The RotoWire NHL Top 251: Updated Overall Rankings

The RotoWire NHL Top 251: Updated Overall Rankings

1 Alexander Ovechkin, F, WAS, Thank the gods if you get the 1-pick.
2 Sidney Crosby, F, PIT, Finally emerging into the goal scorer we want.
3 Nicklas Backstrom, F, WAS, He's the Robin here, but still a superstar.
4 Evgeni Malkin, F, PIT, Blame the off season on injures.
5 Steven Stamkos, F, TAM, He'll maintain the breakout and supporting cast will be better.
6 Henrik Sedin, F, VAN, More shots and assertiveness would be nice.
7 Ryan Miller, G, BUF, Olympic hero is NHL's best puck-stopper right now.
8 Pavel Datsyuk, F, DET, World class player but hard to make a profit on Detroit's top guys.
9 Zach Parise, F, NJD, High-energy forward is an MVP sleeper.
10 Martin Brodeur, G, NJD, One more time, with feeling.
11 Mike Green, D, WAS, Forget the playoffs, pony up for the 82-game carnival.
12 Dany Heatley, F, SAN, Forty goals a safe bet but he leaves you wanting more.
13 Daniel Sedin, F, VAN, Foot issue ruined what would have been gigantic year.
14 Roberto Luongo, G, VAN, A little moody and erratic, but what goalie isn't?
15 Drew Doughty, D, LOS, Start building a trophy case for all those Norris Trophies.
16 Joe Thornton, F, SAN, Brilliant playmaker but how about some shots, Joe?
17 Patrick Kane, F, CHI, Here's hoping he keeps his focus in the year after.
18 Ilya Kovalchuk

