Alexis Lafrenière – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Young players who could have surprising value late in the season like Alexis Lafreniere, Gabe Perreault, Jimmy Snuggerud, Michael Misa, Marco Rossi and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 20:37:53 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, young players who could have surprising value late in the season like Alexis Lafreniere, Gabe Perreault, Jimmy Snuggerud, Michael Misa, Marco Rossi and so much more!

#1 Even though the New York Rangers’ season has gone sideways, they are potentially a very interesting team down the stretch, as new players get better opportunities to play big roles. One of the players who is heating up is Alexis Lafreniere, who has 11 points (6 G, 5 A) and 16 shots on goal while averaging more than 19 minutes per game in his past six games. The first overall pick in the 2020 Draft is up to 44 points (19 G, 25 A) in 65 games, giving him a chance to surpass his career high of 57 points, set in 2023-2024. Not only is Lafreniere playing on the top power play unit, but he’s on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and…

#2 Rangers rookie Gabe Perreault, who was a first-round pick in 2023, has spent time in the American Hockey League during his first pro season. He had 17 points (10 G, 7 A) in 20 games with Hartford and Perreault managed a modest eight points in his first 26 games for the Rangers but has started to step into a bigger offensive role, especially once Artemi Panarin was removed from the Rangers lineup. In his past six games, Perreault has nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 15 shots on goal while playing first line and first unit power play for the Blueshirts. This is how it’s supposed to go for a team that is out of the race – they should use the rest of the season to give their skilled young players better offensive opportunities, and it appears that Perreault is ready to make the most of his opportunity.

#3 That’s not unlike what is happening with St. Louis Blues rookie winger Jimmy Snuggerud. The 2022 first-round pick has been with the Blues all season, but he is now riding shotgun with Robert Thomas on both the top line and first unit power play. In his past 14 games, Snuggerud has 19 points (8 G, 11 A) and 37 shots on goal and has moved up to fifth in rookie scoring with 34 points (15 G, 19 A) in 53 games. Considering who is available to fill the prime roles in St. Louis, Snuggerud looks like he should stay on the top line for the rest of the season.

#4 The San Jose Sharks have been patient with rookie Michael Misa, the second pick in the 2025 Draft, but as the team continues to push for a playoff spot, the 19-year-old centre is turning into a big contributor. In eight games since the Olympic break, Misa has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 10 shots on goal. Certainly, the scoring would be more sustainable with a higher shot rate, but he is starting to become a factor while skating on a line with William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli and Misa is a highly skilled player who is going to thrive as he gets more ice time with quality linemates.

#5 Coming into season, Matias Maccelli looked like he was getting a good opportunity in Toronto and might have had the chance to play on the top line as a lower-cost replacement for Mitch Marner. While that hasn’t happened as often as might have been hoped, Maccelli has stepped up lately. Since the beginning of February, he has 11 points (7 G, 4 A) with 22 shots on goal in 11 games and he gets second unit power play time while currently skating on a line with Nicholas Robertson and AHL call-up Bo Groulx.

#6 There is a bit of a run of injuries hitting teams late in the season and it could provide opportunities to find value. In Colorado, captain Gabriel Landeskog is out week to week with a lower-body injury after taking a shot in a tender spot from teammate Cale Makar. With Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen out, it appears that the Avs are going to slide Nazem Kadri to left wing on the top line, which is a prime opportunity for Kadri to get going offensively. He had a little slump at the end of his tenure in Calgary, so Kadri has just two points (1 G, 1 A) despite recording 23 shots on goal in his past seven games.

#7 Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews took a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas on Thursday night and Matthews is going to be out for at least a couple of weeks before his status is re-evaluated. The Leafs are 11 points out of a playoff spot, so there is zero incentive to rush Matthews back into the lineup. John Tavares will naturally move up the depth chart, but Max Domi probably needs to slide into the second-line centre role. This shuffling could mean an opening in Toronto’s top six for someone like Nicholas Robertson or Matias Maccelli.

#8 The Ottawa Senators lost defenceman Jake Sanderson on a week-to-week basis after suffering an upper-body injury from a hit by Seattle Kraken defenceman Brandon Montour. Sanderson has been a standout performer on the Senators blueline this season, so it’s going to be a big loss to have him out of the lineup while the Sens are trying to rally for a playoff spot but with Sanderson out, veteran Thomas Chabot will take over the quarterback role on Ottawa’s No. 1 power play. Chabot has six points (1 G, 5 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past six games and played a season-high 28:32 against Montreal on Wednesday.

#9 No team has seen their season crash harder than the Vancouver Canucks, but centre Marco Rossi is getting acclimated to his new squad. He does have six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past five games, but that also comes with just four shots on goal. Even if Rossi isn’t a high-volume shooter, he needs to generate more than that. He gets first unit play time for the Canucks and is skating on a line with Liam Ohgren and Brock Boeser. Given the struggles of Elias Pettersson, the Canucks need a centre to generate offence and Rossi is at least a viable answer to that problem.

#10 Continuing the theme of young players on teams outside the playoff picture, consider Chicago Blackhawks centre Frank Nazar, who has eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 12 shots on goal during a five-game point streak. Nazar gets time on PP1 in Chicago while skating between veteran wingers Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, so he is going to get his chances to continue scoring. Nazar is up to 32 points (10 G, 22 A) in 49 games this season, despite scoring on 9.5 percent of his shots on goal, a relatively low rate for a skilled player in a top six role.

#11 As the Columbus Blue Jackets continue to hunt down a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, centre Adam Fantilli is elevating his production. In his past 10 games, he has 11 points (6 G, 5 A) with 25 shots on goal while averaging 19:53 of ice time per game. He has ascended to the role of first line centre in Columbus and currently has Cole Sillinger and Kirill Marchenko on his wings at even strength. For a little extra fantasy appeal, Fantilli has recorded 20 hits in those 10 games, giving him 105 hits in 65 games this season.

#12 Moving to a veteran winger on a top team, the Buffalo Sabres’ Jason Zucker continues to fly under the radar – available in many leagues – largely because he’s in a secondary role with the Sabres, but he’s crushing it. In his past six games, Zucker has seven points (5 G, 2 A) with 18 shots on goal. He has hit 20 goals for the eighth time in his career, and he has a good thing going on a line with Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn.

#13 New Jersey Devils winger Connor Brown is getting a fantastic opportunity late in the season, skating on right wing of a line with Jack Hughes at centre and Jesper Bratt at left wing. In his past six games, Brown has six points (1 G, 5 A) and 11 shots on goal and he’s playing nearly 19 minutes per game, so the opportunities are there for Brown to have a bigger impact down the stretch.

#14 As the Boston Bruins continue to battle for a playoff spot, veteran winger Viktor Arvidsson has shown that he can be a valuable contributor. In his past eight games, he has eight points (4 G, 4 A) with 18 shots on goal. He’s skating on a line with Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt, a veteran trio that might not attract a lot of attention, but they have been getting the job done. Among lines that have played at least 300 five-on-five minutes, the Bruins’ trio ranks fourth with 69.7 GF%, ranking fifth in both goals for and goals against per 60 minutes.

#15 Getting a shot on the Dallas Stars’ top line, Mavrik Bourque is starting to show that he can be a bona fide scorer in the NHL. Bourque has 12 points (5 G, 7 A) and 31 shots on goal in his past 12 games and getting the chance to skate alongside Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson is a prime opportunity for Bourque to deliver in a primary role that can benefit both the player and team in the long run. With Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz out of the lineup with injuries, the Stars needed someone to step up and Bourque has done it.

#16 The Penguins seem to have found something with their acquisition of Yegor Chinakhov, who they acquired from Columbus for Danton Heinen and a second-round pick. In his past 17 games, Chinakhov has put up 15 points (8 G, 7 A) and 48 shots on goal, which is very encouraging for him being able to contribute long-term for the Penguins. Right now, he’s on a line with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, but the Penguins are still missing an injured Sidney Crosby and suspended Evgeni Malkin.

#17 Back to the theory of young players on non-playoff teams, Matthew Wood is showing some intriguing upside for the Nashville Predators. In his past 11 games, Wood has nine points (6 G, 3 A) and 20 shots on goal. He has moved around the lineup in his first NHL season, including time on the Predators’ top line but, right now, he is working on a line with fellow youngsters Reid Schaefer and Zachary L’Heroux.

#18 Even though he is not the primary scoring option on the blueline for the Buffalo Sabres, a role that is occupied by Rasmus Dahlin, defenceman Bowen Byram continues to provide value for fantasy managers. In his past 10 games, Byram has eight assists and 20 shots on goal and is playing nearly 24 minutes per game, which is not exactly the profile of a second-tier defender.

#19 The New York Rangers were missing Adam Fox for a while – he has since returned to the lineup – but Vladislav Gavrikov moved into a more offensive role, scoring 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 19 shots on goal in a dozen games. With Fox active again, Gavrikov may not hold quite as much value, but he’s playing 23 minutes a game for a Rangers team that is still relatively productive.

#20 Former Calgary Flames defencemen are struggling. Rasmus Andersson has just a couple of points and 11 shots on goal in his past 10 games and he’s not the primary option on the blueline in Vegas the same way that he was in Calgary. Mackenzie Weegar has been struggling, too. He has just one assist and six shots on goal in his past seven games, the past four of which have been with the Utah Mammoth since he was acquired at the trade deadline. Neither of these ex-Flames defenders is the primary blueline option on their new teams, so their fantasy appeal is not nearly as solid as it was during their best days with the Flames.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – A Blueshirts winger making his mark, another young star for the Ducks, some good news in Nashville, a young defenceman stepping up in New Jersey and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:55:43 +0000

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 23: Beckett Sennecke #45 of the Anaheim Ducks gains the blue line during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Anaheim Ducks on October 23, 2025, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, a Blueshirts winger making his mark, another young star for the Ducks, some good news in Nashville, a young defenceman stepping up in New Jersey and much more!

#1 In his first two NHL seasons, New York Rangers left winger Will Cuylle made major progress, jumping from 21 points as a rookie to 45 points last season. His ice time went up, he delivered more than 300 hits, and suddenly this blue-collar winger was starting to look like he could be a major contributor. He started this season slowly, with one goal and zero assists in nine games, but in the past nine games, he has nine points (5 G, 4 A) with 23 shots on goal and 27 hits. That’s the kind of production that will make Cuylle very valuable for fantasy managers. He moves around the lineup, and with Gabriel Perreault called up from the AHL, Cuylle is skating on the Blueshirts’ third line, but he is getting first unit power play time, so he should be able to remain productive.

#2 One of the best draft day reactions ever belongs to Anaheim Ducks right winger Beckett Sennecke, who was shocked when the Ducks selected him with the third overall pick in the 2024 Draft. The 6-foot-3 winger is finding his way in the league in his rookie season, but he’s not struggling to keep up. In November, he has seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 13 shots on goal in seven games, while receiving more than 15 minutes of ice time per game. He is skating on a line with Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier, which is an excellent opportunity to build something with two more skilled young forwards.

#3 While not a lot has gone right for the Nashville Predators this season, they are finding out that their 2023 first-round pick, Matthew Wood, could be a strong addition to the lineup. Wood was injured in the preseason, so he didn’t start the season on time, but in 11 games, he has produced 10 points (6 G, 4 A), recording a hat trick in Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Rangers. He played 17:09 in that game, the high-water mark in his career. Wood is skating on a line with Fedor Svechkov and Michael Bunting, but if he continues to generate offense, he will force his way into more ice time.

#4 The second overall pick in the 2022 Draft, New Jersey Devils defenceman Simon Nemec was not in a great place last season, managing four points (2 G, 2 A) in 27 games for the Devils while playing 34 games in the American Hockey League. He only got into the playoff lineup once Luke Hughes was injured, but Nemec showed well enough in the Devils’ first-round loss to Carolina that there was reason to be hopeful for him this season. The Devils have a deep core of defenders, which could have made it challenging for Nemec to earn regular playing time, but injuries to Johnathan Kovacevic, Brett Pesce, and most recently, Dougie Hamilton, have opened the door for Nemec, and he has burst right through it. He recorded a hat trick in Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime win against Chicago, giving Nemec eight points (4 G, 4 A) with 15 shots on goal and nearly 22 minutes of ice time per game in his past nine games.

#5 A five-time 20-goal scorer, Chicago Blackhawks winger Tyler Bertuzzi can run hot and cold sometimes, and when he’s not producing, it can feel glaring because on this roster, he is supposed to be a major player. Right now, he’s cooking, with nine points (7 G, 2 A) and 16 shots on goal in six games this month, and they’re not all pretty. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of Bertuzzi planting himself at the back post and letting pucks bounce off him into the net, but they all count and Bertuzzi making it work on Chicago’s top line alongside Connor Bedard.

#6 After a slow start, during which he managed just three points (1 G, 2 A) through the first 10 games, Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere has found his stride again, and has nine points (3 G, 6 A) with 14 shots on goal in his past eight games. His shot volume is still not ideal, and his ice time can be shaky, but if he contributes offensively and adds to it with 100-plus hits, which he has in three of the past four seasons, then there is potential fantasy value in the 2020 No. 1 overall pick. With Vincent Trocheck recently returning from injury, Lafreniere is skating in a familiar place alongside Trocheck and Artemi Panarin.

#7 After a tough 2024-2025 season, when he finished with 48 points (20 G, 28 A) in 72 games, Carolina Hurricanes left winger Andrei Svechnikov failed to record a point in his first eight games of this season and he was demoted to the fourth line. It appears that he is starting to find his way out of it, and in the past eight games, Svechnikov has seven points (4 G, 3 A) with 29 shots on goal. He has returned to the top line, alongside Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, so Svechnikov is regaining some of the fantasy value that he squandered early in this season.

