In many multicategory leagues, there is no one better than Brent Burns.

It’s hard to believe that just two seasons ago the San Jose Sharks finished outside of the playoffs. After being perennial Stanley Cup contenders, the Sharks found themselves near the bottom of the standings for the first time in years, only collecting 89 points through 82 games. But in their next season, they fought back into the playoff picture and surprised many as they went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. With 39 points and a first-place spot in the Pacific Division this season, the Sharks are already showing that last year wasn’t a fluke and are looking like a strong favorite to make a deep run in the playoffs.

It’s hard to imagine the Sharks finding this much success without arguably the most important player on their team, defenseman Brent Burns. Leading the charge from the backend, Burns has been one of the best players in the entire league over the past two years and has revitalized the Sharks. His outstanding play has been vital to the Sharks’ success and he is once again having a phenomenal season.

When the Sharks missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years in 2015, Burns wasn’t the elite player he is today. He was still a fantastic defenseman, as 60 points in 82 games is quite a feat, but he really reached his true potential in the following season. As the Sharks began their climb to the Stanley Cup playoffs, Burns put in one of the best offensive years by a defenseman in recent memory, tallying an almost unprecedented 75 points in 82 games. Logging around 26 minutes a game and registering 353 shots on net, many marveled at what seemed to be a career-year by the defender. But there were still doubts about whether or not Burns would be able to carry over this sort of production to the next season.

Flash forward to the 2016-2017 season and Burns hasn’t slowed down one bit. With 29 points through 31 games, Burns is tied for the 10^th-most points in the league and has the most points by a defender in the NHL. Naturally this has been just as good for fantasy owners this season, with Burns providing excellent value. Using our Fantasy Hockey Geek Tool, we can see the value that Burns has been providing for fantasy owners. For our sample league, we’ll being using an average 12-team H2H Yahoo league measuring G, A, PPP, SOG, Hits, W, SV%, GAA, and SO with this season’s stats.
 

In average Yahoo fantasy hockey leagues, Brent Burns has provided the most fantasy value amongst all skaters! Yup, that’s right, the number one most. More than Alex Ovechkin, more than Sidney Crosby, more than Connor McDavid, you name it. And it’s not even that close so far. Burns’ nine-point lead over the player with the second-most value is the same amount between the second-ranked player and the ninth-ranked player. Burns carries so much value mostly due to his absurd shot totals. Last year Burns blew people away with his shot totals and he is once again on pace to break the 350-shot mark. With 133 shots in 31 games, Burns is first in the league and is ahead of forwards like Alex Ovechkin, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Tyler Seguin.

Even though it took a high draft pick to snag him, those who selected Burns this season have nothing to regret as he’s been providing everything asked and more. While he’s been carrying the Sharks to the postseason, odds are that he’s also carrying your fantasy hockey team to the playoffs too.

To identify more players with great value in your specific league settings, check out Fantasy Hockey Geek to generate custom rankings tailored for you. With the Season Toolkit, you can use our advanced tools to manage to the top and take down the title. Head to the Dobber Sports Shop and pick it up today!