Jacob MacDonald Scores In NHL Debut

Florida Panthers defenseman Jacob MacDonald made a dream debut in the NHL Saturday night against Tampa, scoring with less than six minutes played. He's only the third rookie defenseman to score a goal in his Panthers debut and he also established a franchise record for the fastest goal by a rookie defenseman to begin their […]

Thomas Chabot Stuns Leafs With Two-Goal Night

Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot scored two goals and added an assist along with five shots on goal and one block in the 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Chabot is making it easy for Sens fans to forget about Erik Karlsson as his two highlight reel worthy goals, along with the game-winner in […]

Erik Karlsson Picks Up First Point As A Shark

San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson had an assist on Kevin Labanc's overtime winner in a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Karlsson played a whopping 29:27 in the contest which led all skaters. The former Ottawa Senators captain has looked solid, if not spectacular, during his first two games in California. He is […]

Justin Schultz Records Two Assists In Season Opener

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz had two assists in a 7-6 overtime win against the Washington Capitals on Thursday. Schultz was questionable heading into the game but showed no ill-effects once he got on the ice. The talented rearguard battled with injuries for the entirety of 2017-18 and was limited to 63 games. Now healthy, […]

Kris Letang Pots Three Points, Including OT Winner On Thursday

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was sensational on Thursday in a 7-6 overtime win against the Washington Capitals. Letang registered two goals (including the overtime winner) and an assist in the back-and-forth affair. The 31-year-old is a gifted offensive talent but oftentimes has to battle the injury bug. Luckily, last season Letang managed to suit […]

Quiet Start to Career for Rasmus Dahlin

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin played in his first NHL game on Thursday as the Sabres were shut out by the Boston Bruins. Dahlin registered two hits, zero shots, and zero assists in his debut, but logged a total of 22:37 minutes of ice time. That high of a usage right off the bat, combined […]

Dennis Cholowski Records First Career Goal

Detroit Red Wings rookie defenseman Dennis Cholowski had a debut to remember on Thursday night. In his first ever NHL game, Cholowski buried his first NHL goal off of a slick feed from Dylan Larkin. Due to a string of injuries to defensemen in the preseason, Cholowski has been given an opportunity to earn an […]

Dougie Hamilton Registers An Assist In Canes Debut

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton had a productive debut for the team on Thursday, registering an assist on the team's only goal in a 2-1 loss to the Islanders. He recorded the helper on a Jordan Staal tip-in, with Sebastian Aho also picking up an assist. Hamilton logged 18:05 on the ice and finished the […]

Maxime Lajoie Stuns In NHL Debut With Two Points

Ottawa Senators defenseman Maxime Lajoie scored a goal and added an assist, along with getting two penalty minutes, three shots on goal, one hit, and four blocks in the 4-3 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Lajoie was a surprise to even make the team this season after spending all of last year in the […]

Noah Hanifin Fills The Stat Sheet In Loss

Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin produced an assist along with getting four shots on goal, four hits and one block in the 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Hanifin also ranked third on the Flames in ice-time with 19:36, falling only to Mark Giordano (25:46) and T.J. Brodie (23:13). With the Flames getting six power-play […]

Bogdan Kiselevich Left To Wait For NHL Debut

Florida Panthers defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich (face) is left waiting for his NHL debut after taking a puck to the face in one of the final preseason games last week. He had 40 stitches done and returned to practice this week wearing a cage. Interestingly, head coach Bob Boughner hasn't ruled out using the 28-year-old Russian […]

Niklas Kronwall Will Not Dress For Season Opener

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall (undisclosed) will not play in Thursday's season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Kronwall reportedly tweaked something during a preseason game, but the injury remains unknown. This should not have much of an impact on fantasy teams as the veteran rearguard has entered the twilight of his career. He […]

Jonathan Ericsson Out For Season Opener

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (upper body) will not play in the Red Wings season opener on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ericsson suffered the injury during a preseason contest, and his timetable for return is currently unknown. While this leaves a hole on the Red Wings blueline, it should not leave a […]

On The Rebound: Five Defenseman Who Will Bounceback in 2018-19

Aside from the marquee names like Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, and Victor Hedman, defensemen do not get the attention in fantasy hockey that their forward counterparts do. Typically, this means that if a defenseman has a down year due to injury or any other factor, it is even easier for them to fall out of […]

Top 40 Fantasy Hockey Defensemen Rankings for 2018-2019

Over course of the 2018-2019 season, RotoBaller breaks down the fantasy hockey player rankings per position. The rankings will be updated and posted on a weekly basis, starting with forwards every Sunday, defensemen on Monday and goaltenders on Tuesday. Note: Rankings are determined considering a standard Yahoo league format (goals, assists, plus-minus, power play points, […]