#8 When the Columbus Blue Jackets shuffled lines earlier this month, they put centre Adam Fantilli in between Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov. After starting the season with five points (2 G, 3 A) in 11 games, 21-year-old Fantilli has seven points (3 G, 4 A) with 19 shots on goal and 19:31 average time on ice in the past six games. That’s more like what is expected from the No. 3 pick in the 2023 Draft who had 54 points last season.

#9 For several seasons, there has been some level of expectation that Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Cam York would occupy the quarterback position on the team’s top power play unit. That has never really stuck before, but it might be now. York has 10 points (1 G, 9 A) in 13 games this season, with six of those points coming via the power play. That total of six power play points ties a career high for York, so he may be poised for improved offensive output. He is playing a career high 24:48 per game, so the opportunities should be there, but he does have just eight shots on goal in 13 games, so that is one factor to keep an eye on but, overall, York appears to be realizing some of his offensive potential.

#10 The 11th pick in the 2025 Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ben Kindel has surprisingly made it through 15 NHL games and isn’t looking out of place despite being just 18 years old. Kindel had 99 points (34 G, 65 A) in 65 games for Calgary in the Western Hockey League last season, so he knows what he’s doing with the puck on his stick, but he has also managed to provide solid two-way results as well, with the Penguins outshooting opponents with Kindel on the ice. He has seven points (5 G, 2 A) in 15 games, but injuries in Pittsburgh have presented greater opportunities and Kindel has four points (2 G, 2 A) with 12 shots on goal and 20:12 of ice time per game in the past four games. He has moved to left wing on Sidney Crosby’s line, which isn’t a bad spot to be for an 18-year-old who was supposed to be heading back to junior.

#11 Calgary Flames right winger Matt Coronato broke through with 23 goals and 47 points last season, earning a seven-year, $45.5 million contract extension, but then he struggled out of the gate this season, managing three points (2 G, 1 A) and 20 shots on goal in his first 10 games. He was even a healthy scratch for a game and while his production is still not where it needs to be – he has four points (2 G, 2 A) in his past eight games, but he does have 32 shots on goal, and that increasing shot rate is an encouraging sign.

#12 When Philadelphia Flyers right winger Matvei Michkov got off to a slow start, there were accusations that he was out of shape after suffering an injury in the offseason. How else to explain that he had just three points (1 G, 2 A) in his first nine games? Michkov is starting to snap out of it and has goals in three straight games, giving him six points (3 G, 3 A) with 12 shots on goal in his past seven games. The shot rate needs to get better, but at least there are some positive signs. It’s a little troubling that he is averaging less than 15 minutes of ice time per game, after playing 16:41 per game as a rookie last season, so keep tabs on how he is deployed by head coach Rick Tocchet.

#13 Although left winger Eetu Luostarinen failed to record a point in his first seven games this season, he has bounced back from that slow start to deliver 10 points (3 G, 7 A) with 24 shots on goal and 27 hits in his past 10 games. He is skating with Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand, a line that was a big part of Florida’s playoff success last season, but they are effectively the Panthers’ top line right now and Luostarinen’s improved offensive output is part of the reason for that.

#14 Veteran Ottawa Senators winger Michael Amadio has recorded 27 points in three straight seasons, and that is a career high for him, so expectations for his offensive contributions need to be modest, but with Brady Tkachuk injured, there has been a chance for Amadio to move up the Senators’ depth chart. He has six points (4 G, 2 A) and nine shots on goal during a six-game point streak and while he may not offer great long-term value, Amadio is producing enough now to have appeal in deeper leagues.

#15 One of the top free agent signings in the offseason, Carolina Hurricanes winger Nikolaj Ehlers went five games without a point and didn’t score his first goal until his 12th game with the Hurricanes. One of the expectations with Ehlers moving to Carolina is that he would finally get more ice time after it appeared he was underused in Winnipeg, but Ehlers’ production has started to take off this season only after his ice time went down. He has six points (3 G, 3 A) during a five-game point streak, a stretch during which he has played just over 14 minutes per game. He is now skating on a line with Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake, younger players who may be a better match for Ehlers’ speed.

#16 Nashville Predators defenceman Nick Blankenburg is 27 years old and hit career highs with 16 points and 60 games played for Nashville last season. With Roman Josi out of action early in this season, Blankenburg is making the most of his opportunity. He has six points (1 G, 5 A) and 16 shots on goal in eight games, averaging 20:17 of ice time per game. Blankenburg is probably not a long-term answer on defence, but as a short-term fill-in, he’s getting enough ice time, which includes second unit PP time, to make himself useful.

#17 A top goaltending prospect since he was the 11th pick in the 2020 Draft, Yaroslav Askarov has had some ups and down along his development path but is in position to share the crease with Alex Nedeljkovic for the San Jose Sharks this season. In his first half dozen starts this season, Askarov had a brutal .844 save percentage and looked lost. Then the calendar flipped to November and in five starts he has a .965 save percentage with 12.87 Goals Saved Above Expected. With the Sharks playing an exciting offensive game, Askarov’s emergence as a quality goaltender could go a long way to help the team.

#18 Seattle Kraken winger Eeli Tolvanen had just one assist through nine games but is starting to snap out of it with seven points (2 G, 5 A) in his past eight games. He only has 11 shots on goal in those eight games, which is a red flag, but he’s skating with youngers Shane Wright and Berkly Catton at even strength while getting first unit power play time.

#19 One of the premier scoring centres in the league, Tampa Bay Lightning pivot Brayden Point has scored 139 goals in the past three seasons, but he’s having trouble finding the net this season. In his past 12 games, Point has four points (1 G, 3 A) and 27 shots on goal. He is scoring on just 8.8 percent of his shots this season, which is low, but it’s especially low for Point, who has scored on 21.4 percent of his shots in the past three seasons. Is it possible that regression is hitting him after a three-year run?

#20 The Utah Mammoth have been an exciting team early in the season and two of the reasons for their success now and optimism for the future are right winger Dylan Guenther and centre Logan Cooley. In November, Guenther has one goal and zero assists with 18 shots on goal in six games. The shot rate is encouraging, given Guenther’s reputation as one of the game’s elite shooters, but he’s hit a dry spell. Cooley had 12 points (8 G, 4 A) and 26 shots on goal in 11 games in October but has just two assists and eight shots on goal in six games this month.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – This week, the good and the bad with the Ottawa Senators, a young Ducks centre steps into the spotlight, a Wild rookie offering upside on the blueline, and a Red Wings veteran who is ready to find the net.

Scott Cullen — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 21:13:15 +0000

ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 24: Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium (8) skates with the puck during the first period in Game Three of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild on April 24th, 2025, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, the good and the bad with the Ottawa Senators, a young Ducks centre steps into the spotlight, a Wild rookie offering upside on the blueline, and a Red Wings veteran who is ready to find the net.

#1 With six goals in five games, Ottawa Senators centre Shane Pinto is tied with Vegas Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev for the early goal-scoring lead in the National Hockey League. While he is obviously not going to continue at a 98-goal pace, Pinto does have some underlying factors that could help this become his best season in the NHL. The first is that his ice time is up nearly a minute per game from last season and the second is that his rate of shots per game has climbed from 1.81 last season to 3.0 per game early this season. It’s the consistent shot generation that helps to keep production sustainable.

#2 The more immediate concern for the Senators is that team captain Brady Tkachuk will be out from six-to-eight weeks following thumb surgery. Tkachuk is not easily replaced, because there are so few players of his size and physical nature that can also produce offensively. Ridly Greig is getting a chance alongside Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux on Ottawa’s top line, and there is enough time for him to show what he can do in a bigger role.

#3 After making steady progress through his first two NHL seasons, Anaheim Ducks centre Leo Carlsson could be ready to bust out in his third season. He has started the year with six points (2 G, 4 A) and 13 shots on goal in four games. He currently has veterans Chris Kreider and Alex Killorn on his wings, but Carlsson has had success with Troy Terry on his wing and, last season, thrived with Cutter Gauthier. There are options for the Ducks, but it appears that 20-year-old Carlsson might be ready to be the driving force on his line.

#4 Expectations have been very high for Minnesota Wild defenceman Zeev Buium since he was taken with the 12th pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He had 98 points (24 G, 74 A) in 83 games in two seasons at the University of Denver, but he has started with five points (1 G, 4 A) in four games this season for the Wild and, crucially, is quarterbacking Minnesota’s first power play unit.

#5 He has yet to score a goal through four games, but the rest of his numbers are very encouraging for Detroit Red Wings winger Alex DeBrincat. He has generated 32 shot attempts and 15 shots on goal to go along with six assists in four games. That shot rate of 3.75 per game would be the highest rate of his career, despite fewer than half of his attempts making it on net. Prior to this season, he had hit the net on 54.3 percent of his shot attempts, so he is only down a little in this small sample, but he is putting up eight shot attempts per game and his previous career high during a full season was just under 5.9 shot attempts per game, so the opportunities are there and it’s fair to expect the goals to follow.

#6 As noted above, Chris Kreider is spending most of his time skating on Leo Carlsson’s wing in Anaheim, and he’s getting results early with five points (4 G, 1 A) and 12 shots on goal in four games. In all of his seasons with the Rangers, Kreider managed to average three shots on goal per game just twice and those were the 2021-2022 and 2023-2024 seasons, when he scored 52 and 39 goals, respectively, the two best goal-scoring seasons of his career. If playing with Carlsson helps keep Kreider’s shot rate at this level, he could be primed for a bounce-back season with the Ducks.

#7 It’s not as though fantasy managers will be unaware of Washington Capitals winger Aliaksei Protas who broke through with 30 goals and 66 points last season, but one of the concerns about his production was that he was very dependent on percentages, scoring on 21.1 percent of his shots, and a lofty 14.3 on-ice shooting percentage at five-on-five. He is still getting those high percentages on his way to five points (3 G, 2 A) in Washington’s first four games, but he also has 13 shots on goal and is playing 18:55 per game, both of which are notably higher than last season when he averaged fewer than two shots on goal per game and played 16:27 per game.

#8 It’s easy enough to get underrated when playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, given the state of the team these days, but veteran winger Teuvo Teravainen is off to a nice start with six points (1 G, 5 A) in five games, though he has managed just three shots on goal. He’s more playmaker than shooter, but that total is still low. Nevertheless, Teravainen does seem to have a good thing going early in the year on a line with Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi, so it’s worth keeping an eye on his production.

#9 A couple of power play assists early helped to jumpstart Pavel Zacha’s season for the Boston Bruins. He has five points (1 G, 4 A) in five games while skating on a line with Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson at even strength, but Zacha is on Boston’s top power play unit and the opportunity to share the ice with David Pastrnak is a critical factor to point production for any Bruins skaters, it seems. Zacha is not a volume shooter, having never recorded even 150 shots on goal in a season, but four shots on goal in five games this season is still rather low.

#10 Seattle Kraken left winger Jared McCann is one of the more established goal scorers on the roster and is off to a nice start with four points (3 G, 1 A) in four games this season. Skating on Seattle’s top line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle, McCann has recorded 14 shots on goal and 28 shot attempts, both of which represent higher per-game rates (3.5 shots, 7.0 shot attempts) than he has been able to sustain in his career, so even if McCann isn’t going to keep scoring on a pace of 60-plus goals, he is getting the underlying numbers that will support strong offensive production.

#11 Seeking a fresh start in Philadelphia with John Tortorella no longer behind the bench, veteran Flyers centre Sean Couturier has seen his ice time jump by a couple of minutes per game compared to last season and he has five points (2 G, 3 A) with six shots on goal through four games. He has been on the wrong end of the shot counts early, with a 41.4 percent Corsi, but shot quality has played in Couturier’s favor with a 51.1 percent expected goals percentage during five-on-five play. Couturier last topped 50 points in a season back in 2019-2020, but he’s skating with Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov on Philadelphia’s top line, so he ought to have a chance to get there this season.

#12 When the Nashville Predators collapsed last season, some of their high-profile free agent signings ended up with lacklustre production. For example, Jonathan Marchessault went from 42 goals in Vegas in 2023-2024 to 21 goals for Nashville last season. Early this season, Marchessault has four points (2 G, 2 A) in five games, but his 15 shots on goal and 26 shot attempts move closer to the years of his best production in Vegas, so maybe that’s a positive sign for Nashville as a team and Marchessault when it comes to his individual production.

#13 With four goals in four games, it would be very easy to get excited about St. Louis Blues left winger Jake Neighbours. He has moved up to the top line, with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, so that’s encouraging, too, but Neighbours’ ice time is down nearly a minute-and-a-half per game from last season, and he has just six shots on goal in four games. If he’s going to stick with Thomas and Buchnevich, that is probably reason enough to be optimistic but be a little bit wary of his underlying performance.

#14 Coming off of a 41-point season, with his lowest points per game since 2016-2017, Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly was a bit of a buy-low option coming into the season. He also had some upside because, with Mitch Marner leaving for Vegas, there was room for Rielly to quarterback Toronto’s No. 1 power play unit again. Thus far, Rielly has delivered, putting up five points (1 G, 4 A) and 14 shots on goal in five games. Rielly has only surpassed 200 shots in a season twice in his career, so that shot rate is very encouraging.

