DFS: The Beauty of the Blocked Shot
Defensemen are an odd breed.
They are the goaltender's secret service. When shots are taken, they lay out their bodies in the line of fire.
In DFS, depending on your league, more blocked shots equals more fantasy points. We're going to take a look at four blueliners who clog up shooting lanes.
Kris Russell, Calgary Flames
Behold, your reigning shot blocking champion! In 79 games last season, Russell laid his body on the line a whopping 283 times. While he hits twine purely by chance (four goals in 2014-15), he managed 30 assists.
Blocking shots is not reason enough to roster a defenseman. Brooks Orpik was fourth in the league (192), but his 19 points made him a punt move if your budget was sapped dry elsewhere. Russell has value beyond shot blocking.
Russell was used consistently on the powerplay where he racked up 14 of his 34 points. With the Flames' addition of Dougie Hamilton to the blueline, Russell may see a reduction with the man advantage. Time will tell, but his propensity to get in the way of shots will boost his value.
Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
Josi is the best D-man in Nashville. Shea Weber is the big name with the big slap shot, but Josi is a steady hand on the back end and he deserves recognition.
Josi will come at a steep price because of his point total and appearance on the power play and penalty kill. His 2014-15 season was one of the best all around seasons for blue-liners.
| Points | PPP | SHP | Blocked Shots |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 15 | 3 | 209 |
Those 209 blocked shots were good for second most in the NHL, making Russell's total all the more impressive.
If you can afford it, pair Josi and Weber - but don't sell your offense or goaltending down the river to do it.
Dennis Wideman, Calgary Flames
The Flames might have the best overall defense in the league. As good as the aforementioned Josi is, Wideman had an equally productive season - recording six more power-play points, zero shorthanded points and 25 fewer blocked shots.
Wideman should regress a bit - he hit career highs in goals, assists, and blocked shots at age 31 - but he'll be a consistent option who should cost less than the big names.
Michael Stone, Arizona Coyotes
Avoid Stone if you stand to lose points for plus-minus. The Coyotes were atrocious in 2014-15, and Stone's -24 rating was seventh-worst in the NHL.
If plus-minus is ignored, Stone is a bargain pick. He'll hook up with the forwards for an occasional assist, but his real value is in blocking shots - his 189 was fifth-most in the NHL and led the Coyotes by a considerable margin.
His value is limited, but he gets the edge over similar point-scorers Kyle Quincey and Jeff Petry because of how often he gets in the way of errant pucks.
Other notable blocked shot studs include: John Carlson (WAS), T.J. Brodie (CGY), Dan Girardi (NYR), Andrei Markov (MTL), and Andy Greene (NJ).