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.
UPDATED TOP 60 DEFENSEMEN RANKINGSPeople around the globe will be celebrating Valentine's Day this Saturday. It is a chance for dynamic duos to show how much they care about one another and to celebrate their love and affection.
With that in mind, it seemed fitting to take a look at some of the highest scoring defensive duos that are earning lots of love from fantasy owners this season.
The Nashville Predators have been one of the best stories in the league through the first 50-plus games and that is due in part to the solid play they are getting from their blue line, more specifically Shea Weber and Roman Josi.
NHL.com's Matt Sitkoff mentioned these fantasy studs on Monday in his All-Access piece, and for good reason. They have combined for 22 goals and 74 points through 54 games. They've rolled up 20 points on the power play, 280 shots on goal and a plus-32 rating, which is the second highest of any pair we will look at.
The interesting thing is Josi is the leading point getter of the two. Not many would have predicted he would have more points than Weber at this stage of the season. Their combined points-per-game total of .69 is tied for the top spot among all of our duos.
There is a tandem that is even hotter than the Nashville boys and they play for the Calgary Flames.
Mark Giordano and TJ Brodie have combined for an impressive 75 points on the season. They've scored 19 goals, had 20 points with the extra man, and put 228 shots on goal. They are the highest-scoring duo in terms of points, also putting up .69 points-per-game.
The love affair owners are having with Giordano and Brodie is transitioning into a full-fledged love triangle with Dennis Wideman, whose next goal will tie his career high of 13. His 30 points (.56 points-per-game) have him on pace to tie the second highest total of his career, 46, set during the 2011-12 season as a member of the Washington Capitals.
Speaking of the Capitals, they also boast an attractive fantasy tandem in John Carlson and Mike Green. Taking into account Kevin Shattenkirk's injury, if we remove Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues, who have combined for 69 points, the Capitals' duo has the third-highest total on this list, scoring 68 points.
Carlson and Green have combined to post a plus-20 rating and 221 shots on goal, and their 21 power-play points rank second on this list after removing the 30 scored by the St. Louis duo.
P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens and teammate Andrei Markov now hold the top spot in terms of power-play production. They have combined for 29 points this season with the extra man. They have 66 total points and 18 goals. They don't shoot as much as some of the other duos, but have collected 190 shots and combined for a healthy plus-17 rating.
To wrap up this lovefest, we'll take a quick peek at one more triangle that is forming down in Texas. After combining for three points Tuesday, Trevor Daley, John Klingberg and Alex Goligoski have put up 82 points. Fantasy darling Klingberg and his .73 points-per-game buoy that total.
Their 25 goals rank second behind the trio in Calgary. They have 221 shots on goal, a plus-12 rating and 70 penalty minutes.
Every player on this list brings something to the fantasy discussion and can help you down the stretch. So show them some love by acquiring them via trade or shrewd waiver claim and they'll return the favor by helping you reel off victory after victory.
TRENDING UP
Yes, we mentioned him above, but he still isn't getting enough love and is under-owned in Yahoo Standard Leagues. He was owned in 49 percent of leagues heading into games Tuesday, and that just shouldn't be for a guy who is averaging .73 points-per-game. His 11 points over his past seven games lead all NHL players over the past two weeks. His 29 points trail Arron Ekblad for the rookie lead by only two and that is in 12 fewer games. Klingberg is here and he isn't going anywhere; go out grab him today.
TRENDING DOWN
Lubomir Visnovsky, New York Islanders
Visnovsky does have 12 points in 33 games this season, but he looks like a guy who might be coming to the end of the road as a valuable fantasy contributor. He has one point over his past seven games, was a healthy scratch for two games earlier in the month and before picking up a plus-2 rating Tuesday was carrying a minus-8 rating over his previous four games. Tread very carefully into these waters moving forward.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Travis Hamonic, New York Islanders
Hamonic has been heating up as of late. He has 18 points in 44 games this season, but has picked up nine of those points over his past 12 games. He is still a solid source of hits, picking up 23 over his past nine games, and he is getting some time on the power play. He has picked up four power-play points over his past eight games. Hamonic is owned in 19 percent of Yahoo Standard Leagues and could be a great depth add heading down the stretch.
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) | 31 | Justin Faulk, CAR (+3) |
| 2 | Mark Giordano, CGY (SAME) | 32 | John Klingberg, DAL (+14) |
| 3 | Brent Burns, D/RW, SJS (+1) |
33 | Dennis Wideman, CGY (-1) |
| 4 | Shea Weber, NSH (-1) |
34 | Trevor Daley, DAL (+1) |
| 5 | Keith Yandle, ARI (+1) |
35 | Aaron Ekblad, FLA (+4) |
| 6 | Dustin Byfuglien, D/RW, WPG (+1) |
36 | Mike Green, WSH (+1) |
| 7 | Erik Karlsson, OTT (-2) |
37 | Jake Muzzin, LAK (-4) |
| 8 | P.K. Subban, MTL (SAME) | 38 | James Wisniewski, CBJ (+2) |
| 9 | Sami Vatanen, ANA (+1) |
39 | Nick Leddy, NYI (+1) |
| 10 | John Carlson, WSH (+2) |
40 | Dougie Hamilton, BOS (+1) |
| 11 | Duncan Keith, CHI (-2) |
41 | Jacob Trouba, WPG (+1) |
| 12 | Victor Hedman, TBL (+2) |
42 | Michael Del Zotto, PHI (+1) |
| 13 | TJ Brodie, CGY (-2) |
43 | Lubomir Visnovsky, NYI (-13) |
| 14 | Roman Josi, NSH (+4) |
44 | Tobias Enstrom, WPG (-6) |
| 15 | Mark Streit, PHI (-2) |
45 | Marek Zidlicky, NJD (+2) |
| 16 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson, (-1) |
46 | Seth Jones, NSH (+3) |
| 17 | Alex Pietrangelo, STL (-1) |
47 | Justin Schultz, EDM (+3) |
| 18 | Andrei Markov, MTL (+5) |
48 | Hampus Lindholm, ANA (-3) |
| 19 | Drew Doughty, LAK (-2) |
49 | Jason Garrison, TBL (-5) |
| 20 | Tyson Barrie, COL (+1) |
50 | Anton Stralman, TBL (-3) |
| 21 | Niklas Kronwall, DET (-1) |
51 | Jack Johnson, CBJ (+3) |
| 22 | Johnny Boychuk, NYI (-3) |
52 | Matt Niskanen, WSH (-1) |
| 23 | Ryan McDonagh, NYR (+2) |
53 | Brian Campbell, FLA (-1) |
| 24 | Ryan Suter, MIN (-2) |
54 | Danny DeKeyser, DET (-1) |
| 25 | Zdeno Chara, BOS (-1) |
55 | Alexander Edler, VAN (+1) |
| 26 | Cam Fowler, ANA (+1) |
56 | Zach Bogosian, WPG (-1) |
| 27 | Cody Franson, TOR (+2) |
57 | Andrej Sekera, CAR (SAME) |
| 28 | Torey Krug, BOS (-2) |
58 | Jared Spurgeon, MIN (-1) |
| 29 | Alex Goligoski, DAL (+2) |
59 | Kevin Klein, NYR (+1) |
| 30 | Brent Seabrook, CHI (-2) |
60 | Kris Russell, CGY (NEW) |
Key injuries: Kevin Shattenkirk, Christian Ehrhoff, Erik Johnson, Dion Phaneuf, Ryan Ellis, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Matt Carle, Kevin Bieksa, Olli Maatta, Kimmo Timonen, Damon Severson
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