#15 A bargain acquisition in the offseason from the Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators defenceman Jordan Spence has been excellent in the early going for the Senators. He has contributed four assists and seven shots on goal in three games and while he is averaging 18:30 of ice time per game, Spence is also dominating his five-on-five minutes, with a Corsi percentage of 67.6 percent and an expected goals percentage of 78.2 percent. It’s not going to be easy to get power play time with Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot ahead of him on the depth chart, so maybe that limits Spence’s upside, but he is worth keeping tabs on.

#16 With the New York Rangers losing centre Vincent Trocheck to an upper-body injury that will keep him out a month, Mika Zibanejad has moved back into the middle of the ice for the Blueshirts. That has created an opening on the right wing in New York’s top six, and veteran winger Conor Sheary is getting a look in that role. He only has one assist and eight shots on goal in six games, but his ice time has gone up, and he has averaged 17:57 time on ice per game in his past two contests. It’s not enough to warrant picking up Sheary, but worth seeing if he can make the most of his opportunity.

#17 The Rangers have had huge problems scoring early in the season, managing just 11 goals through six games. Zibanejad has one goal on 24 shots, Alexis Lafreniere has one goal on 21 shots and Will Cuylle has one goal on 17 shots. These are players skating in top six roles. Add in Artemi Panarin with zero goals on 13 shots and J.T. Miller with one goal in 10 shots, and the most encouraging aspect for the Rangers is that these guys can’t all keep shooting at such low percentages. Eventually, the dam will break and pucks will start to go in the net, so maybe the Rangers offer some buy-low opportunities right now.

#18 Some players have just been snakebit early. Here are the players with the highest individual expected goals total in all situations that have yet to score. Number one is Connor McDavid with 2.29 ixG, followed by David Tomasek (2.09), Alex DeBrincat (2.04), Connor McMichael (1.96), and Nick Suzuki (1.94). The takeaway for any of them is that they are due to start scoring. As any slumping goal-scorer will tell you, they worry more when they aren’t getting the chances and these players are getting chances.

#19 At the other end of the spectrum, Toronto Maple Leafs winger Calle Jarnkrok has scored three goals despite recording just 0.5 individual expected goals, suggesting that he may not continue at his current goal-scoring pace. He is averaging 11:08 of ice time per game and has eight shots on goal, so expectations would be understandably modest, but those goals are not necessarily the product of lots of great opportunities.

#20 With Mackenzie Blackwood recovering from injury, Scott Wedgewood has been excellent in goal for the Avalanche, earning 4.71 goals saved above expected (GSAx) in four starts. Other goalies excelling early: Igor Shesterkin (7.20 GSAx), Thatcher Demko (5.38 GSAx), and Spencer Knight (3.74 GSAx). On the other hand, Linus Ullmark (-4.09 GSAx), Dustin Wolf (-4.04 GSAx), Alex Nedeljkovic (-3.65 GSAx), Adin Hill (-3.05 GSAx), and Samuel Montembeault (-2.81 GSAx) are goalies that have started multiple games and have allowed the most goals relative to expectations. It is very early, but good to have this information when evaluating goalie options.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK RANGERS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 18:51:49 +0000

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 18: New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) is pictured prior to the National Hockey League game between the Calgary Flames and the New York Rangers on March 18, 2025/ at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire)

After reaching the Eastern Conference Final in two of the previous three seasons, the Rangers dropped off to 85 points (39-36-7) last season and missed the playoffs altogether, a disappointing result that ended with them firing head coach Peter Laviolette and replacing him with former Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan. The Blueshirts ranked 20th with a 49.0 percent Corsi and 24th with 48.2 percent expected goals percentage, so they were on the wrong side of the puck possession battle. Their power play ranked 24th, with 6.37 goals per 60 minutes during five-on-four play, and ranked 12th with 6.39 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play. That’s a team that needed its goaltender to be outstanding and Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick were decent and the Rangers had a .902 save percentage.

What’s Changed?

The Rangers replaced Peter Laviolette behind the bench with Mike Sullivan, ex of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but they did not go in for wholesale roster changes. The Rangers also made some big trades, sending left winger Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks and defenceman K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes, with defence prospect Scott Morrow coming to New York as part of the return for Miller. The Rangers landed defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov, who is a quality two-way defenceman, as a free agent from the Los Angeles Kings and they signed winger Taylor Raddysh, who played for the Washington Capitals last season. Defenceman Zac Jones signed with the Buffalo Sabres and right winger Arthur Kaliyev signed with the Ottawa Senators as a free agent.

What would success look like?

Returning to the playoffs would be a good start for the Rangers, and there is enough talent on the roster to make that happen, but it also doesn’t look like the team is deep enough to pose a serious threat to the top contenders. With a goaltender like Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers have a chance to punch above their statistical weight class a bit, as he gives them a chance even when they might not deserve it, but that is not the path to sustained success, so the Rangers need to figure out how they will get quality contributions from their bottom six forwards.

What could go wrong?

If the Rangers don’t get solid contributions from the lower half of their lineup, it is likely to fall apart, and they won’t make the playoffs again. Could a rookie like Gabriel Perreault and a young forward like Jusso Parssinen step up and make a difference? They could, but that uncertainty is why the Rangers are vulnerable going into the 2025-2026 season. Leading scorer Artemi Panarin is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer and if he doesn’t have a contract extension signed and the Rangers fall off the playoff pace, he could be a huge trade chip, though he has a no-movement clause which typically limits what the trading team gets in return.

Top Breakout Candidate

Blue collar winger Will Cuylle made nice progress in 2024-2025, his point totals jumping from 21 to 45 points as he received nearly four more minutes of ice time per game. He is a physical winger who has proven he can play and now the Rangers have him ticketed for a role in the top six to start the season, possibly on a line with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad, so if Cuylle keeps earning his ice time with determination and a nose for the net, then his point production should keep climbing.

FORWARDS

Artemi Panarin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	37	56	93	1.16

It says a lot about the level of Panarin’s play when he wraps up a season with 37 goals and 89 points in 80 games and it is widely viewed as a disappointment. His 1.11 points per game was his lowest since the 2018=2019 season, but 37 goals counted as the second highest total of his career. He has been a focal point for criticism when the Rangers have been bounced from the playoffs in recent seasons, but that was avoided by the Blueshirts missing the playoffs altogether in 2024-2025. For whatever shortcomings Panarin may have, he is an exceptionally creative winger, who has become more dangerous as he shoots more, and generates offense like few others in the league. Panarin has played for the Rangers for six seasons. In that time, he ranks fourth in the NHL with 550 points (186 G, 364 A) in 430 games, putting him behind only Connor McDavid (710), Leon Draisaitl (644), and Nathan MacKinnon (613). Panarin played primarily with Vincent Trocheck last season, and they outscored opponents 53-37 during five-on-five play, so it’s not like they were the ones leading to the Blueshirts’ downfall, but if the Rangers are going to get back to the postseason that will need to continue. Panarin will turn 34 early in the 2025-2026 season, but he should remain an elite offensive performer, capable of 35 goals and 90 points.

J.T. Miller

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	27	56	83	1.04

His time in Vancouver ended in controversy with allegations of a rift between Miller and Elias Pettersson, but a return to the Rangers did seem to reinvigorate Miller. In the past six seasons, he has accumulated 472 points (165 GG, 307 A) in 436 games, which ranks 10th in the entire league over that time. While Miller may have a reputation for being difficult, that can also translate to his on-ice performance, where he often plays with real passion. Every so often, he has had moments when his effort was clearly lacking but those moments don’t seem to creep up as often anymore. In addition to his elite point production, Miller plays a physical game, recording more than 160 hits in four straight seasons and, as he showed during the Four Nations Face-Off against Canada, Miller will drop the gloves, if necessary. Miller tends to be a high percentage finisher, scoring on 15.6 percent of his shots in more than 400 games for Vancouver, then turning full sniper in his return to the Rangers, scoring on 23.6 percent of his shots in 32 games. The upshot is that he may continue to score at a relatively high rate, but it’s unlikely that he can sustain the shooting percentage that he had with the Blueshirts last season. In 2025-2026, Miller should be a prominent part of the Rangers’ attack, and good for 25 goals and 80 points.

Mika Zibanejad

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	25	45	70	0.86

Perhaps the most maligned of Rangers players last season, Zibanejad finished with 20 goals, his lowest total since 2016-2017, and 62 points, his lowest since 2017-2018 (not counting the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season). Considering that Zibanejad had been such a productive player over his tenure with the Rangers, the decline in goals, points, and shots on goal was clearly a disappointing outcome. His 37 even-strength points ranked sixth on the Rangers. When he is on his game, Zibanejad uses his size effectively to protect the puck and finds openings in the offensive zone to launch shots on goal. Perhaps some of last season’s struggles could be attributed to his deployment. Last season, Zibanejad’s most common linemates were Reilly Smith, Will Cuylle, and Chris Kreider. With Smith and Kreider gone, it is possible that Zibanejad will skate on right wing with Miller and Cuylle, which could offer a better chance at success because Zibanejad and Miller were relatively successful when playing together last season, controlling better than 52 percent of shot attempts and expected goals during five-on-five play. That does provide some reason for optimism, so even though Zibanejad is now 32, and bouncing back gets more difficult as a player gets older, he should be expected to contribute 25 goals and 70 points during the 2025-2026 season.

Vincent Trocheck

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	27	37	64	0.78

A veteran center who plays with the heart of an agitator, Trocheck has played more than 21 minutes per game in the past two seasons, and he is a seven-time 20-goal scorer who recorded a career-high 214 hits while winning a career-best 59.3 percent of his faceoffs last season. His all-around contributions are consistently positive. While he is decent defensively, it is the offensive side of the game that leads to Trocheck generating positive results year after year. He is also very durable, having played in every game for three straight seasons. Trocheck’s ability to drive play is enhanced by playing with a creative winger like Panarin, and their styles complement each other, with Trocheck more direct and straight line in his approach while Panarin changes pace and creates more offensively. Trocheck’s aggressive style plays well in the postseason, too, and it’s why other teams might come calling about him if the Rangers have a down season, as they did in 2024-2025. The Rangers will certainly hope to get back into the playoff mix this season, but if they can’t, Trocheck will surely be in demand. In the 2025-2026 season, it is fair to expect 20-25 goals and 60-plus points from Trocheck and, combined with his propensity for physical play, he will remain a valuable fantasy hockey contributor.

Alexis Lafreniere

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	20	32	52	0.63

After breaking through with career highs of 28 goals and 57 points in 2023-2024, Lafreniere’s production dropped to 17 goals and 45 points last season. His most common linemates are Panarin and Trocheck, so Lafreniere is getting the best possible opportunity to be productive, but his lack of power play production puts a limit on his overall contribution. Only four of his 45 points last season came with the man advantage, so he was tied for 80th with 41 even-strength points. At his best, Lafreniere uses his physicality to wreak havoc on the forecheck, and he’s comfortable going to the dirty areas to make plays. The question that still dogs Lafreniere is whether he skates well enough to get where he needs to go. It’s one thing to be willing to engage in physical battles, which he is, but sometimes, it helps just to be able to pull away from defenders and that remains an area for improvement. That Lafreniere finished with 64 fewer shots than the season before is not the most encouraging sign. He will turn 24 in October and has five years in the league, so the time for improvement may be running out. Given the quality of his linemates, Lafreniere should be expected to push 20 goals and 50 points, most of which will come at even strength.

Will Cuylle

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	23	30	54	0.66

Although some of the higher profile Rangers are catching heat for their performance, Cuylle is a positive story among the Blueshirts forwards. The 2020 second-round pick broke through in 2024-2025, his second NHL season, scoring 20 goals and 45 points. As a 6-foot-3 winger who brings a physical game along with that touch around the net, Cuylle is on his career ascent and should see an even bigger role with the Rangers in 2025-2026. Full credit to Cuylle, because his scoring doesn’t come by accident. He puts himself in position and is not afraid to get to the front of the net. Among players to play at least 500 five-on-five minutes, Cuylle ranked 18th with 1.00 expected goals per 60 minutes. On top of that, Cuylle tied for third in the league with 301 hits, so he is a player who already has value in banger leagues, but as he climbs the depth chart, he has an opportunity to have more widespread fantasy appeal. There is a realistic shot for Cuylle to have a spot in the Rangers’ top six and if he ends up skating with, say, J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad, then that would be the kind of deployment that should see him continue to carve out a bigger role and make himself even more valuable. As an added bonus, he’s an effective penalty killer, too. He had the lowest shot attempts and expected goals against among Rangers forwards in four-on-five situations. Cuylle should be good for 20 goals, 40 points and in the neighborhood of 300 hits, but he could pop for more, too.

Taylor Raddysh

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	9	16	25	0.32

After playing very well in a limited role for the Washington Capitals last season, Raddysh may have an opportunity to earn a bigger role with the Rangers this season. Raddysh had a career high 20 goals and 37 points with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-2023, though he was playing 16:34 per game that season. Last season, in Washington, that ice time had dropped to 12:22 per game, but he contributed 27 points with better-than-even possession numbers despite an offensive zone face-off percentage of just 35.2 percent. While the puck tends to move the right way with Raddysh on the ice, he has had some trouble finishing in the past couple of seasons, scoring 12 goals on 213 shots (5.6 percent). There is certainly no guarantee that a bigger role awaits Raddysh in New York, but he is certainly in the competition for a spot in the top nine and that would give Raddysh a chance to elevate his production. He is 6-foot-3, uses his size effectively to gain position to tip pucks in front of the net. With his low percentages and uncertain role, however, expectations have to be modest for the 2025-2026 season, so 25-30 points seems to be a realistic expectation.

