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Around the Net - Fantasy Hockey Rankings PDF Print E-mail
Fantasy Hockey Blog
Written by George Kurtz   
Friday, 15 January 2010 11:09
altWith the season a little more than half way completed, we are going to look at what the first round might look like if you were drafting today.  We will assume a 10 team league.
1.    Dany Heatley, San Jose Sharks: 27G 24A in 47 games:  Hard to know what Heatley was going to bring your fantasy team come draft time before the season as he was heading into his first season with a new team?  Well apparently it has gone quite well as he is on a pace to score just under 50 goals.  He’s playing on what may be the top line in the NHL and it’s hard to see him slowing down anytime soon.
2.    Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins: 30G 27A in 47 games:  Slightly better number than Heatley and the only reason I wouldn’t put him in the top spot is because of Heatley’s linemates.  Crosby doesn’t play with Evgeni Malkin so it may be harder for him to duplicate his first half.  That being said, wouldn’t argue with anyone who took Crosby first overall.
3.    Marian Gaborik, New York Rangers: 28G 26A in 44 games:  There has never been any doubt about Gaborik’s talent.  His stock may have dropped in the draft due to the fact that he generally has a hard time staying healthy.  That hasn’t been the problem so far this season as he has only missed a handful of games.  The other problem with Gaborik is that he seems to be the only true offensive threat the Rangers have.  If the opposition can shut him down, they shut the Rangers down which may lead to teams focusing all their defensive attention on him.
4.    Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils: 29 wins 2.10 GAA in 42 games:  Will Brodeur ever slow down?  Maybe, but not this season.  He has just been outstanding, pretty much a brick wall in net.  The Devils as a team are playing great and are not only giving Brodeur the defensive help he needs, but are scoring enough goals to relieve some of the pressure off of his shoulders.  Most important for fantasy owners he plays just about every game.
5.    Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks:  31G 18A in 47 games:  Marleau also came into this season with some doubts.  He was stripped of his captaincy during the offseason as the team seems to be blaming him for their postseason struggles.  We weren’t sure what line he was going to play on as the Ducks said he would play on the second line which would’ve seemed to limit his goal scoring opportunities and may have even put him on the second power play unit.  That all came to pass as Marleau has lit up the scoreboard all season long.
6.    Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals:  28G 29A in 38 games:  Great numbers to be sure, but doesn’t it seem he has done it sort of quietly.  It also seems like he has brought an edge to his game so far this season with some borderline hits and even dropping the gloves a time or two.  Either way you’re going to love to get Ovechkin and in most leagues he would never slip this far as he can win you a championship all by himself.
7.    Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres:  25W 2.04 GAA 93.5 SV %:  Miller is the favorite right now for the Vezina Trophy and it’s hard to find any fault with his game.  What would worry me most about Miller is that he is playing for a team that can be offensively challenged at times putting a lot of pressure on Miller’s shoulder to not let in any soft goals and keep the Sabres in every game.  Another problem may be Miller fatiguing in the second half of the season as he will be starting for Team USA in the Olympics as well.
8.    Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers:  26G 24A in 39 games:  The big question with Kovalchuk over the next few weeks will be whether or not the Thrashers sign him to a long term contract or trade him before he becomes a free agent.  Kovalchuk is an out of this world talent, but the Thrashers can’t risk not getting anything in return for him.  There is a good chance he will be dealt before the Olympic break.  This should only be good news for Kovalchuk owners as any change of scenery should be to a better team with better players around him.
9.    Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks: 11G 49A in 47 games:  Hard to believe that three players from the same line would go in the top ten, but how can they not.  Thornton seems to be the engine that makes the car go for the Sharks.  His only drawback is that he looks to setup Marleau and Heatley rather than shoot the puck himself.
10.    Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks:  20G 44A in 47 games.  Henrik has always been the other brother as Daniel was the one who seemed to score all the goals.  Henrik was the one who set him up for those goals.  Well this season after Daniel was injured Henrik proved he could do much more than just pass, he could light the lamp as well.  Even with the return of Daniel, Henrik is still shooting the puck and could be a dark horse candidate for MVP.

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