Fantasy top 60 'D': Letang, Barrie round into form

Every Wednesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey contributor Brian Metzer provides in-depth defenseman analysis. From updated weekly top 60 rankings to trending players and more, Metzer is your go-to guy for fantasy D-men advice all season long.

The month of January is always filled with a ton of platitudes and grand proclamations such as, "New Year, New You!" that speak to the notion of getting in shape and living a better life. Well, this is also a great time to get that fantasy blue line in shape so your team can compete better than it has to this point in the season.

There are a number of defensemen that have been heating up over the past couple weeks and could give your fantasy backside the makeover it has needed. The first couple of names will likely be trade targets, since they are rostered in 68 percent or more of Yahoo Standard Leagues but were slow out of the gates because of injury or other circumstances.

Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who has had issues with injury and an ugly plus-minus rating, looks to be rounding into regular fantasy form under new coach Mike Sullivan. He has three goals and 10 points in the five games he's played since the coaching change. He has five of those points on the Penguins' suddenly productive power play and has managed a plus-3 rating over that span. His season totals now stand at four goals, 24 points, 13 power-play points and 95 shots on goal in 30 games.

Now is the time to acquire the talented Letang if you can, especially based on the fact he provides a healthy dose of hits (54) and blocked shots (51).

Tyson Barrie led the Colorado Avalanche to victory Monday with two goals and two assists. That gave three goals and nine points in his past eight games, with six coming on the power play. Barrie is up to six goals, 27 points, 13 power-play points, three game-winning goals and 72 shots on goal in 36 games. He's getting second pair time with Nick Holden, but logging big minutes with the No. 1 power-play unit. He's owned in 89 percent of Yahoo leagues, but could definitely benefit you if you can pry him away in a trade.

TJ Brodie is still skating on the Calgary Flames' top pair with Mark Giordano and has looked a lot like the player who set career-highs in almost all statistical categories last season. He has seven assists in his past seven games, giving him four goals and 21 points in 30 games. He gets No. 1 power-play time and is carrying a plus-7 rating. H's owned in just 68 percent of Yahoo leagues, so you may find him on the wire, but he's definitely a trade target.

Now for some options that should be readily available on your waiver wire, since all are owned in 51 percent or less of Yahoo Standard Leagues.

Anton Stralman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Yahoo ownership: 51 percent

Stralman's first season in Tampa Bay yielded career-highs in categories such as goals (nine), assists (30), points (39), plus-minus (plus-22) and shots on goal (138). This season hadn't been as kind, at least early, as he was averaging.31 points-per-game over his first 29 games.

That has since changed and the 29-year-old has been heating up over his past 11 games, in which he has two goals and nine points to give him four goals and 18 points in 40 games. His average points-per-game has jumped to .45, a tick under where he was last season.

Nick Leddy, New York Islanders

Yahoo ownership: 50 percent

Leddy was starting to round into form even before news broke that Johnny Boychuk would miss 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury. Leddy could be in store for an even bigger boost now. He has 15 points in 40 games this season, but he's picked up 10 of them over his past 17 games. He is riding a current five-game scoring streak that's seen him score his first goal of the season along with five assists.

This is the Leddy we expected to see from the start of the season. He is on the top pair with Travis Hamonic and getting No. 1 power-play time, and he's chipped in 43 hits and 40 blocked shots.

Mattias Ekholm, Nashville Predators

Yahoo ownership: 3 percent

Ekholm is a bit streaky, probably because of the fluctuation in the opportunities he actually gets. That in turn can be explained by him playing on a team with five other defensemen who all have fantasy value. He is currently riding a hot streak that has seen him score two goals and four points over his past four games. He has five goals, nine assists, 20 penalty minutes, 36 hits, 38 blocked shots and 48 shots on goal in 40 games. He even has a goal and two shorthanded points on the power play. He's a good fill-in or streaming option in most formats.

TRENDING UP

Brendan Smith, Detroit Red Wings

Smith has been an intriguing player for fantasy owners many times over the past several seasons, but hadn't done much to warrant attention this season. That has changed over the past few weeks as the 26-year-old has two goals and seven points in his past nine games. That burst pushed his season totals to three goals and 10 points in 32 games. He is carrying a plus-5 rating and has 48 hits, 24 blocked shots and 36 shots on goal. He is available in almost all Yahoo Standard Leagues.

