9 – Marc Savard – In my opinion the most under rated player in the NHL, Savard is off to a typical start. With 6 goals and 10 assists early on this year, Savard has more then a point a game. When you draft Savard you expect him to tally a lot of assists, but at this current pace he will have more then 30 goals this season. Marc plays on a solid team with solid wingers and I would expect his numbers to remain around this level all year long. The biggest reason Savard is so high on my list is because of his penalty minutes, don’t look for those numbers to remain high.

8 – Ryan Clowe – The first major surprise on this list, Clowe is off to a career best start. Early on this year Ryan has 9 goals and 14 points, to go along with 21 penalty minutes. Out of all the players on this list, Clowe would be the one I am most skeptical about, and might think of trading while his value is high. Ryan is on pace to smash all his career marks, maybe by the half way point on the season. Clowe also has 8 power play points and a game winning goal this season.

7 – Jerome Iginla - Jerome is one of the best fantasy players you can have, he is off to a bit of a slow start, but is still number 7 on my list. With 9 goals and 19 points, Iginla is on pace to get the numbers he always gets. Currently the biggest problem having Jerome is that he is a minus 4 and he seems to be very streaky early on. You can over look the plus / minus for his 11 power play points and 50 plus shots so far. In my opinion Iginla has no where to go, but up on this list.

6 – Marian Hossa - Hossa has enjoyed his time with the Red Wings and Pavel Datsyuk so far this season. With 8 goals including 2 game winners, Hossa has been a top fantasy performer thus far. Marian has 17 points and over 50 shots, but his best stat is his plus 9 ranking, which is among the league leaders. Hossa is off to a fine start, but as he starts to get more familiar with is teammates is Detroit his numbers will improve.

5 – Ryan Getzlaf - Anaheim has been on fire as of late and Getzlaf’s numbers have been excellent. Ryan has 19 points in just 16 games and is playing on the top line in Anaheim. Getzlaf will provide you with goals and points, but he will also give you penalty minutes with 25 so far this year. Look for Getzlaf to improve his numbers on the power play and continue to put up good numbers all year long. Getzlaf is a great player and his value is high right now, if you need to he could anchor a trade for your fantasy team.

4 – Thomas Vanek – Finally showing his super star ability, Vanek is off to the best start of his career. With 12 goals in just 14 games, Thomas is on pace to put up insane numbers this year. He has stuffed the fantasy stats so far this year with 60 plus shots, 2 game winning goals and short handed points. Vanek and Buffalo are off to great starts, but it is hard to believe he can keep this goal pace up. He is a point a game player in this league, but his value will probably never be higher then it is right now.

3 – Corey Perry - Hopefully you didn’t panic when Perry got off to a slow start, because he is now one of the best in the league. Perry has 18 points, 29 penalty minutes and 60 plus shots so far this season. This is the fastest turn around I have ever seen in fantasy hockey, through 6 games this year Perry had 1 point and was a minus 5 and in just 11 games increased his numbers to where they are now. Perry’s biggest value is his ability to get good numbers across the board goals, points, power play and penalty minutes.

2 – Evgeni Malkin - He is a true super star in this league and hasn’t disappointed early on this season.  He leads the league in assists with 18, points with 22 and power points with 11. He is also a plus 4 with a shorthanded point thus far. Malkin has been getting some ice time with Crosby and the 2 of them have been very productive. Look for Malkin to compete for the points title all year, he will start to score more goals eventually.

1 – Alexander Semin – Semin is off to the best start of his career and has filled up the fantasy stats thus far this season. 11 goals, 10 assists, an amazing plus 11, 2 shorthanded points and 2 game winning goals. Semin has always been highly talented and when he is motivated he will put up big numbers. Alexander’s value may never be higher then it I right now and if he was on my fantasy team I might consider trading him for a player you know will keep it up all year long. There is no denying he has been the best fantasy player so far in this NHL season.