Juuso Parssinen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	9	14	23	0.32

A seventh-round pick by Nashville in 2019, Parssinen had 25 points (6 G, 19 A) in 45 games as a rookie in 2022-2023 but he has not been able to maintain that level of production in the two years since. He played with three teams last season, finishing the season with the Rangers, and scoring five points (2 G, 3 A) in 11 games for New York. He also played less than 10 minutes per game and managed just four shots on goal in those 11 games, so while he offers some potential, Parssinen needs more production to secure a regular spot in the lineup. Parssinen is a worthwhile risk for the Rangers to take because he's a 6-foot-3 center with some skill, and he has some offensive upside. He had five points (3 G, 2 A) in eight games for Finland at the World Championships, and he should be able to contribute secondary offence in the NHL. He has, however, bounced around the past couple of seasons with not very much production, so expectations are easily held in check going into 2025-2026. If Parssinen could stay in the lineup for a full season and put up 25 points, that would have to be considered reasonable progress.

Sam Carrick

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	8	14	22	0.27

A veteran fourth-line center who didn’t stick in the NHL as a regular until his age 29 season, Carrick played a career high 80 games for the Rangers last season and delivered a career high 20 points (6 G, 14 A). He also recorded 137 hits, the third time in the past four seasons that he had at least 120 hits. His offensive production is minimal, which is understandable for a center logging 12 minutes of ice time per game, but his limited role means that his hits and penalty minutes aren’t enough to overcome his lack of scoring. None of this is meant to disparage Carrick, who has played 320 NHL games in his career and is now 33 years old. His 2024-2025 season was valuable in an understated way. He played in 80 games, won 54.7 percent of his draws, and while his possession numbers were nothing special, he started 22.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone and was a solid penalty killer. Carrick’s contributions hold real-life value in a specific role and can offer more than whatever his fantasy upside might be. The most likely outcome for Carrick is that he provides some bite to the Rangers lineup and contributes 15-20 points.

DEFENSE

Adam Fox

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	12	53	65	0.83

One of the top handful of defencemen in the league, Fox finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting last season and that was his worst finish in the past five seasons. To be fair to Fox, he was probably underrated because the Rangers weren’t a playoff team, because his impacts at both ends of the ice were still excellent. A cerebral player, Fox is sound positionally, reads the play well, has excellent patience, and handles the puck with earned confidence. He actively joins the attack and has excellent vision to spot open teammates in transition. If there is a nitpick about his game, Fox is not the biggest blueliner and is not particularly physical in his defensive approach, so he can get outmuscled at times. He could also shoot the puck more, but these are relatively minor issues because there is no denying the immensely positive impact when Fox is on the ice. In his six NHL seasons, the Rangers have outscored opponents 360-255 during five-on-five play with Fox on the ice and he has never been worse than +9 in terms of five-on-five goal differential for a season. His possession numbers have been excellent, controlling 52.7 percent of shot attempts, with +6.6 percent in relative terms, indicating that the Rangers have been vastly better when Fox is on the ice. For the 2025-2026 season, Fox should be expected to contribute double digit goals and 65 points and, if the team results are better, he could return more seriously to the Norris Trophy discussion.

Vladislav Gavrikov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	5	22	27	0.35

The veteran defenceman picked a great time to have the best season of his career, producing 30 points (5 G, 25 A) while providing the best defensive impact of his career while logging a career-high 23:05 of ice time per game for Los Angeles. Although Gavrikov is not particularly physical for his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame, he excels in the defensive zone. He does use his size to seal off opponents, is terrific at playing stick-on-puck defence and will lay out to block passes or shots in the slot. Gavrikov is not especially graceful in his movements but is light enough on his feet to show decent agility for his size. He recorded a career-high 140 blocked shots while playing big minutes for a Kings team that was stingy defensively, ranking third in terms of five-on-five shots and expected goals against per 60 minutes for the 138 defencemen that played at least 1,000 five-on-five minutes. Gavrikov also started 40.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, so he was doing heavy lifting on that team, and he still delivered strong results. Going to the Rangers, Gavrikov will be of vital importance to the squad and should play big minutes again. He should be able to contribute between 25-30 points during the 2025-2026 season and is likely only appealing to fantasy managers in deeper leagues.

Braden Schneider

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	6	18	24	0.30

A 6-foot-4 right-shot blueliner who was a first-round pick in 2020, Schneider has been on a gradual path but did start to play a bigger role later last season, averaging 19 minutes per game over the last 20 games. His defensive play suffered, allowing his highest rate of shot attempts and expected goals against through his first four seasons. Schneider is a big hitter who steps up in neutral ice to deter his opponents and his hit and blocked shot counts are some of the reasons that he might have fantasy value. Despite playing in a relatively limited role, Schneider recorded 408 blocked shots and 460 hits in the past three seasons, making him one of 12 defencemen to surpass 400 in both categories over that time. Schneider had a career-high 21 points (5 G, 16 A) in 2024-2025, including seven points (3 G, 4 A) in the last 20 games when his ice time increased. He won’t score enough to generate widespread fantasy appeal – he might get 20-plus points – but if he plays a top four role it would be possible that Schneider adds 150 hits and 150 blocked shots and that might have enough particular category value to make him more appealing.

Will Borgen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	4	16	20	0.24

A fourth-round pick who has battled his way into a regular role in the NHL, Borgen has played 248 regular-season games across the past three seasons, which is two more than the standard maximum. Borgen made the most of the opportunity provided to him when he was picked by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. He was not a star by any means, but he was handling a regular role on the third pairing. That was enough to make him part of the trade return when the Blueshirts sent right winger Kaapo Kakko to Seattle last season and then Borgen played 18:12 per game with the Rangers, which was not only a higher average time on ice than he had in Seattle, but he also started just 35.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. When it comes to fantasy value, Borgen has similar category appeal as Braden Schneider. Borgen might reasonably be expected to chip in 20 points along with 160 hits and 120 blocked shots. It says something about the Rangers’ defence that Borgen and Schneider are expected to play significant roles and neither one has great offensive accomplishments.

Goal

Igor Shesterkin

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
63	30	24	6	6	.909	2.67

It wasn't particularly surprising that the New York Rangers missed the postseason this spring, particularly given the continued regression seen from star goaltender Igor Shesterkin. But despite seeing his numbers regress even closer to the league mean, the Rangers bafflingly didn't do much to spare Shesterkin the workload - seemingly operating in a way that pointed to what Henrik Lundqvist did for the club during his career and challenging anyone to criticize their attempt at repeating history. Shesterkin's game relies on crisp decision-making and strong positional foundations, though, which becomes particularly apparent when he's playing just shy of one hundred percent. He's looked like he has needed a nice hefty break for a couple of seasons now, and it's bleeding into his numbers in an increasingly hard to deny way.

Shesterkin will still have veteran voice Jonathan Quick serving as his number two next year, but Quick's consistency has been hard to come by for a number of years now -- and his performance last year looked less like an experienced former starter clocking his team some extra wins, and more like a career backup logging the minutes until his starter was able to suit up again. It's unclear what New York's strategy will be next year - they have a promising young talent in Dylan Garand waiting in the wings, and likely capable of taking on a handful of starts to help manage the workload - but it's surprising to look at the team's depth chart and realize that they're hoping last year was just a fluke.

NHL: DADOUN – FINAL FANTASY STRETCH – Playoff teams and their schedules to close out the regular season – What to watch for

Ryan Dadoun — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 14:34:50 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Capitals left wing Alexander Ovechkin (8) celebrates with Jakob Chychrun (6) and Andrew Mangiapane (88) after scoring his 894th career NHL goal to tie Wayne Gretzky for most NHL career goals with 894 during the Chicago Blackhawks versus Washington Capitals National Hockey League game on April 4, 2025 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire)

I’m not going to retread my discussion about St. Louis’ success after featuring it last week, but after earning an 11th straight victory Thursday, the Blues have basically secured their playoff berth with a 42-28-7 record (91 points). At the same time, Minnesota, which holds the second wild-card spot, is looking pretty safe with its 41-29-7 record (89 points). Sure, Calgary still has an outside chance at 36-27-12, but the fight for the last two spots in the Western Conference playoffs seems all-but decided.

The battle for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference is still wide open, though, so with the season winding down, I’m going to feature Montreal, the Rangers, Columbus, Detroit and the Islanders in that order to do a deep dive into what remains on each team’s schedule and what needs to happen for any of those squads to squeak into the postseason. So as not to make this final edition of the Look Ahead too skewed towards the east, I’ll also feature Vegas, Los Angeles and Edmonton. All three of those teams are extremely likely to make the playoffs, but there is still meaningful room for movement there in terms of who will end up in what seed.

While those are some of the most interesting teams to watch over the final week and a half of the campaign, there are a few more storylines worth covering before we dive into them, starting, of course, with Alexander Ovechkin. He found the back of the net twice Friday to tie Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goal-scoring record. He’s just one marker away from breaking the record.

When you compare him to Gretzky, the two have had extraordinarily different careers. Gretzky surpassed the 70-goal mark on four occasions and still holds the record for most goals in a single season with 92. With the caveat that we are measuring players from different eras, Ovechkin never came close to enjoying a height equal to Gretzky’s. However, Ovechkin’s longevity has been unreal. At the age of 39, he’s at 41 goals in 60 games this season, putting him third in the NHL’s goal-scoring race this season behind only William Nylander (42) and Leon Draisaitl (52) despite the time Ovechkin has missed due to injury.

Gretzky’s goal-scoring diminished dramatically in the back half of his career. The final time he reached the 40-goal mark was his age-30 season (1990-91), and the last time he collected at least 30 goals was his age-33 campaign (1993-94). We might never see a player who ages as well as Ovechkin has.

At the time of writing, Washington still has six games left on its schedule. Of note, the Capitals’ remaining home games are Thursday vs. Carolina and Sunday vs. Columbus. Ovechkin’s next chance to break the record will come against the Islanders on Sunday. Wherever he breaks it will be special, but it would be particularly remarkable if he does so at home.

Given Ovechkin’s scoring pace, the record probably isn’t going to come down to the final game of the season, but it is worth adding that the Capitals are set to conclude the campaign in Pittsburgh on April 17. To have it happen there with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby would give the event some extra flavor, given that trio’s long and storied history.

That’s by far the biggest event to watch out for, but we might also see some players reach the 400-goal mark soon. Draisaitl and Jamie Benn are both one marker away (Note: Draisaitl is injured. More on that during Edmonton’s section), while Auston Matthews is three shy.

I’m also interested to see how rookie Lane Hutson does over Montreal’s final seven regular-season games. He’s already at 63 points, which is the seventh most ever by a rookie defenseman. He’s just two away from surpassing Chris Chelios and establishing a new rookie record by a Canadiens defenseman. Also within striking range are Ray Bourque (ranked fifth, 65 points), Phil Housley (fourth, 66 points) and maybe even Gary Suter (third, 68). That’s extraordinary company that Hutson has found himself in.

Finally, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Hart Trophy race. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (32 goals, 115 points), Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (33 goals, 112 points) and Draisaitl (52 goals, 106 points) are all making a strong case, and who actually gets the award could be decided based on how these final days go. It doesn’t seem like a stretch to say that Connor Hellebuyck is the heavy favorite for the Vezina Trophy, but he’s also just two wins away from becoming just the eighth goaltender ever to hit 45 wins.

In other words, there are plenty of interesting events to monitor without even getting into the battle for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but speaking about it…

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens earned their fourth straight victory Thursday and currently hold the second wild-card spot with a 37-30-9 record. Still, there is plenty of competition to dethrone them, as we’ll examine soon, so Montreal needs to do well down the stretch. Looking ahead to the final week-and-a-half, the Canadiens have three home games (April 8 versus Detroit, April 14 versus Chicago, April 16 versus Carolina) and two road contests (April 11 in Ottawa, April 12 in Toronto).

That game against Detroit is the only remaining match against a team battling for the second wild-card spot with the Canadiens. Ottawa has a five-point edge on Montreal in the battle for the first wild-card position, with each club still set to play seven games as of Friday. That’s probably too big a gap for Montreal to overcome, but a victory over the Senators would make the leap far more feasible.

As noted above, Hutson has been a major part of the Canadiens’ resurgence into contention this campaign, and he’s continued to perform well down the stretch, supplying eight helpers over his past five appearances. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him continue to succeed in the final games, especially on the power play, where he’s already collected 25 points.

A recent hero for the Canadiens who is more surprising is Brendan Gallagher. The 32-year-old hasn’t reached the 40-point mark since 2019-20, but that might change this season. He’s just four points shy of the milestone and seems to be racing towards it after collecting five goals and six assists over his past ten outings. He’s one of the oldest members of the young club and has 71 games worth of playoff experience, so his experience is an important asset at this stage of the year.

Though, what might be even more helpful than Gallagher’s experience would be a Patrik Laine hot streak. When Laine starts scoring, it can be near impossible for goaltenders to contain him, but the 26-year-old’s extreme highs tend to be offset by prolonged cold spells. Lately, though, he’s kind of been in between with two goals across his past seven games -- far from his best, but not a disaster either. He’ll be one to monitor, though, to see if he catches fire at this crucial juncture. Keep a particular eye on him during power plays: 15 of Laine’s 19 goals this campaign have been tallied with the man advantage.

If Gallagher and Laine are the X-factors going forward, then Nick Suzuki is the steady hand. He has 27 goals and 83 points through 76 games, and Suzuki will probably continue to contribute over the final stretch. He certainly hasn’t shown any signs of slowing across his past 17 appearances in which he’s supplied eight goals and 31 points, including five goals and nine points in his last four games.

