This article is part of our NHL Waiver Wire series.
The NHL season is still in its infancy, but we're already seeing a number of shockers that surely nobody could have predicted -- far more than in previous years.
1. Arizona has started piping hot
Contrary to my ardent belief that the Coyotes would be a disaster in the desert this year, everything is coming up Arizona early. With a 3-1 record at the time of writing, and a plus-7 goal differential only four games into the season, they're no pushovers, and look like they could continue this start well into the season. Young guns Anthony Duclair and Max Domi are among the league leaders in rookie scoring (first and second, respectively, in points; first and third in goals) and show no signs of being flashes in the pan. Both are receiving a lot of ice time, and showing productivity, flair, and, most important, a sense of belonging in the adult game. Combine that with solid goaltending from Mike Smith, reliable defense from Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and the veteran leadership of Shane Doan and you have an underdog in the making that can turn heads.
If you're looking to capitalize on the early success, Duclair and Domi are obvious candidates, but Martin Hanzal has seven points in four games, and is widely available with a 12 percent ownership. If you can't get your hands on one of the scorching-hot rookies, look to see if Hanzal is available. He's more likely to remain consistent with his production, whereas the rookies
The NHL season is still in its infancy, but we're already seeing a number of shockers that surely nobody could have predicted -- far more than in previous years.
1. Arizona has started piping hot
Contrary to my ardent belief that the Coyotes would be a disaster in the desert this year, everything is coming up Arizona early. With a 3-1 record at the time of writing, and a plus-7 goal differential only four games into the season, they're no pushovers, and look like they could continue this start well into the season. Young guns Anthony Duclair and Max Domi are among the league leaders in rookie scoring (first and second, respectively, in points; first and third in goals) and show no signs of being flashes in the pan. Both are receiving a lot of ice time, and showing productivity, flair, and, most important, a sense of belonging in the adult game. Combine that with solid goaltending from Mike Smith, reliable defense from Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and the veteran leadership of Shane Doan and you have an underdog in the making that can turn heads.
If you're looking to capitalize on the early success, Duclair and Domi are obvious candidates, but Martin Hanzal has seven points in four games, and is widely available with a 12 percent ownership. If you can't get your hands on one of the scorching-hot rookies, look to see if Hanzal is available. He's more likely to remain consistent with his production, whereas the rookies are often on-again-off-again.
2. Pittsburgh is ice cold
In the exact opposite way that Arizona has turned heads to their start, not one analyst could have predicted the poor opening that the Penguins have experienced out of the gates. Their 0-3 start against Dallas, Arizona and Montreal was perplexing not for the outcomes as much as the listless half-effort they exuded throughout. They've railed off two wins in succession -- Ottawa and Toronto -- following their 0-3 start but have still looked out of sorts in both victories. Most surprising: Frigid Sid, who, as of Saturday night, is now pointless in his first five games of the season. As far as I can determine through my analysis of his game logs in his career, this has never happened to him. Ever. Five consecutive games without a point. It almost appears that Phil Kessel is a carrier for the Underperform virus, and he's brought that with him from Toronto.
The fortunate part for fantasy GMs is that this statistically cannot continue for much longer. The Penguins are just too talented and too experienced to allow a slump to continue much longer. Either they will find their legs on their own, or a coaching change may be on the horizon to jumpstart things. While big names like Crosby, Kessel and Evgeni Malkin are unlikely to be moved this early in the season, you can probably find reasonably good deals now on supporting characters who are underperforming -- like Chris Kunitz and Kris Letang. Keep your eyes peeled as I'm sure this underperforming is temporary.
3. San Jose is charged
Despite losing stud Logan Couture to a leg injury for the next month and a half, the Sharks are coming at their opposition with renewed vigor. Joe Paelski has a goal and three assists combined with a complete stat line of a plus-four, four PIM, a PPG and a GWG; combine that with understudy-turned-lead Martin Jones between the pipes turning in a .982 SV%, 0.49 GAA and two shutouts already, and it's little wonder they're 4-0 to start the year. In those four games, they've also seen 15 skaters register at least a point -- hardly the case of one or two players catching fire. Add to that a goal differential of plus-12, and you have all the hallmarks of a team firing on all cylinders while those around them are struggling to get up-to-speed.
Even as early on as it is, many of the top players on the Sharks are likely gone from your pool due to name recognition. One guy you may be able to snag in most pools is Joel Ward, who already has three assists, and is available in 95 percent of leagues. He's riding the wing with Tomas Hertl and Patrick Marleau -- a potent second line, and one that's likely to see more action with the loss of Couture.
4. Anaheim is grounded
Much like Pittsburgh in the East, Anaheim has tripped out of the gate to an 0-3-1 start, and sits just one point up on Edmonton for last in the West. Unlike the Penguins, little has changed year-over-year to warrant such a drastic difference; in fact, some key adds of Kevin Bieksa, Carl Hagelin and Mike Santorelli should have had a net-positive effect, stabilizing some of their weaknesses. Instead, they have one goal in four games, and have allowed 11. Their offense has been active, but unproductive; their defense has been soft, and their goaltending, porous. Rumours already abound that Bruce Boudreau has limited time left on the clock after having such an amazing season last year.
Regardless of the outcome, the situation in Anaheim doesn't look like it's going to be resolved anytime soon. If you hold Ducks, sit on them for the time being. If you covet Ducks, you might be able to get them at a discount -- but word to the wise: aside from gems Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, it is unknown how much meat is on the bone now. Sit tight and let this resolve itself before investing.
5. Montreal is the real deal
Any time you finish a statement with "the first time in Montreal Canadiens history," you know you're saying something impressive. Their 6-0 start is the first in Habs history, and the previous three times they went 4-0, they won the Stanley Cup. Not too shabby. Combine that with Carey Price coming off the season he had -- where he cleared the awards table into the back of his Escalade -- and you have a lot of excitement coming out of La Belle Province. Word to the wise, though: their opening six wins have come at the hands of Toronto, Boston, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, New York Rangers and Detroit -- at this stage of the season, not one real challenge to test their mettle. Their game against St. Louis this Tuesday looks to be the litmus test as to just how good they are. A win there should be able to get them to 10-0, considering their subsequent games will be against Buffalo, Toronto and Vancouver.
At this point, any player in the top six forwards or top four defense would be a great add for your fantasy team. Even a guy like Torrey Mitchell, who is 1 percent owned, is a great fill at the bottom of a deep roster -- he can add a lot of grid and PIM, but also plus-minus categories are often topped by third-line players on elite teams.
