All the casualties this season forced fantasy general managers to scramble for replacements. Roster openings gave you a chance to shop for the Next New Thing, those young players making a big splash in the early going.

You also gobbled up lots of reliable veterans, those middling performers with modest performance ceilings but a reassuring history of steadiness.

But don’t lose track of those potential breakout players who went down with injuries in this young season, causing them to assume lower profiles. Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel is one such player, since he sat out the first month of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

He absolutely, positively must become a top gun for the lowly Maple Leafs. He climbed from 11 goals to 19 and 36 his previous two seasons in Boston. He was plus-23 for the Bruins in 2008-09  – a number that will be difficult to match in Toronto.

Kessel will need a little time to regain his game stride. “He's dead, huffing and puffing especially when I shortened my bench," Leafs coach Ron Wilson told the Toronto Sun after Phil’s second game. “But he was dangerous a few times. It's only a matter of time before the puck starts going in the net for him.”

Another good example is No. 2 Sharks center Joe Pavelski, who missed 15 games with a broken foot.

In his first game back, he scored one goal and set up another. “He didn't miss a step,” teammate Dany Heatley told the San Jose Mercury News. “It was like he missed no time at all.”

Pavelski has four points in three games this season. He improved from 28 to 40 and 59 points in his previous three NHL seasons. He scored 23 power-play points last season and earned a plus-5 ranking. His goals increased from 14 to 19 and 25 the previous three seasons.

With San Jose able to start two strong scoring lines at even strength and load up on the power play, Pavelski could take another step still.

Here are just some other guys who need to keep an eye on:

Devon Setoguchi, W, Sharks: He is on the mend from a “lower body injury” and practicing with the team again. He scored seven goals and added two assists in 11 games before going down. He made his move during his second season, jumping from 17 points in 44 games to 65 points – with 31 goals, a plus-16 ranking and 23 power-play points.

David Krejci, C, Bruins: What a nightmare this season has become. First he had to come back from hip surgery, which he did by the start of the regular season. It took a while to scrape off the rust. Then he was felled by the swine flu. He scored just five points in 14 games. But let us not forget about his second season breakout, when he soared from 27 points to 73 with a plus-37 ranking. He earned 51 assists, 14 on the power play.

David Booth, W, Panthers: In his previous two seasons, he climbed from 10 points to 40 and 60. He scored 31 goals last year with a plus-10 rating. He had just three points in nine games this season before hitting the shelf with a concussion.

Jonathan Toews, C, Blackhawks: He scored just once in his first nine games this season, then suffered a concussion. This stalled a professional charge that saw him score 54 points in 64 games as a rookie and 69 points in 82 games last season. Once Marian Hossa recovers from shoulder surgery, Toews could become a point-pe-game scorer in this offense.

Milan Lucic, W, Bruins: He seemed ready to graduate to a bigger offensive role this season after improving from 27 points to 47 last season. He earned 136 PIMs and posted a plus-17. But then he suffered a broken finger that added to Boston’s massive injury issues. In his first six games, he mustered just three assists with no goals.

T.J. Oshie, W, Blues: St. Louis is sputtering offensively. Oshie is coming back from an appendectomy. As a rookie last season, he barely touched his potential with 39 points in 57 games, a plus-16 rating and 30 PIMs.

Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson, GT, Maple Leafs: While was on the shelf for 20 days earlier this season, some fantasy GMs looked elsewhere for help. Can he become Toronto’s franchise goaltender? So far he has a 2.60 goals-against average and a .918 save percentages.

Tomas Fleischmann, W, Capitals: Back from leg injury which sidelined him for most of October, he scored seven goals in his first six games this season. He scored 30 and 37 points in his previous two seasons. Could he really bust out this season or he is getting a temporary boost playing in place of injured forwards?