Here are the 10 best defensemen for fantasy hockey in 2008-2009.

1. Nicklas Lidstrom - Red Wings - Lidstrom is a first ballot hall of famer once he retires. One of the best D-men of all time is also one of the best fantasy hockey D-men around. He chips in points at a rate only the really good forwards can, but from the blue line. Seemingly never out of position, his defense probably won’t lose a step even though he’s getting older, so he’ll always have a nice +/- rating, especially playing on a very strong Detroit team. Don’t expect Lidstrom to fall from grace too much because his style of play is very sound positionally and technically, and he doesn’t need to rely as much on physicality or speed as some other D around the league.
2. Dion Phaneuf - Flames - Once Lidstrom retires, Phaneuf will most likely be crowned the best fantasy D-man out there, easily. He had a very strong rookie season a couple seasons ago and now he’s improving on it. Many projections this year have him putting even more points this season, perhaps even 70 or above, which isn’t too much of a stretch. In a keeper league, he’s probably the most valuable blue liner out there, so don’t give him up unless it’s for a lot in return. However, for this year, he’s still just slightly behind Lidstrom, but will soon take over the top spot once Lidstrom calls it quits.
3. Chris Pronger - Ducks - The Ducks look to be closer to their Stanley Cup championship year form than last season where they fell short of the mark. With Selanne and Niedermayer back in the fold, Pronger should benefit from their presence, especially on the power play. Pronger is one of the meanest and toughest D-men in the entire league and that won’t change anytime soon. He’s missed a decent amount of games the past two straight seasons but hopefully he can stay healthy all year long this time and he should again be towards the very top of the heap for scoring by D.
4. Brian Rafalski - Red Wings - Since Rafalski left the defense-first New Jersey Devils, he’s shown that he’s got the offensive skills to put up good numbers. Detroit’s system is definitely beneficial for crafty players like Rafalski, who is a bit of a smaller player, but still is very sound defensively. Rafalski, along with perennial Norris Trophy candidate Lidstrom, anchor Detroit’s D and up front they’ve gotten even better with the addition of Hossa. Rafalski should be able to provide solid point production along with a very nice +/- rating once again.
5. Dan Boyle - Sharks - Last year was a very forgettable season for Boyle. With some freak accidents, one involving an unfortunate falling skate blade incident, he played a shortened season. Even when he did play, his performance was not good, garnering a horrendous -29 rating. This season, he’s going to have a fresh start with his new team the Sharks, who will be much better than last year’s Lightning. Take advantage of Boyle’s somewhat low ranking on some services, such as in Sporting News Salary Cap Hockey where his price is set low due to his injuries last season. He’s definitely a good buy low candidate in that respect. Look for Boyle to have a strong season for the Sharks, with all the talent they can ice.
6. Zdeno Chara - Bruins - Zdeno Chara, the tallest man in the league, is definitely a monster, on the ice and also in fantasy hockey. Chara has a wicked shot, as proved many times over, and even in all star games. Look for Chara to play point on Boston’s new look power play, with the returning Patrice Bergeron, and put up plenty of shots on goal, a stat which he was 4th in among defensemen last season. He’ll put up his share of points but also, Chara’s good for putting up a nice amount of PIMs, so he’s definitely a solid fantasy hockey contributor, across the board.
7. Mike Green - Capitals - Mike Green certainly surprised some people when he amassed 56 points last season, after only putting up 12 points in 70 games the previous year. The quick and smooth skating Green certainly has turned heads so far. This season he’s been drafted pretty early and he’ll have high expectations to repeat his performance from last year. It could be touch and go as Green is still a young guy but he really shouldn’t have too much of a problem matching his production with Washington’s high powered offense, especially on the power play.
8. Brian Campbell - Blackhawks - Campbell had a huge payday from the Hawks this summer coming in as an unrestricted free agent. Campbell couldn’t come to terms with the Sabres and rather than have him leave for nothing like Briere and Drury did the year before, the Sabres had to get something in return for him, so they traded him to San Jose. Campbell decided not to sign with the Sharks over the summer and instead went to the quickly improving Chicago Blackhawks, who are starting to generate a lot of buzz, not only in Chicago but around the entire NHL. Look for Campbell to maintain good point production with Chicago’s young guns.
9. Andrei Markov - Canadiens - Markov is somewhat underrated because the other D on this list are simply more recognizable names, in general. However, he’ll again be working Montreal’s very potent first power play unit so expect his numbers to stay the same or improve from last season’s 58 point showing. Markov is a solid candidate for anchoring your D unit as the #1 guy.
10. Scott Niedermayer - Ducks - Admittedly, Niedermayer is probably getting underrated on this list. Last year, he played a shortened season because he pondered retirement and then changed his mind and finally signed with the Ducks, but joined midseason and thus hurt his production. This time around, both he and fellow possible retiree last season Teemu Selanne have both made their decisions beforehand and should hopefully return to the form he had in 2006-2007 when he put up 69 points to lead all defensemen.

Notable Exception:
Sergei Gonchar - Penguins - Gonchar will be out for several months due to surgery. Otherwise, he’d be up towards the top of this list. If you were unlucky enough to draft him before you heard the news, you’re going to have to stash him on IR for a long time. If you don’t have an IR slot, you really have to drop him. He won’t be back for a while.