Top 10 Worst Peripheral Defensemen

Tom Collins

2017-05-29

We’re looking at defensemen who don’t contribute in three of the following four categories and have less than 100 blocked shots, 100 hits, 150 shots and 50 PIM.

It’s extremely difficult for a defenseman to not count for your fantasy squad in some type of peripheral statistic.

Just by the nature of their position, guys should be hitting, blocking shots or getting pucks to the opposition net. But so many fantasy-relevant players don’t do that.

Below you’ll find 10 players that are routinely drafted but don’t help outside of points. To meet the criteria for this list, we’re only looking at defensemen who don’t contribute in three of the following four categories and have less than 100 blocked shots, 100 hits, 150 shots and 50 PIM.

10. Oliver Ekman-Larsson

I’m listing Ekman-Larsson because his peripherals were awful this year and he meets the criteria I just mentioned. But he’s ranked low on this list because he’s usually so much better. Look at his last few years:

2013-14: 50 PIM, 199 shots, 134 hits, 80 blocked shots

2014-15: 40 PIM, 264 shots, 167 hits, 77 blocked shots

2015-16: 96 PIM, 228 shots, 154 hits, 67 blocked shots

2016-17: 46 PIM, 145 shots, 112 hits, 85 blocked shots

I suspect this year will be the only time he makes this kind of list so he could be a great buy-low candidate in keeper leagues.

9. Torey Krug

Much like Phil Kessel last week, Krug would be much higher on this list if it weren’t for his sheer number of shots. He was eighth in the league among defensemen with 208 shots and has cracked the 200-shot mark in each of the last three seasons. The only time he didn’t get to 200 shots was when he had 183 as a rookie defenseman in 2013-14. But outside of shots, Krug doesn’t post great peripherals. He had 37 PIM, 59 hits and 82 blocked shots this season.

8. Mike Green

There was a time when Green was a threat to hit all four of my criteria in the same season. But he’s not that type of player anymore and his peripherals could get worse as he goes deeper into his 30s. This past year he had 40 PIM, 125 shots, 67 hits and 92 blocked shots. He only plays about 72 games a year but he doesn’t help you in any category.

7. Jonas Brodin

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I am well aware that Brodin doesn’t play in every game each season. Only once in the past four years has he played in more than 72 games and the last two seasons have seen play 68 games each. Tough. It’s not like he’s helping you out in those few games. Last year he has 20 PIM, 85 shots, 20 hits and 89 blocked shots. He’s usually better for blocked shots but everywhere else is a deficiency.

6. Kevin Shattenkirk

Shattenkirk is going to get a lot of money this offseason. But his value in cap leagues will take a huge hit since he doesn’t contribute much outside of points. And even in points, he’s not that elite. He’s generally a 45-point player that hit a career high 56 points in a contract year. He’s even worse in the peripheral categories. This year he had 161 shots, 47 PIM, 88 hits and 95 blocks.

5. Keith Yandle

No long will Yandle put up 240-plus shot, 60-plus PIM and 100-plus blocked shots seasons. He’s not that type of player anymore. And there’s a real threat that he’ll be usurped by younger guys in Florida as he gets older and the young guys start to come into their own. This past season, Yandle had 39 PIM, 178 shots, 28 hits and 76 blocked shots.

4. John Klingberg

Klingberg didn’t have a down season, but he didn’t take that next step that many anticipated. He’s been inconsistent with his annual shot totals, going from 98 to 171 to 124. On top of that, he had 34 PIM and 42 hits. On the bright side, he did block 117 shots, up from 68 the year before and easily a career high. But that could be a one-season aberration. He needs to do it consistently to make up for the lack of other peripherals.

3. Tyson Barrie

Did Barrie contribute anything to anyone in any fantasy pool? It sure doesn’t look like it. Everything went wrong for him this year and while his peripherals were never that great, they were never this bad either. His 174 shots were decent, but he also had 18 PIM, 32 hits and 75 blocked shots in 74 games. Just an ugly season all around.

2. TJ Brodie

One thing you could always count on for Brodie was shot blocking, and even that isn’t as proficient as it used to be. He went from 130 to 178 to 104 to 115 this year. It’s the rest of his peripheral game that is frustrating. Just 78 shots this year (his worst shots-per-game season of his career) to go with 30 hits and 24 PIM (and he’s never been a hit or a PIM guy). You’re counting on Brodie for other aspects, but his 36 points and minus-16 were also disappointing.

1. Jake Gardiner

While many fantasy hockey general managers were ecstatic with Gardiner’s season, he’s easily the worst defenseman when it comes to peripherals. He had 127 shots this year, which is nine off his career high. His 69 hits were his lowest amount since his 2011-12 rookie campaign. He also had 34 PIM (a career high) and 83 blocked shots (nine off a career high). So, he posted close to career highs in three of the four categories and those numbers are still extremely low.

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