The NHL season is less than a week old, but that won’t stop fantasy general managers from jumping to conclusions, ready to drop studs off to a slow start for hot third- and fourth-line players.

If you’re one of these GMs, a bit of advice: If you’re going to make a knee-jerk reaction, you can at least try to make an educated knee-jerk reaction.

One aspect to study to try to make an educated move is to look at players who are getting a surprising number of power-play minutes. Maybe they’re getting second-unit minutes when they weren’t supposed to, or they’re getting top-unit minutes when we thought they had lost that role.

Just because a player is getting power-play time doesn’t mean they are producing. Some of the listed players are struggling, but that doesn’t mean they are worth dropping. As well. quite a few of the listed players are also available in more than 85 percent of Yahoo leagues as of Sunday night. So there could still be some gems to mine.

Keep in mind that not all power-play surprises are positive. There are a couple of players listed as they are getting surprisingly low power-play time.

Here are the top 10 power-play takeaways so far this season.

10. Victor Hedman

It’s only been three games, but it seems as if a pattern has already emerged with Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev regarding power-play time. And that trend is basically that Sergachev won’t get any. Hedman has been on the ice for 75.9 percent of Tampa’s power-play minutes, and he has responded with a power-play goal. This usage is surprising, considering Sergachev was the much better power-play option last year, and was the main guy in the postseason as well. This may be frustrating for Sergachev owners, but is a blessing for Hedman owners.

9. Tyson Barrie

Going into the season, many of us may have overlooked Barrie as a productive power-play dman in Nashville. After all, going from Edmonton to Nashville is going to negatively impact many defensemen. Another reason for concern is that he was used on the top power-play unit in Nashville last year after the trade, but had just three power-play points in 24 games. This year, he’s still on the top power-play unit alongside Roman Josi, so you have to hold out hope for at least a few weeks that he starts producing there.

8. Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Florida is missing both Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour for the foreseeable future, so OEL is the main man for the Panthers’ power play. It seems like many haven’t gotten the memo, as he was still available in 88 percent of Yahoo leagues as of Sunday night. He’s been on the ice for 75.3 percent of Florida’s power-play minutes, even though he doesn’t have a point to show for it. Montour is expected back sometime between November and January (although some reports have him back in mid-December), potentially around the same time as Ekblad is due to return. This means OEL will have an opportunity for almost two months to be an excellent fantasy-power-play option.

7. Kris Letang

There was plenty of off-season discussion of what would happen with Letang and the Penguin’s power play now that Erik Karlsson is there. Maybe they would go with three forwards and two defensemen, or maybe Letang would have a significant role on the second power-play unit. If anything, he’s losing power-play time. He went from 1:20 of power-play time in the first game to 26 seconds in the second game to 10 seconds in the third game. Pittsburgh has two power-play goals in those three games, so it appears unlikely that Letang will get any significant power-play time this season.

6. Moritz Seider and Shayne Gostisbehere

There were some concerns in hockey league circles that Gostisbehere could usurp Seider on the top power-play unit. After all, Detroit did not sign Gostisbehere for his defensive prowess, and we saw Seider lose that top power-play spot last year to Filip Hronek for a good chunk of the season. But Detroit has gone in a different direction this year, choosing to go with three forwards and two defensemen with the man advantage. It has been working early, as the Wings have scored two goals on five opportunities, with Gostisbehere notching the only power-play point between the two defensemen. As long as they both stay on the top power-play unit, their value should remain high.

5. Vladimir Tarasenko

Tank’s first few games in Ottawa have not gone as many predicted. He’s not getting a top-six role; instead, he’s on the third line with Mathieu Joseph, Ridly Greig, Dominik Kubalik and Rourke Chartier. Many were certain Tarasenko would get top power-play time, but he’s on the second unit, again with Kubalik and Greig. On the bright side, that second unit has two power-play goals and Tarasenko has assisted on both.

4. Ondrej Palat

We’ll focus on Palat, but the Devils’ power-play lines are in a blender with lots of surprises. Timo Meier is on the second unit. Luke Hughes is the quarterback of the top unit instead of Dougie Hamilton. Dawson Mercer is getting little time. And Palat is getting the opportunity on the top line over Nico Hischier. Palat’s first season in New Jersey didn’t work out quite as well as anyone might have hoped. This year, he has a chance to reverse that. One key way is his power-play usage. He has a power-play assist so far, but with his ice time decreasing each season, his overall point total probably won’t be that high.

3. Matt Coronato

It’s great to see Calgary give a rookie an opportunity to succeed, something we would not have seen a year ago. Coronato is on the top power-play unit and posted a power-play marker on Saturday. That’s his only point of the season, and he’s a minus-six in two games. The big question is if Coronato can keep his plum power-play spot once Jakob Pelletier is healthy and back in the lineup. It wouldn’t be surprising if Coronato eventually becomes a healthy scratch if he can’t turn around his five-on-five play, but for now, enjoy the fact he is on the top unit with Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau and Elias Lindholm.

2. Alex Iafallo

The preseason talk was mostly centered around Gabriel Vilardi‘s potential breakout season, thanks partly to his spot on the top power-play unit. It seems as if everyone overlooked Iafallo, might have some sneaky value as he is also on the top unit. This is due to Nikolaj Ehlers being put on the second unit. He is pointless with the man advantage in two games, but if he stays on the top unit for a significant portion of the season. there is a chance he could hit double digits in power-play points for the first time in his career. Maybe it’s enough to get him to the 50-point mark for the first time in his career as well.

1. Nicholas Paul

Much of the offseason talk was about how Brandon Hagel would get the opportunity on the top power-play unit. Through three games, it’s been Paul who has been a fixture on that unit, and that decision has paid dividends. Paul had two power-play goals in this team’s first game of the season. That gives him two man-advantage points, which is only two off his career high of four from last year. If he can stay in this role all season, he’ll crush his previous high of 32 points and could be the surprise breakout player of 2023-24.