It’s always fun to watch the early season panic when teams and players aren’t performing up to the standard that they are expected to. The over-dramatic knee jerk reactions to a team playing poorly can result in a coach getting fired before his team has collectively broken a sweat: see Peter Laviolette in Philadelphia.

The early season player struggles can also result in some panic trades or even waiver moves with layers who seem to be skating with cement in their socks. Pump the brakes people. It isn’t quite time to scuttle the ship and start the fire sale. There are almost 80 games for most teams left to play and the talent always seems to rise to the top.

Patience is a virtue fans and fantasy players alike. You won’t get fair market value if you’re trying to move some of the underachievers listed, but it still might be prudent to hold on to these guys until they come around and start playing up to par. Until then, send out an APB or file a missing persons report. These five duds have been missing in action so far and could be candidates to adorn the official NHL milk carton for missing players.

5. Henrik Lundqvist, G, New York Rangers

Chalk it up to the Rangers’ nine-game road trip to start the season, new coach jitters or being more focused on shampoo commercials. Whatever the reason, King Henrik doesn’t seem to be playing quite like the all-world backstop we expect him to be. An opening night four-goal fiasco in Phoenix and then Tuesday night’s quad against the Sharks got the handsome Swede yanked to the bench in San Jose. Will he ever be the same? Of course he will, but Ranger fans and Lundqvist owners would like that to be sooner rather than later.

4. Jonathan Quick, G, Los Angeles Kings

All you need to see is a highlight, well, lowlight of the former Conn Smythe winner shuffling a puck into his own goal while on the power play. After opening the season with a solid effort against Minnesota, Quick got torched by Winnipeg and then let in the howler against the Rangers. What was supposed to be a showcase of goaltending between Lundqvist and Quick turned into a blooper of the year nominee at Quick’s expense.

3. Steven Stamkos, C, Tampa Bay Lightning

Three games and seven shots have yielded only two assists for the perennial goal-scoring king. Stamkos is good enough that we know the goals will come eventually, but when is the question on everyone’s mind. Ironically without their star player lighting the lamp, Tampa is off to a 2-1 start including a shootout win over the defending champ Blackhawks in Chicago. Surely Stamkos is happy to get the win, but his fantasy owners are certainly hoping for a better return from their top pick.

2. Ryan Getzlaf, C, Anaheim Ducks

Getzlaf is a notoriously slow starter and that information is useful to have when you look at his performance through three games. One assist and a minus-2 have equated to a 2-1 start for the Ducks but if Anaheim is going to contend in the Western Conference they will need a better showing from their captain.

1. Claude Giroux, C, Philadelphia Flyers

With all of the turmoil in Philly, there is no bigger scapegoat than the young Flyers’ captain. Through four games Giroux is without a point and sits at minus-2 for the season. A terrible start cost Peter Laviolette his job, but hopefully for the remainder of the campaign, the Philadelphia center will find his groove. Giroux has been a beast in the faceoff circle as usual, but the offensively challenged Flyers will need their captain to spark a return to the playoffs.