Victor Hedman surges to the top of our defensemen rankings. He is producing at over a PPG rate and continues to lead a dynamic team in Tampa to the top of their divisional standings. Hedman is setting the bar for two-way defensemen in the NHL as he continues to dominate at both ends of the ice.
The top 5 include last year’s rookie of the year, Cale Makar, and the runner-up, Quinn Hughes, in the second and third spots. Both players are proving their rookie seasons were just the starting point of their NHL stardom. Quinn leads all defensemen in points and Makar is playing slightly over a PPG clip.
The fourth and fifth spots belong to John Carlson and Roman Josi who were in the #1 and 2 spots in our pre-season rankings. I would look for both of these players to be at or near the top of this ranking as this year moves along.
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Rookies on Fire
With COVID impacting the schedule, as well as the lack of games and training camp players, have faced over the past year, there are a number of players playing below their expected levels. This has resulted in a number of young defensemen such as K’Andre Miller, Ty Smith, and Alexander Romanov jumping into our top 50. With an influx of younger players making their way in, a number of older players who were once sure things in fantasy hockey are either dropping down the rankings or have been squeezed out altogether. Brett Burns, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson are players who have recently dominated the rankings but who now find themselves looking up the list. Time will tell if some of these players can climb their way up again, like Duncan Keith has done this season, or if we will continue to see them drop further down as the season plays out.
2021 Updated Fantasy Hockey Defenseman Rankings
| Rnk | Player | Team | Prev. Rnk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victor Hedman | TBL | 3 |
| 2 | Cale Makar | COL | 4 |
| 3 | Quinn Hughes | VAN | 19 |
| 4 | John Carlson | WAS | 1 |
| 5 | Roman Josi | NSH | 2 |
| 6 | Seth Jones | CBJ | 16 |
| 7 | Thomas Chabot | OTT | 11 |
| 8 | Charlie McAvoy | BOS | 28 |
| 9 | Darnell Nurse | EDM | 32 |
| 10 | Jeff Petry | MTL | 27 |
| 11 | Jakub Chychrun | ARZ | 35 |
| 12 | Morgan Rielly | TOR | 20 |
| 13 | Adam Fox | NYR | 36 |
| 14 | Tyson Barrie | EDM | 18 |
| 15 | Neil Pionk | WPG | 23 |
| 16 | John Klingberg | DAL | 30 |
| 17 | Dougie Hamilton | CAR | 6 |
| 18 | Shea Theodore | VGK | 10 |
| 19 | Miro Heiskanen | DAL | 13 |
| 20 | Alex Pietrangelo | VGK | 7 |
| 21 | Torey Krug | STL | 9 |
| 22 | Rasmus Dahlin | BUF | 12 |
| 23 | Brett Burns | SJS | 5 |
| 24 | Zach Werenski | CBJ | 8 |
| 25 | Aaron Ekblad | FLA | 38 |
| 26 | Ivan Provorov | PHI | 21 |
| 27 | Shea Weber | MTL | 17 |
| 28 | Mikhail Sergachev | TBL | 45 |
| 29 | Colton Parayko | STL | 33 |
| 30 | Justin Faulk | STL | NR |
| 31 | Ryan Ellis | NSH | 37 |
| 32 | Jake Muzzin | TOR | 50 |
| 33 | Drew Doughty | LAK | 29 |
| 34 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson | ARZ | 34 |
| 35 | Ty Smith | NJD | NR |
| 36 | Rasmus Ristolainen | BUF | 26 |
| 37 | Mario Ferraro | SJS | NR |
| 38 | Filip Hronek | DET | 47 |
| 39 | Kris Letang | PIT | 14 |
| 40 | Jacob Trouba | NYR | 39 |
| 41 | KAndre Miller | NYR | NR |
| 42 | Noah Dobson | NYI | NR |
| 43 | Mark Giordano | CAL | 24 |
| 44 | Sam Girard | COL | NR |
| 45 | Rasmus Andersson | CAL | NR |
| 46 | Duncan Keith | CHI | NR |
| 47 | Alexander Romanov | MTL | NR |
| 48 | Ryan Pulock | NYI | 25 |
| 49 | Justin Holl | TOR | NR |
| 50 | Tyler Myers | VAN | NR |
Once you digest Ian’s Defensemen Rankings you’ll also want to head on over and check out Brandon Altomonte’s Goalie Rankings!
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