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Fantasy hockey owners will often forego one or two of their defensemen slots in favor of rostering an extra goalie of forward. With each team having four starting positions for defensemen, a typical 12-man league require 48 D-men. Unfortunately, only 35 NHL defensemen have at least 10 points on the season.

While going with only two or three defensemen has some merit in providing depth at other positions instead of receiving next to no production from those roster spots, owners can instead use the spots to address other fantasy categories. This can be productive in both head-to-head and points leagues as owners focus on getting high levels of point production from their forwards.

Here are 10 defensemen going under the fantasy radar who are capable of rounding out your team's production:

Dennis Wideman, Calgary Flames

Wideman is averaging 21:37 in ice time through 17 games played. It's a full minute more than he averaged last season. He has just two goals and six points on the year, a far cry from his 56-point point season two years ago, but he has already matched last year's goal total. With 32 shots on goal he will blow past his 75 from last season.

Additionally, Wideman has dished out 19 hits and totals 19 blocked shots. He also has 16 penalty minutes. While none of those totals are matchup-altering, they are sources of consistent production. Wideman has the highest offensive ceiling of this group, and he warrants consideration for a regular roster spot as long as he maintains his 20-plus minutes of ice time.

Nick Holden, New York Rangers

Unlike other members of the New York Rangers relying on unsustainable shooting percentages to remain fantasy relevant, Holden offers some reliable production. He has two goals and nine points on just 16 shots on goal through 23 games, but owners shouldn't be lured by his offensive numbers.

He is plus-11 on the year, a number which could prove sustainable with G Henrik Lundqvist back in form. Holden has also blocked 28 shots and been credited with 45 hits. These two categories have always been a big part of his game, as he totaled 217 and 118, respectively, last season. His 19:39 of ice time is below his career average; a slight uptick would provide a boost.

Brandon Carlo, Boston Bruins

Carlo is averaging 22:14 of ice time in just his first NHL season. He is paired with D John-Michael Liles on the second pairing at 5v5 but doesn't receive time on either power play. The lack of offensive opportunity has led to just two goals and two assists through 22 games.

Carlo has also tallied little more than a SOG per game, totaling 26 on the year. His production has come via a plus-10 rating, 15 penalty minutes, 23 hits and 39 blocked shots. While the Bruins have been the league's second-best Corsi For team, per Corsica.Hockey, Carlo faces the third-highest Corsi of all defensemen on the team. He has plenty of shot-blocking opportunity.

Jeff Petry, Montreal Canadiens

Petry is well on pace for a career high in scoring, with three goals and six points through 21 games. He has just 16 points in 51 games last season. His 21:56 of ice time is just barely a new career high. His plus-5 rating is also a career best.

He has 10 penalty minutes through his 16 games, showing a lack of discipline which wasn't present last season when he totaled 16 PIMs in 51 games. He has also blocked 44 shots and made 46 hits. These latter two contributions rank him among the league leaders in both categories.

The Canadiens continue to face 59.18 shot attempts per 60 minutes of 5v5, forcing Petry and others to spend lots of time in their own zone.

Ryan Ellis, Nashville Predators

At a diminutive 5-foot-10 an 180 pounds, Ellis was known best for his top-tier offensive talent coming up through the OHL. While he set a career high with 32 points last season, Ellis has transitioned his game to focused more on defensive play. Through 19 games he has 26 hits and 38 blocked shots, while also registering 28 shots on goal.

Ellis logs 23:38 per game, the highest average of any of these five players. While the Predators' team offense continues to underwhelm, they have the most upside of these five teams. Owners need to accept what Ellis is giving them in lieu of point production.

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Ryan Strome appears to tiring of his uncertain role within the New York Islanders organization.

For the second straight game, the 23-year-old center will watch his team play from the press box as a healthy scratch. It's not the first time head coach Jack Capuano has exiled him to the sidelines, although Strome's response is different this time around.

When asked Monday if things are good between him and Capuano, Strome responded "I think so. Maybe ask him," per Brian Compton of NHL.com.

