NHL Barometer: Risers & Fallers

This week's article includes a rookie center on Broadway, two young wingers on fire, a veteran working his way back in the State of Hockey, a rookie center in concussion protocol and a Golden Knight looking a bit tarnished.

First Liners (Risers)

Brett Howden, C, NYR – Howden, acquired along with Libor Hajek from Tampa Bay for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller at last year's trading deadline, was a longshot to make the Rangers out of training camp. But his play continued to improve as camp wore on, earning him a spot over Lias Andersson. Howden was expected to play on the fourth line, but his better-than-anticipated offense, proficiency in the faceoff dot and defensive abilities have earned him additional ice time through the first five games of the season.

Sebastian Aho, LW, CAR – Aho, taken 35th overall in 2015, looks like an absolute steal for the Hurricanes. After jumping from 49 to 65 points last year, Aho looks as if he may obliterate that total in his third year. Following a pair of goals and two assists Saturday, Aho now has points in each of Carolina's five games this season and sits with 10 points (four goals, six assists) along with a plus-7 rating on the year.

Alex DeBrincat, RW, CHI – DeBrincat somewhat quietly posted 52 goals (24 goals and 28 assists) as a rookie last season. The strong rookie class and struggles by Chicago lmay have overshadowed those numbers. This year, the Blackhawks are off to a much better start with DeBrincat a key component in their early-season success. He's posted six goals, including the game-winner in overtime Saturday, and three assists while skating on the top line.

Morgan Rielly, D, TOR – Heading into last season, the prevailing thought was that coach Mike Babcock would continue to use Rielly as a shutdown defenseman, which would limit his offense. That proved not to be the case, as Rielly exploded for 52 points, including 25 with the man advantage. So far this year, Rielly is posting video-game numbers, notching three goals and 10 assists in seven games, as the Toronto attack looks unstoppable with Rielly as the triggerman from the point

Jaroslav Halak, G, BOS – Halak is a perfect third/fourth goalie in deeper leagues and a fine DFS play. Tuukka Rask is entrenched as the No. 1 netminder in Boston, but Halak will get his looks when Rask needs rest. Freed from playing in front of a porous defense on Long Island, Halak has already posted as many shutouts as he did in 52 games a year ago and has a 1.18 GAA and .961 save percentage in three appearances. Go with him when he is in the lineup.

Smyon Varlamov, G, COL – Colorado traded for and then signed Philipp Grubauer to a three-year, $10 million deal, which appeared to seal Varlamov's fate as a backup. Hold that thought, as Varly has gotten off to a tremendous start, relegating Grubauer to secondary status. Varlamov picked up three victories in his first three starts, posting an impressive .955 save percentage and 1.33 GAA over that span. While he lost 3-2 in overtime Saturday, Varlamov turned aside 38 of 41 shots against the Flames. Knee and groin injuries plagued Varlamov last season, but if he remains healthy, he looks to have a early stranglehold on the Avalanche crease.

Others include Adam Henrique, Jonathan Toews, Patrice Bergeron, Auston Matthews, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Jack Eichel, Connor McDavid, Sean Monahan, Patrick Kane, David Perron, Sven Baertschi, David Pastrnak, Matthew Tkachuk, Kasperi Kapanen, Alex Iafallo, Warren Foegele, Brady Tkachuk, Kyle Palmieri, Conor Sheary, Justin Williams, Evgenii Dadonov, Jakob Silfverberg (check injury status), Mikko Rantanen, Alexander Edler, Dylan DeMelo, T.J. Brodie, Ryan Suter, Tyson Barrie, Chris Tierney, Henrik Lundqvist, John Gibson, Carey Price, Ben Bishop. Curtis McElhinney, Anders Nilsson and Keith Kinkaid.

Buy Low

Bo Horvat, C, VAN – With all the rightful focus on Elias Pettersson, Horvat almost slips through the cracks in many fantasy leagues. Limited to 64 games due to injuries, Horvat notched 22 goals and as many assists. Following the retirement of Henrik Sedin, Horvat, who plays in all situations, is the new top center in Vancouver and should break the 50 points barrier again.

