In certain league formats, Radko Gudas holds tremendous value.

In case you missed it, last week we took a look at the top-five ranked goalies from last season, analyzing the seasons of Braden Holtby, Sergei Bobrovsky, Cam Talbot, Devan Dubnyk, and Tuukka Rask. So this week, we’ll be moving on to defensemen, looking at which defenders provided the most value in fantasy hockey last year.

To start, we’ll be basing our judgements on a standard 12-team H2H Yahoo league measuring goals, assists, shots on goal, power play points and hits. From this setup, here are the top five fantasy performers, with one defender standing out among the rest.

Brent Burns

Originally drafted at just 20^th overall in the 2003 draft, Brent Burns didn’t explode onto the scene like other future NHL stars. In fact, early in his career, Burns was surprisingly average, failing to even break the 50-point mark through his first seven seasons with the Minnesota Wild. But ever since he was traded to the San Jose Sharks, Burns has turned into one of the game’s premiere offensive defenseman. After scoring his previous career high of 75 points two years ago, Brent Burns managed to improve on that feat last season, tallying 29 goals and 47 points for a new career high of 76 points. Dominating against the rest of the competition, Burns managed to lead the league in goals and points out of all defenders, scoring 12 more goals than second-place Justin Faulk. Some questioned whether Burns would be able to replicate the offensive skills he put on display two seasons ago and he didn’t disappoint last year.

But what makes Burns’ season truly incredible for fantasy hockey is his peripherals, as he also dominated in other key aspects of the game. Racking up 320 shots, Burns led the league in shots on goal. That’s not even excluding forwards, as Burns actually took the most shots on goal out of any player in the NHL, shooting more than even Alex Ovechkin and taking 79 more shots than the defenseman with the second-most shots on goal. Combine that with his 25 power-play points (tied for fourth most in the league among defenseman) and his respectable 69 hits and you have by far the most valuable defenseman for fantasy hockey.

But what about in other leagues that measure different categories? Categories like plus-minus, penalty minutes, and blocked shots are used in many leagues so we’ll also be taking a look at the defensemen who helped contribute to those categories. Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Burns, and Erik Karlsson once again lead in terms of value but there are two new comers who provide tremendous benefits in this type of setup.

Radko Gudas

Even though he has a bit of a reputation as a dirty player, Radko Gudas has become a solid NHLer. Earning $3.35 million for the next three years with the Flyers, Gudas is an important part of Philadelphia’s blueline. In his two seasons with the Flyers, Gudas has averaged over 19 minutes of ice time in each season and has even started to help out offensively. Tallying 23 points in only 67 games last year, Gudas has become a valuable part of the Flyers’ roster. But his offense is only one small part of what makes Gudas so valuable. While there aren’t many categories that Gudas kills in, he contributes all across the board, giving him one of the highest Fantasy Hockey Geek values in leagues that count categories such as penalty minutes, block, and especially hits. His 23 points, 93 penalty minutes, and 124 blocks aren’t very impressive alone, but there aren’t too many defenders who can record them all. And that’s not even mentioning hits, which puts Gudas’ value over the top. His 280 hits was the fourth most in the entire league and third most by any defender, turning him into the defender who can help out in every category for your fantasy team and provide tremendous overall value.

Mark Borowiecki

While Gudas could provide a little bit in every category, do not make that mistake with Mark Borowiecki. With only three points in 70 games, Borowiecki had the lowest points-per-game rate out of all defenders who played in at least 30 games. His blocked shots totals are only mostly average while his 50 total shots are pretty atrocious. However, there are two things Borowiecki does better than anyone else: rack up penalty minutes and hits. His 154 penalty minutes led the entire league, with the defender with the second highest total only registering 117, while his league-leading 364 hits were 78 more than Matt Martin’s second-most 300 hits. If your league counts either hits or penalty minutes, Borowiecki will be able to provide a lot of value in those categories.