Alfredsson re-signs - The Ottawa Senators have re-signed there captain and best all around player Daniel Alfredsson. Daniel inked a four year extension that should keep him in Canada’s nation capitol for the rest of his career. This wasn’t a big surprise, Alfredsson has been the captain of this team for a long time and it looks like he will be a career Senator. Ottawa is off to a slow start and a lot of rumors are swirling around the organization, but with some better defense and goaltending this team should be good. Its always nice to see a player and an organization come to an agreement that works for both sides, Sens fans should be happy that they will have Daniel for a few more years.

Marian Hossa - Hossa caught a lot of criticism after signing a one year deal in Detroit in the off season. Well after a slow start he is starting to look like the true all star he is. Playing along side Pavel Datsyuk, Hossa is on fire and near the league lead in points. He has 9 points he his last 5 games and if he keeps it up the gamble he took in the off season will pay off. The Red Wings are a great team and with Hossa playing this well they will be tough to beat every night.

Trade Deadline – Well the NHL made a mistake, but an agreement was reached quickly. The league has decided to push the trade deadline back one day to March the 4th. The reason for the move was because there are to many games scheduled on the original date. With a lot of games scheduled it would make it tough for teams to make trades and still be able to ice a full team on the same day. The NHL and the NHLPA came to a fast agreement and pushed the date back one day.

Steven Stamkos - The 1st overall selection in this past years NHL entry draft has finally recorded his first career point. There has been a lot of talk recently about Stamkos and the ice time he has been receiving in Tampa Bay. The Lightning are talented in the forward lines, and they are still searching for the best mix of lines. Stamkos will have a great career and he is off to a slow start, but I wouldn’t panic just yet. Tampa Bay has a lot of new players on there roster and once they find the right mix and chemistry Stamkos will start to produce on a regular basis. I hope the coaching staff in Tampa starts giving him the proper ice time, he need to be playing more then just 10 minutes per game. Play him in some power play situation and let him play with the stars like Lecavalier and St Louis and you will see the numbers jump.

Phoenix Coyotes claim Ken Klee off re-entry waivers from the Anaheim Ducks. Claiming someone off re-entry waivers means that Phoenix will pick up half his salary and Anaheim will be on the hook for the other half. Klee is a veteran and still has the skills to play a decent NHL defense for the Coyotes.

Alexander Ovechkin - Last years MVP has made a trip back to his homeland, Russia, to visit with an ailing family member. Ovechkin had played more 200 hundred consecutive games and has proved that he is a consistent NHL player. This isn’t a huge deal for the Capitols, it’s a part of life, family comes first. It’s a bigger deal for fantasy owners out there who will miss “Alex the Great” for a few games this early in the year. Ovechkin should be back in Washington’s lineup early next week.

Rick Dipietro - Seems to be a big secret on long island, but there is one thing for sure is that it will be hard for them to win without Rick. Its listed as a lower body injury? Who knows what that means. Dipietro is coming off knee surgery in the off season and hopefully the injury hasn’t re-occurred. Rick is a great goaltender, but he seems to get hurt an awful lot and the Islanders will struggle to win without him. I for one am sick of this upper body, lower body injury stuff, lets just be honest and let us know what is really going on. Hopefully Dipietro will be back soon and helping the Islanders win some hockey games.

Luke Schenn will be staying with the Leafs, as he has played in his 10th game of the season. Playing 10 games means his entry level contract kicks in and its more then likely he will be in Toronto for the rest of the season. The 18 year old defenseman has looked solid defensively for Toronto and they feel the best way for him to develop is to stay with the big club.

The product has been good so far this years, fights and goals are up which make everyone happy. Alexander Semin is leading the league in goals and points, while Ryan Miller leads the goalies with a 1.60 goals against average. Nikolai Zherdev surprisingly leads the league in plus / minus and Evgeni Malkin leads with 12 assists. The season is off and running and hopefully there will be plenty of more great storylines throughout the year.