New York Rangers

Where will the Rangers’ roller coaster end? They got off to a 12-4-1 start, followed by a 4-15-0 descent. After numerous ups and downs, not to mention a flurry of trades, New York finds itself two points behind Montreal for the second wild-card spot with a 36-32-7 record. The Rangers will enter the final week-and-a-half with six games remaining, split evenly between three home games (April 7 versus Tampa Bay, April 9 versus Philadelphia, April 17 versus Tampa Bay) and three road matches (April 10 against the Islanders, April 12 in Carolina, April 14 in Florida).

That’s four games against top-tier teams (Tampa Bay x2, Carolina, Florida), one against a team competing with them for a wild-card spot (the Islanders) and one against a team that’s faded out of the playoff picture (Philadelphia). That’s a tough way to finish the campaign, but if you’re fishing for silver linings, Carolina and Florida might be more concerned about resting stars than winning games by the time they play the Rangers, so perhaps the situation isn’t as difficult as it initially seems.

Either way, the ideal for the Rangers would be if they’re able to make life a little easier for Igor Shesterkin. On the surface, it’s looked like he’s been a mixed bag this campaign with a 25-26-5 record, 2.86 GAA and .905 save percentage in 56 appearances. He’s also allowed nine goals over his past two starts against two teams that have underwhelmed offensively this season -- Minnesota and Anaheim. However, the Rangers rank 28th in xGA/60 (3.32), per Moneypuck, which suggests that the defense has made life miserable for Shesterkin. In fact, his goals saved above expected is 21.3, which is the fourth best in the league and suggests he’s been basically as good as Andrei Vasilevskiy (36-20-3, 2.16 GAA, .921 save percentage), with the key difference being the play in front of the respective netminders.

Unfortunately, New York isn’t likely to fix its leaky defense this late into the campaign, so Shesterkin is going to probably continue to give up more goals than commonly associated with an elite netminder, even if he continues to play at a high level. If the Rangers are to squeak into the playoffs, the difference will have to be made up by the team’s offense. The silver lining for the Rangers is that scoring seems to come far more naturally to them than defense.

That’s been especially true since a trade with Vancouver brought J.T. Miller back to New York. Miller has 10 goals and 26 points in 25 outings with the Rangers this season and is doing everything in his power to push the Rangers into the playoffs by contributing three goals and eight points over his past five outings.

New York also has Adam Fox back. The offensive defenseman missed eight straight games due to an upper-body injury, but since returning March 15, he’s provided four goals and eight points in nine outings, giving him nine goals and 56 points across 67 appearances this campaign.

One player they could use more from, though, is Alexis Lafreniere. After breaking out last season with 28 goals and 57 points in 82 appearances, the 23-year-old has suffered a mild regression with 16 goals and 43 points through 75 outings. That’s despite starting 2024-25 with an impressive eight goals and 16 points in 19 games. Lafreniere has been a mixed bag recently, with a goal and five points over his past eight appearances, so he certainly has room for improvement.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets went through a rough 1-7-1 stretch from March 4-21, which severely hindered their playoff chances. They’ve since stabilized by winning three of six from March 24-April 3, but that still leaves them six points behind Montreal in the wild-card race with a 34-31-9 record.. The silver lining is that Columbus has a game in hand against Montreal at the time of writing. The other good news is Columbus will play four of its final six games at home (April 8 versus Ottawa, April 10 versus Buffalo, April 12 versus Washington, April 17 versus the Islanders) over the final week-and-a-half. The Blue Jackets’ other two outings during that stretch will be on the road against Washington on April 13 and Philadelphia on April 15.

The two games against Washington might be of particular difficulty. However, if Ovechkin has established a new all-time goal record by that point -- which seems likely after he scored twice to tie the record Friday -- then the Capitals won’t have anything of consequence left to fight for until the postseason, which might lead to them taking their pedal off the gas a bit.

Columbus also has the benefit of getting healthy at the right time. Sean Monahan has three goals and eight points across six outings since returning from a wrist injury. Meanwhile, Boone Jenner has six goals and nine points in his past seven games as he finds his rhythm after not making his season debut until Feb. 22 due to shoulder surgery.

Add in forwards Kirill Marchenko, who has six goals and eight points over his past six outings, and Dante Fabbro, who has two goals and seven points across his last five appearances, then mix Zach Werenski, who has established a new career high with 74 points in 73 games, and Columbus has an offense that can match up with most teams in the league.

Unfortunately, the goaltending might end up costing them a playoff berth. Elvis Merzlikins has a 25-21-5 record, 3.24 GAA and .890 save percentage in 51 outings this season. He’s also been trending in the wrong direction, allowing 25 goals on 159 shots (.843 save percentage) over his past five appearances. This isn’t a Shesterkin situation either: Columbus actually has an underrated defense, ranking 11th in xGA/60 (2.96). It really is just that Merzlikins hasn’t been holding up his end of the bargain with his minus-8.2 goals saved above expected.

Perhaps he’ll get hot down the stretch. That would give Columbus the final piece of the puzzle.

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit earned a 5-3 victory over Carolina on Friday to improve to 35-33-7 on the season. That puts the Red Wings six points behind Montreal, with one game in hand. Of course, Detroit is competing with more than just the Canadiens, so their margin of error is extremely low going into the final week-and-a-half. To further complicate things, five of Detroit’s final six games are on the road (April 8 in Montreal, April 10 in Florida, April 11 in Tampa Bay, April 16 in New Jersey, April 17 in Toronto) with just one game at home (April 14 versus the Stars).

Detroit has an underwhelming 15-17-4 road record, so the Red Wings are in a tricky position. Perhaps Patrick Kane can guide them to the playoffs regardless. He scored a goal Friday, bringing him up to three goals and seven points across his past seven appearances. Given the 36-year-old’s long history of success in high-stakes situations, it seems appropriate that he’s stepped up when Detroit has needed him the most.

His linemate, Alex DeBrincat, went through a bit of a quiet stretch in which he was limited to one assist across four outings from March 25-April 1, but he broke out of that with a goal and an assist versus Carolina, so perhaps he’s starting a new run. DeBrincat is a crucial part of the offense with 34 goals and 64 points in 75 appearances, so having him at his best in the final stretch is naturally important.

Like Columbus, goaltending might be what holds Detroit back, especially because Petr Mrazek (head) hasn’t played since March 24. To be fair, though, Cam Talbot has looked fine recently, allowing six goals on 91 shots (.934 save percentage) over his past three contests. He still has an underwhelming 2.89 GAA and .903 save percentage through 42 games this year, but a strong stint from Talbot now keeps Detroit’s hope alive.

New York Islanders

The Islanders secured a 3-1 win over Minnesota on Friday, raising to 33-32-10 on the season. That still puts them five points behind Montreal, and the Islanders would also have to climb above the Rangers, Columbus and Detroit, so their chances of actually making the playoffs are slim. Still, they have reason to cling to hope going into the final week-and-a-half. The Islanders are set to play two of their final six games at home (April 10 versus the Rangers, April 15 versus Washington), and four on the road (April 8 in Nashville, April 12 in Philadelphia, April 13 in New Jersey, April 17 in Columbus).

The Islanders’ win over Minnesota ended a six-game skid (0-4-2), so to say the Islanders have been slipping lately would be an understatement. Ilya Sorokin stopped 27 of 28 shots against the Wild, but he had allowed at least three goals in each of his previous five appearances. He’s also had a rough campaign overall with a 28-23-6 record, 2.76 GAA and .905 save percentage in 56 outings. The Islanders have been middling defensively, ranking 19th in xGA/60 (3.10), and Sorokin has done his best to make up the difference with a plus-12.1 goals saved above expected. In other words, he hasn’t been quite as good as Shesterkin, but he also hasn’t been part of the problem like Merzlikins.

Rather than Sorokin, or even the defense, the Islanders’ issue has been scoring. New York ranks 25th in goals per game with 2.72. Anticipating that this wouldn’t be their year, the Islanders further hurt their offense by trading Brock Nelson, who had 20 goals and 43 points in 61 appearances with the Islanders this campaign, to Colorado on March 6.

As a consequence, the Islanders’ forward corps has been underwhelming. Bo Horvat has been their leading scorer among forwards since the Nelson trade, providing just nine points (five goals) across his past 14 appearances. However, there are some silver linings there.

While no forward is carrying the team, there at least has been a decent spread of offense. Six different forwards have provided at least three goals over that 14-game span (Horvat, Anders Lee, Pierre Engvall, Simon Holmstrom, Kyle Palmieri and Marc Gatcomb). The other silver lining is that the defensive duo of Anthony DeAngelo and Noah Dobson have been outperforming the forwards, supplying 11 and 12 points, respectively, over that stretch. Each defenseman has also contributed three goals in that span, bringing the number of Islanders in that category up to eight.

At the end of the day, it might be those defensemen leading the offense rather than any of the forwards, which isn’t optimal, but at this point, the Islanders need to take what they can get.

Vegas Golden Knights

Moving on from the Eastern Conference wild-card race, let’s examine the battle for the top spot in the Pacific Division, which is still up in the air. Vegas does lead the pack with a 46-22-8 record, but the Golden Knights have allowed others to catch up a bit after dropping games to Edmonton and Winnipeg on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. The Golden Knights will play five games over the final week-and-a-half split between two home matches (April 10 versus Seattle, April 12 versus Nashville) and three on the road (April 8 in Colorado, April 15 in Calgary, April 16 in Vancouver).

If Vegas is to secure the first seed, it might need to do so without Tomas Hertl. He’s missed the past five games due to a shoulder injury and still wasn’t taking contact as of Thursday. Hertl hasn’t been ruled out for the remainder of the season, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him return at some point before the playoffs, but I imagine the Golden Knights will be erring on the side of caution when it comes to his return since being healthy at this stage is arguably even more valuable than a good seed.

Ilya Samsonov (upper body) is working his way through an injury too. The timing is particularly unfortunate there because Adin Hill has now appeared in five straight games and seven of Vegas’ last eight, so the Golden Knights probably want to give him some time to rest before the playoffs. If Samsonov isn’t able to return soon, then Akira Schmid will probably get some action in his place.

Even with all this talk of being especially careful with injuries and resting their starter, it needs to be emphasized that these games still have value for the Golden Knights. Seeding might not be the most critical thing in the world, especially when your reward for winning the division might be a first-round matchup against the red-hot Blues, but winning the division does hold value. The Golden Knights are 27-9-3 in Vegas versus 18-13-5 on the road, so that’ll be on their mind as they fight to secure the home-ice advantage through at least the first two rounds.

Jack Eichel will be an important part of that fight for the division title. He’s been Vegas’ best player this campaign, with 27 goals and 93 points in 74 appearances. Eichel also has a chance to do something he hasn’t done since 2015-16: Finish ahead of the player who was taken ahead of him in the 2015 NHL Draft, Connor McDavid, in the scoring race. McDavid is three points shy of Eichel and dealing with a lower-body injury. It might seem like a hollow victory given McDavid’s injury issues, but keep in mind, injuries have held Eichel back substantially for large stretches of his career. So, Eichel staying relatively healthy this campaign is an accomplishment in itself.

Los Angeles Kings

Vegas going through a touch of a slow patch has made its position vulnerable, but only because the Kings (43-23-9) have been keeping the pressure on them. Los Angeles has won 12 of its past 15 games, making the Kings one of the hottest squads in the league. We’ll see if they can continue that during the final stretch, which includes four home games (April 7 versus Seattle, April 10 versus Anaheim, April 12 versus Colorado, April 17 versus Calgary) and two road matches (April 14 in Edmonton, April 15 in Seattle).

Darcy Kuemper has been such a big part of the Kings’ recent success, posting a 10-2-0 record, 1.08 GAA and .953 save percentage across his past 12 appearances, shutting out their potential first round matchup in Edmonton last night. If the difference in the playoffs is which team’s goaltender gets hot at the right time, then Los Angeles is looking like a team to be feared. It doesn’t hurt that Kuemper was the starting goaltender during the Avalanche’s championship run in 2022, so he has experience to fall back on as the stakes get higher.

Los Angeles’ offense shouldn’t be overlooked either. The Kings have averaged 3.56 goals per game over their past 16 showings, which is good enough to rank fifth in that category dating back to March 8. They’ve accomplished that through a balanced attack rather than any one player sticking out. No player has averaged a point per game over that stretch, though Anze Kopitar has come close with 14 points. At the same time, they do have six different players (Adrian Kempe, Quinton Byfield, Trevor Moore, Kopitar, Kevin Fiala and Warren Foegele) who have collected at least five goals in that span, which is impressive.

Andrei Kuzmenko has also fit in nicely with the Kings, providing four goals and 10 points across his past 15 appearances. That’s still a far cry from his 39-goal, 74-point showing in 2022-23, but that was a pretty lucky season for him, as evidenced by his unreal 27.3 shooting percentage, and it seems unproductive to expect him to ever hit those highs again. He still has value, though, and Los Angeles deserves credit for finding a way to extract it after Kuzmenko failed to click in Calgary.

Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton is weird. At the time of writing, the Oilers are missing superstar forwards Connor McDavid (lower body) and Leon Draisaitl (lower body), top defenseman Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) and starting goaltender Stuart Skinner (head). That’s in addition to a number of other injuries, including those to Trent Frederic (lower body), John Klingberg (lower body) and the continued absence of Evander Kane (knee).

