January 2023 NHL fantasy hockey defensemen rankings update number one.
Our fantasy hockey defensemen rankings project value for the next 1 to 2 seasons, and consider each player's track record, upside, age, team and injury history. Because fantasy league categories vary widely, these rankings focus on point production. Notes made in previous rankings may carry over to new rankings if they remain relevant.
| Rk | Player | Trend | Min/Max | Notes | Age |
| 1 | Cale Makar, COL | - | 50/95 | | 24.2 |
| 2 | Adam Fox, NYR | - | 45/85 | | 24.9 |
| 3 | Roman Josi, NAS | - | 45/85 | | 32.6 |
| 4 | Rasmus Dahlin, BUF | ⟰ | 35/85 | | 22.7 |
| 5 | Quinn Hughes, VAN | - | 45/85 | | 23.2 |
| 6 | Victor Hedman, TB | - | 45/85 | | 32.1 |
| 7 | John Carlson, WAS | - | 45/85 | | 33.0 |
| 8 | Charlie McAvoy, BOS | - | 35/80 | | 25.0 |
| 9 | Erik Karlsson, SJ | ⟰ | 30/80 | | 32.6 |
| 10 | Morgan Rielly, TOR | - | 40/80 | | 28.8 |
| 11 | Dougie Hamilton, NJ | - | 35/75 | | 29.6 |
| 12 | Shea Theodore, VGK | - | 40/75 | | 27.4 |
| 13 | Alex Pietrangelo, VGK | - | 30/65 | | 33.0 |
| 14 | Brent Burns, CAR | - | 30/70 | | 37.8 |
| 15 | Aaron Ekblad, FLA | - | 40/75 | | 26.9 |
| 16 | Kris Letang, PIT | - | 40/75 | | 35.7 |
| 17 | Miro Heiskanen, DAL | - | 30/70 | | 23.5 |
| 18 | Josh Morrissey, WPG | ⟰ | 25/55 | New career highs with plenty of games left to play | 27.8 |
| 19 | Drew Doughty, LA | - | 35/70 | | 33.1 |
| 20 | Thomas Chabot, OTT | - | 30/65 | | 25.9 |
| 21 | Tyson Barrie, EDM | - | 30/70 | | 31.5 |
| 22 | Devon Toews, COL | - | 30/65 | | 28.9 |
| 23 | Noah Dobson, NYI | - | 20/65 | | 23.0 |
| 24 | Mikhail Sergachev, TB | ⟰ | 30/70 | | 24.5 |
| 25 | Seth Jones, CHI | - | 35/65 | He'd be 10 spots higher if team wasn't so bad | 28.3 |
| 26 | Rasmus Andersson, CGY | - | 20/50 | | 26.2 |
| 27 | Shayne Gostisbehere, AZ | - | 15/55 | | 29.7 |
| 28 | Hampus Lindholm, BOS | - | 25/55 | Back to normal; still pretty good though | 29.0 |
| 29 | Justin Faulk, STL | - | 20/60 | | 30.8 |
| 30 | Brandon Montour, FLA | ⟰ | 20/50 | Delivering on increased offensive opportunities | 28.7 |
| 31 | Filip Hronek, DET | - | 25/55 | | 25.2 |
| 32 | Tony DeAngelo, PHI | - | 25/70 | | 27.2 |
| 33 | Evan Bouchard, EDM | - | 20/65 | | 23.2 |
| 34 | Moritz Seider, DET | - | 30/75 | Stats sure look better after 4A outburst vs WPG | 21.7 |
| 35 | Darnell Nurse, EDM | - | 30/55 | | 27.9 |
| 36 | Torey Krug, STL | ⟱ | 35/70 | Injuries piling up once again | 31.7 |
| 37 | Jakob Chychrun, AZ | - | 25/60 | On the trade block - keep an eye out | 24.8 |
| 38 | John Klingberg, ANH | - | 30/70 | Could be a lot higher if and when he's traded | 30.4 |
| 39 | Vince Dunn, SEA | - | 25/55 | | 26.2 |
| 40 | Neal Pionk, WPG | - | 25/50 | | 27.4 |
| 41 | Gustav Forsling, FLA | - | 15/50 | | 26.6 |
| 42 | Calen Addison, MIN | ⟰ | 15/55 | | 22.7 |
| 43 | Sean Durzi, LA | ⟰ | 15/50 | | 24.2 |
| 44 | Jared Spurgeon, MIN | - | 30/55 | | 33.1 |
| 45 | Ivan Provorov, PHI | - | 20/55 | | 26.0 |
| 46 | Jeff Petry, PIT | - | 25/60 | | 35.1 |
| 47 | Bowen Byram, COL | - | 25/70 | | 21.6 |
| 48 | Noah Hanifin, CGY | - | 20/50 | | 25.9 |
| 49 | Erik Gustafsson, WAS | ⟰ | 15/55 | Enigmatic blueliner clicking again for Caps | 30.8 |
| 50 | Mackenzie Weegar, CGY | - | 30/60 | Hasn't nearly the same role as in Florida | 28.9 |
