The NHL certainly hasn’t been short of surprises so far, and though many of these trends may not continue for the entire 82 game schedule, some players have already emerged as not only contributors, but explosive stars. Defenseman Shea Weber has already more than matched his point and goal totals from last season, and is single-handedly keeping the Predators in the hunt in the competitive Western Conference. Goaltender Tim Thomas’ whacky acrobatics have kept the puck out of the Bruins’ net more often than not this year and is the primary reason the surging Bruins sit atop the Northeast division. The Flyers’ Simon Gagne and Sharks’ Dan Boyle are having outstanding comeback seasons after being plagued by injuries in their respective 07-08 campaigns. The Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin has been superhuman, as no healthy player has been able to match his offensive contributions this season, and he has a +8 rating to boot. Extrapolated over 82 games, Malkin’s current pace would give him 39 goals and 98 assists for a 137 point total! Okay, it’s early, but always nice to dream… Without further ado, here is the NHL MVP Top 10 with one-quarter of the season in the books.

1. Evgeni Malkin	6. Henrik Lundqvist
2. Shea Weber	7. Dan Boyle
3. Tim Thomas	8. Alexander Ovechkin
4. Roberto Luongo	9. Marc Savard
5. Simon Gagne	10. Alexander Semin