This week and next, Brennan Des and I will tier defense and forwards from the East and West. I will start with the West today on defense but just a reminder that these tiers are subjective and meant as a guide to help you for fantasy purposes, not necessarily the level of skill of each defender. I’ve tiered all the players with multi-category pools in mind.

Tier 1

Cale Makar – Colorado Avalanche – Makar missed 22 games in 2022-23 but still managed 17 goals, 49 assists, 65 hits and 78 blocks. He might miss at least 10 games per season, but he is still well worth his spot here. Something to keep in mind is the 21 points he had in the last 13 games of the year. He is capable of joining Erik Karlsson in the 100-point club.

Roman Josi – Nashville Predators – Josi was never expected to duplicate his 96 points from the 2021-22 season, but there was hope he could stay above 75 to 85 points. Unfortunately he missed 15 games in 2022-23 and ended up with 18 goals and 41 assists, 51 hits and 146 blocks. The Predators missed the playoffs by three points and no doubt the absence of Josi for the 15 games was the biggest reason. He is 34-years old now and will slow down at some point but he could still be a point per game player in 2023-24.

Tier 2

Josh Morrissey – Winnipeg Jets – Entering the 2022-23 season, Morrissey had a three-year average of nine goals and 28 assists with 107 hits and 102 blocked shots while averaging 23:21 per game. In 2022-23, he exploded for 16 goals, 60 assists, 89 hits and 119 blocks in 78 games. While I don't expect him to duplicate 76 points, I think he is a safe bet for 55-65 points and 100 hits and blocks. I had him in Tier five before 2022-23, which shows how far he jumped.

Alex Pietrangelo – Vegas Golden Knights – Pietrangelo matched his career-high with 54 points in 2022-23 and won the Stanley Cup. He added 65 hits and a career-high 177 blocks in 73 games. He does it all on the ice and if he can put up 45-55 points he is solidly in the upper portion of Tier two.

Miro Heiskanen – Dallas Stars – Last year, I had Heiskanen in tier three and I said he belonged in a higher tier but would just need to put up better numbers. He went out and put up 11 goals, 62 assists, 49 hits and 96 blocks in 79 games. If he was a little more physical and blocked a few more shots he'd be a lock for Tier one.

Tier 3

Devon Toews – Colorado Avalanche – Toews cemented his spot in Tier three with 50 points, 93 hits and 138 blocks in 80 games. That is back to back 50 point seasons with improved peripherals. The evolution of Bowen Byram could cut into some of the offense Toews has put up, but I think he is a safe 45-55 point defender for the next few years.

Darnell Nurse – Edmonton Oilers – Nurse put up 12 goals and 31 assists in 82 games with just one of those points coming on the power play. He also put up 146 hits and 164 blocks which was the sixth season in a row he hit the 100 club. He might make mistakes here and there, but fantasy wise he's a lock for Tier three.

Shea Theodore – Vegas Golden Knights – Theodore missed 27 games in 2022-23 but still managed 41 points in 55 games (0.75 points/game). He's not physical at all (16 hits) but does block a few shots (86). His career-high is 52 points, and I think if he can play 70 or more games, it might be in danger.

Seth Jones – Chicago Blackhawks – Jones was left alone on an island in 2022-23 as the team traded Patrick Kane and almost anyone else of value. The addition of Connor Bedard and Taylor Hall should bump up the offense of this team a little and especially on the power play. Jones had 12 goals, 25 assists, 106 hits and 125 blocks in 72 games. He had career highs of 16 goals and 57 points while he was in Columbus. He could easily slot in for 45-55 points.

Quinn Hughes – Vancouver Canucks – It's not for lack of offense that keeps Hughes in Tier three. He had 76 points in 78 games in 2022-23 and 68 points in 76 games in 2021-22. He did set career-highs in hits (29) and blocks (71), but the lack of secondary stats hurts him in fantasy pools which include them. His stock continues to rise as he kills more penalties and does much more on the ice.

