Top 100 Players

Chris Nichols | September 23, 2011, 12:00 pm

Twitter https://twitter.com/Nichols_NHLPool

Hockey Hearsay will resume on Monday.

CRITERIA

For ’11-12 SINGLE SEASON fantasy pools which equally weigh goals, assists, plus/minus, penalty minutes, power play points and shots on goal.

PHILOSOPHY

This annual fall offering groups forwards, defencemen and goaltenders onto one list, which is the closest I can come to actually being beside you at your computer when you draft.

Power forwards are often the gold standard in these sorts of fantasy leagues because they combine an effective blend of points with peripheral categories like penalty minutes and shots on goal. Adjust the netminders as needed when the inevitable goalie runs occur and you can use Monday’s Top 60 Goaltender Rankings, Wednesday’s Top 50 Defencemen Rankings and Thursday’s Top 80 Forward Rankings to round out your positions as your draft wears on. Tuesday’s Poolie Sleepers may also provide a few ideas for you.

Best of luck in your draft.

Hockey Hearsay will resume Monday and as is the case 12 months of the year, you’ll have the opportunity to email in your fantasy hockey question and hopefully have it answered in the blog.

Live NHL recaps, which include timely line combos and defensive pairings from every team in action along with stats, streak and rants, will begin on Thursday, October 6.

TOP 100 PLAYERS

Nos. 1-10

1. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals: 26 years old. Between his commitment to change his summer routine, Bruce Boudreau trying to add more offensive flow back into the Caps' game and just the fact that the Russian is an offensive demon, there is no reason to have Ovechkin anywhere but the top slot. He's downright dominant and we should expect higher goal and shot totals this season.

2. Steven Stamkos: C, Tampa Bay Lightning: 21 years old. Not only should he once again challenge for a 50-goal campaign, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him crack the 300-SOG mark for the first time in his young career. And lost in the brilliance of back-to-back 90+ point seasons has been the fact that for standard league owners, he racked up 74 PIM in his 82 GP.

3. Daniel Sedin, LW, Vancouver Canucks: 30 years old. Four of the past five years have seen at least a point-per-game average from the talented Swede, including 189 points in his past 145 games in the past two regular seasons. Throw in his combined +66 rating in those two years and what's not to love in pools? 42 power play points alone in '10-11.

4. Henrik Sedin, C, Vancouver Canucks: 30 years old. Stop and admire those assist marks: 158 helpers in his past 164 regular season starts. Unreal. Then there's this... six straight seasons with nary a game missed and only 10 GP where he hasn't started in his 10-year career. With the built-in twin brother-on-his-line factor, it's just a joy to own the Sedins.

5. Corey Perry, RW, Anaheim Ducks: 26 years old. The Peterborough-born winger took his game to an entirely different level last season. Aside from believing in his talent, the fact that he'll almost always play with Ryan Getzlaf and often Bobby Ryan is a great safety net for poolies. He wants fewer PIM this time around and a drop in points of some kind is realistic.

6. Henrik Lundqvist, G, New York Rangers: 29 years old. Since King Henrik came into the NHL following the lockout, few goalies can match his record of consistency and poolies love the safe feeling of having him between the pipes. John Tortorella's defensive teachings have really paid off for this hard-working Rangers team and adding Brad Richards means more leads with which Hank can work.

7. Martin St. Louis, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning: 36 years old. 5-8 and 176 pounds of awesome. He only has 38 PIM combined over his past three seasons, but who cares with those point totals? The undrafted Quebec native is the epitome of what any child playing hockey should aspire to be because his heart and drive are unmatched.

8. Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh Penguins: 25 years old. Coming off a major knee event, there are bound to be some concerns from poolies about the incredibly-talented pivot. His preseason debut was described as "dominant" by Dan Bylsma and "awesome" by Marc-Andre Fleury. Malkin worked HARD over the summer and is highly-motivated to get back to an elite level.

9. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins: 24 years old. "Symptom-free" is the term we've been hearing after each workout, skate and practice. Soon, hopefully, we'll be able to add the magic words: "Cleared for contact". His health is a complete wild card right now, but you know the potential payoff when he's back to being the most talented and productive player in the league. In case you missed it yesterday, read the Forward Rankings and see my Crosby-specific thoughts when it comes to the draft. There was no fresh Crosby news today before publication of the Top 100.

