Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Jan Hejda
See More
Hejda enjoyed a career high in goals with a modest six tallies in 78 contests with Colorado in 2013-14, while chipping in 11 assists and leading the Avs in blocked shots with 144. The 36-year-old also finished second on the team in ice time -- averaging 22:19 per game -- behind defensive anchor Erik Johnson. In addition, Hejda's plus-8 rating was his best in that department since 2009-10 with the Blue Jackets and his 40 minutes in the sin bin were the most since his sophomore season six campaigns prior. While there is some fantasy intrigue here as he is once again set to receive a large share of minutes, Hejda is still very much defensive minded so his value will be highest in leagues that count blocked shots. However, Hejda could still be in for an uptick in production on an Avs team bursting with offensive firepower, so those in deeper leagues should pencil him in as a potential candidate to round out their blue lines in the final rounds of their draft.
Hejda was one of the few reliable defensemen last season on the Avs' blue line, one of the worst defensive units in the NHL. He notched 10 points in 46 games, but delivered more on the ice than in the fantasy arena. At the age of 35, Hejda will be on the back end of the defensive pairings this year and act as a rudder for a young -- and hopefully improving -- back end.
In his first year as an Av, Hejda saw his plus-minus rating balloon from minus-6 to a team-worst minus-17, so if your league counts this stat, you really took it on the chin if you owned him last season. On the positive side, however, Hejda was a workhorse last season, missing just one game and playing a team-high 1,675 minutes. And he was a single point away from matching the 20 points he recorded the previous year with Columbus. Looking ahead, he will likely be called upon to resume his role as one of the Avs’ top four defenders – just don’t expect a surge in his offensive totals.
The Avalanche signed Hejda to a four-year, $13 million contract in July, a sensible acquisition for a team that allowed the most goals (288) in the NHL last season. The former Blue Jacket is better at shutting down opponents than he is creating offense on his own, so keep that in mind for fantasy purposes. If there's room for a 15-20 point defenseman on your roster who will struggle to post a positive plus-minus rating this year, then by all means draft away.
Stay-at-home defenseman has little fantasy value, scoring 3-10-13 with 36 PIMs in 62 games last year.
Smooth defensive defenseman scored a career-high 21 points in 82 games last season.
Hedja's first full NHL season was a success, as he played in 81 games with an impressive plus-20 rating. He'll be back to help anchor the Blue Jackets' defense.
Bruising sophomore defenseman will try to emulate Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, and be a surprise contributor to the Blue Jackets this season.
The Oilers are a bit thin on the blue line, but Hejda will likely not make the team out of camp. He may be recalled at times during the season, but don't expect much in terms of the 28 year old's fantasy potential, however.