So, Edmonton’s naturally going through a rough stretch. Except, no, the Oilers have won their past three of their last four games and are 7-3-1 dating back to March 14. That’s kept the Oilers in the running for the top spot in the Pacific Division, though they’re still five points back of Vegas, so it will take a strong finish for them to close the gap. The Oilers are set to play six games in the final week-and-a-half, split between three home showings (April 9 versus the Blues, April 11 versus the Sharks, April 14 versus the Kings) and three road games (April 7 in Anaheim, April 13 in Winnipeg, April 16 in San Jose).

Let’s start with the injury situation because that’s what’s bound to concern Oilers fans even more than the team’s place in the standings. Draisaitl missed four games from March 20-27 because of an undisclosed injury, and while he made his return Saturday, the star forward exited the lineup again Thursday and missed Saturday’s game against the Kings. The good news is Draisaitl’s injury is regarded as short term, and he’s expected to be back before the playoffs, coach Kris Knoblauch told the media Friday. It’s also not a case of him reaggravating his previous injury, this is a new issue, which can be taken as good news depending on how you want to look at it.

McDavid missed his sixth straight game Thursday, but he was on the ice for Friday’s practice, so there seems to be some progress being made. Ideally, this is also an opportunity for him to rest up for the playoffs, which might make this a bit of a blessing in disguise, given that he’s played a ton of hockey recently -- after all, Edmonton did make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024.

In the case of Ekholm, there hasn’t been much news recently. He’s missed four straight games and 10 of Edmonton’s past 14 contests, and he’s not expected to return before the end of the Oilers’ current road trip, which will conclude Monday in Anaheim. We also haven’t heard much about Stuart Skinner lately, who isn’t expected to return before Monday either.

As noted above, missing all those players hasn’t resulted in Edmonton’s collapse, and part of the reason is that others have stepped up. Jeff Skinner has been a disappointment this campaign with 15 goals and 27 points in 66 outings, but injuries have resulted in him averaging 16:07 of ice time over his past seven games compared to his season average of 12:47, and he’s taken advantage of the opportunity, scoring four goals and six points over that eight-game stretch.

Viktor Arvidsson has similarly underwhelmed this campaign with 13 goals and 25 points across 60 appearances. However, he found the back of the net Thursday to extend his goal-scoring streak to three games. If these absences have been what it’s taken to get Skinner and Arvidsson going right before the playoffs, then perhaps this will actually benefit Edmonton in the long run.

Calvin Pickard has also been solid, posting a 5-1-1 record, 2.32 GAA and .918 save percentage over his previous eight appearances prior to last nights loss to the Kings, despite a solid .929 save percentage. What makes his success particularly interesting is that Stuart Skinner hasn’t done that well this season, posting a 24-18-4 record, 2.91 GAA and .894 save percentage in 49 outings. Skinner is probably still going to be the Oilers’ Game 1 starter in the playoffs so long as he’s healthy, but he might be on a short leash if Pickard continues to impress over the final games of the regular season.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – McMann surprising source of offense for Leafs, Fowler making a difference in St. Louis, Holloway cooking since the Blues’ coaching change, Foegele has found a fit in Los Angeles, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 20:22:17 +0000

ST. LOUIS, MO - DECEMBER 15: St. Louis Blues center Dylan Holloway (81) handles the puck during a NHL game between the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues, on December 15, 2024, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/IconSportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Bobby McMann is a surprising source of offense for the Maple Leafs, Cam Fowler is making a difference in St. Louis, Dylan Holloway is cooking since the Blues’ coaching change, Warren Foegele has found a fit in Los Angeles, and much more!

Here is this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points:

#1 Toronto Maple Leafs winger Bobby McMann scored a pair of goals in Thursday’s 2-1 win at the Islanders, continuing what has been a very good run for the 28-year-old who set career highs with 15 goals and 24 points in 56 games last season. In his past nine games, McMann has tallied 10 points (6 G, 4 A) with 22 shots on goal, giving him 12 goals in just 31 games this season. McMann is playing with Max Domi and Nick Robertson, and Domi has assisted on half of McMann’s 12 goals. McMann is generating 10.88 shots on goal per 60 minutes of five-on-five play, which ranks second on the Maple Leafs, behind only Auston Matthews.

#2 After scoring a couple of goals in St. Louis’ 6-2 win over Chicago in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, St. Louis Blues defenceman Cam Fowler is up to seven points (3 G, 4 A) in nine games since he was acquired from Anaheim. Two of those points have come on the power play and Fowler is averaging 22:38 per game with the Blues while and getting time on the top power play unit.

#3. Staying in St. Louis, the Blues’ offseason signing of left winger Dylan Holloway is paying huge dividends, especially since the Blues fired head coach Drew Bannister and replaced him with Jim Montgomery. In 17 games since the coaching change, Holloway has delivered 18 points (10 G, 8 A) with 49 shots on goal. He skates with Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou at even strength, where he has produced 22 of his 26 points this season.

#4 Another former Oilers winger, Warren Foegele, is heating up in Los Angeles. In his past eight games, the Kings winger has contributed 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 17 shots on goal. Foegele is finding chemistry on a line with Quinton Byfield and Tanner Jeannot, a line that can get physical and win puck battles, which plays into Foegele’s strengths, too.

#5 Buffalo Sabres right winger Jack Quinn got off to a miserable start this season, managing just five points (1 G, 4 A) through the first 24 games, but has finally started to shake out of that slump. In his past eight games, Quinn has nine points (4 G, 5 A) though he has just 13 shots on goal, which is not exactly a recipe for continued offensive production. Quinn had been playing with Dylan Cozens and JJ Peterka, but on Thursday night in Colorado he skated with Jiri Kulich and Alex Tuch.

#6 It has been an undeniably disappointing season for the Nashville Predators and one of their prime free agent additions, winger Jonathan Marchessault, struggled early on. The veteran scorer has started to come around, however, putting up 14 points (9 G, 5 A) and 26 shots on goal in his past 10 games after he had just 13 points through his first 28 games. The Preds have shuffled lines and Marchessault is skating with Filip Forsberg and Steven Stamkos on the top line. All three could be considered finishers, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out long term, but Marchessault is thriving.

#7 Veteran Seattle Kraken left winger Jaden Schwartz has been contributing consistent offense for a while now. In his past 16 games, Schwartz has 13 points (8 G, 5 A) with 40 shots on goal. While he is on a line with Matty Beniers and the recently acquired Kaapo Kakko, Schwartz has had different players assist on each of his last six even-strength goals. Schwartz is getting first unit power play time but has only managed two power play points during that 16-game span.

#8 Following two seasons in Calgary during which his cumulative point total was less than in his last season with Florida, Flames left winger Jonathan Huberdeau is starting to find his way back to being a productive scorer. In his past 14 games, Huberdeau has put up 17 points (9 G, 8 A) with 28 shots on goal while averaging 19:29 of ice time per game. A player who has been known far more for his playmaking ability throughout his career, Huberdeau has already scored 16 goals in 38 games, his highest goal total in three seasons with the Flames. Be aware that this may not continue, as Huberdeau has scored on a career-high 24.6 percent of his shots, which is almost three times his shooting percentage from last season (8.4).

#9 Carolina Hurricanes winger Jack Roslovic has been riding a similarly productive shooting percentage, scoring on 22.4 percent of his shots on goal. He has seven points (4 G, 3 A) in his past six games and while it’s reasonable to suspect that Roslovic is getting higher quality chances in Carolina, where he frequently lines up on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, it’s still not likely that he can keep finishing at such a rate over a full season.

#10 After missing most of last season with a torn ACL, Chicago Blackhawks left winger Taylor Hall started slowly this season, with just six points (2 G, 4 A) in 20 games, but he has started to round into form. In his past 17 games, Hall has contributed 14 points (6 G, 8 A) and just two of those points have come on the power play. With the 33-year-old winger showing that he can still generate offence, he is an increasingly likely trade candidate as he is in the final year of his contract and the Blackhawks are already 18 points out of the final Wild Card playoff spot in the Western Conference. Hall should have some appeal in a supporting role on a contender, but he also has some control over the process, with a 10-team no-trade list.

#11 The Montreal Canadiens have climbed into the playoff race and part of the reason for their recent success has been improved depth scoring. Jake Evans, for example, has eight points (5 G, 3 A) in his past seven games, though he has just nine shots on goal in that time, so the goal-scoring is not on a sustainable pace. At the same time, he already has 23 points (10 G, 13 A) in 37 games, which is only six points behind his career high. Habs rookie winger Emil Heineman has contributed seven points (3 G, 4 A) in his past seven games, though he only has eight shots on goal in that span, so these scoring surges do not appear to be likely to continue long term.

#12 Hard driving Vegas Golden Knights right winger Keegan Kolesar has moved up the depth chart, producing six points (2 G, 4 A) while averaging 16:15 of ice time per game in his past six games. Kolesar has 116 hits for the season, which is tied with Radko Gudas and Tom Wilson for 15th in the league, so if he is contributing offensively, his value starts to become relevant for fantasy managers, especially those in banger leagues.

#13 Although his reputation is built on excellent defensive play, Philadelphia Flyers centre Noah Cates is adding some offensive production to his game. In his past 11 games, Cates has 10 points (6 G, 4 A) while playing 15:24 per game. Cates is having success alongside second year left winger Tyson Foerster, who has eight points (5 G, 3 A) in his past eight games after he had 10 points in his first 30 games this season.

#14 Oft-injured Anaheim Ducks winger Robby Fabbri has taken on a bigger role recently, contributing six points (4 G, 2 A) with 17 shots on goal in his past six games. Fabbri has been enjoying this productive stretch while skating with young forwards Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier, and while he is getting second-unit power play time in Anaheim, Fabbri has recorded all 10 of his points this season at even strength.

#15 As the New York Rangers have watched their seasons slip away, they are struggling to generate offence, even from players that have been reliable contributors. Artemi Panarin is sitting on 39 points (16 G, 23 A) in 35 games, so it’s not like his game has gone completely off track, but he has just two points (1 G, 1 A) and nine shots on goal in his past five games. The lack of production is much more concerning when it comes to Alexis Lafreniere, who has just one assist in his past 11 games. Lafreniere does have 28 shots on goal over that time, so he is getting opportunities, but an 11-game goalless drought while playing more than 18 minutes per game is a tough stretch.

#16 To make matters worse for the Rangers, starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin has been placed on the injured list due to an upper-body injury. Shesterkin, who signed an eight-year, $92 million contract extension less than a month ago, had a .885 save percentage in his last six starts before he was taken out of the lineup. He has a career-low .906 save percentage this season, but also has 10.94 Goals Saved Above Expected, an indication that the Rangers’ defensive play has been a bigger problem than Shesterkin’s own performance.

#17 Injuries continue to plague the Minnesota Wild, who have been able to battle through them for the most part this season. Scoring leader Kirill Kaprizov is out with a lower-body injury and that leaves a big hole in the lineup, considering he has 50 points (23 G, 27 A) in 34 games. With Kaprizov out, Matt Boldy has moved up to the top line, though he is mired in a slump, with just one assist in the past seven games.

#18 Toronto Maple Leafs superstar centre Auston Matthews remains out of the lineup with an upper-body injury, which was aggravated against Buffalo on December 20th. The Maple Leafs have a record of 10-5 in 15 games without Matthews and while there have been contributions from the likes of McMann, Domi, and Robertson, Toronto’s offense has really been carried by the big guns. Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares are all scoring at better than a point-per-game pace since Matthews started missing time in early November.

#19 With Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek both out of the Vancouver Canucks’ lineup, Tyler Myers is quarterbacking the first power play unit. Myers only has nine points this season but scored a goal and had seasons highs in shots on goal (five) and time on ice (25:37) in Wednesday’s win over Seattle. As a short-term solution, Myers might have some appeal for fantasy managers, which is certainly more than he would have if Vancouver was not missing its top two defencemen.

#20 The Florida Panthers still look like worthy contenders in their quest for back-to-back championships, but a couple of their top wingers have hit a rough patch. Matthew Tkachuk has zero points and nine shots on goal during a four-game homestand, but that comes on the heels of him scoring 20 points (8 G, 12 A) in the previous 13 games, so this may just be regression coming home to roost. In the case of Carter Verhaeghe, though, the slump is a little more pronounced. Verhaeghe has gone six games without a point, recording 10 shots on goal. This follows a stretch of 13 games in which Verhaeghe produced 14 points (5 G, 9 A), but he has also been moved down the lineup to skate with Anton Lundell and Jesper Boqvist on Florida’s third line, which does not seem to be igniting his offensive production.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD (October 21st to 27th) – Avalanche and Predators Off to Rocky Starts

Ryan Dadoun — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 13:00:39 +0000

_{VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 30: Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) stops the puck during Game Five of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs between the Nashville Predators and the Vancouver Canucks on April 30, 2024, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. (Photo by Ethan Cairns/Icon Sportswire)}

We’re still way too early into the season to read anything into the standings, but it is eyebrow-raising to see Colorado and Nashville both 0-4-0 through Thursday’s action.

Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev is a big part of the Avalanche’s early woes, posting a record of 0-3-0 with a 5.80 GAA and an .802 save percentage across four appearances this season. To put that into context, Jack Campbell got off to a 1-3-0 start with a 4.35 GAA and an .878 save percentage in four contests with Edmonton last year, and he played in just one more game beyond that before being sent to the minors. It’s not as if Georgiev has a strong track record to fall back on either. Yes, he won 38 games last year, but that was thanks to Colorado’s stellar offense. Georgiev finished the 2023-24 regular season with a 3.02 GAA and an .897 save percentage in 63 contests.

