Superstar Fantasy Defenseman: Year To Date Update, Part I

What separates a fifth-place fantasy hockey owner from a first-place owner?

Goaltending? Top scoring forwards?

No, the answer is often star defenseman. However, some of these defenseman have been very disappointing, while others have suprised.

The biggest of all defenseman, Zdeno Chara, had a terrible start to the season, but recently broke out of his shell with two powerplay goals.  He now has four total goals and nine points. He also has 20 penalty minutes and 51 shots on goal.

Inattentive owners might be willing to part with Chara for less than fair market value, so make a play for him while you still can.

Whenever someone says dynamic duo of defenseman, two things usually come to mind. The first is, wow, I bet you can't say that five times in a row non stop. The second is the pair of Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski in Detroit.

Both are good enough to be superstars on any team. Rafalski and Lidstrom have 15 and 14 points, respectively, and will continue the season at this clip. Both are very hard to acquire—and for good reason, as they substantially contribute power-play points, assists, and shots on goal.

The Ducks also have a dynamic duo—Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. Pronger has been outstanding thus far, with 14 points, 24 penalty minutes, and 58 shots on net. The same cannot be said for Scott Niedermayer, who has just 10 points and two goals. However, he does have six power-play points and plenty of shots on net, too.

Niedermayer is likely to post around 45 to 50 points this year while Pronger could score 60 points or more. Treat Niedermayer as a number-two and Pronger as a number-one fantasy defenseman.

The Flyers also feature a pair of notable defenseman in Kimmo Timmonen and Braydon Coburn.

Timmonen is normally a solid number-two fantasy defenseman. He contributes more offensively with points, power-play points, and shots on goal. On the other hand, Coburn helps out in a variety of categories including penalty minutes and shots on goal and will tally around 40 points. He's a great long term pick up for anyone in need of a number-three fantasy defenseman.

The best parts about Coburn are that he doesn't miss many games, and is a fairly consistent player. Just set him up, and let him play until the end of the season.

Danny Boyle was San Jose's big offseason acquisition this season, and has pleased Sharks fans and fantasy owners alike. With 16 points, six goals, seven power-play points, 61 shots on goals, and 20 penalty minutes, Dan has been the man across the board. He's enjoying himself as SJ's main power-play quarterback, and will continue to post huge numbers, unless injury or illness should befall him. He's a true number-one defenseman in fantasy and the NHL.

And what about the turnaround that has taken place in the Windy City? Part of that can be attributed to the new power play, and that is thanks largely to Brian Campbell.

Campbell is essentially a winger in defenseman's clothes and is well known for his puck moving ability. He frequently races up the ice to create odd man rushes and scoring chances. With 14 points in 18 games and plenty of points on the power play, Campbell has met expectations, and figures to be Chicago's star defenseman all season long. He is a legitimate number-one fantasy defenseman.

Sergei Zubov has recently returned from injury, and has four points in eight games since. Zubov is a truly-superb offensive blueliner, but has missed many games since 2006-07. If he continues playing regularly, expect 45 to 55 points this season, with as many as 20 or more coming on the power play. Zubov will primarily contribute assists, and not many shots on goal or penalty minutes.

Mathieu Schneider has disappointed many Atlanta fans, with just five points and a minus-11 rating. Thus, he can be had very cheap right now and is even on many waiver wires. His numbers will certainly rise as the season goes on, barring serious injury.

However, fellow offseason acquisition Ron Hainsey has been Johnny on the spot, with 12 points—six on the power play—and 40 shots on goal. Hainsey probably won't continue this pace for the whole season, but makes a nice second fantasy defenseman while he's hot.

In Vancouver, Mattias Ohlund and Sami Salo were both thought to be top-three fantasy defenseman. Yet neither has gotten off to a particularly good start, and both have been battling through minor injuries much of this season. However, Ohlund had two assists in the Canucks 6-3 win over the Rangers Wednesday, and is showing signs of life. On top of that, Ohlund may be traded away soon and could end up as a number-one defenseman on another team. This would probably increase the value of both Ohlund and Salo.

Speaking of Sami, he has disappointed a bit with just one goal on eight points. Both of these guys contribute heavily to peripheral categories such as penalty minutes and shots on goal. If you check the waiver wire, you might find one of them available.

Tune in next time as we cover more top-rated fantasy defenseman around the league.