1 Alexander Ovechkin, F, WAS, Thank the gods if you get the 1-pick.
2 Sidney Crosby, F, PIT, Finally emerging into the goal scorer we want.
3 Nicklas Backstrom, F, WAS, He's the Robin here, but still a superstar.
4 Evgeni Malkin, F, PIT, Blame the off season on injures.
5 Steven Stamkos, F, TAM, He'll maintain the breakout and supporting cast will be better.
6 Henrik Sedin, F, VAN, More shots and assertiveness would be nice.
7 Ryan Miller, G, BUF, Olympic hero is NHL's best puck-stopper right now.
8 Pavel Datsyuk, F, DET, World class player but hard to make a profit on Detroit's top guys.
9 Zach Parise, F, NJD, High-energy forward is an MVP sleeper.
10 Martin Brodeur, G, NJD, One more time, with feeling.
11 Mike Green, D, WAS, Forget the playoffs, pony up for the 82-game carnival.
12 Dany Heatley, F, SAN, Forty goals a safe bet but he leaves you wanting more.
13 Daniel Sedin, F, VAN, Foot issue ruined what would have been gigantic year.
14 Roberto Luongo, G, VAN, A little moody and erratic, but what goalie isn't?
15 Drew Doughty, D, LOS, Start building a trophy case for all those Norris Trophies.
16 Joe Thornton, F, SAN, Brilliant playmaker but how about some shots, Joe?
17 Patrick Kane, F, CHI, Here's hoping he keeps his focus in the year after.
18 Ilya Kovalchuk, F, NJD, Thanks for ruining our summer.
19 Martin St.Louis , F, TAM, Mighty-mite hasn't missed a game in four years.
20 Jimmy Howard, G, DET, Location, location, location.
21 Henrik Lundqvist, G, NYR, Empire staple hates to miss a game.
22 Jarome Iginla, F, CGY, Upside is gone but the floor works for us.
23 Duncan Keith, D, CHI, Might be Chicago's most important player.
24 Tuukka Rask, G, BOS, Meet the league's next superstar goalie.
25 Anze Kopitar, F, LOS, The LA Kings, hockey as it oughta be.
26 Jonathan Toews, F, CHI, Unfortunately, leadership is not a category.
27 Jason Spezza, F, OTT, Gets more flak in Ottawa than he should.
28 Marian Gaborik, F, NYR, You want to bet on another healthy year from him?
29 Rick Nash, F, COB, It would be nice to see him on an elite team just once.
30 Ryan Getzlaf, F, ANA, If healthy, he'll return to 2007-09 levels.
31 Marc-Andre Fleury, G, PIT, He'll play a lot, they'll win a lot.
32 Eric Staal, F, CAR, Upper-body injury hurt him in first half, expect rebound.
33 Tomas Vokoun, G, FLA, Somehow he's been underrated all these years.
34 John Tavares, F, NYI, If anyone is "this year's Stamkos" it's this guy.
35 Ryan Kesler, F, VAN, Hidden man in Vancouver, still a value.
36 Miikka Kiprusoff, G, CGY, When he loses focus, he's Kiprusoft.
37 Pekka Rinne, G, NAS, Team concept protects his numbers.
38 Craig Anderson, G, COL, Don't chase him, necessarily, but he's legit.
39 Patrick Marleau, F, SAN, Don't pay the freight on a career year.
40 Alexander Semin, F, WAS, Now you see him, now you don't.
41 Corey Perry, F, ANA, Still on the escalator, improves every year.
42 Vincent Lecavalier, F, TAM, Tampa should be one of the most improved teams in 2010-11.
43 Marty Turco, G, CHI, Skills look spotty but the defense is superb.
44 Mike Richards, F, PHI, A point-a-game likely, but don't pay for more.
45 Ilya Bryzgalov, G, PHO, Deserved more of an MVP shake.
46 Henrik Zetterberg, F, DET, Wonderful skills but tends to be overpriced.
47 Shea Weber, D, NAS, Just be happy you're not a goalie, shaking in front of his howitzer.
48 Danny Briere, F, PHI, Reminded us of his skills during monster playoffs.
49 Jonathan Quick, G, LOS, He's a stud but they play run-and-gun.
50 Cam Ward, G, CAR, He's riding with the most underrated team in east.
51 Sergei Gonchar, D, OTT, Another PP you'll want a piece of.
52 Paul Stastny, F, COL, He'll eventually make a run at 90-100 points.
53 Jeff Carter, F, PHI, You have to be pretty good when 33 goals disappoints everyone.
54 Derek Roy, F, BUF, Probably has peaked but it's not a bad neighborhood.
55 Johan Franzen, F, DET, If the Mule stays healthy, 40 goals is possible.
56 Dion Phaneuf, D, TOR, Let's just forget last winter happened.
57 Travis Zajac, F, NJD, Eventually will develop into a 30-50 guy.
58 Semyon Varlamov, G, WAS, There's no right answer on him.
59 Bobby Ryan, F, ANA, Rick Nash, OC version.
60 Dan Boyle, D, SAN, Speed and smarts always have a place in this game.
61 Niklas Backstrom, G, MIN, Location provides nice backdrop.
62 Jonas Hiller, G, ANA, A shame we don't see him more on Saturdays.
63 Antero Niittymaki, G, SAN, Should be a safe play but Niemi looms.
