The Journey examines which high-level prospect defensemen will be battling it out in camp in the next few weeks with the potential to provide value in fantasy leagues. If you missed last week’s crop of what forwards to watch, click here.

Mikhail Sergachev – Tampa Bay Lightning

Coming over to the Lightning in one of the biggest deals of the summer, Sergachev joins a great organization in terms of his ability to properly develop. Tampa is very right-handed defense-heavy with Anton Stralman, Brayden Coburn, Dan Girardi and Andrej Sustr all playing prominent roles, and prospect Jake Dotchin on a one-way deal. On the left side, Victor Hedman is at the top of the depth chart, with Slater Koekkoek the only other left handed shot.

Sergachev is a future top-four staple for the Lightning who will see plenty of power-play minutes in his career. This season, he has the chance to be a bottom pairing guy who could be used heavily in a second power play role. With this kind of usage, the young Russian could be a .30 to .40 points-per-game performer while chipping in with power play points and hits in multi-category leagues if he makes the Bolts roster.  

Haydn Fleury – Carolina Hurricanes

With as much positive talk as the Hurricanes young defense has gotten over the past year with the emergence of Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce and Noah Hanifin to join Justin Faulk, it has shadowed how underwhelming their third pairing was a year ago. This was more exposed when Ron Hainsey was shipped off to win his first Stanley Cup with the Penguins at the deadline. Ron Francis addressed his bottom pairing this summer, adding Trevor van Riemsdyk to the fold as a good fifth or sixth option.

Fleury, who was drafted seventh overall in 2014 has been given time to develop, first with Red Deer and last season with the Charlotte Checkers. Now 21, and with a professional season under his belt he could be in line to strengthen the Canes defensive corps even further. Currently the Canes have six contracts earmarked for the NHL with journeyman Klas Dahlbeck the final option, but Fleury certainly brings more in terms upside and tools. Coach Bill Peters loves to use true right and left handed pairings, so with Faulk, Pesce and TVR on the right side, and Hanifin and Slavin filling the top to slots on the left side, the roster needs another lefty. Both Dahlbeck and Fleury fill that need, and would be my best guess to be the sixth and seventh defensemen out of camp.

Anthony DeAngelo – New York Rangers

Another member of a summer move to new organization, DeAngelo is now a member of the New York Rangers – his third club despite being just 21 years old. Going the other way to the desert in exchange for DeAngelo and the seventh overall selection (Lias Andersson) in the 2017 Draft were center Derek Stepan and goaltender Antti Raanta.

DeAngelo has long been lauded as one of the best puck-moving prospects out there, but his immaturity and his inability to stick in a NHL role has cooled his projection as a top pairing ceiling performer in the future. Rangers fans have wanted an improvement in their defensive group recently and their summer signing of Kevin Shattenkirk will help offensively. With their bottom pairing of Nick Holden and Marc Staal, there could be area for an upgrade which DeAngelo could provide if he gets off to a good start in camp. New York added him for reason, so don’t be surprised if he makes his way on to the Blueshirts power play throughout the season.

Travis Sanheim – Philadelphia Flyers

Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov were at the forefront of the Flyers defensive renaissance, but there are more reserves to come over the next couple of seasons. Ghost had his breakout in 2015-16, Provorov did the same last season, and if I’m betting on a guy for this season, it’s Sanheim. In the pipeline are still NHL level prospects such as Philippe Myers, Sam Morin and Robert Hagg.

Sanheim spent last season with Lehigh Valley in the AHL, where he showed offensive promise with 10 goals and 27 assists in 76 contests. At this point, the Flyers have five rearguards earmarked for the NHL this season, with the sixth and potentially seventh coming from within the system. If Philadelphia is need of more offense from the blueline, the prospect will likely be Sanheim with the favorable deployment. I would expect Morin to also see some time, in what could be a more defensive role, but huge numbers in penalty minutes and hits.

Christian Djoos – Washington Capitals

After losing Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner to free agency this offseason, some roles will be changing in the nation’s capital this fall. Dmitry Orlov, who scored a big extension off his RFA contract this summer, will likely be the biggest beneficiary, but so will some of the Caps prospects who over the last few seasons were blocked by the depth chart.

The two who standout (outside of Taylor Chorney who will also get increased time), are Djoos and Madison Bowey. The 23-year-old Djoos has been an AHL regular over the last two seasons, and although he doesn’t have the first-round pedigree of a guy like Bowey, could sneak into the bottom of the Washington lineup. In his 161-regular season and playoff games in Hershey the young Swede has piled up 97 points so he has shown his offensive ability and put in his time in the minors. As a former seventh round selection, I’m certainly rooting for him.

Jake Walman – St. Louis Blues

For those who do not follow college hockey, Walman could be a name that you gloss over when going through potential top four prospects for the future. The former third rounder plied his trade for Providence College before signing his entry level and was one of the NCAA’s premier puck movers.

In his seven games following the end of the Friars season, Walman played in seven games with the Blues AHL affiliate in Chicago and played well, averaging nearly two shots per game and scoring twice while adding an assist. He may need some seasoning at the AHL level, as fellow St. Louis prospects Vince Dunn and Jordan Schmaltz have already received but Walman’s ceiling is high and he could add to a top-ten St. Louis power play from a year ago.

Give Kevin a follow at @kleblanchockey for prospect talk and happenings.