Alexander Edler To Man First Pairing

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler will start the season on the first defensive pairing and will also be the quarterback of the first power-play unit. Edler played in the exact role last year, putting up one of his better seasons with 34 points in 70 games. While his +/- will be a problem again for […]

Maxime Lajoie Makes Team Out Of Training Camp

Ottawa Senators defenseman Maxime Lajoie impressed immensely during the preseason and earned himself a roster spot with the Senators this year. Lajoie was drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and looks to already have made leaps in his game after playing 56 games with the Belleville Senators last year, amassing […]

Chris Wideman To Man First Power-Play Unit

Ottawa Senators defenseman Chris Wideman will start the year on the first defensive pairing, along with manning the first power-play duties on special teams. While Wideman didn't look great enough to warrant PP1 duties over Thomas Chabot, he certainly boasts offensive skills that could make him a solid fantasy asset. With eight points in 16 […]

Stephen Johns Out With Post-Traumatic Headaches

Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns will begin the 2018-2019 season on the team's Injured Reserve list, as announced on Tuesday. While the 26-year-old's headaches do not classify as a concussion, Johns has missed most of camp with the issue and hasn't played in a single preseason contest. The Pennsylvania native provides value in fantasy leagues […]

Miro Heiskanen Makes Stars Opening Night Roster

The Dallas Stars announced on Tuesday that defenseman Miro Heiskanen has made the team's official opening night roster. The third-overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft is coming off an excellent season HIFK Helsinki of the Finnish Elite League, having finished with 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 30 games while winning the league's […]

Mike Green To Miss At Least One Month

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mike Green (virus) is expected to miss at least one month, per head coach Jeff Blashill. The veteran rearguard was the Red Wings most utilized defenseman last season but still sorely lacks fantasy value. He tallied 33 points, 38 penalty minutes, and a -14 rating through 66 games last season. In […]

Top 75 Fantasy Hockey Forward Rankings for 2018-2019

Over course of the 2018-2019 season, RotoBaller breaks down the fantasy hockey player rankings by position. The rankings will be updated and posted on a weekly basis, starting with forwards every Sunday, defensemen on Monday and goaltenders each Tuesday. Note: Rankings are determined considering a standard Yahoo league format (goals, assists, plus-minus, power play points, […]

Stars Acquire Defenseman Connor Carrick

The Dallas Stars acquired defenseman Connor Carrick from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2019 on Monday. The conditional pick will become a sixth-round selection if Carrick dresses at least 50 games with the Stars. The 24-year-old had issues finding a regular spot in the Leafs' lineup over the […]

Torey Krug Out Three Weeks Following Ankle Injury

Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug will be sidelined for at least three weeks after suffering an ankle injury in a preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Krug is coming off another excellent season with the Bruins in 2017-2018, having posted 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists), 24 power play points and 197 shots […]

Shea Weber Named Montreal Captain

The Montreal Canadiens named defenseman Shea Weber team captain on Monday. The 33-year-old becomes the franchise's 30th captain. Since being acquired via trade back in June 2016, Weber has registered 58 points (23 goals, 35 assists) in 104 games with the club. Unfortunately, the British Columbia has had issues staying healthy during his short time […]

Five Sleeper Defenseman Who Will Outperform Their ADP

Drafting defenseman can be one of the most difficult components of a fantasy hockey draft. Excluding goalies, the defenseman position is easily the shallowest of the bunch as value seems to drop drastically once the elite blueliners get scooped up. You enter a draft without a strategy or knowledge of the options at the position […]

Breakout NHL Defensemen You Have To Own In 2018-19

On fantasy hockey draft day, forwards are generally the belle of the ball. While getting top-end forward talent is always a good plan to start the draft, a solid stable of blueliners is integral to championship aspirations. Last season, Vladimir Tarasenko was a top 15 pick in a majority of fantasy drafts. Likewise, John Carlson […]

Seth Jones Expected To Miss Four To Six Weeks

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones (knee) is expected to be out four to six weeks after suffering an MCL sprain in a preseason game on Tuesday. This timeframe has him set to return somewhere between October 24 and November 7. Jones was the 13th ranked defenseman on Yahoo Fantasy heading into the regular season. […]

Shea Theodore Signs Seven-Year Deal With Vegas

The Vegas Golden Knights signed restricted free-agent defenseman Shea Theodore to a seven-year, $36.6 million contract ($5.2 million average annual value) on Monday. The 23-year-old rearguard posted 29 points (six goals, 23 assists) in 61 games last season, emerging as a valuable second-pair defenseman as the year progressed. Theodore's season was his first full season […]

Top 100 Fantasy Hockey Rankings for 2018-2019

Over course of the offseason, RotoBaller contributed a six-piece feature breaking down the top 100 fantasy hockey player rankings heading into the 2018-2019 season. This article (the final edition) features some movement up and down the rankings as a result of trades, signings, injuries, etc. When the puck drops and the 2018-2019 season is officially […]