64 Steve Mason, G, COB, Not a bad spot-play for home starts.
65 Chris Stewart, F, COL, Puck kept falling for him in second half, which makes us nervous.
66 Michael Cammalleri, F, MON, Where did all the PP goals go?
67 Dan Ellis, G, TAM, If you buy the rebound, you'll want him too.
68 Nicklas Lidstrom, D, DET, This is still an elite power play.
69 Zdeno Chara, D, BOS, Don't tell him we said so, but he's overrated.
70 Tomas Plekanec, F, MON, A legitimate top-six forward but not really a horse.
71 Loui Eriksson, F, DAL, Bet on 30-35 goals, but stop at that.
72 Brad Richards, F, DAL, Rebounded in Dallas but doesn't fill scarce categories.
73 Carey Price, G, MON, Million dollar talent or untrustworthy flake?
74 Erik Johnson, D, STL, He's going to be a dynamo very soon, get in.
75 Christian Ehrhoff, F, VAN, Deep blueline here but he's the intriguing guy.
76 Daniel Alfredsson, F, OTT, Headed for 38th birthday, be realistic.
77 Kari Lehtonen, G, DAL, Can he stay healthy and start paying us back?
78 David Krejci, F, BOS, Better playmates will mean better stats.
79 Tyler Myers, D, BUF, Baby, you're a big star now.
80 Jaroslav Halak, G, STL, Playoff hero heads to a weaker club.
81 Chris Pronger, D, PHI, You hate him unless you're a Flyers fan.
82 Simon Gagne, F, TAM, Bring your insurance card.
83 Jason Pominville, F, BUF, A safe bet to play the entire schedule.
84 Marian Hossa, F, CHI, Hasn't justified the contract but it's not your money.
85 Thomas Vanek, F, BUF, Pay for 30 goals, hope for 40.
86 Phil Kessel, F, TOR, As consistent as a paper cup in a hurricane.
87 Bryan McCabe, D, FLA, At least he's good at the one thing we care about, power-play stuff.
88 Pascal Leclaire, G, OTT, Looks like their best, but not a long leash.
89 Alexander Frolov, F, NYR, Gets a change of scenery at right time.
90 Matt Duchene, F, COL, Fell off the map down the stretch but he's still a kid.
91 Patrick Sharp, F, CHI, More valuable to the Hawks than he is to us.
92 Brian Rafalski, D, DET, You'll never lose money on him.
93 Mikko Koivu, F, MIN, Pass-first centers aren't huge in fantasy.
94 Ales Hemsky, F, EDM, Edmonton's train wreck can't be pinned on him.
95 Erik Karlsson, D, OTT, Make sure he sticks on that first PP group.
96 Chris Mason, G, ATL, Will his defense help him at all?
97 Teemu Selanne, F, ANA, It wouldn't be the same without Teddy Flash.
98 David Backes, F, STL, Does a little of everything, helps STL more than us.
99 R.J.Umberger, F, COB, Underrated scorer if they give him full ice.
100 Jonas Gustavsson, G, TOR, Fun to watch, but they don't have the horses.
101 Keith Yandle, D, PHO, Another reason to get your defense late.
102 Tomas Kaberle, D, TOR, You know what you're getting here.
103 Alex Goligoski, D, PIT, If he's going to pop, this is the time.
104 Ryan Suter, D, NAS, He's the Rhoda here but still pretty good.
105 Joe Pavelski, F, SAN, Playoff hero won't be quite as exciting over the grind.
106 Brooks Laich, F, WAS, Caught up in the Beltway Undertow.
107 Kristian Huselius, F, COB, Impact player when he feels like it.
108 Jiri Hudler, F, DET, Back in Detroit and don't laugh, they need him.
109 Patrik Elias, F, NJD, If you get to 75 games, kiss the ice.
110 Patric Hornqvist, F, NAS, When in doubt, follow the shots on goal.
111 Jakub Voracek, F, COB, Doesn't bring it every night but they'll still lean on him.
112 Dwayne Roloson, G, NYI, Always gets the most of out of his ability.
113 Mason Raymond, F, VAN, Decent surrounding but don't bid past 2009-10 production.
114 Pavel Kubina, D, TAM, Get some Tampa guys this year, trust us.
115 Dustin Penner, F, EDM, One of the few Oilers who didn't mail it in.
116 Michael Del Zotto, D, NYR, Moves puck well but has a lot to learn in other end.
117 Jack Johnson, D, LOS, He's not Doughty but might be a star anyway.
118 T.J.Oshie, F, STL, He'll get as much ice as he wants.
119 Niklas Kronwall, D, DET, Breakout should have happened by now.
120 Wojtek Wolski, F, PHO, Should be on the top PP unit.
121 Patrice Bergeron, F, BOS, Can the hockey gods give him a break some day?
122 Jamie Benn, F, DAL, Deserves a bigger piece of the pie.
123 Jay Bouwmeester, D, CGY, How about maxing that talent, big guy?
124 Dustin Brown, F, LOS, Captain crunch but never will be major scorer.
125 Andrei Markov, D, MON, Hopes to return by end of October (knee).
126 Ryan Callahan, F, NYR, He'll be good for a long time, but not a superstar.
127 Brian Boucher, G, PHI, Gets a shot while Leighton gets right.
