Defense is the one position where you will find the majority of players who can fill all statistics to an impressive degree. Something to look for when drafting your d-men (aside from their past performances) is what off-season moves will have an effect on this season. How about one of the most productive fantasy defensemen who made a move to a more offensively minded team (hello Brian Rafalski now in Detroit); or the guys with big shots who will always be looking to score with the man advantage (Bryan McCabe in Toronto, and Sheldon Souray in Edmonton), and then there's the player whose numbers will go up because of who is no-longer on his team (Francois Beauchemin in Anaheim with Scott Neidermayer gone indefinitely and Mathieu Schneider injured to start the season). UPDATE! is there for you. Here are our top picks:


Detroit Red Wings
Comment: Lidstrom has won five of the last six Norris Trophies (top all-around defenseman). Need I say more? How about this: he rarely misses a game, has averaged better than .73 points per game in 15 NHL seasons (topping-out at 80 pts in 80 GP in 2005-06). He has never had a "minus" season, and is the No. 1 defenseman on the powerplay in Detroit (33 pp points last season). And even though Mathieu Schneider is gone, the Wings upgraded the back-end with Brian Rafalski, adding more potency to Lidstrom's punch.

Anaheim Ducks
Comment: The last two seasons one of the teams in the Stanley Cup Finals has had Chris Pronger patrolling the blueline. With Scott Niedermayer's return up-in-the-air, Pronger is the No. 1 option for the Ducks, and he'll continue to get a lot of points. The added bonus with Pronger is that he's mean — and his stock goes up with lots of penalty minutes.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Comment: Gonchar has always been a fantasy stud — and his value has increased with the maturation of Pittsburgh's young superstar talents (the Penguins ended the 2006-07 season on a roll with 29 wins in their last 40 games). Gonchar scores, is a regular on the powerplay and serves plenty of time in the Sin Bin; the only minus to Gonchar in fantasy circles is just that — his minus. The Pens will be on the top side of numerous blow-outs this season, and that means Gonchar should have a "plus" season for the first time in the post-lockout era.

Calgary Flames
Comment: Phaneuf is 6-3, 215 lbs of everything you want in an NHL defenseman. He a plus-player that throws his body all over the ice, and that means plenty of minutes in the box. Add to that that he's now coached by one of the most hard-nosed bench bosses in the league (Mike Keenan) and Phaneuf's ice-time will go up, along with his stats.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Comment: While most of the spotlight on the Toronto blueline falls on Bryan McCabe, the real star on the back-end is Kaberle. There's a reason that Bob Clarke wanted him in-exchange for Eric Lindros so many years ago and that John Ferguson almost put Chris Pronger in a Leafs uniform before the 2006-07 season, balking at Edmonton's asking-price that included Kaberle. He is the PP quarterback in Toronto and is just rounding into form — and if Vesa Toskala lives up to his promise, Kaberle's +/- will improve.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Comment: Whitney will be right beside Gonchar in the points department and for many of the same reasons: namely, the Penguins are an offensive juggernaut. Add in that Whitney will be in just his third NHL season and has improved in all stat categories over the first two including shooting percentage — he went from 5% in 05-06 to 10% — and that more than doubled his goals-total to 14 last season.

Nashville Predators
Comment: Every facet of Weber's game improved in Nashville from his first season to last year. He will continue to improve in every stat category, and will be looked to more on the powerplay now that Kimmo Timonen's gone.

Colorado Avalanche
Comment: Liles doesn't bring a whole lot of size to the Avalanche blueline, meaning he won't help very much in the PIM department, but he will be quarterbacking the Avalanche powerplay. And he's improved his production this year accordingly. Look for the speedy playmaker to hit the 50-point mark this season as Colorado improves as a team.

Detroit Red Wings
Comment: Rafalski has remained healthy throughout his career; he hasn't missed a game since the lockout. He's a sure-fire fantasy defenseman who has always had big output on a Devils team that wasn't about offense. Now he's in Detroit, where they score goals, and he'll be working the powerplay with Nicklas Lidstrom. This will be Rafalski's most productive season (though he's never been one to spend much time in the penalty box).

