5. Mikko Koivu

Koivu is on pace 40 points, which would be his lowest-scoring season since his rookie year. Three reasons for optimism: 1) He struggled bigtime at the beginning of the season, especially when Zach Parise was injured, and had just three points in his first 14 games. Since then, he has 13 points in 19 games, much closer to his career points-per-game average. 2) He has just four power play points (his last three full seasons he's averaged 18, and even had 13 in the lockout-shortened season). 3) His shooting percentage is just 6.0, his lowest season ever.  As all those start to trend back to his career average, his overall points should also trend back to average.

4. Patrick Marleau

To be fair, no one on the Sharks is lighting it up, as Joe Thornton leads the teams with 31 points in 36 games. But Marleau is especially having a down year, with just seven goals and 27 points. Three reasons for optimism: 1) He's the best fantasy iron man in the league, so there's little chance he misses any time this year. 2) His shooting percentage is at 6.5 per cent, the worst season of his career and less than half of his career 13.6 per cent. 3) He's going through a bit of a rough patch now (zero points in six games, the second time this season he's gone five straight games without a point) which is hurting his per-game statistics. But for the rest of the season, he's been a point-per-game player.  As long as he can avoid more long scoreless streaks, he should be fine.

3. David Krejci

There were many poolies who were expecting Krejci to have a big season this year. After all, last year he had 69 points, the fourth time in five full seasons he hit at least 62. But injuries have done him in so far, and he has 11 points in 16 games. Three reasons for optimism: 1) He seems to be fully healthy for the first time in a few months. He's played five games in a row since returning from injury on Dec. 17, the first time he's done so since October. 2) He started off the season with nine points in nine games, so at this stage it's just a matter of getting back into the groove of things after an extended layoff. 3) Krejci is averaging 2:14 of power play ice time per game, tops on the team among forwards. Expect that to continue as he's the team's best offensive threat at forward.

2. Tuukka Rask

Rask has been average so far this season, with just 14 wins, and is 30^th in the league in save percentage and 26^th in goals against average, which isn't great for people who drafted him in the first round. Three reasons for optimism: 1) The Bruins are surprisingly fighting just to make the playoffs, and are currently three points back of a spot. The team is going to have to start leaning on its studs more often instead of the usual rest-the-players-before-the-playoffs strategy. 2) The Bruins have struggled with their defence corps this since, trading away Johnny Boychuk because of cap problems and losing Zdeno Chara for 19 games to injury. As the defence starts to gel better, it will cut down on scoring chances. 3) Rask has actually been better lately. His record in his last seven starts is 3-2-2, with two of the losses coming in the shootout. With just two regulation losses in those seven games, he's giving his team a chance to win.

1. Nathan MacKinnon

Maybe slow starts will become an annual thing for MacKinnon. Last year, MacKinnon had just 24 points in 39 games before Jan. 1, before finishing the season with 39 points in his last 43 games to win the Calder trophy. This season seems to be more of the same, as MacKinnon has 22 points in his first 35 games. Three reasons for optimism: 1) His shooting percentage is just 5.6 per cent this season, so you would expect that to go up a couple of points and he gets a few more goals. 2) He's playing regularly with Jarome Iginla, who has a reputation as a slow starter. As Iggy gets it going, so will MacKinnon. 3) As mentioned in the Varlamov section, the Avalanche have had a tough schedule so far, but now they have some easy opponents coming up. They still have three games against the Oilers, four against the Stars, one against the Sabres, two against the Blue Jackets, and two against the Coyotes. Those five teams are the only ones giving up more than three goals a game this season, and Mackinnon will play them 12 times still.