Last week we talked about our top ten candidates for MVP, this week we will look at the opposite end of the spectrum and go over our top ten for LVP.

•1.       Brad Boyes, St. Louis Blues:  9G 23A -5 in 48 games:  What has happened to Boyes in the span of one season?  Boyes is a player who has scored more than 25 goals in three of his last four seasons including two seasons over 30, and one over 40.  He has played so bad this season that he currently resides on the third line in St. Louis, ouch.

•2.       Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres: 13G 17A +4 in 43 games:  Talk about a guy that might be killing quite a few fantasy teams.  There is a pretty good chance that Vanek was drafted in the first round in some fantasy leagues, and if that was you who selected him, then you already feel the pain.  It’s hard to believe that Buffalo is off to the start they are when you think about Vanek and Derek Roy not performing anywhere near their capabilities up to this point in the season.

•3.       Jason Spezza, Ottawa Senators: 5G 14A -5 in 30 games:  I know he has been out of the lineup and missed almost 20 games for the Senators, but it wasn’t like he was lighting up the scoreboard when he was healthy.  Five goals, are you kidding me.  Looks like the loss of Dany Heatley certainly had a negative impact on Spezza and it’s hard to see him picking his game back up when he returns in a week or two.

•4.       Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets: 11 wins 3.32 GAA 89 SV% in 36 games:  Mason has fallen off a cliff after winning the Calder Trophy last season.  Now Mason probably wasn’t a top five, maybe not even a top eight Goalie taken in your fantasy draft, but the fact that he won the Calder Trophy propelled him up most draft boards and he has been nothing short of a complete bust as of this writing.  Currently Mathieu Garon has taken over the starting job for Columbus.

•5.       Simon Gagne, Philadelphia Flyers:  6G 13A -1 in 24 games:  Another player who has missed significant playing time due to injuries.  That doesn’t make fantasy players feel any better.  What really hurts is that even when healthy Gagne hasn’t been playing up to his capabilities as he would only be on pace to score about 20 goals over a full season.  Certainly not what fantasy players bargained for when they drafted Gagne.

•6.       Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes:  10G 23A -3 in 36 games:  This season has been nothing short of a disaster for both Staal and the Hurricanes.  Before this season Staal had averaged 82 games played and almost 40 goals scored a season.  This year he has already missed time with injury and would be lucky to crack the 20 goal mark.  If he was a wing and not a center he would find himself much higher on this list.

•7.       Devin Setoguchi, San Jose Sharks:  13G 6A +1 in 39 games:  Setoguchi seemed to come out of nowhere last season while posting 31 goals and 65 assists.  He seemed to have found a home playing with Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton and this season looked even better as San Jose acquired Dany Heatley and it was announced that Heatley, Thornton, and Setoguchi would make up the top line.  The season started out that way, but Setoguchi got off to a slow start and then suffered a leg injury that allowed Marleau to regain his spot on the top line and that line has been the best in the NHL this season.  Setoguchi still gets power play time, but he no longer plays with two of the best players in the NHL.

•8.       Olli Jokinen, Calgary Flames:  10G 22A +1 in 39 games:  Most thought the addition of Jokinen to Calgary at the trading deadline last season was going to lead to a small bonanza of goals and points for Jokinen.  That thinking seemed wise, if Jokinen could score with Florida, a team that didn’t have much offensive power, imagine what he would do playing on a line with Jarome Iginla.  That plan didn’t quite work out as expected now did it?

•9.       Martin Havlat, Minnesota Wild:  8G 25A -9 in 44 games.  Havlat would be higher on this list if not for the fact that it would come under the category of no big surprise.  Havlat has always been somewhat of a disappointment no matter where he landed.  Usually it’s because of injuries and his inability to stay in the lineup, but he played 81 games last season (contract year) received big money from the Wild, and has been a bust.  At least he has stayed healthy for the most part.

•10.   Alexei Kovalev, Ottawa Senators:  12G 21A +3 in 48 games:  Another player who shouldn’t surprise anyone that he landed on this list.  The Senators were bringing in a completely new second line, Kovalev from Montreal, Milan Michalek and Jonathan Chechoo from San Jose.  No one had any idea if there would be any chemistry there and Kovalev has looked far from comfortable so far in Ottawa.