Justin Faulk – St. Louis Blues – The big stat for Faulk that diminished from 2021-22 was his plus minus which went from 41 to negative four. Otherwise, he was a solid member of Tier three. He had 11 goals and a career-high 50 points, with 112 hits and 140 blocks in 82 games. He should be good for 40 to 50 points once again unless the Blues go with a new power play quarterback (Scott Perunovich?) and he has success.

Evan Bouchard – Edmonton Oilers – It's tempting to move Bouchard up to Tier two before he has actually done the work, but his blocks went down last year and I'd like to see him put up 55-65 points before moving him up. He had eight goals, 32 assists, 95 hits and 77 blocks in 82 games, but we all saw what he did in the playoffs. The opportunity is there for him big time.

Vince Dunn – Seattle Kraken – Before the 2021-22 season, I had some reservations about Dunn ever becoming the defender who could play 20 minutes per game and provide adequate defense while putting up 35-45 points. I thought he had a fairly good year in 2021-22 where he had 35 points, 76 hits, 82 blocks but was minus 20 in 73 games while averaging 20:41 per game. He blew that season out of the water in 2022-23 and exploded for 64 points, 115 hits and 80 blocks in 81 games while averaging 23:40 per game. There is no question he has been helped by his partner Adam Larsson, but Dunn is full value for where he is at now. He might not hit 64 again, but we should see 50-60 points again.

Drew Doughty – Los Angeles Kings – Doughty was healthy in 2022-23 and played more than 67 games for the first time since 2018-19. He managed nine goals, 43 assists, 115 hits and 104 blocks in 81 games. It was the seventh time he entered the 100 club for hits and blocks. He is 33-years-old now and the Kings are back on the rise, so there is little reason to think he can't duplicate his production from 2022-23 this year.

Tier 4

Adam Larsson – Seattle Kraken – Larsson had an excellent 2022-23 where he was paired with Vince Dunn for the most part. He finished with career-highs of eight goals (matched from prior year), 33 points, plus 27, 143 SOG and 173 blocks in 82 games. He also threw in 222 hits but had three seasons prior with more. It was a special year for the Kraken, Dunn and Larsson and it will be difficult to duplicate.

Jared Spurgeon – Minnesota Wild – Just a reminder that Spurgeon is 5 foot 9 and weighs 166 lbs and has played 852 career games with 1,461 blocks and has been a regular on the power play and penalty kill for most of his 13 seasons. Last year, saw him off the first unit of the power play for the most part (24.6%) but he still managed 11 goals and 34 points in 79 games while putting up 66 hits and a career-high 179 blocks. Even with power play time, Spurgeon has a career-high of 43 points, so don't expect much more than 30-35 points from him.

Rasmus Andersson – Calgary Flames – I wasn't sure how the addition of Mackenzie Weegar would affect Andersson on the power play in 2022-23, but in the end it didn't at all. Andersson still averaged 56.8 percent of the time with the man advantage and had 21 power play points. He ended up with a career-high 11 goals and 49 points with 50 hits and 136 blocks.

Tier 5

Colton Parayko – St. Louis Blues – Parayko has been healthy two seasons in a row (80 and 79 games) and had four goals and 27 points in 2022-23 to go along with 115 hits and 144 blocks. He needs to have his hits and blocks both above 100 to stay in this tier.

Torey Krug – St. Louis Blues –That is now five years in a row, where Krug hasn't played more than 64 games as he dressed for 63 in 2022-23. His production was down (0.51/g) to 32 points and he relied on 14 power play points to get there. At this point, I think he is a 35-45 point defender with weak peripherals.

Filip Hronek – Vancouver Canucks – Hronek was dealt from Detroit in 2022-23 but only played four games in Vancouver before being shut down for the year with a shoulder injury. He has averaged 0.52 points per game in his career, but it's very unlikely that he sees more than 25 or 30 percent of the time on Vancouver's power play. He had 102 hits and 58 blocks in 64 games but it will be difficult for him to match the 39 points (0.61).

Bowen Byram – Colorado Avalanche – I think most of us know it is just a matter of time and staying healthy for Byram to move up these tiers. In his past 72 games over the past two seasons he has had 15 goals, 26 assists, 135 hits and 80 blocks. He's a potential Tier two player but it's not likely with Cale Makar in front of him.

