Their point production and fantasy hockey value is rising. With a little luck, a few of these guys could be in for a breakthrough fantasy hockey season.
The stats line in each entry indicates games played, goals, assists, and total points in 2009-10.
Evgeni Malkin, forward, Penguins
Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Age: 24
2009-10: 67-28-49-77
Here's a look at his year-by-year point totals so far: 86-106-113-77. So we still don't know what a typical Malkin season might look like. But you can bet it doesn't look like 77 points. The Penguins have every right to expect 90-plus from a maturing star.
Brad Boyes, forward, Blues
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Age: 28
2009-10: 82-14-28-42
There wasn't much to like about the Blues last year, but they're on the rebound. Boyes will rebound with them, back to 25-30 goal territory.
Semyon Varlamov, goalie, Captals
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Age: 22
2009-10: 15 wins-4 losses-6 OT losses
2.55 goals-against average, .909 save percentage
With Jose Theodore out of the picture, Varlamov could double the 26 starts he recorded last year. Even if he suffers the usual ups and downs of young goalies, his numbers should look very good playing behind the powerhouse Caps.
Jarome Iginla, forward, Flames
Age: 33
2009-10: 82-32-37-69
Many are slotting Iginla in the past-his-prime/inevitable-decline column. But he's not that old, and is surely capable of bouncing back from his lowest scoring total in five years. Everything went wrong for Calgary last season. At least one thing will go right this year: Iginla's return to 80-plus points.
Jason Spezza, forward, Senators
Age: 27
2009-10: 60-23-34-57
Spezza sure fell out of favor in a hurry. But he had 73 points two years ago, and averaged 89 points in three seasons before that. He's just entering his prime and has Sergei Gonchar running the Ottawa power play. If healthy, he's a lock for 70-plus.
Steve Mason, goalie, Blue Jackets
Age: 22
2009-10: 20 wins-26 losses-9 OT losses
3.06 goals-against average, .901 save percentage
Mason's pedigree does not suggest a flash in the pan. His awful 2009-10 had one good sign: he got better as the season went on. A safe bet is to expect much better numbers than last year, but perhaps not at the level of his stellar rookie season.
Drew Stafford, forward, Sabres
Age: 24
2009-10: 71-14-20-34
Stafford dropped 11 points off his rookie pace of 2008-09 (nagging injuries didn't help). But he's talented, hard-nosed and hard-working, and at the right age to break into the 50-60 point range.
Lubomir Visnovsky, defense, Ducks
Age: 34
2009-10: 73-15-30-45
He's no Scott Niedermayer, but he steps into the legend's skates as the leading playmaker on the Anaheim blue line. That means he logs plenty of power play time with the killer combo of Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan. That could vault him back to the 50-60-point level he used to hit a few years ago.
Sam Gagner, forward, Oilers
Age: 21
2009-10: 68-15-26-41
Two consecutive season of 41 points surely represents the bottom of his range. Don't expect the world - he's still a kid - but if the Oilers make any kind of move towards respectability, Gagner will benefit by gaining another ten points or so.
Blake Comeau, forward, Islanders
Age: 24
2009-10: 61-17-18-35
There are several young Islanders who could be ready for big years (Tavares, Okposo, Bailey). Comeau might be the least talented, but he's the most experienced. He salvaged a so-so 2009-10 with a hot streak over the final 20 games or so, indicating that 35 points should be his rock-bottom minimum.
