD
65. Josh Morrissey, WPG
66. Mattias Ekholm, NAS
67. Erik Johnson, COL
68. Brett Pesce, CAR
69. Olli Maatta, LAK
70. Filip Hronek, DET
71. Scott Mayfield, NYI
72. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SJS
73. Adam Pelech, NYI
74. Cam Fowler, ANA
75. Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF
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