TRENDING DOWN

Oscar Klefbom, Edmonton Oilers

Klefbom, who broke a bone in his hand Dec. 11, was getting closer to returning to the lineup for the Oilers. That fact had him holding on to a spot in our rankings, but he sustained a lower-body injury while recovering from the hand injury and will be out for the foreseeable future according to coach Todd McLellan. He's a great stash option, especially in keeper or dynasty formats.

KEEP AN EYE ON

Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers

Kulikov's fantasy value has taken a dip over the past two seasons, all while still playing a fairly big role for the Panthers. He's finally showing signs of fantasy life during their current 10-game winning streak. Over that span he has one goal and three assists, and now has eight points in 32 games. He has an attractive plus-8 rating, 48 hits, 47 blocked shots and 46 shots on goal. If you have a roster spot, it's worth taking a flyer on him while the Panthers are rolling. He's owned in just one percent of leagues.

TOP 60 FANTASY DEFENSEMEN

These rankings are based on expectations for this season. Value is quantified by defense pairings, power-play usage, past performance and overall upside in standard Yahoo categories (goals, assists, plus-minus, penalty minutes, power-play points and shots on goal).

1	Erik Karlsson, OTT (SAME)	31	Erik Johnson, COL (-1)
2	John Klingberg, DAL (SAME)	32	Francois Beauchemin, COL (SAME)
3	Duncan Keith, CHI (+2)	33	Alex Pietrangelo, STL (SAME)
4	Brent Burns, SJS (-1)	34	Dion Phaneuf, TOR (SAME)
5	Kevin Shattenkirk, STL (-1)	35	Niklas Kronwall, DET (SAME)
6	P.K. Subban, MTL (+1)	36	Mike Green, DET (+3)
7	Justin Faulk, CAR (-1)	37	Jason Demers, DAL (SAME)
8	Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI (SAME)	38	Andrej Sekera, EDM (+2)
9	Roman Josi, NSH (SAME)	39	Dennis Wideman, CGY (+2)
10	Shea Weber, NSH (+2)	40	Cody Franson, BUF (-4)
11	Dustin Byfuglien, WPG (+3)	41	Morgan Rielly, TOR (-3)
12	Andrei Markov, MTL (-2)	42	Dougie Hamilton, CGY (SAME)
13	Drew Doughty, LAK (+2)	43	Alex Goligoski, DAL (+1)
14	John Carlson, WSH (-3)	44	Matt Niskanen, WSH (+4)
15	Tyson Barrie, COL (+1)	45	Zdeno Chara, BOS (-2)
16	Victor Hedman, TBL (-3)	46	Nick Leddy, NYI (+4)
17	Brent Seabrook, CHI (+2)	47	Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI (-2)
18	Kris Letang, PIT (+2)	48	Colton Parayko, STL (-2)
19	Ryan McDonagh, NYR (-2)	49	Trevor Daley, PIT (+2)
20	Ryan Suter, MIN (-2)	50	Alexander Edler, VAN (-3)
21	Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF (+2)	51	Marek Zidlicky, NYI (-2)
22	Keith Yandle, NYR (-1)	52	Ryan Ellis, NSH (+2)
23	TJ Brodie, CGY (-1)	53	Jared Spurgeon, MIN (SAME)
24	Torey Krug, BOS (+1)	54	Olli Maatta, PIT (-2)
25	Jake Muzzin, LAK (+1)	55	Tyler Myers, WPG (+1)
26	Sami Vatanen, ANA (-2)	56	Colin Miller, BOS (-1)
27	Mark Streit, PHI (NR - INJ.)	57	Michael Stone, ARI (NEW)
28	Aaron Ekblad, FLA (SAME)	58	Alec Martinez, LAK (-1)
29	Anton Stralman, TBL (-1)	59	David Savard, CBJ (-1)
30	Mark Giordano, CGY (+1)	60	Jeff Petry, MTL (-1)

Key injuries: Johnny Boychuk, Cam Fowler, Oscar Klefbom, Kyle Quincey, James Wisniewski

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