10. Tim Thomas, G, Boston Bruins: 37 years old. It's important you secure Tuukka Rask if you take Thomas because the Finn stands a strong chance of passing the 30 GP mark this time around. But on a strong team, with Thomas' track record and the fact that we always know which of the two will start before fantasy rosters lock in nightly, it's just too attractive of a situation to pass up.

Nos. 11-20

11. Zach Parise, LW, New Jersey Devils: 27 years old. Chances are good the first round pick from 2003 will skate with centre Patrik Elias and Parise is a strong candidate to post at least a point-per-game with extremely high shot totals. There seem to be no knee-related issues to worry about either. Given his low GP total from last year, he'll likely be a deal in drafts this fall.

12. Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, New Jersey Devils: 28 years old. Ignore the 60 points and -26 rating in his first season with the Devils and focus on post-All-Star break numbers of 17-14-31 in 33 GP and a +3 rating (he was even from January on too, overall). He was an easy target for critics and people slammed him left and right last year. The guy is a supreme fantasy winger. Period. He's been skating with centre Jacob Josefson and I like that tandem a lot.

13. Roberto Luongo, G, Vancouver Canucks: 32 years old. The guy is a lightning-rod of controversy among fans, but let's keep our eye on the prize here and remember playoff performances from any year are irrelevant. In regular season fantasy pools, his numbers have generally been outstanding since he joined the Canucks. A dip from last year's stellar stats seems probable, but the overall bottom line should still be quite enticing.

14. Ryan Getzlaf, C, Anaheim Ducks: 26 years old. The past couple of seasons have seen GP totals of only 66 and 67. Not catastrophic, by any stretch, but you'd like to see more with such an early fantasy pick. Still, his strong wingers help protect his assist totals and even though we may not see another 121-PIM campaign, the sin bin mileage will still be a strong part of his fantasy equation.

15. Ilya Bryzgalov, G, Philadelphia Flyers: 31 years old. The Flyers' off-season UFA prize, a long-awaited franchise goalie, should have the personality needed to deal with the pressure of that market and his nine-year, $51M contract. The team's strong defensive corps, led by Chris Pronger, is incredibly goalie-friendly and the team should go from last year's zero shutout total to a strong number there this year.

16. Eric Staal, C, Carolina Hurricanes: 26 years old. Were it just for his point totals, the eldest Staal brother would find himself further down the list. But add in his penchant for shooting the puck with his quietly strong penalty minute results and he becomes a reliable top-end fantasy asset who always seems to be out on the ice for the Canes.

17. Pavel Datsyuk, C, Detroit Red Wings: 33 years old. If you were going to give a game DVD of any player in the NHL to a youth coach to show his team, try finding a better example of what to do on the ice than this veteran forward. I've taken what I've learned from him to become a more cerebral two-way threat on my EASHL league team on Xbox. Yeah, that's right. I'm a fantasy geek. What did you expect?

18. Brad Richards, C, New York Rangers: 31 years old. While it's no slam-dunk he'll find immediate success on Broadway, having a lethal sniper in Marian Gaborik on his wing and a former mentor who appreciates all aspects of his game in John Tortorella should be enough to propel Richards to a strong fantasy campaign. A franchise L1 C and PP1 QB in one package? Exactly what the Rangers needed. To a "T". He and Gaborik will finally make their debut together against Martin Brodeur and the Devils tonight.

19. Pekka Rinne, G, Nashville Predators: 28 years old. This is a UFA season for Rinne and Ryan Suter, while Shea Weber's one-year arbitration award carries him into another RFA period. They're the core of this team, all hungrier than ever for the best possible payday. Rinne's shutout numbers have been consistently high season-to-season, but last year's unreal GAA/ SV% again? Doubtful. Still strong though.

