If you’re looking to shake up your lineup and are willing to sacrifice some of your producing players, there are several elite forwards that have gotten off to slow starts, but are much too explosive to ignore. You may be able to lure them away from frustrated, impatient owners. Most notably of the bunch, is Carolina Hurricanes centre Eric Staal, who has been held to just 5 goals through 16 games so far, even though he’s launched an absurdly high 70 shots on goal. This pitiful low shooting percentage has nowhere to go but up, as the sniper has averaged 38 goals over his last 3 seasons. He’s going to bust out sooner or later, just make sure you’re on board the Staal train before the floodgates open up. Other über-talented forwards who have underachieved so far include Derek Roy, Vincent Lecavalier, and Jonathan Toews.

If you’re making no ground trying to buy these stars low, look to your waiver wire and think rookies. 2nd overall pick this year, Drew Doughty, has been exceptional offensively as of late, tallying 5 points in his last 5 games, and averaging over 24 minutes a game over that span. He could be looking at a 40 point season if the Kings continue to use him as their powerplay quarterback. At the centre position, fellow rookie Mikhail Grabovski has supplied a large portion of the offense for the “comeback kids”, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Like Doughty, he is available in most leagues, and is also receiving significant ice-time. These rookies are emerging as legitimate fantasy starters in all mid to deep pools.