Is it just me, or does the NHL have a bit of wackiness this season? It's all good though: It gives us bloggers something to talk about. Here are my 30 favorite surprises from the NHL so far.

1. The New Jersey Devils - Going into the season, I said they were a cup threat. Way to make me look bad, folks. Why the Devils stink is a combination of injuries and bad karma. Most of the league, and players on the Devils themselves were annoyed with the soap opera to start the season, and the overpayment of Ilya Kovalchuk.

2. Cap Stupidity - Almost a third of all NHL teams are riding the line of the cap, and are only able to dress full line-ups because key players are injured. It's a disgrace, and the league needs to start getting tougher with teams to prevent this from happening. The Devils had the early season mess, only dressing 15 players in some games until people started getting hurt. Next up is Boston, because the Bruins have two key injured players coming back (Marc Savard and Marco Sturm). Either the B's are going to need to make a few deals, or they'll have to send a few good players down to the AHL in order to fit the payroll under the cap.

3. Trade Silence - Do any of you remember when teams would make deals throughout the season? It was fun. Now, we get silence, except for the Trade Deadline and the NHL Entry Draft. Certain teams could be helping each other if they made a deal (for example, the Oilers need defensemen, and could give up a forward or two, and the Leafs have too many defensemen, and need a forward or two...yet, there is no deal happening, nor will there be).

4. Steven Stamkos - Not all surprises are bad news. Last year when Stamkos scored 51 goals, my thought on it was that he's peaked...yeah, I know, he's really young and last season was only his second. But who scores 51 goals per season in the modern-NHL? I thought this year Stamkos would slow down a bit, but in fact, he looks like he is getting better. Aside from leading the league in points with 27, he is scoring goals at a pace that would see him score 77 goals this season. Amazing.

5. Rookiemania - When is the last time five players from the most recent NHL Draft made their teams after training camp? Jeff Skinner, Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin, Cam Fowler and Alexander Bumistrov all managed to do it, and a number of others played a few games before being sent down to junior. The 2010 NHL Entry Draft might be remembered in a few years as one of the deepest crops on record.

6. Mule-Skinner Blues - Speaking of the rookies, did anyone think Jeff Skinner would be leading the rookie scoring race this season? I sure didn't; wasn't sure he'd even make the NHL. 15 points in 16 games, and dangerous every time he's on the ice.

7. Teemu Selanne and Niklas Lidstrom - What are a couple of 40 year-olds doing still dominating play in the NHL? Lidstrom could win the Norris Trophy again this season, and Selanne, who hasn't lost any of his flash, is tied for 5th in league scoring. Amazing!

8. Are the Sedin's Twins or Something? - Henrik has 18 points; Daniel has 18 points, and both are +3. Last year, Henrik was the hero in Vancouver, and this season, Daniel leads the team with 10 goals.

9. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables - How come every time I watch a game from Long Island, Phoenix, Florida or Columbus, it seems like there are less fans than players? I know the US economy is bad, but geesh. The NHL really needs to look at where they place teams, because there could be a league-wide financial disaster if attendance doesn't pick up.

10. All-Star Games are for Little Girls - The NHL also has shown their stupidity in creating a new All-Star game format, where the team captains are voted on, and then the captains pick the team. Is that suppose to improve the game? The only way the All-Star game would be interesting and worth watching is if something of value was on the line. How about, the winning conference gets home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final? Oh, and along with doing nothing important to improve the crappy all-star game, the NHL scrapped the young stars game, which was infinitely more interesting than the "big" game.

11. Messier Helmets - This new lids are all the rage in the NHL this season. Adjustable helmets are suppose to help reduce concussions. I am not sure it is working, because at this time there are 14 players in the league out with head injuries. Still, if Messier recommends something...he was right about Lay's, after all. You can't eat just one.

12. Goonism - A number of teams in the off-season acquired goons. Some teams, like the New York Rangers, paid big money to have the meanest goon around, Derek "Boogey Man" Boogaard. Problem is, the NHL is all about speed now, and other than fighting, goon players are pointless to have. Leave it to Glenn Sather to dumb down the NHL.

13. Sutter Untouchable - If I screwed up on the job continuously like Darryl Sutter does in Calgary, I'd get fired. Not only has he put together a team comparable to lukewarm water in a hot tub, but he locked in half the team with oversized contracts for three or more seasons. The Flames might not be the worst team in the NHL, but there is no worse management team. Well, almost...forgot about New Jersey for a second.

14. Oilers Cheer Team? - Yes, pretty girls are fun to watch and all, and considering how badly the Oilers are playing, perhaps offering fans some eye-candy is Daryl Katz's way of apologizing to people who shelled out thousands to see their favorite team lose. Seriously, though, cheerleaders are for football games and single's bars when I am in town. I would have liked it better if the Oilers had a big dumb mascot instead. It's fun to see them light on fire whenever they try to jump through a flaming hoop.

15. Jordan Eberle - On the subject of the Oilers, who thought Eberle would be the best player on the team in his rookie year. I know some of you love Ales Hemsky, and Ryan Whitney is having a great season too. But watch the Oilers play and tell me they have someone who can bring what Eberle does. Dangerous offensively, sound defensively, can penalty kill, and is incredibly smart with the puck. While fellow rookies Taylor Hall and Magnus Paajarvi have looked overmatched and extremely young at times, Eberle plays like a 26-year old in his seventh season.

16. No Goals No Glory - At this time, there are five goalies who have played six or more games this season who have a GAA less than 2.00. What? I thought the NHL made the goalie equipment smaller, and that was going to increase the offense.

17. Tinkering is Stupid - Aside from the NHL, the league now during the summer has a camp where they bring in CHL players to test drive potential rule changes. Why? If it was Canadians running the league, they'd leave the rules alone. There is no reason to try and make the game "more exciting" for the purpose of interesting Americans who couldn't care less about hockey. You want to increase interest south of the boarder? Get better television deals.

18. Tim Thomas - Lemme understand this: Two years ago, Thomas was the best goalie in hockey. Then last season, he loses his starting job to Ruukka Rask. This season, Thomas has a 1.39 GAA with a .959 Save Percentage, and he's once again the undisputed top goalie in Boston. Over the summer, the Bruins couldn't give this guy away because of his $5mil cap hit. Right now $5mil looks like a bargain.

19. Michal Neuvirth - Speaking of goalies, who is Michal Neuvirth and why is he winning so many games? True, he plays on Washington, and their offensive machine would carry many goaltenders to successful statistics. Neuvirth's 2.50 GAA and his .914 Save Percentage is pretty good though for being on a team that doesn't play defense.

20. The Beat Trolls On - My final thought is in respect to Hockeybuzz. It never ceases to amaze me how many people continuously complain about this site, but visit it every day. Almost every blogger gets ripped constantly, which I find equal parts amusing and confusing. I, myself, have a devoted band of misfits who write daily in blog comments and in emails telling me how much I suck. Heck, I've even heard one Edmonton-area radio guy complain on air about how bad Hockeybuzz is...yet, I know from "The Boss" our readership numbers are great and continue to rise. So to the trolls, I say thanks, I think. Thanks for helping keep HB entertaining.

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