Players like Spezza, Lecavalier, Heatley, Iginla, and Briere have all since dropped below him on in the rankings. While the quality of his numbers have always been impressive, it's their duration that has become a hallmark in recent years. He'll turn 34 this October, and even at a stage in his career when a substantial decline is expected, Zetterberg is still near his prime production levels.

This isn't to say there aren't reasons to take umbrage with his game. He, like virtually every player in your pool, has certain deficiencies, albeit small ones. He can't be counted on for much more than 35 penalty minutes in a given year. Great for actual hockey, not nearly as much for poolies. His plus minus, while at one time near plus 30 (during Detroit's years as a contender) has since dropped down, and is a bit more erratic as the team moves through a transition. And of course he'll never lead your team in hits or blocked shots.

I know I'm guilty of often undervaluing aging superstars that are still providing massive value. I've done it in the past with guys like Hossa, Marleau, Sharp, and St.Louis. It's something that surely happens in a lot of pools. It's more exciting to take a chance on Matt Duchene or Ryan Johansen than it is to stick with a veteran. In multi-year pools the need to balance both the future and present is certainly understandable. But in one year leagues, where we're only looking at the next seven months, Zetterberg is still a guy you can comfortably target in the first two rounds.

There are no Zetterberg-ian dekes, and he isn't the most watched NHLer on You Tube, and that's OK. A lot has changed since the winter of 2007, but his production, and his place among the very best in fantasy hockey, has not.

Darren Kennedy (@fantasyhockeydk) is a contributor for DobberHockey and McKeen's. He'll talk about any player. Except Kovalchuk. Never, ever, Kovalchuk.

Looking Back…at the rankings from May of 2008