Strome has been in and out the lineup, as well as assigned to the AHL, on several occasions since breaking into the NHL.

Drafted fifth overall in 2011, much was expected of him in a complimentary role to captain John Tavares.

To date, however, Strome has recorded 34 goals and 68 assists in 208 games - including two goals and four assists in 19 games this season - and may not carry the current coach's favor.

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One day later, and the hockey world is still up in arms over the sudden and unexpected firing of Florida Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant.

Related: Panthers officially name GM Rowe interim head coach

After helping the Panthers claim just their second division title on the back of a franchise-record 103-point season last year, the club appeared to have it out for Gallant, giving him the ax after the club jumped out to a sub-par 11-10-1 record.

Gallant's firing should also come as a warning to current head coaches in the league, as there appear to be much hotter seats elsewhere.

Here are three coaches that should be worried about their job security following Gallant's abrupt firing:

Willie Desjardins

The Willie Desjardins experiment in Vancouver needs to come to an end.

The Canucks under Desjardins have been in regression since his first season. After making the postseason with 101 points during the 2015 season - which was followed by a swift exit at the hands of the Calgary Flames - the team managed just 75 points last season and are on pace for less than that in 2016-2017.

The team averages the second-fewest goals per game, they boast the second-worst goal differential in the league at minus-17, and despite a 5-4-1 record in their last 10 games, sit just a win up on last place in the Western Conference.

Management has a lot to blame for the current state of the Canucks, but they could make a statement with a change behind the bench.

Jack Capuano

Coming off a second straight 100-point season and the franchise's first playoff-series win, it appeared the New York Islanders were well on their way to a strong 2016-17 campaign. Wrong.

Jack Capuano and Co. have gotten off to the worst start in the NHL, amassing a league-worst 16 points through 20 games, and it isn't just one or two facets of their game holding them down.

It's a mess across the board, and while Capuano has admitted he feels the loss of Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen have hurt the club, decisions such as rolling three goalies have hindered the club's performance and caused a wrinkle in attitude with some.

A change here could be forthcoming.

Lindy Ruff

Stop me if this starts to sound familiar.

Coach leads team to division title, reaches second round of the playoffs, next season struggles out of the gate partially due to injuries, still has a winning record, and now sits just outside a playoff spot.

Yes, if anyone in the league knows what Gallant was feeling right before he got fired, it would be Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff.

The Stars are struggling, especially compared to the team we saw last season. The team's goaltending has not gotten better and they are struggling to score themselves out of holes.

Ruff - like in so many cases - might not necessarily be the culprit for a slow start, but with a team appearing to be in win-now mode and a playoff spot in question, it might not take too long for Jim Nill to make a change in an attempt to get the team back on track.

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Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson, New Jersey Devils winger Mike Cammalleri, and San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns have been named the NHL’s "Three Stars" for the week ending Nov. 27.

Here's what they did to earn the honors:

Anderson

Anderson led the NHL with four wins, recording a .960 save percentage and one shutout in four appearances, propelling the Senators into second place in the Atlantic Division.

He made 36 saves in a 4-3 victory over the league-leading Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 22, before allowing just two goals across his next three starts, including a shutout of the high-scoring New York Rangers on Sunday.

His wife Nicholle, meanwhile, continues to undergo throat cancer treatment.

Cammalleri

In his return to the lineup following a personal leave, Cammalleri scored four goals and added four assists in three games, including his sixth career four-point performance in Wednesday's game against Toronto.

Cammalleri missed six contests while his five-year-old daughter dealt with a severe case of pneumonia.

Burns

Fresh off signing a big contract extension, Burns led all defensemen in scoring last week with two goals and four assists in four games.

He ranks first among all players at his position with 30 points through 22 contests.

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Adam Henrique is out there making dreams come true.

Back in August, the New Jersey Devils center attempted to aid backup goaltender Keith Kinkaid in his quest for a new look for the upcoming season, placing forward Stephen Gionta's face on a famous body image of Seinfeld character George Costanza.

What was then seen as a design joke has apparently become a reality.

Interesting choice of gear for a kid, but we'll take it.

