Throughout the year we will be ranking who we think the top 5 players are in each position every month. These lists will change and it?s based on what they?ve done thus far in the year. Defensemen 1. Nicklas Lidstrom- This guy does it all. He carries the puck, sets players up, doesn?t take stupid penalties and is a plus 13 on the year so far. Only 3 goals so far but that will come. 2. Chris Pronger- The rock in Anaheim, constantly playing almost half a game and brings toughness and scoring to the table. With the Ducks turning it around, his production will rise. 3. Dion Phaneuf- In his contract year he isn?t missing a beat thus far into the season. However, will it be a distraction once the playoff race arises? 4. Sergei Gonchar- Has become the field general on this young Penguin defense. His offensive flair has shown as well as his ability to lead has been very surprising so far in this season. He has become very valuable to this team 5. Zdeno Chara- The surprising Bruins will only go as far as this man can take them. So far this year he is a plus 4, which is a big improvement on last year, and has been contributing well offensively, defensively and leadership wise. If this continues he will be the class of D-men again On the Bubble: Sergei Zubov, Paul Ranger, Brian Rafalski Right Wing 1. Jarome Iginla- The leader of the Flames has been nothing short of their best player so far this year, as expected. In order for the Flames to compete for their division, or even just a playoff spot, he has to stay this way. 2. Daniel Alfreddson- He is the heart and soul of the Senators, easily their most valuable player. All the pressure in Ottawa goes towards this man by the media, fans, and ownership. The fact remains if he doesn?t deliver night in and night out he is scrutinized. But so far so good this year. 3. Danny Heatley- One of the most consistent players in the league. Not only is he scoring at a regular pace, but also has a killer plus 17 to go with it. Also showing a little bit of grit this year. Only knock on him is that he plays some left wing as well to accommodate his teammates. 4. Marian Hossa- After 3 points in his first 9 games, Hossa has exploded for 19 points in his last 14 games. If he keeps this up he?ll be moving up this list very quickly. 5. Marty St. Louis- He has started to pick it up lately as well, playing along side Lecavalier, Marty has 32 points in 26 games. However, we would like to see his goal production improve from 9, with that shot that he has. On the Bubble: Patrick Kane, Alexei Kovalev, Thomas Holmstrom Left Wing 1. Henrik Zetterberg- Henrik started off the year on fire and became the early leader in the scoring race. Since then he has cooled off a bit but not enough to lose his spot as the top left winger. 2. Ilya Kovalchuk- Since Don Waddell took over the Thrashers, Kovalchuk has been on fire. If Zetterberg is #1, Kovalchuk is #1b. He probably the most electrifying player in the game right now. 3. Alexander Ovechkin- Alex is doing nothing wrong right now. It?s just that the other two are going beyond what was expected of them (which was a lot) that they had to be put ahead of AO. He right now is competing for the Rocket Richard trophy with 20 goals on the year and currently has 16 points in his last 12 games. 4. Zach Parise- Other than Brodeur, Mr. Parise has been carrying most of the load for the Devils. With 16 points in his last 9 games he has become the offensive catalyst with this team. One wonders if he can keep it up though? 5. Rick Nash- With Ken Hitchcock as coach, Nash has become a more complete player. He has found his scoring touch again with 16 goals on the year, but has figured out how to pass the puck by having 12 assists on the year, which is only 4 off his total in 2004 where he tied for the league lead in goals with 41. Nash has been reliable defensively as well by being given more time on the penalty kill. On the Bubble: Brenden Morrow, Evgeni Malkin Goaltenders 1. Henrik Lundqvist- The Rangers have been surprisingly defensive this year, scoring 2 goals or less many-a-time. With that said, they have been relying on Lundqvist heavily. Henrik has 4 shutouts this year (even though one of them he didn?t get the win) and is 2nd the league in GAA, behind Chris Osgood who has played 8 less games. 2. Roberto Luongo- He got off to one of the worst starts a top goalie could have, but since being booed on his home ice his game has picked up back to recognizable levels. It?s only a matter of time before he?s the best again. 3. Martin Brodeur- What?s a list without Martin Brodeur. This goalie will probably be known when all is said and done. He recently pulled into 2nd all time in shutout during the season and is 1st all time with combined shutouts in the regular season and playoffs. He is the main reason the Devils are still competitive along with Zach Parise. 4. Pascal Leclaire- It?s strange to see a Blue Jacket goalie on a top 5 list that isn?t from the bottom, but Pascal deserves it. Under Ken Hitchcock, the Jackets have become a pretty good defensive team, and Leclaire has reaped the benefits. He has 6 shutouts over the season to lead the league. 5. Niklas Backstrom- Backstrom started off the year well, as did the Minnesota Wild. However, since then the Wild have come back down to Earth. Backstrom however still has 12 wins on the year with a 2.22 GAA. We?ll see how long he can stay on top. Bubble: JS Guigere, Miikka Kiprusoff Center 1. Vincent Lecavalier- He should have been an MVP candidate last year, and will definitely be one this year if he keeps this up. In the 26 games played, Vinny has 41 points to lead the league. On top of that, he currently has 18 goals which places him 3rd in the league. How can someone who?s competing for the Hart, Art Ross, Richard, and Pearson awards not be the top at his position? 2. Sidney Crosby- The kid is probably the best player in the game. He is most definitely the most valuable player off the ice. On it he?s no slouch either, being right behind Lecavalier in points. If Lecavalier is #1, Crosby is #1b. 3. Mats Sundin- Sundin leads the Leafs in every possible offensive category you can think of, and then some you can?t. If the Leafs were a contender he?d be an MVP candidate at this stage of the game no question. Right now, he?s the only constant that?s keeping things from falling apart in the big smoke. 4. Mike Richards- The sophomore curse has been lifted and Richards has taken off. If he continues to play like this he?ll find his way not only to the allstar game, but might take home some major trophies as well. Mike Richards currently has 31 points in 25 games, which is way more anyone could have imagined him having. 5. Rod Brind?Amour- This guy is probably having the best offensive season that no one is talking about. Last year?s Selke winner has added some offensive flair with 31 points in 27 games. This adds to the resurging Carolina Hurricanes club that won the Cup only 2 years ago. Bubble: Joe Thornton, Ryan Getzlaf, Marc Savard Do you agree? Disagree? Feel free to email me at kirshenblatt@gmail.com