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Filling in for Savard and Gonchar

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Fantasy owners all over were dealt huge blows with the news that Marc Savard and Sergei Gonchar, both premier fantasy options, would miss 4-6 weeks with a broken foot and wrist, respectively. With this in mind, let’s have a look at some of the top options at Center and on Defence that might still be kicking around on the waiver wire.

Center (Marc Savard)

Rich Peverley, C, ATL Peverley has put up 8 points in 6 games, and is on the right side of the +/- ledger. He’s a bit of a late bloomer, but he’s done nothing but produce since his arrival in Atlanta.

Sam Gagner, C, EDM A notoriously slow starter, Gagner is doing what he can to shake that label this season. He’s put up a respectable 3 goals and 5 points through 8 games this season, and is still just scratching the surface of his offensive potential.

Brendan Morrison, C, WAS Remember when Morrison centered one of the best lines in hockey, with Naslund and Bertuzzi skating on his wings? That may seem like ages ago, but Morrison looks to have found new life seeing regular minutes on the Caps’ top two lines. Morrison is a playmaker, and is surrounded with plenty of high-end finishing talent in Washington. He’s posted 7 points through 8 games thus far, and isn’t hurting anyone in the +/- department.

Patrice Bergeron, C, BOS Bergeron has had a rough go of it the last couple seasons, and might seem far removed from his heyday as a 70 point scorer. Remember though, he struggled with injuries, and when he came back was faced with a lineup that featured David Krejci and Marc Savard down the middle. He’s only 24 years old, and should see a huge jump in ice time in Savard’s absence.

Defence (Sergei Gonchar)

Alex Goligoski, D, PIT I’ve been impressed with Goligoski every time I’ve seen him play, and I’ve been waiting for his big breakout for awhile now. He’s been great so far this season, with 7 points and a +9 rating through 9 games. With Gonchar gone, Goligoski and Kris Letang will be expected to step up on the power play.

Denis Grebeshkov, D, EDM I ranted and raved about this guy in my sleepers column before the season began, and he’s off to a hot start. He has 7 points through 8 games and is still available in most leagues.

Adrian Aucoin, D, PHO The veteran still has that booming slapshot from the point, has posted a solid 4 points through 7 games in Phoenix, and sports a +4 rating. He may not have the upside of some of the other defenders listed here, but he does have 6 seasons with 34+ points on his resume.

Jason Demers, D, SJ Demers has come out of nowhere this year, putting up 7 assists through his first 9 NHL games. 4 of those have come on the power play, so Demers is being given the chance to log important minutes with the likes of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, and Patrick Marleau. It’s not entirely fair to expect him to produce at this clip all season, but he’s available in most leagues and is at least worth the gamble.

Defense Rankings

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The forwards are ranked, so it is time to take a look at the top 60 NHL defensemen for your fantasy hockey draft.