Do I think Georgiev is about to be sent to the minors? No, but there is an opportunity here for Justus Annunen or Kaapo Kahkonen to get a serious look, especially because Georgiev is in the final campaign of his three-year deal, so the Avalanche aren’t locked into him.

On the Nashville side, Juuse Saros hasn’t been great either (3.84 GAA and .878 save percentage through three games), but he has a far superior body of work, and there’s more reason to believe he will bounce back. It is somewhat interesting that Nashville hasn’t gotten any offensive production out of Steven Stamkos yet, but the former Lightning captain has fired 14 shots over four games, so we should see something out of him soon.

Colorado Avalanche

If there’s a silver lining for the Avalanche, it’s that their upcoming schedule looks extremely favorable. In addition to wrapping up this week with games against a pair of teams not projected to make the playoffs, Anaheim and San Jose, on Friday and Sunday, respectively, Colorado’s competition next week is fairly middling. The Avalanche will play in Seattle on Tuesday and Utah on Thursday before wrapping up next week’s action by hosting Ottawa on Sunday.

I picked on Georgiev during the intro -- justifiably so, in my opinion -- but I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that Colorado has far more than its fair share of important players injured. Up front, Jonathan Drouin (upper body), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Atturi Lehkonen (shoulder) and Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) are all on the shelf. Meanwhile, Colorado’s second-best defenseman, Devon Toews, has been dealing with a lower-body injury.

Landeskog, Lehkonen and Nichushkin were already known to be long-term absences, but Drouin won’t be re-evaluated until Oct. 28, so he’s not going to be an option next week either. There isn’t much clarity when it comes to Toews timetable, so maybe the Avalanche will at least get him back.

Could it be argued that all those injuries are part of the reason for Georgiev’s struggles? After all, goaltending doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and when the quality of the play in front of the goaltender diminishes, their numbers tend to suffer. That might be a factor, but it’s not enough to completely explain away Georgiev’s horrendous’ numbers. Taking a look at Goals Saved Above Expected, per Moneypuck, which attempts to evaluate a goaltender independent of his team, Georgiev isn’t just the worst goaltender in the league, it’s not even close. He’s minus-9.5 while the next worst is a tie between Stuart Skinner and Ivan Fedotov at minus-3.9.

That’s why I focused on goaltending rather than injuries up top -- no matter what else happens, Colorado won’t have a successful season without better netminding. It’s simply nearly impossible to assemble a team capable of winning games consistently when your goaltender is this leaky. Although all that said, rather than need a new goaltender, it is possible that Georgiev will at least improve somewhat as the campaign goes on -- he certainly can’t get much worse.

That all aside, Colorado’s injuries have created opportunities for other players to step up. Ross Colton has gone from recording 40 points (17 goals) in 80 regular-season games while averaging 13:43 of ice time in 2023-24 to contributing two goals and three points while averaging 18:42 this year. Given the Avalanche’s situation, Colton should continue to get plenty of work in the upcoming week, and his production should remain respectable as a result.

Casey Mittelstadt is the second-line center, which would remain the case even if everyone was healthy, but those injuries have led to him playing on the top power-play unit. He’s supplied three goals through four games, including one with the man advantage.

Unfortunately, Colorado’s younger cast of Calum Ritchie, Nikolai Kovalenko and Ivan Ivan haven’t been able to step up in the face of the Avalanche’s injuries. They’re still worth keeping an eye on, but none of them have done enough yet to warrant a roster spot in standard fantasy leagues.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings will split next week between road and home games. They’ll play the Islanders and Sabres on the road Tuesday and Saturday, respectively, and host the Devils and Oilers on Thursday and Sunday, respectively. It’s a mixed bag as far as the level of competition goes, but it’s still worthy of mention based on how full Detroit’s schedule is.

The Red Wings got off to a 1-3-0 start. The most noteworthy thing to happen during that span was Ville Husso allowing four goals on 14 shots in 25:28 minutes of action en route to a 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Oct. 10. Just like that, Husso promptly changed from Detroit’s Opening Night starter to an AHLer, leaving Alex Lyon and Cam Talbot on the NHL roster. Neither goaltender is the clear-cut No. 1 at this time, so don’t be surprised if they split next week’s starts evenly.

Up front, Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko have gotten off to a slow start, each recording just one point through four appearances. The duo got a look together, but they’ve been split with Kane now playing alongside his old Blackhawks buddy in Alex DeBrncat while Tarasenko is getting a look with Lucas Raymond. That shakeup might help spark both of those veteran forwards.

On defense, the biggest surprise is Erik Gustafsson spending two of Detroit’s first four games as a healthy scratch. He did register a power-play assist in the Red Wings’ Opening Night and picked up another one when he re-entered the lineup for Detroit’s 5-2 loss to the Rangers on Oct. 17. Gustafsson looked like a potential replacement for Shayne Gostisbehere, who is now with Carolina, on Detroit’s top power-play unit, and that still appears to be Gustafsson’s role when he’s in the lineup. However, if the blueliner isn’t going to play consistently, then obviously his fantasy value will suffer dramatically.

Nashville Predators

The Predators will kick off the week with a tough home contest against Boston, but things will get easier afterward with a road clash versus Chicago on Friday before the Predators host Columbus on Saturday.

With the Predators winless at the time of writing, Stamkos needs to get going. As noted above, though, that should happen. A degree of transitional pain isn’t shocking given Stamkos not only spent his entire NHL career to this point with Tampa Bay but doesn’t even have much experience at the top level adjusting to a new head coach -- Jon Cooper has been running the show in Tampa Bay since he took over during the 2012-13 campaign. Still, Stamkos has also just had some bad puck luck, and things should even out eventually.

One player who hasn’t needed time to get going is Roman Josi. He already has three assists through four outings this year. As a fun aside, the Predators captain is now just 11 points from becoming the first player in Predators history to accumulate 700 points with the franchise -- the 34-year-old defenseman has spent his full career in Nashville.

Filip Forsberg ranks second on that chart with 609 career points. He accumulated 48 goals and 94 points across 82 regular-season contests in 2023-24 and is off to a strong start this campaign with two goals and four points through four games. Playing alongside Forsberg is the best assignment Nashville can offer, and it will be interesting to see if Stamkos or fellow newcomer Jonathan Marchessault get much of a look alongside him. So far Forsberg has mostly played alongside Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist at even strength, which to be fair is a line that worked great last season and seems to be continuing to pay dividends, so Nashville doesn’t have much motivation to mess with that.

New Jersey Devils

Through Thursday’s action, no team has played more games than New Jersey. The Devils have already logged seven contests while Carolina has gotten into only two games (albeit that’s after the Hurricanes-Lightning game that would have been played Oct. 12 got postponed). The schedule isn’t getting any lighter for the Devils next week: They’ll host the Lightning on Tuesday, play in Detroit on Thursday and then wrap the week with home games against the Islanders and the Ducks on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

The Devils won five of their first seven games, putting them in a strong opening position after missing the playoffs last season. Although he’s been far from perfect, Jacob Markstrom has evened out to be a good acquisition thus far, posting a 3-2-0 record, 2.42 GAA and .918 save percentage through five starts. Credit also needs to go to Jake Allen, who has been masterful in his two starts, saving a combined 37 of 38 shots en route to two victories. Allen should be expected to play at least one game next week, likely either against Detroit on Thursday or the Islanders on Friday.

On defense, Brett Pesce (leg) and Luke Hughes (shoulder) remain out, and there’s no indication that either’s return is imminent. That should allow rookie Seamus Casey to continue to play regularly. Casey has averaged just 12:35 of ice time, but that includes a role on the second power-play unit, which has paid off. He has three goals and four points across seven appearances, including two markers with the man advantage. I’m not confident Casey will remain with the team long-term, but he’s not a bad short-term pickup, especially with how heavy the Devils’ schedule is.

New York Rangers

The Rangers will open the week with a contest in Montreal on Tuesday before heading home to host the Panthers on Thursday and the Ducks on Saturday. While Florida is a difficult adversary, Montreal and Anaheim are rebuilding squads.

While you never want to get overly excited over four games, Artemi Panarin has been unreal with five goals and 11 points in that span. Panarin set career highs in 2023-24 with 49 goals and 120 points in 82 regular-season outings, and he may put up similar numbers this year.

That’s great for Alexis Lafreniere, who has played almost exclusively alongside Panarin at even strength so far this season. Lafreniere has two goals and five points through four appearances, and Panarin has been involved in all of Lafreniere’s offense. It took the 2020 No. 1 overall pick a few seasons to get going, but he set personal bests with 28 goals and 57 points last campaign, and that might be just a taste of what his career has in store.

By contrast, Kaapo Kakko, who was the No. 2 overall pick in 2019, still hasn’t managed to find his way. He showed promise in 2022-23 with 18 goals and 40 points in 82 regular-season outings, but he faltered last season, managing just 19 points in 61 appearances. He’ll try to rebound this campaign, and he does already have a decent two assists across four games, but Kakko seems limited to third-line duties alongside Will Cuylle and Filip Chytil, which limits his potential.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins will start next week with a home-and-away series against Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday followed by a second back-to-back set over the weekend in which Pittsburgh will host Minnesota on Saturday and Montreal on Sunday.

Like the Rangers in Panarin, Pittsburgh has a red-hot forward. Evgeni Malkin has accumulated two goals and 11 points through five appearances this year -- not bad for a 38 year old. That run includes his 500th career goal, which was tallied in Pittsburgh’s 6-5 overtime victory over Buffalo on Wednesday.

It hasn’t been all good news for the Penguins, though. Tristan Jarry is another netminder off to a disastrous start, posting a 1-1-0 record, 5.45 GAA and .836 save percentage through three outings. That’s particularly discouraging following his disappointing 2.91 GAA and .903 save percentage across 51 appearances last year.

Alex Nedeljkovic started the season on injured reserve due to a lower-body issue, which gave Jarry an opportunity to make his case for the starting gig after losing it in the final weeks of 2023-24. Instead, Pittsburgh has every reason to give the job to Nedeljkovic once he’s healthy. Nedeljkovic was taken off IR and moved to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday for conditioning, so he probably will be back with the Penguins in the near future.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto doesn’t have an easy week ahead, but it is at least one with plenty of actions. The Maple Leafs will host Tampa Bay on Monday, play in Columbus on Tuesday, return to Toronto to face the Blues on Thursday, and then conclude the week with a game in Boston on Saturday.

The Maple Leafs made a three-year, $11 million commitment to Joseph Woll over the summer that will begin with the 2025-26 campaign. That contract might prove to be favorable to the Maple Leafs if the 26-year-old develops into the starting goaltender Toronto is hoping he can be, but it might be soured due to injuries. Woll dealt with health problems last season and hasn’t played yet in 2024-25 due to a lower-body issue, though his time on the shelf might be coming to a close after taking part in Friday’s practice.

When he does return, he might find himself as the understudy. Although the situation remains fluid, Anthony Stolarz has at least for now forced the Maple Leafs to see him as the No. 1 option after posting a 2-1-0 record, 1.69 GAA and .940 save percentage across three appearances this season. Dennis Hildeby looked solid in his NHL debut too, stopping 21 of 23 shots en route to a 4-2 win over New Jersey on Oct. 10, but he’ll nevertheless report to the AHL once Woll is healthy.

Up front, John Tavares’ situation is arguably the most interesting one to watch. Although he has seen a significant amount of time on the second line alongside Max Domi and William Nylander, the Maple Leafs have also experimented with using Tavares on the third unit with Pontus Holmberg and Nicholas Robertson. Part of that is enabling the Maple Leafs to spread out its offense more evenly, but it might also be a bit of a reflection of Tavares’ age. To be fair, he has two goals through three appearances, so his early production has been nothing to complain about, but it will be interesting to see how he’s utilized throughout the season.

Tavares’ use also ties in with Bobby McMann, who stands to gain a top-six spot if Tavares ends up spending regular minutes on the third line. McMann has provided three goals across three outings after being a surprise healthy scratch in Toronto’s opener.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights will play at home next week, hosting the Kings on Tuesday, the Senators on Friday and the Sharks on Saturday.

Vegas was a team that thrived at home last season, posting a 27-12-2 record at T-Mobile Arena versus 18-17-6 on the road. That trend has continued into the early portion of 2024-25 -- the Golden Knights have a 3-0-0 home record and are 0-2-0 away. If the split continues to be noticeable, it will be worth skewing towards Vegas players when the squad is at home and shying away from the Golden Knights a bit in other locations.

Not that the top line has shown any care for where the squad is playing. Jack Eichel has begun the campaign on a five-game scoring streak in which he’s provided two goals and 10 points. Linemates Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev are right behind him with nine and eight points, respectively. Defenseman Shea Theodore has also been a standout performer with a goal and seven points across five outings.

As a group, Vegas has little to complain about offensively. Adin Hill has left something to be desired, though, allowing at least three goals in each of his first four games. That offense has allowed him to escape that stretch with an okay 2-2-0 record, but in the long run, Vegas will need more out of him. Otherwise, there will be an opportunity for Ilya Samsonov. The 27-year-old backup stopped 22 of 23 shots en route to a 3-1 win against Anaheim on Sunday, but he otherwise hasn’t been tested this season. Samsonov has been a mixed bag in his career, and it’s hard to know what to expect from him this time around. If you did draft Hill, though, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to hedge your bets by grabbing Samsonov.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK RANGERS – Team Preview

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 20:00:17 +0000

_{NEW YORK, NY - MAY 30: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers prior to the National Hockey League Eastern Conference Final game 5 against the Florida Panthers on May 30, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)}

In Peter Laviolette’s first season behind the Rangers’ bench, he led the Blueshirts to a 114-point (55-23-4) season, earning the Presidents’ Trophy. The Rangers ranked 17th in Corsi (50.5%) and 20th in expected goals percentage (49.3%). That is hardly the recipe for leading the league in points, but that was the path that the Rangers traveled. The Rangers ranked fourth on the power play, with 10.12 goals per 60 minutes and third in penalty killing with 5.48 goals against per 60 minutes. That dominance on special teams made a massive difference, not only in the regular season, but in the second round of the playoffs as well, when the Rangers escaped with a series win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The next round was the end of the line for the Rangers though, as they dropped the Eastern Conference Final to the Florida Panthers in six games.