20. Rick Nash, LW/RW, Columbus Blue Jackets: 27 years old. Finally having a legitimate franchise centre in Jeff Carter should mean consistent point-per-game campaigns from Nash, who remains an underrated winger defensively. The two should find chemistry, but the one thing I was worried about when the Carter trade was announced was he's one of the rare shooting centres and Nash blasts it from everywhere. A playmaking winger is CRUCIAL here, although Nash's playmaking skills are often undervalued too.

Nos. 21-30

21. Nicklas Backstrom, C, Washington Capitals: 23 years old. The young Swede is committed on both sides of the puck and having back-to-back 200+ SOG campaigns boosts his already-strong value with the Alex Ovechkin factor. Backstrom is a gifted passer with hands not many in the game can rival. Marcus Johansson will also centre Ovechkin some (they're spending a lot of time together so far), which generally means Backstrom and Semin paired up on another unit.

22. Nicklas Lidstrom, D, Detroit Red Wings: 41 years old. His body of work speaks for itself and the level of consistency with which he provides poolies superb results is the reason he enters what might be his final NHL campaign as the top-rated fantasy rearguard. The man, the myth, the legend. You can tell your grandkids you watched one of the best defencemen that ever has or ever will lace them up.

23. Henrik Zetterberg, W/C, Detroit Red Wings: 30 years old. Four straight seasons of at least 300 shots vault this winger up the charts each fall and regardless of how the line combos end up playing out on any given night for Mike Babcock, we know this Swede will be a positive contributor to the bottom line in any fantasy format. Entering his ninth NHL season.

24. Patrick Kane, RW, Chicago Blackhawks: 22 years old. The wrist should be a non-issue. The more pressing thing on the mind of poolies should be Kane's recent statement that he wants to "take the next step to the elite level". Remember this is a former first overall pick who is absolutely capable of greatness. He should be producing 300+ SOG each year, which could mean 35+ goals and 90-100 points annually if he's that driven.

25. Bobby Ryan, LW, Anaheim Ducks: 24 years old. Three members of the same line in the Top 25 means you have a pretty damn good line. The New Jersey-born forward chips in healthy numbers in most categories and his value from that is underlined by the fact that you'll hardly EVER see a guy who's usually a second power play unit regular ranked this highly. He carries that much value in standard formats. When Teemu Selanne retires (sad face), that should move Ryan onto PP1 all the time.

26. Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles Kings: 24 years old. His recovery from the torn ankle ligament surgery seems to have gone swimmingly and the acquisition of Mike Richards to anchor the second line and take some of the weight from Kopitar's shoulders should provide the boost needed for the franchise pivot to move higher than the point-per-game pace of the past few seasons.

27. Lubomir Visnovsky, D, Anaheim Ducks: 35 years old. Since joining the Ducks from Edmonton late in the '09-10 campaign, this veteran blueliner has been lights-out with 81 points in 97 starts. Putting his puck-moving abilities on the first power play unit with that firepower has been a dream for fantasy owners; never mind what they accomplish at even strength. The shoulder issues from late last season shouldn't be much of an issue in the grand scheme of this season.

28. Jarome Iginla, RW, Calgary Flames: 34 years old. In the early part of last season, hockey writers couldn't churn out enough "Iginla's finished" columns. Cut to April, where he had racked up 43-43-86 with his fourth outstanding statistical output in the past five years. He'll slow down at some point, but it hasn't happened yet and Alex Tanguay's playmaking skills have helped to reinvigorate Iginla's finishing game.

29. Teemu Selanne, RW, Anaheim Ducks: 41 years old. After finally being able to gauge that his surgically-repaired knee would be able to withstand another year of the NHL grind, the Finnish Flash agreed to dazzle fans for one more season. He can still do in his 40s what most players are unable to get done at any point in their careers. Appreciate him while he's here.

30. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Pittsburgh Penguins: 26 years old. His career peripherals are not overly impressive and in fantasy, stats are what matter. But Fleury, who HBO's 24/7 revealed to be a big-time jokester with teammates, has really seen his game mature on the ice. That, combined with Dan Bylsma's well-coached structure in front of him, pushes MAF's ranking and expectations higher than normal. A healthier offence this time around also means more leads, which makes it easier to play good defence when you're not having to push hard and take unnecessary chances.