Zach Parise, LW, MIN – The debate in this spot was whether to profile Parise or Jason Zucker. I decided to go with Parise based on all the injuries he has overcome to get back to being a productive player. Back issues kept Parise out until the calendar flipped to 2018, but he did tally 15 goals in 42 games, showing off his scoring touch. Early this season, he has been more facilitator than scorer, posting six assists and a goal through five games.

Charlie McAvoy, D, BOS – A knee injury cost McAvoy the final few weeks of the season and a possible shot at the Calder Trophy. In his first full NHL season, McAvoy recorded seven goals and 32 points in 63 games to go along with a plus-20 rating, seamlessly stepping into the NHL. With Torey Krug (ankle) on injured reserve, McAvoy is playing the role of quarterback on many of Boston's power-play opportunities, affording the young blueliner additional chances to rack up points. Through five games, McAvoy already has a goal and four assists, benefitting from the potent B's attack.

Training Room (Injuries)

Eilas Pettersson, C, VAN – Pettersson suffered a head injury in Saturday's game and is under concussion protocol. Mike Matheson, who had a phone hearing with the league and was suspended two games, slammed him to the ice. Matheson's hit came after Pettersson deked him out with a move during the game, so some premeditation might have been involved. Hopefully for Pettersson's, the Canucks' and the league's sake, the concussion is mild and he returns to action quickly.

Others include Ryan Getzlaf (groin, might play Wednesday), Paul Stastny (lower body, could miss two months), Ryan Dzingel (lower body, placed on IR on Friday), Joe Thornton (infection, remains out indefinitely with no timetable for return), Andrew Ladd (upper-body, played for first time this season Saturday), Jaden Schwartz (lower-body, sat Saturday's game), Justin Schultz (broken leg, out four months) Shea Weber (knee, ramping up activity, possibly back mid-December), Dennis Cholowski (undisclosed, did not play Saturday, but dresses Monday) and Matt Murray (concussion, served as the backup goalie Saturday).

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)

Erik Haula, C, LV – Haula, whose prior career high in points was 34, exploded for 26 goals and 29 assists last year in Las Vegas. Overall, the Golden Knights' inaugural campaign was pure magic, as they had several players set career bests en route to the Stanley Cup Final. Their sophomore campaign hasn't started out in the same manner, with Haula one of several struggling to start the year. Haula is currently skating on the second line with Paul Stastny sidelined, and maybe that move up the pecking order will jump-start his game.

Vladislav Namestnikov, LW, NYR – Namestnikov's value cratered when he was dealt from Tampa Bay to the Rangers at the trade deadline last year. The belief that his production was due to him skating with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov was proven to be true, as Namestnikov notched just two goals and four points in 19 games on Broadway. New York signed Namestnikov to a two-year, $8 million deal as a restricted free agent this offseason, but he's skating on the fourth line and has already been a healthy scratch early in the season.

Ivan Provorov, D, PHI – Provorov may be the best all-around defenseman in Philly, but he is off to an extremely slow start. Despite seeing the same 24-plus minutes of ice time, including almost three per game with the man advantage – a jump of over a minute per game from last season – Provorov has yet to get on the scoresheet. He does have 11 hits and eight blocked shots in five games, so he is helping in those categories, but after tallying 41 points in his sophomore campaign, it's been a slow go. Don't jump ship just yet, though.

Others include Artem Anisimov, Kevin Hayes, Tomas Plekanec, Ryan Donato, Anthony Beauvillier, Connor Brown, Michael Del Zotto, Tyler Myers, Cam Talbot, and Jake Allen.

Sell High

Mikko Koivu, C, MIN – Koivu is averaging just over 20 minutes of ice time through the first five games of the season, producing five points. Skating in the middle of Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund should be a boon for Koivu's stats, but the regression he showed last season has carried forward to a certain extent into this year. Three of Koivu's five points have come in the last two games and he is seeing over 2:30 in power-play time on average, but with only seven shots on goal in the five games, he will need Parise to remain hot and Granlund to warm up to remain productive.

Mike Smith, G, CGY – With all the changes in Calgary, I bought into the hype that Smith would improve on last year's numbers, especially since he will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. To date, that has been far from the case. Take away a 43-save shutout in his third start of the season, and Smith has allowed 13 goals in 66 shots, earning a spot on the bench in Calgary's win Saturday against Colorado. His numbers likely will improve, but it's hard to rely on the veteran goaltender right now.