128 Nikoli Khabibulin, G, EDM, A little help would be nice.
129 Peter Mueller, F, COL, There's a pedigree here, and he spiked after deal.
130 Alexei Ponikarovsky, F, LOS, Not the easiest player to motivate.
131 James Neal, F, DAL, Last year probably will stand as his best.
132 Brian Campbell, D, CHI, He's out for the first month.
133 Nathan Horton, F, BOS, They'll love him in The Hub.
134 Alexander Edler, D, VAN, Welcome to the City of Blueliners.
135 Jamie Langenbrunner, F, NJD, Intangible guy doesn't have a ton of fantasy juice.
136 Andrew Brunette, F, MIN, Cagey veteran still knows how to move the puck.
137 Taylor Hall, F, EDM, He'll be a star someday, but not immediately.
138 Mike Knuble, F, WAS, Hanging out in the right neighborhood.
139 Michael Leighton, G, PHI, Back injury wipes out his first month.
140 Nik Antropov, F, ATL, Bad hip could lead to slow start.
141 Andrei Kostitsyn, F, MON, A star on the right night, invisible on the wrong one.
142 Zach Bogosian, D, ATL, Worth a spike gamble, but expect a minus rating.
143 Alexandre Burrows, F, VAN, We expected a dip even before shoulder issue.
144 Tobias Enstrom, D, ATL, Ordinary physical skills but sees the ice well.
145 Marek Zidlicky, D, MIN, Not the star we expected way back but he's still useful.
146 Kurtis Foster, D, EDM, Great PP skills but has trouble staying healthy.
147 Kris Versteeg, F, TOR, Probably will see more ice in the YYZ.
148 Brenden Morrow, F, DAL, Team captains are often overrated in our numbers-grab.
149 Ville Leino, F, PHI, Was that playoff run real or mirage?
150 Brian Elliott, G, OTT, One of the more intriguing No.2 guys.
151 Shane Doan, F, PHO, Now in mid-30s, no sure thing to get numbers back.
152 Jussi Jokinen, F, CAR, If only life were a shootout.
153 Rich Peverley, F, ATL, Ringleader of the Peverly Hillbillies.
154 John Carlson, D, WAS, A star in 2-3 years, plenty good for now.
155 Marc Savard, F, BOS, Post-concussion issues, no one knows here.
156 Stephen Weiss, F, FLA, Goal jump looks a little suspicious.
157 Brad Boyes, F, STL, He's a lot better than last year's nightmare.
158 Mike Fisher, F, OTT, Will celebrity married life affect his game?
159 J.P.Dumont, F, NAS, Offensive talent but this isn't a go-go team.
160 Tom Gilbert, D, EDM, Knows what to do on the man-advantage.
161 Matt Carle, D, PHI, We were hoping for a star career, will have to settle for pretty good.
162 Jose Theodore, G, FA, Still unwanted as we go to press.
163 Antti Niemi, G, SJ, It's not like he's behind a lock-down guy.
164 Scott Gomez, F, MON, Pass-first guys don't fry our bacon.
165 Antoine Vermette, F, COB, So long as he rides with Nash, we're kinda on board.
166 Alex Steen, F, STL, Underrated scorer but will he be stuck on third line?
167 P.K.Subban, D, Mon, Nifty puck mover shoved his chops in the playoffs.
168 Mike Smith, G, TAM, Capable if a change is needed.
169 Ryan Malone, F, TAM, At least you're not stuck paying him.
170 Claude Giroux, F, PHI, Came on late and looms as a sleeper.
171 David Perron, F, STL, Still just 22, he can get a lot better.
172 Mikael Samuelsson, F, VAN, Decent puzzle piece but he's not a game-changer.
173 Alex Kovalev, F, OTT, What if he were born with a work ethic?
174 Milan Hejduk, F, COL, A back issue and he's 34.
175 Rene Bourque, F, CGY, Nifty season, but don't bet on his health history.
176 Matt Moulson, F, NYI, Don't sleep on some of these Island scorers.
177 David Booth, F, FLA, Super talent but coming off concussion issues.
178 Evander Kane, F, ATL, Ready for a meatier role.
179 Dennis Wideman, D, FLA, Needed city change after messy winter.
180 Niclas Bergfors, F, ATL, Swaps supporting cast for playing time.
181 Johnny Boychuk, D, BOS, The reason Wideman was expendable.
182 Jean-Sebastien Giguere, G, TOR, Goalie values are all about context.
183 Ryan Smyth, F, LOS, Treated like a star but doesn't deserve label.
184 Sheldon Souray, D, EDM, Loves to shoot the puck, and get hurt.
185 Ray Whitney, F, PHO, Estimable pro but it's risky betting on old-timers.
186 Brian Gionta, F, MON, Handy and useful but doesn't have dominant skills.
187 Michael Frolik, F, FLA, Didn't flash last year but he's still a kid.
188 Steve Ott, F, DAL, Give him a bump if you need some PIMs.
189 Ryane Clowe, F, SAN, Lunch-pail type isn't a fantasy target.
190 Martin Erat, F, NAS, Handy guy to have around, but doesn't score enough goals.
191 Vinny Prospal, F, NYR, Holding on but there's no longer an upside.
