Almost one month into the NHL's 2007-08 season there's been some interesting surprises.
Who would've believed:
Mike Cammalleri of the LA Kings would be the league's leading goalscorer? As of this writing he leads all scorers with ten goals. He's an emerging talent and could be poised to become a big star. Right now, he's outshining teammates Anze Kopitar and Alex Frolov, as well as more big name "snipers" like Vincent Lecavalier, Dany Heatley, and Alexander Ovechkin.
Chicago Blackhawks rookie forward Patrick Kane would lead all rookies in assists and points? He's a promising young talent but heading into this season most pre-season analyses expected others, including teammate Jonathan Toews, would rank higher in rookie points than the diminutive Kane. Thus far, he's putting me in mind of another small rookie player, his head coach Denis Savard, who had 75 points in 76 games back in 1980-81.
Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo would have such terrible starts? Last season, Brodeur and Luongo were the undisputed goaltending masters of the NHL, dominating in nearly every statistical category, most notably wins, where Luongo matched the old record of 47 and Brodeur broke it with 48. Thus far this season, not only are they missing from the league's top ten statistical rankings for goalies, they're not even in the top twenty in some categories. Both should round back into form as the season progresses but it is unusual not to see them amongst the league leaders.
Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin aren't among the top ten offensive players? They're considered the twin pillars upon which the league hopes to rebuild its shattered reputation following the 2004-05 lockout, yet neither are off to rip-roaring starts. However, don't expect them to be out of that listing for long.
Martin Gerber would lay claim to the job of Ottawa Senators starting goalie? It was a foregone conclusion this summer; Ray Emery was the starter, Gerber was an overpriced backup the Sens were hoping to dump at some point. But with Emery slow to recover from off-season wrist surgery, Gerber has stood tall between the pipes, earning his $3.7 million per season and making it tough for Emery to get back into the lineup. It's a goaltending dilemma but one that should only benefit the Sens.
Scott Gomez and Chris Drury wouldn't be a good fit with Jaromir Jagr? Few raised that suggestion during the off-season when the Rangers landed these two. Indeed, the only guy I recall saying it was "Cabbie" on The Score. Turns out he was profound, as neither have meshed well with the talented but enigmatic Jagr.
If anyone wants to add to this list please feel free to do so.