Fantasy Hockey Draft Rankings, Advice and Analysis

Fantasy top 60 'D': Flames' Russell in high-profile role

Wednesday, 03.11.2015 / 12:00 PM
Brian Metzer - NHL.com Correspondent

Every Wednesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey correspondent Brian Metzer will provide you with in-depth defensemen analysis. From updated weekly top 60 rankings to trending players and more, Metzer will be your go-to guy for fantasy blue line advice all season long.

The Calgary Flames are in the middle of a rebuild, but that didn't stop them from becoming one of the best stories of the season. Their situation dimmed a bit when the face of that success, Mark Giordano, was lost for the remainder of the season after surgery to have a biceps injury repaired, but they aren't done yet, managing a 3-1-1 record without their captain.

Giordano, while being a great two-way defenseman, was a huge part of the Flames offense, combining with fellow defensemen TJ Brodie and Dennis Wideman for 33 goals and 125 points before he exited the lineup.

The Flames, like fantasy owners, were left in the dubious position of trying to find a replacement for a player that often logged nearly 30 minutes per night and was involved in every aspect of their game, including the power-play and penalty-killing units.

There may not be another Giordano available, but an internal option has done a pretty good job of offsetting his loss, and his name is Kris Russell.

Russell isn't exactly a household name in fantasy circles, but he shouldn't be a stranger to them either. He has had his share of fantasy-worthy moments over the years, the most memorable coming last season when he averaged .43 points per game for Calgary.

He has quietly been productive all season, but owners should take notice now because he has been thrust into the big shoes of Giordano and is currently skating on the Flames top pair with Wideman.

Russell isn't the type of guy who is going to put up 20 goals or 45 assists, but he has shown he can do a little bit of everything for fantasy teams and is a very low-risk, high-reward pick-up.

Since Giordano has been out Russell has not spent less than 26:12 on the ice in a game. He is getting a ton of special-teams work and has played two or more minutes with the extra man each night, with a high-water mark of 5:20 in a 4-3 shootout win against the Boston Bruins on March 5.

Russell had two assists in that win, but it was his performance on the defensive side of the puck that got people talking. He set a new NHL record when he blocked 15 Bruins shots. That sort of secondary category coverage is what makes him a really attractive add for owners.

He has blocked 226 shots on the season, good for 3.53 blocks per game.

That doesn't mean he can't help you in the traditional categories, as he has five points (two goals) in the five games since Giordano left the lineup. He has 14 shots on goal over that span and has pushed his season totals to 25 points (three goals), 15 penalty minutes, 54 hits, nine power-play points, 83 shots on goal and a plus-10 rating.

Russell may never put up the kind of numbers Giordano is capable of, but he is a very viable fantasy contributor who is available in 80 percent of Yahoo Standard Leagues.

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TRENDING UP

Dougie Hamilton, Boston Bruins

Hamilton is really coming into his own, and that is a good thing for fantasy owners. He has five assists and 17 shots in his past four games, and his confidence is growing. He has already set career highs in goals (10), assists (27), points (37), penalty minutes (41), shots on goal (172), power-play points (13) and game-winning goals (two), and he'll continue to add to those totals. If there is one issue in his game it is his minus-1 rating, which is a far cry from the plus-22 he had last season, but it's not anything that should scare fantasy owners away. Hamilton is leading the Bruins blue line in scoring and has quickly become the Boston D-man that should be rostered most frequently.

TRENDING DOWN

Christian Ehrhoff, Pittsburgh Penguins

We added Ehrhoff back into the rankings last week when he accompanied the team on a four-game road trip that took them through Colorado, Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose, but he has yet to rejoin the lineup. It is expected that when ready, he'll reclaim his spot on the Penguins second pairing, but that is debatable based on the acquisitions of Ben Lovejoy and Ian Cole. It is worth noting rookie Derrick Pouliot has gotten more comfortable with each passing game and played a season high 23:26 on Monday against the San Jose Sharks. He's also getting power-play time and spent time with coach Mike Johnston when each were members of the Portland Winterhawks organization in the Western Hockey League. All of that makes Ehrhoff a risky own at this point.

KEEP AN EYE ON

Andy Greene, New Jersey Devils

Greene hasn't been of much use to fantasy owners this season, but that has started to change. He has one goal and four assists over his past five games. He didn't have his best game Tuesday, but even after being tagged with a minus-3 rating in a 6-2 loss to the Wild, he possesses a plus-7 rating for the season. He is up to 18 points (two goals) and could be a sneaky source of production down the stretch in deeper formats. He is owned in six percent of Yahoo Standard Leagues.

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TOP 60 FANTASY DEFENSEMEN

These rankings are based on expectations for the season ahead. Value is quantified by defense pairings, overall upside and past performance in standard Yahoo categories (goals, assists, plus-minus, penalty minutes, power-play points and shots on goal). NOTE: Players with D/RW eligibility in Yahoo leagues (Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Burns) have been ranked as defensemen.

1. Kris Letang, PIT (SAME)

2. Brent Burns, SJS (SAME)

3. P.K. Subban, MTL (+2)

4. Erik Karlsson, OTT (SAME)

5. Shea Weber, NSH (-2)

6. John Carlson, WSH (SAME)

7. Roman Josi, NSH (+2)

8. Victor Hedman, TBL (+2)

9. Duncan Keith, CHI (+2)

10. Andrei Markov, MTL (+2)

11. Keith Yandle, NYR (-4)

12. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI (+2)