"Anything cool happening in the hockey world that would inspire me to write today?" 

"The NHL is almost assuredly not starting in one month." 

"Okay, that's depressing. Anything else?"

"…no."

"Well, alrighty then."

I'm sorry you all had to suffer through that. But it's part of the process as we enter month #3798 of the offseason Ramblings. I try not to focus solely on the prospect side of things on this platform, despite that being my area of expertise and those are the exciting players who are, you know, actually playing right now. So you’ll continue to get a mixed bag of topics. 

There’s more depression in this thread too:

**

Jesper Wallstedt is a name you’re going to want to remember. About a month ago, I spilled some ink on the Swedish netminder along with the other youthful goalies on their way to dominating the NHL ranks. Well, he’s done nothing to dispel that theory so far this season.

On Tuesday, the 18-year-old posted his first-career SHL shutout when he stopped 22 shots in a 4-0 victory. That improved his record to 5-2-0 on the season to go along with a league-leading .933 save percentage and 1.66 goals-against-average.

This upcoming 2021 draft class is a unique one. There are a handful of very talented defenders who will litter the top-10 selections. There is not one obvious elite forward talent. And then there’s Wallstedt. Just like the hype surrounding Yaroslav Askarov a year ago, we will have the same type of thing happing this year with Wallstedt. A likely top-10 talent, but will he go that early? My guess is he lands around the same spot as Askarov.

I was asked who I would prefer between the two. It’s Askarov today, but it’s damn close.

**

Nils Höglander was up to his old tricks on Tuesday. The king of lacrosse goals came oh-so-close to nabbing another but Bolts goaltending prospect Hugo Alnefelt was up to the challenge.

Höglander managed to nab a pretty tip-in goal on the power play to give him three goals and five points in his last six SHL contests and 10 in 15 on the season. It’s a shame he wasn’t born two weeks later or else he’d be eligible for his third WJC tournament – an event he absolutely torched a year ago.

The 19-year-old is on loan to his Rögle club for another two weeks before he’s cleared to slip across the pond and participate in his first NHL training camp. There are some in the organization that are quietly expecting him to make a lot of noise at camp. If I’m a betting man (which I am) I’d wager he’s still a season away.

**

Quickly on Alnefelt, he’ll be tagged as the starter for the Swedes at the WJC this month but Wallstedt will be nipping at his heels. Regardless, Tampa Bay has another studly puck-stopper coming up the ranks.

**

In case you’ve missed the news, DobberProspect’s Head of European Scouting, Jokke Nevalainen has graduated to the NHL ranks. This is massive news for Jokke and for the site. The Finnish-based scout began his role with the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday in what will surely be a long and fruitful match.

We’re over the moon for Jokke. His dedication to the craft is unparalleled. We will miss the terrific content and the dry humor, but it’s all worth it. In the link below there is an article written about him through the NHL website in Finland.

**

Earlier this week, Jonas Seigel published an Athletic article that broke downtown the top-50 trade value players in the NHL. I figured I would piggyback off of that idea and rank a few of the top fantasy trade assets.

With fantasy hockey, there is always the issue of the manager's love affair with a certain team or individual that will inflate their value in specific circumstances. I'm going to attempt to bake that into this equation. Maple Leafs fans are nuts. Canucks fans maybe even more so. Florida fans? Probably not.

HM: Brayden Point

It's taken a bit of time, but these most recent playoffs really helped to lock in the idea that Point is one of the best players in the game. The 24-year-old sits 17th overall in points over the last two seasons, but his best production is yet to come. The hype stemming from that playoff season is palpable. 

HM: Cale Makar

It's difficult for defenders to really own the same level of trade value as their forward counterparts. However, Makar owns potentially the best combination of skill and situation in the league. Firstly, he's amazing as his 71 points in 82 career NHL games is a testament to. He's also locked in with one of the best young cores in the game. He's worth some stuff. 

10. Mitch Marner

The 23-year-old has posted back-to-back 94-point paces. His totals over the last two seasons place him 11th overall in the league. He doesn't score nearly as much as others in front of him, which may slide the perceived value down a hair. It also hurts that he's the second-most valuable player on his team. 

9. Jack Eichel

The pedigree is there. The points are there. The situation is… not there. Not yet anyway. Eichel should command a massive haul in a fantasy trade, but people are justifiably afraid of Buffalo. He's been spectacular by himself that last few seasons. Now he has Taylor Hall and a continually improving Rasmus Dahlin. The best is yet to come. 

8. Elias Pettersson

The Canucks' top pivot has been explosive in his first two NHL seasons. He's already vying for the title of the most lethal finisher in the league as his 5v5 shooting percentage is beyond reproach. His summer playoff showing only furthered that belief. Toss in the rabid Vancouver fandom and you have a recipe for a huge trade haul. Hell, I might even be undervaluing him here. 

7. David Pastrnak

If we're making a list of the best offensive players in the world, Pasta is sitting higher up this list. He's young, and he's amazing. But his surrounding talent is ageing extremely quickly. Patrice Bergeron is pushing 40. Brad Marchand is pushing the needle for elite production in his mid-30s

6. Artemi Panarin

His 338 points in 311 contests over the past four seasons are seventh-best in the league. His 1.38 points-per-game last season sat third. He's the marquee talent on a team bursting at the seams with young, exciting, and potentially elite talent. NYR is coming in hot and it'll coincide perfectly with the tail end of his prime. 

5.  Nikita Kucherov

Over the last three seasons, only Connor McDavid has recorded more points than the 27-year-old. He sits seventh in goals over that period. He sees all the fun minutes on one of the top offensive squads in the league. Why isn’t he higher? Well, he’s getting a little too close to the dreaded 30-year-old threshold.

4. Leon Draisaitl

Somehow the reigning Art Ross winner is not at the top of the pile. That's because of a couple of factors: People hate Edmonton. He's the second-best player on his team. His success appears to be hinged on exposure to McDavid. It's likely unfair, but life is full of that shit. 

3. Auston Matthews

He had to share the Rocket Richard with Pastrnak this past season, but you just know he'll take several more cracks at it. Only Alexander Ovechkin has scored more goals since Matthews stepped into the league in 2016-17. No one has scored more at even-strength. I'm sure not betting against a 50/50 campaign in the immediate future. 

2. Nathan MacKinnon

There's a very strong case to be made for MacKinnon to be tops on this list. He's just turned 25 years old. He's third in points over the past three seasons. And his surrounding talent is all world. The potential for the Avalanche core to continue rising is very real. It's an exciting time to be a MacK owner and if you decided to dangle him out there, the return would be near-limitless.

1. Connor McDavid

There's just no unseating the best offensive player in the world. Since stepping into the league in 2015 he's fourth in total points but that’s only thanks to a rookie injury that cut his season in half. On a point-per-game basis, no one is even close to his 1.34 points-per-game. He's the most explosive player…ever. If you're trading the white whale in your league, it's likely due to someone offering you two or three others from down this list. 

**

@Hockey_Robinson