Every Monday until the end of the season, Hockey Prospectus will provide updated Player Power Rankings for the top 10 skaters and top five goalies in the NHL based on HP's proprietary value metric, GVT, a statistic that combines player contributions in all aspects of the game, including defense and the shootout.
While Thomas Vanek continues to lead the skater rankings, a venerable veteran has risen up to No. 2, as Saku Koivu has helped carry the Anaheim Ducks to the top of the Pacific standings.
Player Power Rankings: Skaters
These rankings
are through Feb. 10.
Rank
Player
Team
Pos.
Off. GVT
Def. GVT
Shootout GVT
Total GVT
1
Thomas Vanek
Buffalo Sabres
F
6.9
1.4
0.6
8.9
Vanek continue to pad his lead in the goals (11) and points (23)
race, and what is more impressive is that he's doing it mostly at even
strength. Only 30 percent of his points have come on the power play, less
than the average of the top 20 scorers (43 percent).
2
Saku Koivu
Anaheim Ducks
F
4.1
1.8
0.6
6.5
Koivu had a superb week, with 5 points in 4 games (3 wins) and a
shootout marker against Anaheim, but if he continues to average less than a
shot per game his scoring levels are sure to drop.
3
Sidney Crosby
Pittsburgh Penguins
F
4.3
1.5
0.6
6.4
It's a sign of the expectations Crosby creates that it's almost
disappointing he's "only" third in the NHL scoring race, but the
Penguins still boast the NHL's fifth-best offense.
4
Patrick Kane
Chicago Blackhawks
F
5.6
0.8
-0.1
6.3
One of the top scoring surprises of the year, Kane's performance
is one of the reasons the Blackhawks can claim to be the season's best team
so far, though he has yet to play a single second of shorthanded time.
5
Steven Stamkos
Tampa Bay Lightning
F
5.3
0.4
0
5.7
ear not, Lightning fans: While the team has lost its past three
games, two of them by a single goal, they had won their previous five by a
combined score of 28-11.
6
Alex Pietrangelo
St. Louis Blues
D
3.1
2.3
0
5.4
Pietrangelo can reasonably claim to be the best defenseman in
the NHL so far this season, among the league leaders in ice time and all
offensive categories, and he is one major reason the Blues' power play has
been the best in the league by miles.
7
Kevin Shattenkirk
St. Louis Blues
D
3.4
1.9
0
5.3
Only the Blues' abominable goaltending so far this season (a
league-worst .857 save percentage) has masked the fact that the Blues have
been a dominant team, outshooting their opponents 340-244.
8
Kyle Turris
Ottawa Senators
F
2.4
2.2
0.6
5.2
While there are good odds Turris won't be eighth in GVT at the
end of the season, he has done a remarkable job as the No. 1 center in Ottawa
in Jason Spezza's absence.
9
Patrick Marleau
San Jose Sharks
F
3.8
1.4
0
5.1
Proof that hockey, in the short term, is full of randomness:
After 9 goals and 4 assists in his first 5 games, Marleau now has 0 goals and
1 assist in the 6 following games.
0
Cory Conacher
Tampa Bay Lightning
F
4.1
1
0
5.1
Conacher stalled a bit this week, but his overall rookie numbers
remain impressive, especially given his limited ice time. In addition, the
Lightning have controlled the flow of play well while he's been on the
ice.
Player Power Rankings: Goalies
These rankings
are through Feb. 10.
Rank
Player
Team
Pos.
Goalie GVT
Def. GVT
Shootout GVT
Total GVT
1
Craig Anderson
Ottawa Senators
G
14
-0.1
-1.8
12
Anderson was finally mortal this week, allowing 8 goals on 81
shots (.901 save percentage), but despite this he continues to lead the
league in GAA, save percentage and GVT.
2
Antti Niemi
San Jose Sharks
G
7.9
0.1
0.2
8.3
Niemi managed to lose and register a shutout in the same game
this week, keeping Phoenix scoreless for 65 minutes but finally losing in the
shootout.
3
Kari Lehtonen
Dallas Stars
G
7.7
-0.4
0.4
7.7
Lehtonen has been particularly good at 5-on-5 with a .942 save
percentage, and if Dallas is smart they'll play him in more than the 72
percent of games that he played for them last season.
4
Pekka Rinne
Nashville Predators
G
7.6
0.1
-0.4
7.3
There are few goaltenders in the NHL as consistent as Rinne, who
has been among the top 10 players in GVT the last three seasons (including
this one). Over that period he has a save percentage of .926 and 68.4 GVT.
5
James Reimer
Toronto Maple Leafs
G
6.4
-0.3
0
6.2
Since the 2005 lockout, the only time the Leafs have had good
goaltending was in the 37 games Reimer played for them in 2010-11. After
slipping last season, he looks like he's regained that form. If he has, the
Leafs are playoff-bound.
A version of this story originally appeared at ESPN Insider .
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From Daigle To Datsyuk (02/11)
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