The Kings took quite a leap of faith on July 2, 2007 when they signed Michal Handzus to a four-year deal.

It's not like Handzus wasn't deserving of a long-term contract after what he had done previously in his career. However, the Czech native was coming off a serious knee injury and hadn't played a game since October 2006 with the Blackhawks.

Although Handzus dressed for all 82 games in his first season with the Kings in 2007-08, he just didn't look like his normal self. He managed just seven goals and 14 assists. The 21 points were his lowest total since posting 16 points as a rookie in 1998-99 with St. Louis. To add further insult, Handzus had a career-worst minus-21 rating.

We now fast forward to the present, and Handzus leads Los Angeles with five points (two goals) in the team's first five games. Last season, he didn't get his fourth point until his 28th game.

"I am more patient this year and more confident and stronger," Handzus said.

The slate has been wiped clean for Handzus thanks to a new regime. Coach Terry Murray is in his first year coaching the Kings and has Handzus headed down the right path.

The crowning moment of his early season push came during Friday's 4-3 overtime win against the Hurricanes. Handzus scored the game-winning goal in overtime.

It was his third career overtime goal and first since Dec. 5, 2002.

"He held onto the puck with lots of composure and made a great shot," Murray said.

The strength of Handzus game has always been during the penalty kill. He is one of the NHL's top short-handed specialists and has 14 career short-handed scores to show for it. He has also finished below even just four times in the first nine years of his career.

Handzus might be centering the Kings' third line, but what many people don't realize is that under Murray, the team's first line and checking line log the most ice time. So Handzus is expected to be on the ice more often than not.

Before tearing his ACL in a game against the Blues on Oct. 21, 2006, Handzus had scored a goal and added an assist to give him eight points in his first eight games with the Blackhawks.

He was headed toward totaling 40 or more points for a fifth straight season. The streak ended in 2006-07 and he was unable to revive it in 2007-08. Perhaps 2008-09 will be the year Handzus gets back on track.

"I don't think about last year," he said. "This is a new season."

Add 'Em

Nikolai Khabibulin, G, Chicago
Owned: 38 percent of leagues
Analysis: The arrival of Joel Quenneville could make Khabibulin a Fantasy relevant player again. Once the team signed Cristobal Huet in the offseason, Khabibulin was put on the trade block. He was even placed on waivers before the season began, but no one jumped at the chance to nab The 'Bulin Wall. Once Chicago fired Denis Savard, Quenneville went to Khabibulin in his first game behind the bench. He remains in a tandem with Huet, but the more he starts, the more chances Chicago has to dangle him as trade bait, again. This time around someone could be in the market for a veteran netminder. Huet owners should own Khabibulin as Fantasy insurance, but if you are looking for a decent No. 3 Fantasy goalie, then Khabibulin is your guy.

Alex Goligoski, D, Pittsburgh
Owned: 52 percent of leagues
Analysis: When Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar went down with injuries in the preseason, all the attention was fixated on Kris Letang being the guy to fill in the offensive void, especially on the power play. Well, Letang has been slow out of the gate while Goligoski has been valuable on the man advantage. The former 2004 second-round pick has scored two power-play goals and is second on the team in that category. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher has always had solid offensive skills and it really came to the forefront during the AHL playoffs in 2007-08. He had four goals and 24 assists in 23 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He continues to build off that success.

Guillame Latendresse, RW, Montreal
Owned: 37 percent of leagues
Analysis: Latendresse should thank teammate Christopher Higgins for getting injured in the preseason because his absence opened up a spot on the team's second line with Saku Koivu and Alex Tanguay. He has posted a goal and five assists in six games. He also has a plus-5 rating. Coach Guy Carbonneau has already said Latendresse will remain on that line even when Higgins is at 100 percent. Latendresse, Montreal's second-round pick in 2005, made the jump from junior hockey to the NHL in 2006-07 and had a few turbulent seasons to begin his career. But if he can stick with the likes of Tanguay and Koivu, he is well on his way to a breakout season. He's definitely worth a look in larger Fantasy formats.