Mike Green

Mike Green

Scott Niedermayer

Scott Niedermayer

Sergei Gonchar

Sergei Gonchar
  1. Mike Green, WAS – This offensive juggernaut will get you better scoring numbers than most forwards and is worthy of a first round pick.
  2. Scott Niedermayer, ANA – The veteran is coming off a fantastic season, and with Chris Pronger gone, the Ducks’ captain will be relied upon even more for his offensive abilities.
  3. Sergei Gonchar, PIT – Gonchar is one of the most offensively gifted defensemen in the NHL, and playing with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the power play will translate into 60 points if he can stay healthy. He’s going as late as round 9 in drafts and if you can get him there, it’d be quite a steal.
  4. Dan Boyle, SJ – Last season he showed the Lightning just how big a mistake they made trading him.
  5. Nicklas Lidstrom, DET – The future hall of famer still puts up great point and plus/minus totals.
  6. Andrei Markov, MTL – The Habs’ top blueliner has a howitzer of a slap shot which he likes to use on the power play.
  7. Dion Phaneuf, CGY – Phaneuf struggled through some nagging injuries last year and didn’t have the season fantasy owners had been hoping for. He looks to right the ship in 2008-09.
  8. Zdeno Chara, BOS – He scores, gets PIMs, and has a solid plus/minus every year.
  9. Chris Pronger, PHI – Pronger could feasibly post career highs on a Flyers team that boasts a wealth of young offensive talent.
  10. Brian Rafalski, DET – He and Lidstrom pair up to form one of the strongest defensive pairings in the league.
  11. Mark Streit, NYI – He was one of the few bright spots in Long Island last season, proving that he doesn’t need offensive support to post big numbers.
  12. Shea Weber – Weber had a spectacular season in 2008-09, and will be out to prove that he deserves a spot on Team Canada.
  13. Sheldon Souray, EDM – Souray will help you in all categories, particularly goals.
  14. Dennis Wideman, BOS – Wideman is emerging as a very strong fantasy defenseman, and is an integral part of the Bruins’ power play.
  15. Anton Babchuk, CAR – Babchuk could be the steal of your fantasy draft. The 25 year old turned it up in the second half last season and finished with 13 points in his last 11 games.
  16. Jay Bouwmeester, CGY – He heads to Calgary where he’ll team up with Dion Phaneuf to form a dominant power play pair.
  17. Niklas Kronwall, DET – He’s third in the pecking order in Detroit, but still puts up monster assist totals with all the pucks the Wings put in the net.
  18. Tomas Kaberle, TOR – He’ll slip in most drafts after last year’s injury troubles, but he’s the Leafs top defenseman and a spectacular power play quarterback.
  19. Cam Barker, CHI – The third overall pick from 2004 is developing into a productive fantasy option, who posts solid points, power play, and PIMs totals.
  20. Brian Campbell, CHI – With modest plus/minus, goals, and PIMs totals, Campbell isn’t a premium fantasy defender, but if your pool only measures points, he could be a top 10 defenseman.
  21. Zach Bogosian, ATL – Bogosian is loaded with potential, and could be a top 10 defenseman for the next 15 years. He’s a great pick in keeper pools.
  22. Alexander Edler, VAN – The 23 year old emerged as a legitimate fantasy starter last season. He could battle for power play time with new acquisitions Christian Ehrhoff and Mathieu Schneider.
  23. Duncan Keith, CHI – An all-around star defenseman, it’s a shame defensive play isn’t rewarded in fantasy pools.
  24. Ryan Suter, NAS – Had a career year last season teeing up one-timers for Shea Weber. Look for more of the same in 2009-10.
  25. Brent Burns, MIN – Had an off year in 2008-09 as he was switched between winger and defenseman. He should bounce back as an every day defenseman this season.
  26. Marek Zidlicky, MIN – A consistent producer, he’ll play alongside Burns as the Wild’s top pair.
  27. Kevin Bieksa, VAN – A top 15 pick if he can stay healthy, Bieksa does it all.
  28. Ryan Whitney, ANA – Should have a strong season playing for the Ducks, as he’ll likely take Chris Pronger’s spot beside Scott Niedermayer.
  29. Bryan McCabe, FLA – He’s the Panthers best offensive defenseman now with Jay Bouwmeester gone, and if he can dodge the injury bug he could hit 50 points.
  30. Joe Corvo, CAR – Puts up strong goal totals for a defender, but won’t help much in other categories.
  31. Jaroslav Spacek, MTL – Could be a nice addition for the Habs, and should get a chunk of his points on the power play.
  32. Ed Jovanovski, PHO – Started last season slowly but still churned out 36 points and 106 PIMs.
  33. Kris Letang, PIT – Will be relied upon more heavily this season with Whitney in Anaheim and Rob Scuderi leaving as a free agent.
  34. Drew Doughty, LA – The young gun could bust out this season and is an ideal mid-rounder in keeper pools.
  35. Denis Grebeshkov, EDM – the 25 year old had 27 points in his last 40 games and is an ideal sleeper pick.
  36. Kimmo Timonen, PHI – Is no longer the number one d-man in Philly with the Pronger acquisition.
  37. Filip Kuba, OTT – Far from spectacular but he’s the closest thing the Senators have to a power play quarterback.
  38. Christian Ehrhoff, VAN – It’s unlikely that he will match last year’s numbers now that he’s competing with a plethora of talented, Canucks’ defensemen.
  39. John-Michael Liles, COL – In plus/minus pools he could hurt you (-19 last season) but otherwise, he’s a solid late-round option.
  40. James Wisniewski, ANA – Had 11 points in 17 games after being traded to the Ducks last season and could be a sneaky sleeper.
  41. Rob Blake, SJ – Had a fantasy owner’s dream last season, posting competitive numbers across the board. At 39 though, he’s a risk for a decline in skill and he’s missed an average of 10 games per season the last three years.
  42. Michal Rozsival, NYR – He’s the Rangers best defenseman on a team that boasts a core of new offensive weapons, and could be a pleasant surprise to drafters who take a late chance on him.
  43. Matt Niskanen, DAL – Niskanen is vying for a spot on the USA Olympic team, and it could translate into a career year.
  44. Kyle Quincey, COL – Coming off a breakout season with the Kings, Quincey hopes that success will continue in Colorado.
  45. Victor Hedman, TB – The Lightning desperately needed a puck-moving defenseman and got just that in drafting Hedman second overall in this year’s draft. The 6’6’’ Swede has been compared to a less physical Chris Pronger.
  46. Pavel Kubina, ATL – The Thrashers could use Kubina’s booming slap shot on their power play. He posts solid PIMs totals as well.
  47. Erik Johnson, STL – After missing a full season with a torn ACL and MCL, Johnson finally looks to show us why he was such a coveted first overall pick in 2006.
  48. Tom Gilbert, EDM – He’s coming off an encouraging 45 point season, but doesn’t shoot enough to repeat his 13 goal performance from 2007-08.
  49. Lubomir Visnovsky, EDM – He isn’t a fantasy stud anymore, and he’s may even have been surpassed by both Grebeshkov and Gilbert on the Oilers’ depth chart.
  50. Mathieu Schneider, VAN – The veteran has become more of a power play specialist at 40.
  51. Kris Russell, CBJ – The Blue Jackets have one of the worst defense corps in the league, but Russell is their closest thing to an offensive weapon on the blueline.
  52. Alex Goligoski, PIT – The former University of Minnesota standout looks to make the jump to the NHL for his first full season and will probably see time on the Penguins’ second power play unit.
  53. Keith Yandle, PHO – The 22 year old is rapidly becoming a fantasy-relevant player on a team full of young guns.
  54. Francois Beauchemin, TOR – He could see a major points boost as he’ll finally get time on a top power play line after being stuck behind Niedermayer and Pronger for the last few years in Anaheim.
  55. Keith Ballard, FLA – Puts up nice PIMs totals and will probably see 25 minutes of ice-time per night.
  56. Chris Campoli, OTT – Had 13 points in 25 games following his trade to the Senators last year.
  57. Paul Martin, NJ – Martin consistently puts up 30-35 points for the Devils every season.
  58. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SJ – Could see an increased role with Ehrhoff’s trade to the Canucks.
  59. Fedor Tyutin, CBJ – The big blueliner had a solid first season as a Blue Jacket with 34 points and 81 PIMs.
  60. Joni Pitkanen, CAR – The former 4th overall pick was a +11 and had 3 GWGs last season.