The blue line starts with Cale Makar for 2026-27 fantasy drafts, with Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Evan Bouchard and Lane Hutson filling out the first five defensemen in standard-league rankings. The list weighs scoring and all-around category coverage, making power-play deployment, shot volume and defensive workload key parts of a blueliner’s value.
2026-27 Fantasy Hockey Defensemen Rankings
Fantasy value in the rankings is based on goals, assists, power-play points, shots on goal, hits and blocked shots. Production in the regular season and playoffs, projected pairings, special-teams role, health record, age, contract situation and upside are also part of the picture.
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cale Makar | Colorado Avalanche |
| 2 | Quinn Hughes | Minnesota Wild |
| 3 | Zach Werenski | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| 4 | Evan Bouchard | Edmonton Oilers |
| 5 | Lane Hutson | Montreal Canadiens |
| 6 | Rasmus Dahlin | Buffalo Sabres |
| 7 | Matthew Schaefer | New York Islanders |
| 8 | Moritz Seider | Detroit Red Wings |
| 9 | Darren Raddysh | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 10 | Jake Sanderson | Ottawa Senators |
| 11 | Jakob Chychrun | Washington Capitals |
| 12 | Adam Fox | New York Rangers |
| 13 | Miro Heiskanen | Dallas Stars |
| 14 | Jackson LaCombe | Anaheim Ducks |
| 15 | Erik Karlsson | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 16 | Roman Josi | Nashville Predators |
| 17 | Brock Faber | Minnesota Wild |
| 18 | John Carlson | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 19 | Cole Hutson | Washington Capitals, rookie |
| 20 | Mikhail Sergachev | Utah |
| 21 | Charlie McAvoy | Boston Bruins, suspended |
| 22 | Victor Hedman | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 23 | Shayne Gostisbehere | Carolina Hurricanes |
| 24 | Brandt Clarke | Los Angeles Kings |
| 25 | Noah Dobson | Montreal Canadiens |
| 26 | Dougie Hamilton | New Jersey Devils |
| 27 | Josh Morrissey | Winnipeg Jets |
| 28 | Shea Theodore | Vegas Golden Knights |
| 29 | Brandon Montour | Seattle Kraken |
| 30 | MacKenzie Weegar | Utah |
| 31 | Bowen Byram | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 32 | Seth Jones | Florida Panthers |
| 33 | Thomas Harley | Dallas Stars |
| 34 | Vince Dunn | Seattle Kraken |
| 35 | Philip Broberg | St. Louis Blues |
| 36 | Filip Hronek | Vancouver Canucks |
| 37 | Simon Nemec | Calgary Flames |
| 38 | Rasmus Andersson | Vegas Golden Knights |
| 39 | Luke Hughes | New Jersey Devils |
| 40 | Mattias Samuelsson | Buffalo Sabres |
| 41 | Thomas Chabot | Ottawa Senators |
| 42 | Jacob Trouba | San Jose Sharks |
| 43 | Darnell Nurse | San Jose Sharks |
| 44 | Alexander Nikishin | Carolina Hurricanes |
| 45 | Zayne Parekh | Calgary Flames |
| 46 | Justin Faulk | Detroit Red Wings |
| 47 | Sam Malinski | Colorado Avalanche |
| 48 | Sam Rinzel | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 49 | Artyom Levshunov | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 50 | Zeev Buium | Vancouver Canucks |
Rookies, availability and late-round options
Schaefer checks in seventh overall among defensemen, an aggressive placement that puts the Islanders rookie ahead of established fantasy regulars such as Seider, Sanderson and Fox. Cole Hutson is the other rookie inside the top 20 at No. 19 with Washington, while Parekh, Rinzel, Levshunov and Buium land in the final six spots of the top 50.
McAvoy’s placement at No. 21 comes with a suspension designation, a factor fantasy managers will need to price into an early draft board. Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is the key injury watch among notable blueliners.
Four more defensemen sit within the top 250 overall player pool: Carolina’s K’Andre Miller, Vegas’ Noah Hanifin, St. Louis’ Colton Parayko and Florida’s Aaron Ekblad.
Defensemen to keep on the draft board
- Mike Matheson, Montreal Canadiens
- Simon Edvinsson, Detroit Red Wings
- Olen Zellweger, Buffalo Sabres
- Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets
- Sean Durzi, New York Rangers
- Nikita Zadorov, Boston Bruins, listed as a forward
- Carter Yakemchuk, Ottawa Senators, rookie
- Denton Mateychuk, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers
- Pavel Mintyukov, Anaheim Ducks
- Owen Power, Buffalo Sabres
- J.J. Moser, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Logan Mailloux, St. Louis Blues
SEO Title
2026-27 Fantasy Hockey Defensemen Rankings: Makar Leads Top 50
SEO Description
Cale Makar tops the 2026-27 fantasy hockey defensemen rankings, with Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski and Evan Bouchard close behind in the top 50.
