Fantasy defensemen: Leddy turns season around

New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow made a huge splash Oct. 4, 2014 when he acquired Johnny Boychuk from the Boston Bruins and Nick Leddy from the Chicago Blackhawks. The deals significantly strengthened the Islanders' defense, and also benefited fantasy owners.
Boychuk and Leddy had solid fantasy seasons in 2014-15 with the Islanders, but the perception was that Boychuk was the player to own. He had nine goals and 35 points in 72 games, which seemed to keep owners from noticing that Leddy was slightly more productive. Leddy's 10 goals were one more than Boychuk and his 37 points were two more. He also finished strong with two goals and 15 points in his final 22 games.

That finish raised the bar for Leddy for 2015-16, especially for those who thought he would be a steal later in drafts. He was selected in 100 percent of Yahoo leagues but did not go on average until the 12th round. Owners who grabbed him were intrigued by the fact that he twice had averaged 0.45 points per game or better during his four full seasons in the League.
Unfortunately, Leddy didn't get off to the start many anticipated, with nine points in his first 35 games. That production had him dropping from rosters at a rapid rate, and his current Yahoo ownership stands at 53 percent.
That is good news for you, though, since Leddy has been much better since Dec. 27. He had six points during a five-game point streak coming out of the holiday break, including his first goal of the season Jan. 2. That game was the Islanders' first without Boychuk, who sustained an upper-body injury Dec. 31.
Leddy's responsibilities increased in Boychuk's absence and he responded with seven points in the 11 games Boychuk missed. He didn't necessarily see an uptick in ice time, but he did get a boost in power-play time. He's averaged 2:43 with the extra man this season, but it was 2:53 per game with Boychuk out.

Boychuk returned the lineup Feb. 6, but Leddy's production hasn't dipped; he has four points in three games since Boychuk returned. And his power-play time has actually increased to 3:39 per game the past three games.
For the season Leddy has three goals, 20 assists, 13 power-play points and 77 shots on goal. The lone fantasy concern with Leddy is that he's a minus-8 for the season, but he's had a positive or even plus/minus rating in eight of his past 10 games. As long as he maintains his power-play presence, which it seems he will, Leddy is a very viable addition in all formats. And, as mentioned above, he's available in nearly half of Yahoo leagues.
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TRENDING UP
Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers
It would be shocking if you're reading this and aren't aware of Gostisbehere. But the fact that he is owned in 63 percent of Yahoo standard leagues forces a mention here. He had an assist against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday to extend his point streak to nine games; according to the Elias Sports Bureau it's the longest by a rookie defenseman in Flyers history and the longest by any NHL rookie defenseman since Kevin Shattenkirk had points in nine straight in 2010-11. Gostisbehere has nine goals, 28 points, 16 PPP and 80 SOG in 34 games, and that numbers look like they'll continue to grow. He's averaging 18:51 of ice time per game, but the intriguing number is his 3:54 per game on the power play. That's the sixth most power-play time in the League, trailing Oliver Ekman-Larsson, P.K. Subban, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang and Brent Burns. Gostisbehere needs to be owned in all formats.
TRENDING DOWN
Kevin Shattenkirk, St. Louis Blues
Shattenkirk is owned in 97 percent of Yahoo standard leagues and for good reason. He is a must-own fantasy defenseman and is capable of rolling up points on any give night. But unfortunately for his owners, he's hit a major speed bump. He had eight goals and 27 points through his first 32 games but has one goal and one assist in his past 14 games. This might be a good time to kick the tires on a trade offer if you're a frustrated fantasy owner.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Cody Ceci, Ottawa Senators
Pete Jensen broke down the
fantasy impact of the nine-player trade
that saw former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf land with the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. The move could definitely have Phaneuf trending upward as soon as this evening when he makes his debut against the Detroit Red Wings. Ceci also could be in line for a boost in fantasy circles, as it's expected that Phaneuf will be partnered with Ceci. Ceci has yet to fully showcase at the NHL level the offensive ability that saw him total 36 goals and 124 points during his final two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, and 21 points in 30 American Hockey League games. He has 46 points in 177 NHL games, but having Phaneuf on the ice could free him up to focus a bit more on the offensive side of the puck. Monitor this situation closely for its effects on Karlsson, Phaneuf and Ceci, who's only two percent owned in Yahoo.
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TOP 60 FANTASY DEFENSEMEN
These rankings are based on expectations for the rest of the season. Value is quantified by defense pairings, power-play usage, past performance and overall upside in standard Yahoo categories (goals, assists, plus-minus, penalty minutes, power-play points and shots on goal).
1. Erik Karlsson, OTT
2. Brent Burns, SJS
3. P.K. Subban, MTL (+1)
4. John Klingberg, DAL (-1)
5. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI (+2)
6. Duncan Keith, CHI (-1)
7. Kris Letang, PIT (+2)
8. Roman Josi, NSH
9. Shea Weber, NSH (+2)
10. Dustin Byfuglien, WPG (+2)
11. Tyson Barrie, COL (-1)
12. Drew Doughty, LAK (+2)
13. Victor Hedman, TBL (+2)
14. Kevin Shattenkirk, STL (-8)
15. Justin Faulk, CAR (-2)
16. Brent Seabrook, CHI (+1)
17. Ryan Suter, MIN (+1)
18. Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF (+1)
19. Jake Muzzin, LAK (+1)
20. John Carlson, WSH (-4)
21. TJ Brodie, CGY (+2)
22. Keith Yandle, NYR
23. Anton Stralman, TBL (+1)
24. Mark Giordano, CGY (+1)
25. Andrei Markov, MTL (+1)
26. Sami Vatanen, ANA (+1)
27. Torey Krug, BOS (+2)
28. Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI (+7)
29. Dion Phaneuf, OTT (+5)
30. Francois Beauchemin, COL (+1)
31. Mike Green, DET (+1)
32. Jason Demers, DAL (+1)
33. Johnny Boychuk, NYI (NR - INJ)
34. Erik Johnson, COL (+2)
35. Andrej Sekera, EDM (+3)
36. Trevor Daley, PIT (+4)
37. Zdeno Chara, BOS
38. Nick Leddy, NYI (+4)
39. Aaron Ekblad, FLA
40. Matt Niskanen, WSH (+1)
41. Mark Streit, PHI (-11)
42. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SJS (+4)
43. Alex Goligoski, DAL
44. Dougie Hamilton, CGY
45. Morgan Rielly, TOR
46. Seth Jones, CBJ (+2)
47. Mattias Ekholm, NSH (+2)
48. Cody Franson, BUF (+5)
49. Olli Maatta, PIT (+5)
50. Alexander Edler, VAN (+1) (DTD)
51. Colton Parayko, STL (+1)
52. Alec Martinez, LAK (+6)
53. Cam Fowler, ANA (-3)
54. Ryan Ellis, NSH (-7)
55. Nick Holden, COL (NEW)
56. Jared Spurgeon, MIN
57. Michael Stone, ARI
58. Brian Campbell, FLA (+1)
59. Tyler Myers, WPG (-4)
60. Dmitry Orlov, WSH (NEW)
Dropped out: Colin Miller
Key injuries: Ryan McDonagh, Alex Pietrangelo, Niklas Kronwall, Oscar Klefbom, David Savard, James Wisniewski