192 Tyler Seguin, F, BOS, He'll need 2-3 years to get to universal relevance.
193 Michael Grabner, F, FLA, Panthers will give him a chance to stick on key lines.
194 Victor Hedman, D, TAM, Give him one more year, then pay up.
195 Matt Cullen, F, MIN, Another nameless, faceless forward in Minnesota.
196 Jason Blake, F, ANA, Easy guy to root for, but point total doesn't match shot production.
197 Tomas Fleischmann, F, WAS, On the right club but he isn't an ice-time priority.
198 Joni Pitkanen, D, CAR, Has a value but there are so many guys just like him.
199 Andrew Ladd, F, ATL, They'd be wise to make him a Top-6er.
200 Guillaume Latendresse, F, MIN, Power-play specialist could get 25 again.
201 Olli Jokinen, F, CGY, 911 is a joke in your town.
202 Zack Boychuk, F, CAR, Looks ready to be a Top-6 guy.
203 Matthew Lombardi, F, NAS, No point breakout likely in this city.
204 Martin Havlat, F, MIN, Traditionally, he's been a tease bet.
205 Devin Setoguchi, F, SAN, Only if he sticks with Thornton.
206 Valtteri Filppula, F, DET, Upside is 60 points, but wait until late rounds.
207 Jordan Staal, F, PIT, Foot problem, out somewhere between 2-6 weeks.
208 Brent Seabrook, D, CHI, Physical player helps Chicago more than us.
209 Michal Neuvirth, G, WAS, No pedigree but maybe he'll get a chance.
210 Tim Thomas, G, BOS, It's a cruel game sometime.
211 Lee Stempniak, F, PHO, One of many worker bees here.
212 Brandon Sutter, F, CAR, Too versatile for his own good.
213 Joe Corvo, D, CAR, You always feel he leaves 10-15 points on the table.
214 Andy McDonald, F, STL, Another handy center you can add anytime you want.
215 Saku Koivu, F, ANA, Playmaking center, move along.
216 T.J.Galiardi, F, COL, Needs strong push to show he's a Top-6er.
217 Alex Tanguay, F, CGY, He's been overrated for years.
218 Milan Michalek, F, OTT, Never cheats you, but won't explode on scoresheet.
219 Marco Sturm, F, BOS, Won't be fully healthy for opener.
220 Dustin Byfuglien, D, ATL, Shifting back to the blue line in 2010-11
221 Stephane Robidas, D, DAL, Should get enough ice to matter to us.
222 Magnus Paajarvi, F, EDM, Exciting left wing should get a role right away.
223 Jonathan Bernier, G, LOS, Quick would have to get hurt.
224 Todd Bertuzzi, F, DET, Dinged up (back), to no one's surprise.
225 Tomas Holmstrom, F, DET, Made a career out of being a pest.
226 Ryan Whitney, D, EDM, Offensive skills but he's bouncing around for a reason.
227 Niklas Hagman, F, CGY, Is he good enough to hang with the cool kids?
228 Jason Demers, D, SAN, Knows offense but has a lot to learn elsewhere.
229 Scott Hartnell, F, PHI, Good at many things, but not a dynamic point producer.
230 Tim Connolly, F, BUF, A shame his body hates him so much.
231 Jason Arnott, F, NJD, There's something left but the upside is long gone.
232 Jordan Eberle, F, EDM, It's coming someday, but he's still just 20.
233 Mikhail Grabovski, F, TOR, Nobody has whispered the right words to him yet.
234 Michael Ryder, F, BOS, Unstoppable for a month, and then he stops himself.
235 James Van Riemsdyk, F, PHI, Bringing up baby, but needs another year for us.
236 Chris Drury, F, NYR, Broken finger might cost him two weeks.
237 Ed Jovanovski, D, PHO, Probably has another useful year tucked in him.
238 Marc-Andre Bergeron, D, MON, He's good at one thing but drives coaches crazy.
239 Nikita Filitov, F, CMB, Can they mend the fences here?
240 Ron Hainsey, D, ATL, Pride of the River Hawks (a mythical bird).
241 Rick DiPietro, G, NYI, One for the what-if file.
242 Ondrej Pavelec, G, ATL, Don't draft backups on bad teams.
243 Matt Stajan, F, CGY, Don't look for him on the first line.
244 Jochen Hecht, F, BUF, Probably loses 10-15 percent of last year's haul.
245 Kyle Okposo, F, NYI, Shoulder issue, look for him in December.
246 Brandon Dubinsky, F, NYR, He'll be available for pickup when you need him.
247 Sam Gagner, F, EDM, Teases us for a month, then skates away.
248 Kris Letang, D, PIT, Nothing special but his playmates are.
249 Gilbert Brule, F, EDM, Some offensive chops but not a front-liner.
250 Kyle Quincey, D, COL, Bouncing around but he moves the puck well.
251 Mark Streit, D, NYI, Shoulder surgery, maybe back in February?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Ferris
Ferris covers the PGA Tour for RotoWire. He is an award-winning sports writer and a veteran fantasy columnist. He also is a scratch golfer.
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