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During the season, these rankings -- which appear on Mondays in concert with the overall NHL Power Rankings -- are based on player production in terms of Hockey Prospectus' GVT valuation metric. If you are unfamiliar with GVT and how it works, you can find more here.
Check out the full rankings below. We'll be back every Monday with new editions.
Hockey Prospectus: Player Power Rankings
These are based on games through Nov. 21, 2010.
Legend:
OGVT: Offensive GVT
GGVT: Goaltending GVT
DGVT: Defensive GVT
SGVT: Shootout GVT
GVT: Total GVT
Rank Player OGVT/GGVT DGVT SGVT GVT
1. Tim Thomas, G, Boston Bruins 15.0 -0.2 0.8 15.6
Comment: At the beginning of the season, Thomas was untradeable because his contract was too big; now he's untradeable because he's too good. It sounds like he's going to stay in Boston one way or another, which has been bad news for Eastern Conference teams so far.
2. Carey Price, G, Montreal Canadiens 11.6 0.2 0.0 11.8
Comment: Price's torrid pace continues. This week he posted a 1.01 GAA, 0.970 save percentage and two shutouts in three games.
3. Jonathan Quick, G, Los Angeles Kings 8.8 0.2 1.8 10.8
Comment: Quick outdueled Tim Thomas in a six-round shootout on Saturday. He has now stopped 11 of 13 shots in the shootout, the second-best mark in the NHL (behind Peter Budaj's 10-of-11).
4. Steven Stamkos, F, Tampa Bay Lightning 8.9 1.4 0.0 10.3
Comment: Among the more interesting records Stamkos is threatening is Tim Kerr's 34 power-play goals in a season, set in 1985-86. With 10 in 20 games, Stamkos is on pace for 41, even though goals have gone down by 30 percent since Kerr's time.
5. Niklas Backstrom, G, Minnesota Wild 9.8 -0.1 -0.9 8.7
Comment: Backstrom certainly knows how to distribute his goals against: While he has allowed 13 goals in his past six games (2.17 GAA, 0.935 save percentage), 10 of them were in a pair of five-goal outings, allowing his team to win the four remaining games 1-0, 2-1, 4-1 and 2-1.
6. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Philadelphia Flyers 7.9 -0.1 0.0 7.8
Comment: While he is a newcomer to the NHL, Bobrovsky's success shouldn't come as a total surprise: He's been one of the top five goaltenders in the KHL for the past two seasons with a 0.922 save percentage, despite being only 20 and 21 years old at the time.
7. Mathieu Garon, G, Columbus Blue Jackets 7.5 0.2 0.0 7.7
Comment: Who has the lowest GAA and the highest save percentage in the NHL right now? Hands up if you chose Garon. Despite appearing in only six games this season, Garon has five wins and three shutouts. Should Steve Mason be worried?
8. Sidney Crosby, F, Pittsburgh Penguins 6.8 0.2 0.8 7.2
Comment: It was only a matter of time until Crosby appeared on this list, as he is in his usual spot among the top two scorers in the league. Crosby has willed the Penguins back up the standings with his play, with eight goals and 10 assists in the past eight games, during which the Penguins have gone 5-2-1.
9. Alexander Semin, F, Washington Capitals 5.9 1.0 0.2 7.1
Comment: Many think Semin owes his success to Ovechkin and Backstrom, but in fact Semin has played only 46 percent of his ice time with the big two this year and less last season, as the Capitals have often used the rugged Mike Knuble on the top line to complement their skill players. That isn't to say Semin doesn't score more when playing with them; who wouldn't?
10. Kris Letang, D, Pittsburgh Penguins 3.6 2.5 0.2 6.3
Comment: Letang and Paul Martin are the Penguins' No. 1 pair, and they are excelling both in offensive numbers (Letang's 18 points are No. 2 among NHL defensemen) and defensive roles (playing against the opposition's No. 1 lines).
A version of this story originally appeared on ESPN Insider  .
Tom Awad is an author of Hockey Prospectus.
You can contact Tom by clicking here or click here to see Tom's other articles.
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In The Crease (11/23)
1 comment has been left for this article. 
Great information. Could you look at three suggestions? Could you provide all the players GVT? (Maybe to HP subscribers? Maybe an excel spreadsheet?) Second - Could you show deltas from the previous week or some period to show trends? and third - Could you separate out goalies from the other players and provide rankings for each? The goalies appear to be weighted. Has Garon been more valuable to this date than Crosby? Just suggestions. Thanks for the article.