Mike Brophy

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy writes Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday on Sportsnet.ca and appears regularly on Hockeycentral.

Four years after being drafted by Columbus, Brule is showing promise in Edmonton.

We tend to spend a lot of time dwelling on the shortcomings of players that are struggling, and as we should.

Let's be honest; hockey is a results-oriented sport and when athletes are paid a lot of money and aren't pulling the weight it's hard to hide (especially when you are being paid the really big bucks).

As a result, the likes of Ottawa's Jason Spezza ($8 million), the Rangers' Chris Drury ($8.04 million) and Montreal's Scott Gomez ($8 million) are often the focal point of conversations about some disappointing aspect of their team's season.

The Senators, for example, have played rather well defensively -- a testament to Cory Clouston's effective coaching. One wonders, though, if the Senators wouldn't rank higher than seventh in the Eastern Conference if Spezza had more than three goals in 27 games? This is a guy who averaged 33 goals a season the past three years, but is on pace for just nine this year.

The Rangers got off to an amazing 7-0-1 start, but have since slipped to 11th place in the East. Drury, who had 30- and 37-goal seasons with Buffalo before joining the Rangers as a free agent three years ago, has two goals in 24 games. Gomez, who was traded to the Canadiens by the Rangers in the off-season, has four goals in 27 games playing for a team that has somehow kept itself in the playoff hunt despite numerous key injuries.

There are players, however, who are enjoying excellent great bounce-back years and are taking steps toward re-establishing themselves as players of note, including:

Brad Richards, Dallas Stars: Richards was one of the NHL's best centres when he helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup in 2004 -- winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the playoffs along the way. In the wake of that success his game slipped to the point where the Lightning traded him to the Stars. Despite playing better defensively last season, Richards' production dipped to 16 goals and 48 points in 56 games. This season Richards has nine goals and 35 points in 28 games as of Wednesday, good for eighth in league scoring, and he's a plus-1. That is notable since he was a combined minus-50 the past three years.

Maxim Afinogenov, Atlanta Thrashers: There was a time, early in the 2005-06 season coming out of the lockout, when the speedy Russian was one of the NHL's most effective players. The crackdown in obstruction appeared to fit his game perfectly. It didn't last long; after seasons of 22 and 23 goals with Buffalo, Afinogenov stumbled to 10 and then six last year. This season Afinogenov has 11 goals and 26 points in 27 games and is a big reason why the Atlanta Thrashers have been so competitive. He signed a one-year deal for $800,000 and is clearly determined to get himself a new multi-year deal worth substantially more.

David Jones, Colorado Avalanche: A lot was made of the early season contributions from teenage sensations Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly (as well as goaltender Craig Anderson) in putting the Colorado Avalanche on the map. And rightly so. But don't overlook the play of third-year right winger Jones who, with 10 goals in 23 games, has already surpassed his single-season high of eight in 40 games last year. Remarkably, two of his goals came while the Avs were playing shorthanded and three were game-winners. Sadly, Jones wrecked his knee and is now out indefinitely.

Thomas Kaberle, Toronto Maple Leafs: The subject of trade rumours the past couple of seasons, Kaberle is either raising his value on the trade market or proving himself to be too valuable for the Leafs to move. In 29 games the smooth-skating Czech has 29 points, two fewer than he scored in 57 games last year. He is on pace to produce 79, which would obliterate his single-season high of 67.

Gilbert Brule, Edmonton Oilers: Dustin Penner has been the story in Edmonton with a fine turnaround season, but Brule has also taken huge steps towards establishing himself as a productive centre (after many had written him off). Selected sixth overall in the 2005 draft by Columbus, Brule has struggled to establish himself as a bona fide NHLer. With seven goals (two game-winners) and 17 points in 27 games, Brule seems to be a player the Oilers can build on. Remember, he is only 23.