NHL

Ian Whamond takes a fresh look at 2021 hockey with his updated Fantasy Hockey Defensemen Rankings. There's still time for that playoff push!

With most teams about halfway through the season, players like Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and John Tavares are near the top of the points leaderboard. There is one name, however, that I'd bet didn't get drafted in many fantasy leagues. Josh Bailey already has 50 points in 41 games and is tied for second in points in the entire league. He is also second in assists with 38. This puts Bailey on pace for a 100-point season. Although Bailey was selected ninth overall in 2008 and had 56 points last year, no one expected…

Will Butcher - D - New Jersey Devils 77% owned on Fantrax  The 2016 Hobey Baker winner (the Heisman award for college hockey), Will Butcher has gotten off to a hot start in the NHL. Butcher has eight assists in five games and a plus-five on a suddenly potent New Jersey Devils offense. Butcher was initially drafted by the Colorado Avalanche but after four years of the University of Denver and putting up 103 points in 153 NCAA games in his time, he didn't end up signing with the Colorado Avalanche. Instead, he went to New…

Although the Eastern Conference has powerhouses like the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals, there are still a lot of teams out there that could make some noise. Here are five key questions for the Eastern Conference. Can Jonathan Drouin reach his potential in Montreal? Drouin has always been a really talented player, but he hasn’t been able to reach his potential at the NHL level yet. In his three seasons playing for the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, Drouin had 242 points in 128 games. He was drafted third…

A defenseman's primary responsibility is to make it hard for the forwards to shoot by blocking their shots, hitting them, or just covering them. This responsibility makes a lot of defensemen fantasy-relevant. However, some defensemen are also expected to drive play, especially when the team is on the power-play. Since this position usually leaves the shooting to the forwards, they don’t get as many points. Only three defensemen had over 70 points last season. The next closest was Kevin Shattenkirk, who had 56 points. An…