With the 2012-13 NHL season rapidly approaching, it's time to have a look at my boldest, most outrageous fantasy hockey predictions for this year.

Many of these predictions will shock you, and I'm sure each and every one of you will disagree and flat out dislike several of them. Are these things definitely going to happen this season? Of course not, but I believe there is a chance they just might.

Some of these predictions are based on past seasons performances, in-depth statistical research, expected lineups or changes of scenery, but most of them are based purely on my gut instincts and what I believe. The reason I do these daring predictions is for you to get a general idea of which players I really like and which guys I might not be too high on this season.

With the impending start of the NHL season, fantasy hockey drafts are going to come fast and furious so it's time to get reacquainted with some names that should be all over your radar. Here's a look at some of the important young players that will be available and what they did during the lockout in North American leagues ahead of the upcoming NHL fantasy season.

When the puck drops on the 2012-13 NHL season, stars that had been competing internationally during the lockout will make their NHL season debuts. With that, a truly unprecedented fantasy hockey season finally will be underway.

Many players who competed overseas already were considered reliable or even elite fantasy assets. For example, reigning Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin (23 G, 42 A, plus-23, 58 PIM in 37 games for Magnitogorsk) and fellow Russian forwards Pavel Datsyuk (11 G, 25 A, plus-14 in 31 games for CSKA) and Alex Ovechkin (19 G, 21 A, plus-13 in 31 games for Dynamo Moscow) simply reaffirmed their status as clear-cut, first-round fantasy assets by their stellar performance in KHL action.

With very few exceptions, the vast majority of top-tier players are established and well-known to the common fantasy owner. While these players are integral components of a championship team, under-the-radar options with high potential -- better known as sleepers -- can pay huge dividends in fantasy leagues as well.

Whether drafted or added off waivers, these players typically are undervalued on draft day but ultimately can become major fantasy commodities by season's end. Sleepers are extremely unpredictable every season, but the bottom line is these players end up outperforming everyone’s expectations, regardless of their age, team or position.

This week, NHL.com fantasy insiders Sergei Feldman, Pete Jensen and Matt Cubeta (Wednesday, Sept. 12) take in-depth looks at underrated players who should be on your fantasy team's radar entering drafts. Each expert will provide 10 sleeper picks with corresponding stat projections (in order of preference), along with five additional candidates for fantasy owners to keep an eye on.

PETE JENSEN'S FANTASY HOCKEY SLEEPERS

1. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, St. Louis Blues

Vladimir Tarasenko could be a fantasy difference-maker in his first NHL campaign with the St. Louis Blues. (Photo: Getty Images)

This 20-year-old Russian phenom was drafted in the first round of the 2010 Entry Draft but the 2012-13 season will be his first in North America after playing the last four seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League. He has point-production savvy beyond his years (47 points in 54 KHL games last season), making him an immediate threat to score 20-plus goals as a rookie. What's more, the opportunity to develop in coach Ken Hitchcock's system makes his situation even more promising. He's a projected third-liner heading into his first NHL season, but will be further utilized if injuries affect the Blues' talented group of forwards again.

Projection: 24 G, 23 A, plus-10, 25 PIM, 12 PPP, 175 SOG

With very few exceptions, the vast majority of top-tier players are established and well-known to the common fantasy owner. But while these players are integral components of a championship team, under-the-radar options with high potential -- better known as sleepers -- can pay huge dividends in fantasy leagues as well.

Whether drafted or added off waivers, these players are typically undervalued on draft day but can ultimately become fantasy commodities by season's end. Sleepers are extremely unpredictable every year, but the bottom line is, these players end up outperforming everyone’s expectations, regardless of their age, team or position.

This week, NHL.com fantasy insiders Sergei Feldman, Pete Jensen and Matt Cubeta take in-depth looks at underrated players who should be on your fantasy team's radar entering drafts. Each expert will provide 10 sleeper picks with corresponding stat projections (in order of preference), along with five additional candidates for fantasy owners to keep an eye on.

SERGEI FELDMAN'S FANTASY HOCKEY SLEEPERS:

Milan Hejduk

Right Wing - COL

GOALS: 14 | ASST: 23 | PTS: 37
SOG: 170 | +/-: -12

What do you get when you take into account a one-time 50-goal scorer, a five-time 30-plus goal-scorer and an impressive crop of forwards to play alongside with? Hejduk, who figures to be a consistent contributor for fantasy owners given the new wave of talent in the Mile High City.

