Step aside Patrick Roy. You too Dominik Hasek. When his career is finally over, Martin Brodeur should officially go down as the greatest goaltender to ever play the game. For all the time we spend on fantasy columns writing about second and third-line players on the verge of a “breakout”, not enough credit goes to Brodeur for the outstanding career he’s had, and continues to have, especially considering the relative lack of talent that has surrounded him. This year, at 38 years old, Brodeur is once again leading the New Jersey Devils to the top of the league. The Devils are leading the league in winning percentage at .712, and are a strong candidate for the President’s Trophy at the end of the year – all this, in a season when many thought the Devils would struggle due to a depleted defense and the exodus of whatever offensive depth they had. The reason? How about numbers like these: 21-8-1, 2.10 GAA, .920 SV% and 2 shutouts. Brodeur is singlehandedly the reason why the Devils have enjoyed any measure of success over the past two decades, and, despite his age, shows no signs of slowing down. He remains a top-five fantasy goalie and is earning every bit of his second round ADP.

On other fronts, Simon Gagne is looking to return to the ice after a long stint on the DL due to hernia surgery. Team reports have indicated that Gagne hopes to be playing by Christmas, but don’t be surprised if the Flyers wait until closer to the new year before getting him back in action. They’re in last place in the division and are desperate for some more scoring given the disappointing start to the season by Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, but with approximately fifty games still to be played, the Flyers won’t want to rush their sniper back to action too early. Although it may be a bit too late, you may be able to find a trade opportunity for Gagne, but be careful not to overpay – this is the most critical time in fantasy leagues and the last thing you want is to give up a good player for Gagne, only to see him keel over yet again. There are safer options out there, such as Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan, who not only has dual eligibility at LW/RW, but, aside from a slow start in October, has been a point-per-game player. Goaltender Ray Emery is also out until at least mid-January, but Brian Boucher has done a decent job filling in for him, especially considering the Flyers poor play in front of him. Boucher demonstrated last year with the Sharks that he is capable of posting good numbers, and likely signed with the Flyers in the off-season in the hopes of cracking Emery’s armour, but given his career numbers I doubt that he’ll pose any sort of significant threat to Emery once he returns. Unfortunately, Emery doesn’t have much trade value even when healthy, let alone injured – his numbers are certainly no better than a mediocre number two fantasy goalie at best so you’re better off holding on to him while the Flyers get their game in shape. Emery is playing on what should be a solid team and therefore has the potential to improve his numbers when he returns. Another interesting development in Flyer land is the insertion of tough guy Daniel Carcillo opposite Mike Richards for the past few games, including some time on the powerplay. Carcillo has responded positively, amassing a stat line of 3 points (2 on the PPP), 38 PIM and 10 shots in the past 5 games. If this is indicative of any sort of trend by Peter Laviolette, Carcillo could provide unique fantasy value: a glut of PIM and some offensive upside. We’ll keep you posted.

For those wondering how long it would take for the Rangers’ Tortorella to go on one of his patented profanity-laced rants, wonder no longer. Following Wednesday night’s loss to the Islanders, Tortorella ripped into his team during the post-game press conference, and went one step further by benching his $39 million dollar defenseman Wade Redden for the first time in his career. It seemed to have worked though as the Rangers came out and won their next game 5-2. Nevertheless, look for Redden to return to the lineup immediately – you simply can’t pay someone $6.5 million per year to put on a suit each night. On the fantasy front, Vaclav Prospal has fallen mightily from his glory days at the start of the season. Prospal has been nothing short of awful, scoring 12 points in his past 20 games. Much of this was due to being split off from linemate, and fellow Czech, Marian Gaborik. Prospal was reunited with Gaborik for much of yesterday’s game however, and responded immediately with two assists. The Rangers hot start to the season was primarily due to the chemistry between Prospal and Gaborik, so one would think that Tortorella may be reverting to his line combinations of past, which may be a good thing for Prospal owners.

The New York Islanders entered this season pretty much the same way they’ve entered every season this decade: in a heated race for the first overall draft pick. Having won this race last year, some hoped things would be different with the signing of first round pick John Tavares. Tavares has dominated at every level he’s played at in the past and all things considered, has played quite well for the Islanders thus far, especially considering the atrocious lack of talent surrounding him. There are no players on the Islanders averaging even close to a point-per-game, allowing opposing defenses to focus on shutting down Tavares. Despite all this he’s managed to ring in 27 points in 35 games, not too shabby considering his tenth-round ADP. Nevertheless, he was still drafted ahead of names like Mikko Koivu, Paul Stastny and Brad Richards, all of which are among the top 40 fantasy players according to Yahoo!. Keeper leagues however have the most upside to gain from Tavares, but given the dearth of skill around him, he may not reach full value for a couple of years still to come, so take that into consideration when managing trade offers. Aside from Tavares and perhaps Mark Streit, there really is very little to write home about on this team. At first glance, Brendan Witt may offer some PIM value with his 41 penalty minutes, but his -19 rating squashes any potential value. To top off the Islanders’ hopes, any comeback by Rick Dipietro seems to be on hold (yet again) as his rehab stint ended with him leaving last Friday’s AHL game with “some tightness” in his knee.  No news there.

Finally, we come to everyone’s pick to win it all, the Pittsburgh Penguins. How can you not be the favourite when you’ve got two of the league’s best talents in Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby leading the way? What’s most surprising this year though, is the ability of Crosby to finish plays, as opposed to set them up. Crosby is on pace to score a career-high 53 goals this year, and, especially in the absence of Malkin and Gonchar due to injury, has stepped up as the undeniable leader of the Pens. As an added bonus, the Kid is also on pace for a +31 rating, 5 shorthanded points and 94 penalty minutes as well, all of which would be, or at least approach, career-highs, making him one of the most well-rounded fantasy players in the league. Marc-Andre Fleury has been especially hot in the month of December, going 4-1-1 with a 1.81 GAA and .926 SV%. This follows a fairly lacklustre November in which the team spent most of the month without Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar. Now, with a healthy roster, look for the Penguins to really step up their play and run away with the

Stay tuned for notes from the other divisions around the league in weeks to come.