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If you want something done right, do it yourself.

That appears to be the sentiment felt by Florida Panthers general manager Tom Rowe, who was officially named the club's interim head coach on Monday.

"My focus is solely on turning our season around, fixing our special teams, and securing a playoff berth," Rowe said.

The move comes after former head coach Gerard Gallant was fired on Sunday, following the Panthers' 3-2 loss to Carolina. Florida also cut ties with assistant coach Mike Kelly.

"In seeking to earn a second consecutive playoff berth and bring a Stanley Cup to South Florida, we believe that new leadership is required immediately," Panthers owner Vincent J. Viola said in a release.

Talks of a full-time replacement for Gallant are likely to be put on hold, as Rowe is expected to remain interim head coach through the remainder of the 2016-17 season, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

He previously served as coach of Florida's American Hockey League affiliates - the Portland Pirates and San Antonio Rampage - from 2013-16.

The Panthers currently sit two points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

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theScore's new series, "The Noise," is published every Monday. It kicks off each week with a quick look at three teams or players making headlines, good or bad.

Sidney Crosby

From the beginning of 2016 through to the end of play on Nov. 27, no player has scored more goals than Sidney Crosby.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' superstar center has recorded 42 goals in 60 games this calendar year, one more than Alex Ovechkin, and eight more than Wayne Simmonds.

His yearly total has been boosted by an otherworldly start to the 2015-16 regular season; in 16 games, Crosby has scored 15 goals, and despite missing a handful of games with a concussion, he's on pace for 71 if he remains healthy through to the end.

Crosby's career high is 51 goals back in the 2009-2010 season, but he hasn't really approached 40 since scoring 39 as a rookie over a decade ago.

We'll have whatever he's having for breakfast these days.

Florida Panthers

A road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in late November kicked off quite a Sunday night for the Florida Panthers.

Less than ten minutes after the team tweeted out Gerard Gallant's postgame comments, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet reported the Panthers had fired their head coach. Follow-up reports stated assistant head coach Mike Kelly was also let go, while general manager Tom Rowe will take over behind the bench, news that was confirmed Monday morning.

All this after an 11-10-1 start for the reigning Atlantic Division champions who were trying to overcome injuries to Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad while also waiting for Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr to improve upon their two and three goals apiece to date.

The social media reaction was far less than complimentary, especially in light of the fact Gallant was forced to wait for a cab outside PNC Arena following his dismissal.

Here's the thing: We know Gallant, who was believed to be widely appreciated by his players, will land on his feet. It's already been suggested that he could get a look from the Vegas Golden Knights if he's not already scooped up by then. Embarrassing cab ride aside, he won't be out of work for long.

Back in Florida, questions remain in light of a huge amount of tinkering over the past calendar year, both on and off the ice. Ownership and management have a clear and unified vision and mandate, and while it has cost many their jobs, the hope is it will pay off in the end with sustained success.

Related: Panthers are an experiment worth seeing through, with or without Gallant

Craig Anderson

The Ottawa Senators goalie is making the most of every start these days.

Craig Anderson stopped 65-of-66 shots against over the weekend, earning a 2-1 win over Carolina on Saturday and a 3-0 victory over the New York Rangers the following night.

Head coach Guy Boucher said Anderson is likely to miss games in the near future in order to be with wife Nicholle, who is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment at a New York-based hospital for throat cancer.

So while it's not always ideal to give a goalie back-to-back starts, Anderson's situation is rather unique.

"We want the best for him, we want the best for our team ... (but) when you’ve got no hesitation from your No. 1 goalie and he says, 'I want that game,' it’s very difficult to say you’re not playing," Boucher said, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.

Anderson has now posted a record of 12-4-1 on the season, with a .936 save percentage.

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The Ottawa Redblacks' underdog victory in the 104th edition of the Grey Cup on Sunday appears to have struck a chord with the city's NHL club.

Many Ottawa Senators took to Twitter to applaud their football brothers in their 39-33 overtime win, lending words of congratulations and vows to follow in their footsteps.

Of course the message heard loudest was that from the captain:

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