Drop' Em

Brian Gionta, RW, New Jersey
Owned: 85 percent of leagues
Analysis: For being 5-7, 175 pounds, physical limitations have never really stopped Gionta from being a force in the NHL. It seems coach Brent Sutter wants to be the reason. Sutter has opened the season with Gionta on his checking line and has even moved him around on the power play. He is no longer in front of the net and is now off to the left side. When Gionta scored a team-record 24 power-play goals in 2005-06, it was because he got to clean up the garbage off rebounds and deflections. He no longer is getting that chance. Gionta has no goals and two assists in five games, and 40-50 points is probably all we should expect from him this season -- if we are lucky.

Jordan Staal, C, Pittsburgh
Owned: 42 percent of leagues
Analysis: Staal was a prime candidate for a rebound season in 2008-09 since he was entering the final season of his entry-level contract and was being moved back to the left wing on a line with Evgeni Malkin. It was in 2006-07 when Staal scored 29 goals as a rookie playing on the left wing. Seven games into this season he doesn't have a goal and has already been moved back to center -- his natural position. Staal played primarily at center in 2007-08 and saw his scoring drop to 12 goals. The move back to the middle doesn't leave much hope that he can get back up near 30 goals in '08-09.

Avoid' Em

Aaron Voros, C, N.Y. Rangers
Owned: 55 percent of leagues
Analysis: The second-year forward has been a solid free-agent addition for the Rangers. He has five goals and four assists in his first nine games, as well as 13 penalty minutes. He was signed to be a checking-line forward, but he has worked out well on the left wing playing alongside Brandon Dubinsky and Nikolai Zherdev. While Voros has been a nice surprise in the early going for New York, it's unlikely he keeps up his point-per-game offense. Voros has always been more of an enforcer than a scorer during his career, and even if he fits the role of a Sean Avery, the former Ranger had just 33 points last season before bolting for Dallas.

David Krejci, C, Boston
Owned: 18 percent of leagues
Analysis: Krejci is off to a fast start in his second full NHL season with two goals and three assists in his first six games. He had a strong showing in the 2007-08 playoffs (five points in seven games) and is continuing that success. Coach Claude Julien has been overly impressed with Krejci's performance, but that doesn't mean he is going to get bumped up from his third-line position anytime soon. Don't forget the Bruins have Marc Savard centering their first line and Patrice Bergeron on the second. As long as those two stay healthy, Krejci will remain a lower-line center with limited offensive upside.

Watch 'Em

Nick Boynton, D, Florida
Owned: 10 percent of leagues
Analysis: Boynton was a key part of the trade that sent Olli Jokinen to Phoenix and has given Florida good early returns with three points, including two goals, in his first five games. Boynton, a two-time first-round pick, has always been lauded for his solid two-way skills. However, his offensive game has suffered since posting 54 points in two seasons with Boston from 2002-04. Boynton had just 23 points in his last two seasons with Phoenix, but it seems first-year coach Peter DeBoer is pushing all the right buttons with Boynton. However, we caution Fantasy owners that Boynton's early-season surge could just be because Bryan McCabe has been out of the lineup with a back injury. When he returns it will be very interesting to see if Boynton remains as strong offensively.

Francois Beauchemin, D, Anaheim
Owned: 33 percent of leagues
Analysis: Beauchemin has now scored in three straight contests after finding the back of the net Tuesday night. Beauchemin has been the one Ducks' defenseman that has really picked up the slack offensively since Mathieu Schneider was traded to Atlanta. Beauchemin has never been an elite goal scorer dating back to his days of junior hockey, and even with the added scoring chances it's tough to tell if Beauchemin can sustain at such a rapid pace. He is still a fairly young player at 28 years old and a career season is not out of the question. But just keep in mind he still has to fight Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer along the blue line for scoring chances.

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