Nos. 31-40

31. Ryan Miller, G, Buffalo Sabres: 31 years old. Miller has long-since been a goaltender that was much more valuable to his teammates on the ice than he's been to poolies, although his memorable '09-10 campaign heightened hopes. Bottom line... his stats have been mostly mid-level aside from that year, but having an owner like Terry Pegula with deep pockets and a desire to win helps Miller's outlook. Jhonas Enroth should allow enough rest too.

32. Jonathan Toews, C, Chicago Blackhawks: 23 years old. One of the top-producing faceoff men (56.7%) in the NHL last season among fantasy-worthy options, the young centre should again be able to challenge the point-per-game plateau. The PIM drop we saw last year was made up for with the jump in offence and he's a combined +47 in the past two seasons.

33. Claude Giroux, C, Philadelphia Flyers: 23 years old. Last season was a true coming out party for the Hearst, Ontario-born forward, who has alternated between the wing and centre in his time with the Flyers. Now a full-time pivot sans Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, Giroux's deft playmaking abilities should mesh well with the emerging James van Riemsdyk and propel the centre to around a point-per-game offering for poolies.

34. Dan Boyle, D, San Jose Sharks: 35 years old. A gem in any sort of fantasy format, this veteran defenceman is especially valuable for standard league owners. Continually a strong power play presence, Boyle chips in huge point totals with steady PIM and SOG. He's out there in every conceivable situation and the addition of Brent Burns should help both Boyle and the Sharks overall with more puck-moving ability on the back end.

35. Carey Price, G, Montreal Canadiens: 24 years old. The Vancouver-born netminder really settled down last season and was able to focus his vast talents, putting up career bests across the board. Canadian markets are tough and the Canadiens' market is especially brutal on players, but Price was able to rise above the criticisms and deliver tremendous results. Repeating the success is the challenge now.

36. Kris Letang, D, Pittsburgh Penguins: 24 years old. With a healthy Evgeni Malkin, a prepared James Neal and Sidney Crosby seemingly closer and closer to a comeback, Letang's blend of points, PIM and SOG could be an absolutely lethal combo for fantasy owners this year. His first half numbers were off-the-charts last season and his totals should be even greater this time around.

37. Zdeno Chara, D, Boston Bruins: 34 years old. Standing at 6'9, not much goes unnoticed about this behemoth. Eight straight seasons of at least 39 points, penalty minute and shot totals that surpass many power forwards and a +/- on a contending Bruins team that pads the stats well. The hidden bonus this season could be Joe Corvo, who may provide Chara an extra power play boost and push him back into the 50-point range.

38. Dustin Byfuglien, D, Winnipeg Jets: 26 years old. There's really no way to tell if the boating-related charges will distract Byfuglien's on-ice performance this season, but it's clear the weight-related furor after his arrest was baseless and should not concern fantasy owners. If he can produce anything near last year's results this time around, he could quite seriously go into '12-13 as the top-rated standard league blueliner and a top-15 overall pick.

39. Mike Green, D, Washington Capitals: 25 years old. This immensely-talented defencemen ended up costing many poolies in a huge way with last year's disappointment, but his resulting plummeting stock value will reward those who believe in him going forward. He'll likely be available much later than this in most drafts and the payoff should vastly exceed his cost.

40. Jeff Carter, C, Columbus Blue Jackets: 26 years old. After playing both centre and the wing in Philly, Carter is looking to turn the page on his former team and will do so as the full-time number one pivot. Having an elite finisher like Rick Nash won't hurt, but it's also time for Carter to add more than his lone point-per-game '08-9 season to his resume. Also under-noted is that Carter will be a full-time PP1 presence with CBJ; whereas in Philly it was PP1/PP2.

Nos. 41-50

41. Marian Gaborik, RW, New York Rangers: 29 years old. Rebounding to a 40-40-80 pace, for however many games he's healthy, is completely reasonable with Brad Richards as Gaborik's centre. Look at what the winger was able to accomplish in his first year on Broadway with no one nearly as talented as Richards feeding him. The two will find chemistry sooner or later. They're too perfect for each other not to be a golden pairing.