San Jose Sharks
Comment: Visnovsky is as defensively responsible as one can be on a young Kings team. What he brings to your fantasy roster is lots of points, and a lot of them will come on the powerplay. Visnovsky is a big part of the plan in LA; as the team grows, so does he and vice-versa.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Comment: McCabe didn't quite meet expectations in the first year of his mega-deal, but will be producing in a big way this season. The Leafs have McCabe, Tomas Kaberle and Pavel Kubina as three of their four regular powerplay defensemen. The rotation of those three will be interchangeable and they will all produce. The big upside with McCabe (from a fantasy stand-point, is his poor defensive play which leads to lots of penalties – he's had 231 PIM in the last two seasons).

Boston Bruins
Comment: Remember when Zdeno Chara was just a throw-in on the deal that sent Bill Muckalt to Ontario for Jason Spezza? Well Chara's "throw-in days" are long-over. Everybody around the league knows he brings the points and physical play. Look to him to bring you points (+PP) and the PIM, but his +/- is well below what you want on your fantasy team.

Florida Panthers
Comment: Jay Bouwmeester has become a leader on the Panthers blueline. He's laced-up for every game since the lock-out and his number are improving as an overall player. His +/- improved by vastly last season and his shooting percentage is up — both signs that he is maturing big-time in the patience department. This season, Bouwmeester will kick it into high-gear and increase his points total.

Dallas Stars
Comment: If you look at Zubov's numbers over the years he flip-flops from good season to bad in point-totals and +/-. This year, he's due for another great season. He hasn't produced fewer than 42 points in the last 10 years, so he's a safe bet. KEY NUMBER: 40 of his 52 points last season came on the powerplay.

Vancouver Canucks
Comment: : Bieksa is an aggressive player who's found a spot amongst the Canucks Top 4 defensemen. He will get 100-plus PIM, 40-plus pts, 20 PPP, and find a positive place in the +/- world.

San Jose Sharks
Comment: In his first full season in the NHL, Carle was a plus player, scored 42 points and had 30 PIM. He will improve in all departments, especially PPP (he had 26 points with the extra man last), as he becomes a regular member of the Sharks' PP units.

Edmonton Oilers
Comment: Sheldon Souray brings a hard-hitting game to Edmonton, but the reason they signed him to his lucrative deal was to add his laser-like shot to the powerplay. He and Joni Pitkanen (also added in the off-season) will gobble-up most of the blueline minutes with the extra-man, and fantasy owners who have Souray will be rewarded.

Montreal Canadiens
Comment: With Souray fleeing to Edmonton, Markov becomes the No. 1 option in Montreal on the powerplay. He has 95 points over the past two seasons, so he should produce better than 45 this season, where his numbers will rise is on the powerplay. He had 33 PPP last season.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Comment: Boyle should be a lot higher on this list than nineteenth, but a freak accident in the dressing room involving his wrist and a skate blade has sidelined him for the first 4-6 weeks of the season. He will still have a very productive season in all categories (except +/-, Boyle has been minus both years since the lockout). Boyle should definitely be drafted, but he’ll take a spot on your bench for the first month of the season.

Edmonton Oilers
Comment: Pitkanen is a player that constantly has the "doesn’t live up to his potential" collar thrown on him. He has 89 points over the last two seasons, though he did have a heavy minus last season (-25), but the Flyers were flat-out B.A.D. Pitkanen will be Numero Uno on the Oilers PP, and he spends lots of time in the box.

Ottawa Senators
Comment: Redden has a whole lot to prove this year — he vetoed a trade out of Ottawa at the draft AND he's in a contract year — it's time for him to step-it-up. Oh, and the Senators are making another genuine run at The Cup. He missed a handful of games over the last two years with nagging injuries, but was actually more productive in fewer games. This year he will carry a no-excuses attitude and play a full season, and his production will go up as well.

Philadelphia Flyers
Comment: Timonen has shown that he is a big producer when he's surrounded by good talent. The Flyers are certainly an improved team, and they have some talent, but they won't be as fast or as skilled as the 2006-07 Predators. Timonen's numbers could suffer slightly because of that, but the counter-balance is that he is the most talented defenseman on Broad Street, meaning more ice-time to produce.

New York Islanders
Comment: Bergeron has always had a chip on his shoulder, and he isn't big enough to show it with bone-crunching hits, so he's done it with production. It never seemed to work for him in Edmonton, but in New York he's utilized in a way that showcases his lead-passing abilities, and his hammer-time shot. He will be the first option on the powerplay for Ted Nolan.

Washington Capitals
Comment: Tom Poti stepped-up his production at the end of last season on the Island with 20 points in his last 22 games. In Washington, he shouldn't be expected to score at the almost point-per-game pace, but he's the No. 1 defenseman on a team that has names like Ovechkin, Nylander, Semin, Backstrom and Kozlov up-front.

Anaheim Ducks
Comment: Schneider is another defenseman who would have been ranked much higher on this list if he didn't undergo ankle surgery before the season. He is currently listed as out indefinitely, but when he returns look for him to full form. In a full season, Schneider is good for 50-plus points, PPP, +/- and some solid time in the box.

Anaheim Ducks
Comment: Francois Beauchemin has learned from the best, playing the last two seasons with Scott Niedermayer. And it's Niedermayer's absence that will help Beauchemin's numbers balloon this year. The Ducks acquired Mathieu Schneider in the off-season, but he will miss at least the first month of the season, meaning that Beauchemin is the No. 2 guy behind only Chris Pronger. He will get far more than his 28 points last year, and double his PP output, which should be in the twenties.

Atlanta Thrashers
Comment: Zhitnik hopped around the league a bit last season, spending time on the Island, in Philly and finally in Atlanta. It was in Atlanta that his production doubled, scoring at almost a point-per-game pace. That will continue this year, and he will see regular time on the PP.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Comment: Playing in the first year of a large contract last season, Kubina failed to meet expectation in Toronto. He will return to quality fantasy form this year as he's found his feet in Toronto and still sees regular time among the Top 4 defensemen. And as a member of the 2nd-unit on the Powerplay, Kubina is always good for some PIM as well.

Nashville Predators
Comment: Suter is a durable young defenseman on the rise. Timonen's move to Philly will bump Suter up the defensive depth chart and give him more time on the Powerplay. Suter is looking forward to having about as much sandpaper as his uncle Gary did, which will boost his PIM.

Chicago Blackhawks
Comment: Keith's point totals rose by fifty percent last year to 31, and he's improved his overall play, getting his +/- back to even after going -11 in his rookie season. He logs lots of PIM (155 over last two years) and was used on the PP extensively last year, but found himself spending more time on the second unit as the season wore-on.




LA Kings
Comment: Blake's heavy-hitting style of play over the years is finally showing on his production. While he's still scoring at his regular pace (around 15 goals per season), his assists have tailed and his +/- showed the effect of playing on a young Kings team (-26). While his PP points may be up, and his slowing feet will lead to more PIM, don't expect Blake to be a stud or even a high pick in your draft.

Washington Capitals
Comment: Pothier's past production was more due to his surroundings (the talent-laden Senators) than his own abilities. In Washington, last season, he needed three full months before he found the back of the net. His points production is down, and he's not a key member of the powerplay. Avoid Pothier in your draft.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Comment: Foote's glory days are behind him and so are the days of playing on a good team. His injury woes, and the Jackets' lack of talent help put Foote on this list. He won't help your team in points, +/- or PP, but Foote will spend some quality time in the box if you need PIM.

Montreal Canadiens
Comment: Just because a guy signs a fat contract, ($22 Million over four years), it doesn’t mean he'll be any good. Hamrlik will not fill Souray's skates in a way that would help your fantasy team. His +/- will go down in Montreal while his PIM will stay nice and high. He'll get lots of time on the Montreal PP, but a lot of their success last year with the extra man, was because of Souray, and Hamrlik isn't Souray.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Comment: If you are not a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, then you don't even need to read this. Only a Leafs fan would consider drafting Colaiacovo, who's been bursting with potential (and hype) since Toronto took him in the first round of the 2001 NHL Draft. He's been derailed by injury every season since, and this year is no different. Colaiacovo will miss the start of the season with more soreness in his right knee (the same knee that went under the knife last season).