Every season in the NHL, there are always a great number of players who become that “diamond in the rough;” that player who becomes known as the seventh round draft pick who could (Henrik Zetterberg) or the third rounder who breaks a record of Gordie Howe’s (Johan Franzen).

However, there are also those guys who climb the ladder one year, and then plummet to the bottom rung the next year.  That first round pick who seemed to start out playing unbelievably well, but then seems to disappear the next year (Patrick Stefan).

Who will these guys be in the upcoming 2008-2009 NHL season, though?  Here is a list of ten players who I think are not going to be as productive as they were this past season:

Marian Gaborik – Gaborik, the former third overall draft pick of the Minnesota Wild is indeed one of the most talented players in the NHL.  This past season, he had 42 goals and 83 points in 77 games with the Wild, and was among team leaders with a plus-17 rating.  However, he has a glass groin, and is not reliable enough to play a full season in the NHL.  He seems to get injured every season, and with the grueling season that he played last year along with the six playoff games, he is most likely going to be injured for the majority of the 2008-2009 season.  He may still average a point per game, but look for him to play less than three-quarters of the season.

Kristian Huselius – Huselius was moved by the Flames this past offseason to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and I think that is going ultimately be his downfall.  He had a great breakout year this past season, with 66 points playing in all but one regular season game.  However, playing with Rick Nash on the first line, he is going to be surrounded by less talent than he was in Calgary.

Mark Streit – Streit shocked the hockey world this past year, scoring an amazing 62 points with the Canadiens as a defenseman. He was ranked third among defensemen in points, and fourth among defensemen in assists. However, a stat that many people overlook is the fact that he was a -6 rating. He is not as great as people think in the defensive zone, and he made many mistakes defensively.  The Islanders also fail to realize that he is not an unbelievable defenseman. He is good, but not great. Remember, this guy played on a Canadiens’ team along with the Kostitsyn brothers, Alexei Kovalev, and Andrei Markov opposite him on defense.  The Islanders do not seem to have enough talent to support this guy. He is also 30-years old, and you cannot expect him to stay talented too much longer. I think that he is ultimately going to fail on Long Island.

Pavol Demitra – This guy is going to be another victim of the “switching teams” syndrome.  Demitra scored 54 points in 68 games for Minnesota last season, but was moved to Vancouver this past year.  Vancouver is extremely weak offensively, and Demitra will ultimately suffer playing with less talented people.

Ryan Malone – Malone was the result of an amazingly talented Penguins’ team last year.  He flourished in the season, scoring 51 points in 77 games, and even more so in the playoffs, almost averaging a point per game through the Stanley Cup Finals.  However, Malone is now on a weak Tampa Bay team, one in which he will not have nearly as much offensive and defensive support as he did in Pittsburgh.  Look for Malone to fall off the hockey map this coming season.

Henrik and Daniel Sedin – The Sedin twins are one of the biggest mysteries in the NHL in my opinion.  The two of them always know where the other is.  Daniel gets the goals, Henrik gets the assists.  They play the same way.  They look the same.  They are a package.  Where one goes, the other goes.  Henrik had 76 points, Daniel had 74.  They were picked second and third overall in the 1999 NHL entry draft.  However, Vancouver has consistently gotten worse over the last year, and the Sedin twins are going to suffer, similar to Pavol Demitra.  The entire team is going to fail this season, and the system is going to take the Sedin twins with it.

Jean Sebastian Giguere – J.S. Giguere is indeed a great goalie.  One can see with his Conn Smythe Trophy winning performance in 2003, and his Stanley Cup championship in 2007.  He was second in the league in goals against average last season with 2.12, and had an unbelievable save percentage at .922.  Unfortunately, the Ducks are also going downhill, like many others in the league.  Giguere does not have as great a team in front of him that he used to, and his stats are going to go down.  With Jonas Hiller as the backup, he will play less, and he will struggle to get 30 wins.

Brad Boyes – Boyes surprised many people this past season, scoring 43 goals for the St. Louis Blues to put him among the league leaders.  However, if someone were to believe that he will repeat this performance, they must be crazy.  The Blues are one of the weakest teams in the NHL, and Boyes is not going to be able to put up 30 goals, let alone 40.

Todd White – White is the last victim on this list of being on a bad team.  He did not move teams this offseason, but the Thrashers have dropped down the NHL ladder quickly, and seemingly to stay for a while.  He did not have a great year offensively, only scoring 37 points in 74 games, but he was great defensively, almost as good as a John Madden (the NHL guy, not the football guy who can’t keep his eyes open).  However, he will struggle this year because of the fact that the team altogether because of a lack of talent.