Morrissey is coming off the best career year by far as his career high in points before last season was at 37, so he doubled that total in last season. He is a clear No. 1 defenseman on the Jets but his numbers should take a bit of a dip in 2023/2024 but he should still be around 60 to 65 points. His Plus/minus is around 0 over the last few years and that is a category you should be aware if you plan to draft him. Also, expect his shot total again to be between 160 and 180 which is just above 2 shots per game.

Carlson is a very interesting player in this year’s fantasy drafts as he falls lower than in any of the last 4-5 years. He had an injury last season but if he stayed healthy he would likely reach over 17 goals and around 60 points with over 250 shots on goal and at his current draft value those are some impressive numbers. He is 33 years old and still has some good years to give to fantasy managers if he can stay healthy. Washington isn’t expected to a playoff them this year so beware of his plus/minus which will likely be around -15. Still, he is a very good pick at his current ADP if you are in need of a defenseman.

At age 38 Burns is still one of the most reliable fantasy defensemen in the league. He again played a full season last year and still averaged over 23 minutes on ice per game. He is a part of one of the best teams in the league and that is a big bust for his plus/minus and being a part of PP1 should bring a bunch of easy points for him again. He will again fire over 200 shots on goal and when you count that up he is a very good fantasy asset. The Hurricanes have a bunch of great offensive defensemen like Deangelo and Orlov so if he doesn’t perform on power play he could easily be replaced at some point.

Montour has played two straight full seasons with the Panthers but he will miss about a month to start this season. Last year he finished with 70 points and was a big part of PP1 and Panthers’ success in the playoffs. The question is if can match those numbers this season and I wouldn’t expect him to do that. The Panthers will be in a fight for playoff in the best division but they will still likely finish behind the Leafs and the Lightning. There are better options than Montur in this year’s fantasy draft and I would avoid drafting him.

McAvoy is a great hockey player and his numbers over his career back that up. He is coming into the season healthy and should start the year as a member of PP1 which could provide much better numbers for his fantasy production. His lowest number in the plus/minus category over his NHL career is at +14 with him having combined +60 plus/minus over the last 2 seasons so having him can be a great asset in that category. He is a great overall player and a very good fantasy asset if he can stay healthy for a full season.