The Rangers, Hurricanes and Sabres are the biggest surprises to me by far this year, but with the new rules, it's not as shocking as it appears. They were meant to open up the game, and Jagr should have been one of the big beneficiaries, which he obviously has been. No real big surprises in the West division so far.
As for the rookie race, I think Ovechkin is a little more deserving right now. He's playing with a lesser cast and still putting up the points. He does have a big advantage in that he's already played with Russian Elites for 4 years. That's a pretty good headstart. The comparisons will be a little more telling in about 2-3 years.
