Fantasy Hockey 2011: Year in 365 Words

From my prospective, it's been a strange and wild fantasy hockey season so far. Our two favourite hockey stars Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin are nowhere to be seen in the top half of scoring, obviously Crosby having a pass on that - no such sympathy for Ovechkin.

Surprises this season include Joffrey Lupul and Kris Versteeg, both were unsettled at some point now having found a nice offensive rhythm to their game. If someone said at the start of the season that Brian Elliot and Mike Smith would have more fantasy points than Roberto Luongo, Ilya Bryzgalov and Carey Price at this point of the season they would probably fall down crying in laughter. But it's true.

Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are the real new kids on the block. Superstars in the making. Die another day, veterans Teemu Selanne, Patrik Elias, Ray Whitney, Jaromir Jagr, Olli Jokinen and Ryan Smyth are all well over 30 and have 30 or more points. Honorable mention to Tim Thomas who continues to get the job done.

What's wrong with Bobby Ryan, Matt Duchene and Alex Pietrangelo? Their talented, but their numbers are borderline embarrassing.

Will veterans Curtis Glencross and Michael Ryder hit the 60 point plateau? My prediction is yes.

There are a few stars that don't get the recognition they deserve. Thomas Vanek, Patrick Sharp, Mikko Koivu get the job done year in year out but still haven't been recognized in that upper echelon of offensive producers. This year is no exception.

I'll admit, Phil Kessel has obviously had a great season - but I think he'll finish outside the top 5. The best fantasy skater so far this season? No doubt its been Claude Giroux. Skater I said Giroux, but the overall picture. Wait for it... it's goaltender Jimmy Howard 22 wins and 3 shut-outs is good for #1 fantasy player in my books.

Barring health concerns I do believe that Claude Giroux could end up with the most points at the end of the year but I wouldn't be surprised if it were the Sedin's 1 and 2. Although with that said Evgeni Malkin may be the best (healthy) player on the planet.