NHL: Not too early to add

The 2009-10 NHL season is not even a month old, yet there are some players who might be on your waiver wire who are worth adding.

Let's take a look at the New York Rangers, who are one of my two favorite teams despite growing up a Bruins fan (that's a story for another time).

Hobey Baker Award winner Matt Gilroy received a lot of preseason buzz for his end-to-end play as an offensive defensemen, while 19-year-old Michael Del Zotto, the team's first-round draft pick in 2008, had a very solid but not as impressive preseason.

I bit on Gilroy, rostering him in both my 12-team leagues. In the season opener against the Penguins, Gilroy was good, while Del Zotto looked a little nervous in his end. But who was on the first power-play unit? Del Zotto.

Through 7 games, Del Zotto has been the Ranger skater (never mind defenseman) who has garnered the most power-play time (4:18). Gilroy, who ranks second in PP time among D-men (2:17), has played 5:10 more at even strength and 1:10 more shorthanded for a total of 19:14 to Del's 14:55, yet Del Zotto is the guy you want now.

For the remainder of the season, however, Gilroy should shape up as the better bet. Del Zotto has accumulated a 2-5-7 line through 7 games, mostly by getting his shot/pass from the point to the net. The likelihood of that success rate continuing is less than Gilroy, who has only 1 assist, finally being rewarded on the scoresheet with his constant forays in joining the rush.

Among forwards, Brandon Dubinsky was not even mentioned much as a sleeper. Here was someone who scored a modest 41 points in 82 games last season. Yet an expected jump in ice time should have portended his 2-4-6 start in 7 games.

Last year the 23-year-old played 2:16 on the PP and 16:38 in all situations. Given John Tortorella's history of giving his top forwards 20-plus minutes on board in Tampa, it should not have been a surprise that Doobs was going to have a career year. He's playing only 25 seconds more on the man-advantage, but he's playing nearly 5 more minutes more overall (21:27).

Dubinsky's absence from training camp during a contract dispute further dampened expectations, but once signed, observers should have figured that he'd center the first line. There was talk of Vinny Prospal taking that spot next to Marian Gaborik, but Prospal did his best work in Tampa as a left wing. The winner: Dubinsky, of course.