With the NHL season on "hold", I am deviating from reviewing the top-ten overall fantasy defensemen because it's the easy thing to do. I found it way more valuable to focus on which blueliners have been leading the "pack" over the last month, considering overall stats can be misleading to fantasy owners looking to upgrade their talent. Let's start off with the 10th to 6th ranked d-men over the last 30 days, giving us a few unfamiliar names to ponder as we all try to grab the fantasy hockey hardware: 10. Dustin Byfuglien, Wpg: 4 G, 5 A, 1 PPG, 3 PPA Heading into the Olympic break with 2 straight games with a goal and a combined 14 shots, the conversion to the power forward position might be finally paying off for this hard-shooting Jet. "Big Buff" has collected just 2 goals and 2 assists over the previous 10 games, but he still ranks third amongst fantasy-eligible defensemen in points scored with 43. The next few weeks off should help as he should continue to be among the elite fantasy options on defense, even though he is being utilized as a forward. You figure it out, but I am sure Byfuglien fantasy owners aren't complaining. 9. Tyson Barrie, Col: 4 G, 7 A, 1 PPG His first 3-point night of his NHL career on Saturday had many fantasy owners moving to pick up the young Colorado defenseman before the break, but truth be told- Barrie has been among the "hottest" scoring options on the blue-line with 11 points (7G/4A) in the last 14 games. This is a more amazing feat considering the fact that only one of those points were scored on the power-play. With Erik Johnson struggling to score over the last month after a huge surge in early December, Head coach Patrick Roy has again placed more offensive responsibilities on Barrie's shoulders. With that high-octane offense clicking on all cylinders in Colorado, the talented 22-year old is poised for a strong second half of '13-14. A huge breakout can be in store for next season, though. 8. Mark Giordano, Cgy : 4 G, 6 A, 2 PPG The Calgary captain "stormed out of the gate" with 9 points in his first 8 games of the '13-14 season, but a broken ankle which cost him 6 weeks could have ended his breakout season. Instead, Giordano remains the most reliable defensive scoring option in Calgary with 19 points in 32 games since returning from injury. Dennis Wideman has struggled mightily and young T.J. Brodie is not ready to carry the offensive load, so Giordano continues to get top minutes in all scoring situations. Roll with him, as an apparent Olympic snub should keep him motivated to play at a high level. 7. Jack Johnson, Cls: 2 G, 8 A, 1 PPG, 6 PPA A putrid start to the season for the Columbus defender (5 points in first 27 games) might have sealed his fate as one of Team USA's highest-profile Olympic "snubs", but his fantasy value has surged along with his great play of late. With 9 points (1G/8A) in 14 December games, Johnson was back on the fantasy radar. Despite only registering one point in his last four games, JJ is on track for a strong finish and should be considered an upper-tier "buy low" target in all fantasy formats. 6. Victor Hedman, TB: 3 G, 10 A, 1 PPG, 3 PPA The 23-year old Swede has finally blossomed into an elite offensive defenseman in his fifth year in the NHL, collecting 32 points for the Lightning in the last 39 games since the beginning of November. Despite his super-consistent point production, Team Sweden decided they did not need him for the Sochi games. Really? Well, fantasy owners should continue embracing the talented Hedman and starting him with confidence. He truly has arrived!