Fantasy Hockey 2009: Forwards

1. Alexander Ovechkin - I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Alexander Ovechkin is the best hockey player in the world.  He's not the best all around player, but nobody is more feared, more difficult to contain or more exciting to watch than AO.  He's a threat to score 50-60 goals, take a ton of shots and score over 100 points easily.

(Photo by Reuters Pictures)

2. Sidney Crosby - Finally Crosby has a pair of competent wingers to go along with his outstanding playmaking ability.  If Sid can rack up over 100 points with guys like Colby Armstrong and Pascal Dupuis, imagine how well he'll do with Kunitz and Guerin.  With good wingers, Crosby has 40 goal, 80 assist potential.

3. Evgeni Malkin - The reigning Art Ross and Conn Smythe winner has been living a dream for the past year.  He may wake up to a nightmare when the puck drops this season.  Geno will have the same problem Sid had for the last few years and skate between two guys that should be third or fourth liners.  For Malkin's sake, I hope Bylsma puts him on Crosby's line for most of the year or he'll struggle.

4. Pavel Datsyuk - The best all around player (and most underrated) in the game today just keeps getting better and better each year.  Over the last four seasons, his point totals have been 87, 87, 97, 97 and his average plus/minus over those years was a +25.  I'm looking for him to break the century mark and be one of the top 5 in scoring once again.

5. Dany Heatley - I had originally written this post while he was a member of the Senators and had him ranked 12th and Joe Thornton ranked 13th.  With one trade, everything changes.  Heater gets out of Ottawa and will now play on a line with one of the best playmakers in the game.  His numbers have dipped in the past couple seasons, but I expect them to bounce back this year and see him get back to 50-50 form.  This trade makes him an elite talent once again. 

6. Joe Thornton - After another playoff flop and a down season for Big Joe, was going to take a big hit.  However, since the Heatley trade his fantasy value gets a big boost.  Since joining San Jose, the best player he's had to work with was Patrick Marleau and those two were only together on the same line for short periods of time.  Thornton makes players better.  He made Jonathan Cheechoo into a 56 goal scorer in '06 and despite not really having anyone to pass to since then, still puts up around 80 points.  The addition of Heatley makes him a virtual lock for 100 points.

7. Henrik Zetterberg - Big Z's numbers took a hit last year as he dealt with injury problems and was used differently with Hossa on the team.  With Hossa gone now, Hank will be back on the top line and should get back to his 07-08 numbers which was a 43 goal, 49 assist, +30 season. 

8. Ryan Getzlaf - After getting off to a slow start, Getzlaf came on strong late in the season and seemed almost unstoppable in the playoffs.  With the Ducks looking stronger on offense this year, he should have no problem improving on his numbers and have a career year.  One thing to be cautious about however is that he's currently recovering from sports hernia surgery and could get off to another slow start.

9. Ilya Kovalchuk - Atlanta's goal machine is in the final year of his contract and Kovalchuk is looking to cash in big.  He is a shoe in for another 40+ goal, 40+ assist season, however playing for the Thrashers is killing his plus/minus.  If your league doesn't count plus/minus, then feel free to rank him higher than 7th.

10. Marian Gaborik - Everybody's favorite injury prone player changed his address this off season and is now residing in the Big Apple.  The Rangers by no means have a great offense, but its better than suffocating in Minnesota's defensive scheme.  Gabby had surgery on his oft injured groin and it should fix this problem permanently however its being reported that he's already dealing with a tweaked groin in camp.  If he can stay healthy, expect a big return.  He played in 17 games last year and had 13 goals.

11. Alexander Semin - The other Alexander on the Capitals was on the verge of a breakout season before injuries limited him to just 62 games.  Semin is extremely talented and when he was on a line with Ovechkin it almost looked unfair.  If he plays on AO's line for a whole year and stays healthy, his numbers will be scary.

12. Jarome Iginla - He's probably one of the most frustrating players to own.  No, he doesn't get injured, but he's very inconsistent from year to year.  One year, he'll post 50 goals, the next he'll score 35.  Playing in Calgary's all out offensive system Iginla only potted 35.  The Flames are said to focus more on defense this year which can only hurt his numbers.  Hopefully Olli Jokinens' presence will open up some room and help him get back to at least 40 goals.

(Photo by Reuters Pictures)

13. Rick Nash - Another inconsistent player was Columbus' captain.  He finished with 40 goals on the year, but fell into some horrible slumps throughout the year.  He was either an all or nothing player.  If the Jackets could find a good center to gel with Nash, he would be a 50 goal scorer easily.  Derick Brassard showed a lot of promise and is returning after a season ending injury last year and he could be that guy.

14. Vincent Lecavalier - Once upon a time, there was an argument as to who was the best player in the world.  Crosby or Lecavalier?  I think that has been definitively answered.  Vinny had one of the of the worst seasons in his career in 08-09, but battled nagging injuries the whole season.  Tampa Bay's porous defense didn't help his plus/minus either.  The Lightning appear to be a better team and if Vinny can get healthy and back on track, he could return to his 50 goal, 50 assist form. 

