December 3, 2010
Player Power Rankings
Steven Stamkos Is Pacing The League

by Tom Awad

During the season, these rankings -- which appear on Mondays in concert with the overall NHL Power Rankings -- are based on player production in terms of Hockey Prospectus' GVT valuation metric. If you are unfamiliar with GVT and how it works, you can find more here.

Check out the full rankings below. We'll be back every Monday with new editions.

Hockey Prospectus: Player Power Rankings

These are based on games through Nov. 21, 2010.

Legend:

OGVT: Offensive GVT

GGVT: Goaltending GVT

DGVT: Defensive GVT

SGVT: Shootout GVT

GVT: Total GVT

Rank Player                                    OGVT/GGVT  DGVT  SGVT  GVT
1.   Tim Thomas, G, Boston Bruins              15.2      -0.2   0.7   15.8   

Comment: Can team play take credit for Thomas' resurgence? Not likely. The Bruins have allowed 33.8 shots per game, ranking 25th in the league. Thomas has benefited, however, from playing in the low-scoring East, where teams average 2.74 goals per game compared with 2.89 in the West.

2.   Carey Price, G, Montreal Canadiens        14.7       0.2   0.0   14.7    

Comment: Another week, another 0.953 save percentage for Price. The last goaltender to win MVP in the NHL was Jose Theodore, then a youngster playing for the Canadiens. Just saying.

3.   Steven Stamkos, F, Tampa Bay Lightning     9.8       1.4  -0.2   11.0    

Comment: The Lightning at five-on-five with Stamkos on the ice: 20 goals, nine goals against. With Stamkos off the ice: 22 goals, 43 goals against. Hope that Stamkos' agent doesn't grab ahold of those numbers before the upcoming negotiations.

4.   Jonathan Quick, G, Los Angeles Kings       7.6       0.4   1.6   9.5    

Comment: Quick remains a bright spot on the Kings, but he has received some help: Not only do the Kings have the sixth-lowest shots against in the league, but they also are among the teams that have allowed the fewest dangerous shots (as measured by shot distance).

5.   Sidney Crosby, F, Pittsburgh Penguins      8.0       1.0   0.3   9.3

Comment: One year ago, hockey's conventional wisdom was clear: Crosby was the game's best overall player and leader, while Alex Ovechkin was the most dynamic offensive talent. With Crosby's play since, the second part of that statement is in doubt.

6.   Ondrej Pavelec, G, Atlanta Thrashers       10.2     -0.1  -1.3   8.9     

Comment: It has been a triumphant return for Pavelec, who missed the first month of the season after collapsing during an early-season game and sustaining a concussion. He's shown no ill effects since and has won four straight, with a superlative 0.50 GAA and 0.983 save percentage in those games.

 
7.   Alexander Semin, F, Washington Capitals    6.9       1.4   0.3   8.6 

Comment: Did you know that Semin also kills penalties? Unlike Crosby, Stamkos or Ovechkin, he plays regularly on the short-handed unit, scoring three goals while killing penalties during the past two seasons. But fans won't leave him alone until he scores some of those goals in May.

8.  Kris Letang, D, Pittsburgh Penguins        4.5        2.9   0.3   7.7     

Comment: After the summer's free-agent signings, many expected the Penguins to have the league's best blue line, with Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek expected to shoulder the load. Martin's presence has allowed Letang to blossom, and the three of them have given the Penguins the NHL's best penalty-killing unit.

9.   Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Philadelphia Flyers   8.3       0.0  -0.8   7.5     

Comment: Bobrovsky has bounced back nicely from his annihilation at the hands of Tampa Bay last week (allowing four goals on 11 shots before being pulled), allowing only three goals in two games this week. He'll compete with Michal Neuvirth for rookie goaltender of the season.

10.  Alex Ovechkin, F, Washington Capitals      6.2       1.0   0.3   7.5     

Comment: Put up or shut up? After earning his coach's ire for some ill-advised postgame joking with Ilya Kovalchuk, Ovechkin answered with five assists in his next two games. The Capitals are still No. 1 overall, but they don't seem as dominant as last season. However, we all know how that turned out.

A version of this story originally appeared on ESPN Insider .

Tom Awad is an author of Hockey Prospectus. You can contact Tom by clicking here or click here to see Tom's other articles.