Projection: 22 G, 38 A, plus-5, 25 PIM, 25 PPP, 210 SOG

In 1979, the WHA's All-Stars played a three-game series against HC Moscow Dynamo in an event noteworthy because hockey legend Gordie Howe played on a line with his son Mark and a burgeoning young star named Wayne Gretzky.

In the first game of an eventual sweep for the WHA, the line combined for seven points.

Such a collaboration of historic talent in one place has rarely been echoed, though Gretzky and Mario Lemieux playing on the same line at the 1987 Canada Cup and Canada's roster at the 2010 Winter Olympics come to mind. Still, the fact remains that fans will never get to see all of the greats playing together in their prime. Sidney Crosby will never share ice with Jari Kurri and Bobby Hull, Bobby Orr will never pair on the blue line with Erik Karlsson and likewise, the two of them will never play in front of Patrick Roy.

For those wondering just how that dream team lineup might look, however, EA SPORTS could have the solution.

All-Star games and fantasy hockey have given us a glimpse of how the greats would play together for years so long as they're contemporaries, but when EA releases NHL '13 this month, fans will get the chance to see how any legend from any era would have played with anyone else. With the Hockey Ultimate Team mode in EA SPORTS NHL '13, gamers will be able to build rosters from a pool that includes over 4,000 current and past players from the NHL and other leagues around the world. Ultimate Team mode gives gamers the opportunity to build their ideal all-time fantasy team.

Corey Perry

Right Wing - ANA

GOALS: 37 | ASST: 23 | PTS: 60
SOG: 277 | +/-: -7

Anchoring the right wing rankings for the second straight year is Perry, whose 2010-11 masterpiece (50 G, 48 A, plus-9, 104 PIM, 31 PPP, 290 SOG) still resonates throughout the fantasy landscape. His 38-point drop last season put his standing in serious jeopardy, but his ability to post 37 goals (T-6th in NHL) and finish as the League's only RW with 60-plus points and 120-plus PIM during his team's forgettable season solidified his No. 1 ranking.

Helping Perry's cause in reclaiming the top spot is the uncertainty surrounding last season's most prolific right wingers, Gaborik and Marian Hossa. Both remain ranked in the top six at the position entering the new season based on their past performance and potent linemates, but their projected fantasy values could dip if their recoveries from late-season injuries carry over into 2012-13.

It's that time of year again. Welcome back, fantasy hockey fans!

Each year we hope that this is "the" year -- the year you take home that fantasy crown and own bragging rights for the offseason. Whether you're looking to bounce back from a devastating loss last season or looking to defend your title, there's nothing better than the start of the new fantasy season.

That year of years starts with the best strategies to build and develop your fantasy league's champion. From draft preparation all the way through in-season trades and the playoffs (for those of you in head-to-head leagues), NHL.com's panel of fantasy hockey experts will be here for you year-round.

It starts now.

There's no place like home ...

And after an NHL offseason filled with signings and trades galore, many players -- superstars included -- will have to get acclimated to a new team, system and group of teammates, for they, too, are not in Kansas anymore.

As such, NHL.com fantasy insider Sergei Feldman examines the new fantasy hockey landscape and looks at some key new faces in new places that owners should be aware of as they prepare their strategies for upcoming drafts.

NOTE: The following players were reviewed in tiers (descending order).

TIER I:

RICK NASH (LW)

2012-13 Team: New York Rangers

Rick Nash

Left Wing - NYR

GOALS: 30 | ASST: 29 | PTS: 59
SOG: 306 | +/-: -19

Despite finishing 2011-12 with yet another 30-goal season (his seventh), the still-young and in-his-prime winger failed to meet lofty fantasy expectations. Nash amassed 59 points -- his lowest output in four years -- and a minus-19 rating in 82 games.

His former club and the Rangers' trade partner, Columbus, had the League's worst record and scored the fifth-fewest goals, so Nash certainly had little help. Sharing the same ice with the likes of Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards could elevate the former "Rocket" Richard Trophy co-winner to new heights.