Sean Durzi – Arizona Coyotes – Durzi was dealt to Arizona as the Kings are fairly loaded on defense. Durzi had nine goals, 29 assists, 68 assists and 142 blocks in 72 games. He could see an expanded role with the Coyotes and could be on the cusp of 45 points or more.

Radko Gudas – Anaheim Ducks – Gudas is only listed here because of his impressive peripherals in hits and blocks. in 2022-23 he had 17 points in 72 games along with 312 hits and 128 blocks. He was on a very good Florida team, so his plus minus could take a hit in 2023-24.

Noah Hanifin – Calgary Flames – Hanifin couldn't quite match his 48 point output from 2021-22 but he did put up 38 points in 81 games and had 76 hits and 129 blocks which is the first time he had broken 100 in either category. He is a solid 35-45 point defender who might get a hit and block per game. He is set to be an unrestricted free agent after 2023-24.

Neal Pionk – Winnipeg Jets – With the ascension of Josh Morrissey's production and lock on the first unit of the power play, Pionk saw his PP time go from 44.4 percent to 35.2. He still managed 10 goals and 33 points but just three power play points after four years in a row of 10 or more. He was a member of the 100 club for the first time with 169 hits and 129 blocks.

Mackenzie Weegar – Calgary Flames – Weegar struggled a little early after being traded from Florida to Calgary before 2022-23. He ended up with 31 points in 81 games (0.38) after seasons between 0.55 and 0.67 points per game in Florida. Weegar had very solid peripherals with 186 hits and 117 blocks which we should expect him to duplicate.

Alec Martinez – Vegas Golden Knights – Martinez is now 36-years-old and has had to sacrifice some production and some physicality to stay healthy. He managed 77 games for the first time since 2017-18 and only had 14 points and 48 hits but had a career-high 242 blocks. He is only a fantasy asset for pools that have blocks.

Mattias Ekholm – Edmonton Oilers – Ekholm hasn't missed more than six games in any of his past nine seasons. In 2022-23 he had nine goals, 32 points, 91 hits and 104 blocks in 78 games. He has never reached 100 hits and 100 blocks in the same year. He did have 13 points in his last 18 games with Edmonton in 2022-23 so perhaps his career high of 44 points could be in jeopardy? I'd peg him between 35-40 points, but his plus minus should benefit in Edmonton.

Cam Fowler – Anaheim Ducks – Fowler has had back to back 40 point seasons and had a career-high 48 points. He is not a physical player by any means with just 18 hits in 82 games but he did have 104 blocks. In 13 NHL seasons, he has never played less than 45.8 percent of the time on the power play, but with some of the younger offensive defenseman coming up in Anaheim his time on the power play could be in line for some decline.

Tier 6

This tier includes the defenders who typically average 30-40 points but not great peripherals, or they have pretty good peripherals but tap out at 20-25 points. We’ve also included some risers below who are still young and developing and have some definite upside this year or next.

Samuel Girard, Connor Murphy, Jamie Drysdale, Matt Roy, Alexandre Carrier, Brayden McNabb, Nicolas Hague, Tyson Barrie, Mikey Anderson, Juuso Valimaki, Jamie Drysdale (RFA still), Calen Addison, Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, Kevin Korchinski, Philip Broberg, Thomas Harley, Nils Lundkvist, Brandt Clarke, Brock Faber, Henry Thrun, Scott Perunovich

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Tier 7

This tier is the best of the rest who we would suggest taking a flier on to fill out a roster or if you are in need of a specific stat line for your pool.

Josh Manson, Esa Lindell, Jonas Brodin, Ryan McDonagh, Dylan DeMelo, Jamie Oleksiak, J.J. Moser, Justin Schultz, Jani Hakanpaa, Ian Cole, Nikita Zadorov, Brenden Dillon, Vladislav Gavrikov, Brett Kulak, Kyle Burroughs, Jeremy Lauzon, Will Borgen, Mario Ferraro, Ilya Lyubushkin

Any tier after this would be considered waiver material, but please let me know if you think we’ve missed anyone or mis-tiered some defensemen.

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or players you'd like me to look at please message or follow me on Twitter @gampbler15.