Welcome back to The Journey, where we follow hockey prospects and their paths to the NHL, providing fantasy predictions and analysis along the way.

This week, we'll be taking a look at the blueliners that have shifted around in Dobber's top-50 points-only dynasty league defense prospects ranking, which came out right before the start of the season, which includes only one prospect on the rise, and many that have dropped in value due to not being retained for their respective teams' opening night rosters.

First and foremost, I wanted to note that there will be some talk about different prospects' multi-cat value, but the main theme of today's discussion will follow that of Dobber's ranking, which is points. Although points are far from the only value defensemen bring to the table, points-only leagues are honestly just really fun, and are an easy way to get your beginner friends involved in the world of fantasy hockey.

There are some very interesting prospects on many teams' rosters who are great immediate-value pick-ups, and some even more interesting prospects biding their time in lower ranks until their time comes. Let's start with the only prospect that drastically rose up the ranks:

Risers

Moritz Seider, RD – Detroit Red Wings

Seider jumped from 12th to 4th right on time for the start of the season, as the prospect made the team's second pair next to Nick Leddy. This ended up being a smart move, as the prospect already has three points in his first three games of the NHL season, and has not looked a hair out of place against NHL competition. The collective gasp that followed the Red Wings' selection of Seider at 6th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, above the likes of Dylan Cozens and Trevor Zegras, has now somehow dissipated, and Steve Yzerman looks no less than a mastermind with his jump on the prospect.

(A quick reminder that our old colleague Tony Ferrari, bless his soul, was extremely high on Seider. Most had him near the 20th pick, while Tony was a large part of him being ranked in the early teens on DobberProspects' draft rankings often throughout the year.)

As he stands, there is really nothing stopping Seider from becoming the Wings' #1 defender in the near future. He's already very close to it, playing 20, 21 and 22 minutes respectively in his first three games. This is a solid NHL prospect to have in a points-only league, and an even better prospect for leagues that value hits.

Aug: 12  Sep: 12  Oct: 4

Fallers

Pierre-Olivier Joseph, LD – Pittsburgh Penguins

Joseph's drop to 16th came after the prospect was unexpectedly kept off of the Pens' blue line for two games, and subsequently sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. His performance last year impressed a lot of people, with six points in 15 games and decent defensive reads throughout his audition; it seemed he had all but guaranteed him a place on the team's 2021-2022 roster, but instead the prospect finds himself back in the minors to battle for a call-up once more. He was edged out by Mike Matheson on the left side, and has some tough competition ahead of him in order to claw his way back into the main roster.

If Joseph can somehow return to the Pens lineup and stick to it, his stock should rise. Until then, he could continue to creep his way down the rankings. I truly expected the Pens to start him, but he can be moved up or down without waivers so a call-up should be imminent.

Aug: 11  Sep: 11  Oct: 16

Alexander Alexeyev, LD – Washington Capitals

Alexeyev dropped out of the top-20 entirely after also failing to make the Caps' opening night roster. The prospect was sent down to the Hershey Bears to continue developing and hopefully return in better form. The soon-to-be 22-year-old was stellar in 12 games last year for the Bears, with two goals and seven assists in that span. He was proactive and physical on defense, and showed surprisingly good puck skills for his size, activating offensively to help his team generate rush chances.

If he can build up his confidence and dominate against AHL opposition, Alexeyev could be back in the NHL soon with an added spring in his step. I'd expect him to spend at least 30 games with the Bears before joining the Caps' roster, but he could benefit from the added time away from the pressure of a playoff-contending team.

Aug: 14  Sep: 13  Oct: 23

Kale Clague, LD – Los Angeles Kings

Clague is another prospect that has been moving up and down between the NHL and AHL, and that was expected to grab his chance this year but didn't. He was sent down by the rebuilding Los Angeles Kings to the Ontario Reign to start the season, and is off to a decent start with two assists through three games for the AHL club. He lost his spot to the young and rapidly-improving Tobias Bjornfot, who was close to playing with the Kings right out of his draft year in 2019-2020.

With Alex Edler also adding depth to the Kings' left side, Clague finds himself out of the top-30 as a result of the lack of immediate opportunities available to him, despite being a high offensive potential defenseman who has a history of creating chances with regularity. With only a few years of rookie eligibility left ahead of him, Clague will hope to earn a call-up through outstanding AHL performances and solidify his chances to be the first man back in case of injuries.

Aug: 22  Sep: 22  Oct: 32

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