10) Bryan McCabe Out of Toronto - It had to happen McCabe had lost the support of the Maple Leaf fans and the needed to get his salary off the cap. McCabe was traded to Florida in exchange for Mike Van Ryn. McCabe should have a good season in Florida and Toronto is just happy to have him out of there locker room. Van Ryn probably won’t have a big impact, but is an NHL D- man.

9) Zherdev and Fritsche to Rangers – This deal went under the radar, but should have a big impact on the Rangers this season. If Zherdev lives up to his potential and Fritsche provides some energy, the trade could be a steal for the Rangers. I am sure Zherdev will get the chance to play with one of the Rangers talented centers in Drury or Gomez, look for Zherdev to have a career year.

8 ) Cammalleri to Calgary - The Flames have always needed secondary scoring and I think they have found it in Cammalleri. Two years ago Mike had 30 goals and 80 points with Los Angeles. Cammalleri is a streaky player, but if he can get consistent he can be an NHL all star. This trade may have made Calgary one of the favorites in the Western Conference.

7) Redden to the Rangers - I am not sure he deserves the contract he got with New York, but if he bounces back to become an all star again it will be worth it. Redden is a solid puck moving d – man and that is exactly what the Rangers needed. The last couple of years have not been great for Wade, but he has proven that he has the ability to be one of the best defenseman in the NHL.

6) Dan Boyle to Sharks – San Jose needed a puck moving D – Man and they got one of the best in Boyle. Dan’s contract is a little hefty, but he is a legit number one defenseman in the NHL. Boyle immediately improves the power play and will make it easier to get the puck up the ice when at even strength. The Sharks lost Campbell and Boyle was the best man out there to replace him with. If Boyle is healthy, he will be an all star in San Jose.

5) Tanguay to Montreal - The long rumored deal of Tanguay to Montreal finally happened this off season. Tanguay had an off year last season, but is a highly gifted offensive forward. Tanguay will add to the already deep Montreal forward lines to create one of the best top two lines in hockey. A Quebec native there will be a lot of pressure on Tanguay this year, but I look for him to be a point a game player.

4) Ryan Malone Signs with the Lightning – Tampa Bay finished last season with the worst record in the NHL, that will not happen this year. Malone is a young power forward who will be an excellent 2nd line player with Tampa. Malone will likely play along side 1st overall pick Steven Stamkos. The Lightning have always had trouble with there secondary scoring and Malone should help fix that. He has the potential to put up a point a game in the league, while providing toughness. Over the long run Malone may end up being the best signing from this off season.

3) Brian Campbell to the Blackhawks – To much money?, maybe , but there is no doubt that Campbell is a top offensive defenseman in the NHL. The Blackhawks are young and exciting and Brian should add some leadership to the team. The Blackhawks are on the up swing, and hope the addition of Campbell will lead them into the playoffs. Campbell will run the power play and lead the team from the back end, look for Campbell to be among the top scoring d – men this season.

2) Phoenix Acquires Jokinen – Phoenix needs to make the playoffs this year, to get some fans in the arena. Olli Jokinen is one of the most under rated players in the league, mostly because he has spent his whole career in Florida. He is a better then a point a game player and will team up with Shane Doan to be the top point producers on the team. Its nice to see Phoenix get a great player like Olli and I think they will make the playoffs this year led by him. A healthy Jokinen will have more then a point a game and provide much needed leadership to a young team.

1) Hossa is a Wing - The surprise of the summer came when Marian Hossa signed a one year contract with the Stanley Cup Champions. Hossa is a true NHL all star and left a lot of money and years on the table in order to have a chance at winning a Cup with the Wings. Detroit already has all stars Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, with Hossa they are ready to score a lot of goals this year. Hossa fits right in with the Red Wing philosophy of top players playing in all situations. Marian is a solid defensive player and he will get a chance to show it off in Motown. No one knows what will happen this year, but Hossa was the best player to change teams this off season.

The season still needs to played and you never know what could happen, but some of these moves will have massive impacts on the teams involved. Some of these moves could set teams in the wrong direction as well. The season starts in a couple of weeks, enjoy the games.