15. Eric Staal - He's not good enough to be considered an elite player and will probably never reach that level, however, he's consistent.  He's scored 38+ goals in 3 of the last 4 seasons and I believe he has yet to reach his full potential.  He's the whole show in Carolina, so if the Canes score, odds are he contributed in some way.

16. Mike Richards - Oh how I wish he played for a different team.  Mike Richards is the complete package.  Great passer and shooter, smart on defense, and hits hard.  His numbers have increased each season since coming into the league.  He will have a breakout year soon and it could be this one.  40 goals and 60 assists is within reach for the Flyers captain.

17. Jonathan Toews - No matter what line he's on this year, Toews will have a top notch winger to pass to.  Whether its Hossa or Kane, Toews its win win.  He was a 34 goal, 35 assist player last year.  I expect a 40 goal, 50 assist season this year.

18. Patrick Kane - If Sidney Crosby was a cocky winger, that played for the Blackhawks and beat up a cab driver over 20 cents, he would be Patrick Kane.  Kane has an unlimited offensive upside, but he has yet to reach that potential.  With the addition of Hossa, he will have less pressure to produce and he has a slick playmaker on his line with Jonathan Toews.

19. Marc Savard - The slick passing first line center for the Bruins enjoyed another 60+ assist season as well as adding 25 goals.  The contract hold out with Phil Kessel is hurting his value.  The B's have plenty of good forwards, though, so Savard will make it work no matter who is on his line.

20. Olli Jokinen - After being acquired by the Flames at the trade deadline last year, he caught fire, no pun intended.  Jokinen had 15 points in 19 games and looked like a wild animal that was finally let out of its cage (Sorry Panther and Coyote fans... assuming you exist).  Once upon a time, he was a lock for 35+ goals.  He should reach that level once again with Calgary.

21. Daniel Sedin - So despite all the speculation about the twins being broken up in the off season, they remained together and remain in Vancouver.  Daniel is the goal scorer of the two and therefore has more fantasy value.  He nearly matched his career highs last season and should get another 30+ goal, 50+ assist season.

22. Jeff Carter - He made a huge jump in goal production last year going from 29 to 46.  As impressive as that is, I would want to see him do it again before counting on that type of production annually.  His production declined in the second half and disappeared in the playoffs.

23. Zach Parise - How can a 45 goal, 49 assist player be ranked so low?  Two words.  Jacques Lemaire.  The hockey devil is back in Jersey to make the Devils the boring team they once were.  You can forget about a repeat performance for Parise, but he will still post solid numbers no matter how much Lemaire tries to force him to play boring hockey.

24. Johan Franzen - The Red Wings brass felt that Franzen was a better investment than Hossa and now we'll see if they're right.  Franzen is a power forward with good defensive skills and should crack the 40 goal mark as long as he can stay healthy.

(Photo by Getty Images)

25. Bobby Ryan - The second overall pick in the 2005 draft (the first being Crosby) lit the lamp 31 times in 64 games after starting off the season in the minors due to salary cap restrictions.  Ryan was a rookie of the year finalist and shows a tremendous upside coming into this season and should be paired up with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf.  This could be one of the more lethal lines in hockey this year.

26. Patrick Marleau - In his first year with the new system that takes advantage of players speed, Marleau posted careers numbers.  Assuming he'll be paired up with Joe Thornton again, he should easily match those numbers again this year, but the Sharks have been talking about trading Marleau because of salary cap problems and he could fall into a bad situation, hurting his value.

27. Jason Spezza - With Heatley trying to get out of Ottawa, Spezza may not have that elite scorer on his wing much longer.  The Sens acquired Alexei Kovalev in the off season, but he's a far cry from the firepower Heatley provided.  If Spezza is going to have good fantasy value in Ottawa, Heatley needs to stay. 

28. Corey Perry - The 24 year old Perry scored a career high 32 goals last season, topping his previous high of 29.  Perry just keeps getting better and better every year and with guys like Getzlaf and Ryan on his line, 40 goals are very possible and 50 is within reach.

29. Martin St. Louis - The former Art Ross and Hart Trophy winner posted some nice numbers despite playing for a bad team.  Marty figures to be Vincent Lecavalier's linemate again this year and should pick up another 70-80 points on his wing.  I can't but help wonder how good he would be on a better team.

30. Marian Hossa - No, I'm not making Hossa last because he left my team.  Hossa will miss the first couple months of the year due to a rotator cuff injury that he apparently suffered during the playoffs.  Personal feelings aside, the guy is a great player.  Very gifted offensively and smart defensively.  If you can stand to have him on IR or on your bench for the first couple months, he's not a bad pickup.  Although, a lot of players that miss for an extended period of time and show up at mid season don't play very well till the playoffs, if at all.