42. Jonathan Quick, G, Los Angeles Kings: 25 years old. He heads into the season as the No. 1 man, having accomplished a lot statistically last year. The caveat for now is that the door has been opened for Jonathan Bernier to run with the starting role on this solid Kings team if he's the hot hand, although realistically the same situation would have presented itself last year had Quick not been so effective. Grab both, just in case.

43. Martin Brodeur, G, New Jersey Devils: 39 years old. It's the last year of his contract, but I believe Marty will sign on for at least one more year with the Devils if they're competitive in the East and avoid last year's first half disaster. Physically he seems to be fine at his age and Pete DeBoer's system, while more up-tempo than Jacques Lemaire's, still lends itself to typically-staunch Jersey D expectations in front of the team's goalie.

44. Marian Hossa, RW, Chicago Blackhawks: 32 years old. Hidden in his depleted GP totals in his two years with Chicago is a winger who loves to shoot the puck, but who needs better health luck to get back to being a point-per-game player. He averages fewer PP minutes than Kane, Toews and Sharp and that aspect of his fantasy game suffers as a result, but he's still a star-quality asset who will have a beneficial +/- as well.

45. Alexander Semin, RW, Washington Capitals: 27 years old. Like every other star on the Capitals, the 6-2, 209-pound winger produced lower-than-expected offensive totals in '10-11. Similarly, his stock - like that of his teammates - should rise again this season with more of an offensive focus. He'll chip in on every single offensive category, including PIM, so buy low on him while you can. He'll fall to you later than this in many drafts.

46. Joe Thornton, C, San Jose Sharks: 32 years old. His post-lockout stats prior to last season are unreal... 125-385-510 in 406 GP. Then he falls to 70 points in 80 starts, which represented a 29-point drop from the prior year, and suddenly people are gun-shy on him? Whatever. The more rounds he's passed on, the better a bargain he'll become. Improved all-around player doesn't have to mean poor point totals. Point-per-game challenge is on.

47. Milan Lucic, LW, Boston Bruins: 23 years old. The B.C product matured into a legitimate first line power forward last season, blowing past his young career records. His value is only enhanced by the fact that he's playing for the Bruins, who combine to offer poolies a strong +/- in addition to whatever offensive stats are accumulated. Even a drop in points this time around, were it to happen, wouldn't too adversely impact his worth given the large PIM.

48. Keith Yandle, D, Phoenix Coyotes: 25 years old. An 18-point rise in his offensive output, 23 more PIM, 11 more PPP and an additional 54 shots vaulted Yandle past most fantasy defenders' bottom line when all was said and done last year. He's still the main pointman in Phoenix, but repeating a 59-point campaign is easier said than done. PIM/ SOG help his value, but let's see the points again and then we'll talk higher rank for '12-13.

49. P.K. Subban, D, Montreal Canadiens: 22 years old. More than 38 points seem likely to come for the outgoing Subban in his sophomore campaign, but the reason he's a Top 50 fantasy player in standard leagues rests mainly with his frequent sin bin visits and partially with a willingness to shoot the puck so much. This kid is just scratching the surface of his talent and within the next few years you'll see him taken several rounds earlier than this even.

50. Antti Niemi, G, San Jose Sharks: 28 years old. In his second year with the Sharks, who have made significant strides defensively and who also added Brent Burns, Colin White and Jim Vandermeer to the defensive corps, Niemi is in an excellent position to succeed. 13 shutouts in only 97 regular season NHL starts? Not too shabby. Expect strong peripherals and a potential run at the 40-win mark.

Nos. 51-100

51. Jason Spezza, C, Ottawa Senators:

52. Patrick Marleau, LW, San Jose Sharks:

53. Tomas Vokoun, G, Washington Capitals:

54. John Tavares, C, New York Islanders:

55. Mike Richards, C, Los Angeles Kings:

56. Patrick Sharp, W/C, Chicago Blackhawks:

57. Danny Briere, C, Philadelphia Flyers:

58. Ryane Clowe, LW, San Jose Sharks:

59. Chris Stewart, RW, St. Louis Blues:

60. Shea Weber, G, Nashville Predators:

61. Cam Ward, G, Carolina Hurricanes: