While the dumpster fire of NHL collective bargaining rages on, one is left to wonder if any NHL season can be salvaged at this point. Gary Bettman has stated that anything less than a 48-game schedule is unacceptable.

With a drop-dead cancellation date presumably lurking in mid-January, the powers that be need to drop their deuce (then hopefully wash their hands) or simply get off the pot and stick a fork in the 2012-13 season.

Considering all the promise and pageantry that has already been flushed away by the stubborn negotiations, nobody will be surprised if no agreement can be reached. With the legal wrangling headed back to the courts, words like “decertification” and “disclaim interest” are being tossed around.

Maybe it’s time to look forward to next year. Or, maybe not.

Let’s say the season starts January 15th. Not only will the training camps be crammed in, your fantasy research will need to be on point as well.

Here’s my projected (half-season) fantasy top ten:

10. Daniel Sedin- The Vancouver wing benefits from playing with his twin brother, but has been a fantasy monster for the past five seasons.

9. Alex Ovechkin-The Washington Capitals winger will look to rebound from a down season. An inspired playoff performance and a new coach could bring the spark back.

8. Jonathan Quick-If Lundqvist is number one, Quick is right behind him at number 1A.  Coming off a Conn Smythe and a Stanley Cup, don’t expect a title hangover from the Kings’ backstop.

7. Pavel Datsyuk- The slick Russian center may be the best two way forward in the world. A healthy Datsyuk could see him return to an elite scorer.

6. Henrik Sedin-The next Swedish twin plays center for Vancouver and is a production monster. The two Sedins alternated Hart trophies a couple years ago. This might be Henrik's year again.

5. Henrik Lundqvist-It’s always a gamble to take a goalie with your first pick. With Lundqvist though, you will pile up the numbers.

4. Claude Giroux-An injury scare in Germany might have cost the young Philadelphia center a spot on the list. He’ll look to build on his breakout season last year.

3. Sidney Crosby-The polarizing Pittsburgh captain is always be one big hit from retirement, but when he’s healthy, he is so, so good.

2. Steven Stamkos- Another year older, wiser and better for the Tampa sniper. A better team behind him could result in bigger numbers.

1. Evgeni Malkin- Reigning MVP could potentially pull away from the rest of the NHL talent pool. Yes, he’s that good.