WHAT’S CHANGED? The Rangers reportedly wanted to trade captain Jacob Trouba, but that could not be accomplished due to no-trade protection, so there is a lot of continuity from one season to the next. It is preferable for a Presidents’ Trophy team to keep most of the squad intact, but it seems that the Rangers have been steady. They dispatched Barclay Goodrow on waivers, where he was claimed by San Jose, and that created enough salary room for winger Reilly Smith, who was acquired from Pittsburgh. Trade deadline additions Alexander Wennberg and Jack Roslovic moved on in free agency, to San Jose and Carolina, respectively. Defenceman Erik Gustafsson signed in Detroit. The Rangers also added Sam Carrick, who had been toiling on fourth lines, adding some bite to the Rangers’ lineup.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? At this point, it is probably a Stanley Cup win if the Rangers are going to consider the season a success. They have lost the Eastern Conference Final in two of the past three seasons, so winning to get to the Cup Final would probably be counted as a win, too, and the Rangers have the kind of talent necessary to get there. That means that goaltender Igor Shesterkin Is again great. The defence corps is solid, sometimes even better than that, and if the Rangers are going to get over the hump to win another Cup, they will need Artemi Panarin to show up in addition to seeing others in the supporting cast – Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, Will Cuylle, and Matt Rempe – make contributions when the season is on the line.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? The Rangers have enough stars that an injury to one should not take this train off the tracks. Shesterkin, Panarin, and defenceman Adam Fox would seem to be the most irreplaceable, and Shesterkin figures to be the most fragile because as well as Jonathan Quick played last season, it would be risky to turn the crease over to the 38-year-old for any serious length of time. There is too much talent here for the Rangers to fall out of the playoff picture, but if they continue to hang around the middle of the pack when it comes to possession, then perhaps the Rangers could at least be forced to sweat their playoff position.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: A few of the Rangers’ younger players that might be considered for this honour – Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, K’Andre Miller – had breakout seasons in 2022-2023, so that narrows down the possibilities. Will Cuylle is a winger with good size who hits a lot and scored 13 goals and 21 points as a rookie. There is a chance for Cuylle to stick on the Rangers’ third line and that could give him enough of an opportunity to push for 20 goals.

Forwards

Artemi Panarin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	40	67	107	1.30

It is difficult to fathom that there is a downside to a winger who put up 120 points last season, but Panarin has taken heat for his performance when the Rangers have been eliminated from the playoffs in the past two seasons. He had four points in six games against Florida last season and two points in seven first-round games against New Jersey the season before. Panarin is a brilliant talent, a sublime playmaker who makes his teammates better, and he increased his shot output last season to 3.70 shots on goal per game on his way to scoring a career-high 49 goals. He has patience and creativity with the puck, but turned into an even more complete offensive threat when he started launching more pucks on net because he has always been a high-end shooter. Since joining the Rangers in 2019-2020, Panarin has produced 461 points in 350 games, which ranks fourth in the league in that time (behind Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Nathan MacKinnon). That kind of sustained excellence should hold more weight than any playoff slumps but that is also the kind of pressure that won’t go away until Panarin gets over that hump. For the 2024-2025 season, Panarin should be able to contribute 30-35 goals and 95-100 points in the regular season, but he will need to carry it over to the postseason to quiet his critics.

Vincent Trocheck

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	24	56	80	0.98

A tenacious centre who plays hard, with a physical edge and an agitator’s spirit, Trocheck played a career-high 21:27 per game last season and finished with a career-high 77 points. That included 24 points on the power play, his highest total since 2017-2018. He also won a career-high 58.7 percent of his faceoffs and had 175 hits, the third consecutive season that he has recorded at least that many hits, so Trocheck racks up contributions both big and small. That leads to Trocheck’s team generating more shot attempts than the opposition and that has been the case in 10 of his 11 NHL seasons. He is a valuable two-way centre who is capable defensively along with his strong offensive contributions. Even though he slumped late in the regular season, managing zero goals and two assists in the last eight games, Trocheck rose to the occasion in the postseason, tallying 20 points in 16 games. It is worth noting that Trocheck had just 17 points in 40 playoff games before breaking through last season. With a regular role on the Rangers’ top power play unit, Trocheck should be able to contribute 20-25 goals and 65 points in the 2024-2025 season. Coupled with his physical play, Trocheck is a valuable fantasy contributor, as a scoring centre who generates hits at a high level.

Alexis Lafreniere

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	31	29	60	0.73

After three seasons of modest production, the heat was starting to get turned up on Lafreniere, the first overall pick in the 2020 Draft. He broke through in 2023-2024 with 28 goals and 57 points, playing a career-high 17:16 per game. Lafreniere’s 51 even-strength points was tied for 37th in the league. As much as all of those numbers are positive indicators for Lafreniere, that production was also a function of his spending most of the season skating on the right wing with Panarin and Trocheck. When Lafreniere was on the ice with Panarin, the Rangers controlled 54.6 percent of expected goals. When Lafreniere was on with anyone else, the Rangers controlled 42.6 percent. Lafreniere does have strong offensive instincts and has high level puck skills. He is also comfortable banging bodies or taking a hit to make a play, so he can put himself in position to score. One area for further development is his skating: Lafreniere does have trouble pulling away from defenders. Considering the relative success that he enjoyed last season, it would make sense for the Rangers to keep him with Panarin and Trocheck, which is an excellent place for Lafreniere to continue his production. It’s possible that Lafreniere could match last season’s production, but the safer expectation would be in line with 25 goals and 50 points.

Chris Kreider

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	34	29	63	0.79

One of the premier net-front players in the league, Kreider has developed into a premier goal-scorer in the league, especially on the power play. In the past three seasons, he has erupted for 127 goals, which ranks seventh in the NHL, and 52 of those goals have come via the power play, which ranks third. He is a big body presence who has quick hands and is exceptional at tipping pucks and corralling rebounds in traffic. Kreider is a strong skater with a powerful stride, which makes him difficult to contain when he builds up a head of steam. The puck tends to move in the right direction with Kreider on the ice and the Rangers have outscored the opposition at five-on-five in 10 of his past 11 seasons. The only exception was the 2020-2021 season when he had a career-low on-ice save percentage. Last season was the first full season of his career in which he finished with fewer than 100 hits, but he had 99, so it’s not like he has suddenly turned pacifist. Otherwise, Kreider consistently contributes to the Rangers’ success and that should continue in 2024-2025. Considering his massive impact on the power play, he should be expected to contribute 35 goals and 65-70 points.

Mika Zibanejad

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	30	45	75	0.91

Even though Zibanejad delivered 26 goals and 72 points for the Blueshirts last season, he has faced some criticism because those were the lowest goals per game (0.32) and points per game (0.89) in his eight seasons with the Rangers. A declining shot rate coupled with a shooting percentage (11.8 percent) that was his lowest since 2015-2016 led to lower-than-expected production from the Rangers’ No. 1 centre. Worse, he scored just three goals in 16 playoff games, so he fell in for some of the same critiques that landed on Panarin, that he was fine as a productive regular season player but he couldn’t deliver when the Rangers needed it in the postseason. For the record, Zibanejad finished the 2024 playoffs with 16 points in 16 games. On top of his offensive production, Zibanejad is a key part of the Rangers’ penalty killing unit. Barclay Goodrow, who will be playing in San Jose next season, was the only Rangers forward getting more four-on-five ice time than Zibanejad. While he is not the most physical player, Zibanejad does use his size and strength to his advantage and that allows him to protect the puck effectively. A consistently durable and productive player, Zibanejad should be a key component for the Rangers in 2024-2025. He is capable of scoring 30 goals and 75 points.

Filip Chytil

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	21	27	48	0.69

A concussion limited Chytil to just 10 regular season games and six playoff games in 2023-2024. In those 10 regular season contests, Chytil flashed great potential, with the Rangers controlling 58.8 percent of shot attempts and 56.1 percent of expected goals with Chytil on the ice. He did not score any goals in the 10 regular season games or the six playoff games, but he did have six assists in the regular season and was coming off a 2022-2023 season in which he set career highs with 22 goals and 45 points. A big centre who skates well in transition, Chytil has a quick release and has improved his ability to get into scoring position. When healthy, Chytil is an excellent fit as a third-line centre, capable of driving play, shutting down the opposition, and making regular offensive contributions. He could be better on the faceoff dot, however, as he has won just 40.4 percent of faceoffs throughout his career. That is clearly an area for improvement. Although that is true, the main concern for Chytil is ensuring that he is healthy for the 2024-2025 campaign. If he is, it would be reasonable to expect 35 points from Chytil, recognizing that he has the potential to score more than that.

Reilly Smith

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	22	28	50	0.63

Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Smith has carved out a career as a reliable secondary scorer who can play in all situations. Smith scored on a career-low 8.6 percent of his shots last season, on his way to finishing with 13 goals, so this could be a case of the Rangers buying at a relative low point in Smith’s value. He is an underrated player whose team routinely outshoots and outscores the opposition when Smith is on the ice. In his 12-plus seasons in the NHL, the veteran winger has had one season in which his team was outscored with him on the ice. That was 2016-2017, his last season in Florida. A five-time 20-goal scorer who can kill penalties, Smith should improve the Rangers’ forward depth and Smith has the versatility to move around the lineup, making the team better wherever he plays. Although he is a left shot, Smith prefers to skate on the right wing, but can play both wings. While Smith could see his percentages bounce back a bit this season, he is also 33 years old, so that ought to be taken into account, too. With that understanding, Smith could still contribute 15-20 goals and 40-45 points in his first season on Broadway.

Kaapo Kakko

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	15	22	37	0.46

The second pick in the 2019 Draft, Kakko has not had a breakout season, that announced he was a legit NHL scorer, though he did hit career highs with 18 goals and 40 points in 2022-2023. That production fell off to 13 goals and 19 points in 61 games last season as a lower-body injury took him out of action. Kakko was practically invisible in the playoffs, contributing one goal and two points in 15 games, getting scratched once in the Conference Final series against Florida. Even if the offensive numbers have not really been there, Kakko has quality underlying numbers that suggest he is worth keeping around. If Kakko is healthy this season and picks up where he was in 2022-2023, then that could signify that he offers real long-term value. If it’s another season of inconsistent production or injuries get in the way, then the frustration could reach a point where it will finally be time for Kakko to move on. Kakko is a big-bodied winger who will go to the net and has the ability to protect the puck to make plays. Can the 23-year-old winger take the next step in his development? An offensive breakout is still possible, but it is likely more reasonable to expect 15 goals and 35 points, a quality contribution from a spot in the Rangers’ middle six.

Will Cuylle

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	14	13	27	0.33

A 6-foot-3 winger who has some touch around the net, Cuylle played one season in the American Hockey League before earning a regular spot with the Rangers in 2023-2024. In addition to his contributions as a depth scorer, Cuylle makes a consistent physical impact on the game. He led the Rangers with 249 hits while playing a mere 11:08 per game and he can handle himself when the gloves get dropped, too. This should not be surprising from a player who dropped the mitts in a top prospects game! Cuylle’s rookie campaign laid the foundation for his career, establishing that he is a legitimate NHL player. The challenge for Cuylle is to build on that and show that he can be more than a fourth-line banger. Even if he were to be a third-line banger, that would mean more ice time with better teammates and that could lead to better all-around production. To be fair to Cuylle, expectations should still be modest in his sophomore season, but if he bumps up to the Rangers’ third line, where he conceivably could join Chytil and Kakko, Cuylle could produce 25-30 points, with maybe 12-15 goals. That won’t draw much interest in standard leagues, but Cuylle’s hit totals could bring interest in banger leagues that reward that physical play.

Jimmy Vesey

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	13	15	28	0.34

Although there was a lot of fuss about Vesey when he was coming out of college hockey, he has never been much of a scorer. He has become an effective checking winger who thrives on the penalty kill. Across the past three seasons, there are 99 forwards that have played at least 300 minutes of four-on-five hockey. Only four (Jesper Fast, Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho, and Blake Coleman) had a lower rate of expected goals against than Vesey. His defensive reliability does allow the Rangers to move Vesey around the lineup if need be. At times, he has been the defensive conscience on a scoring line, but Vesey is a better fit in a defensive role. Vesey has good size and can take the puck hard to the net, but has generally been able to contribute in a more limited fashion offensively. He has hit double-digit goal totals in five different seasons and last seasons’ 26 points was Vesey’s most since his career-high 35 points in 2018-2019. Expectations should be modest for Vesey in 2024-2025, but a dozen goals and 25 points is still within range for him, playing a useful complementary role for the Blueshirts

DEFENSE

Adam Fox

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	16	60	76	0.97

One of the premier blueliners in the NHL, Fox has finished in the top five of Norris Trophy voting for four consecutive seasons, capturing the award for best defenceman in 2020-2021. Fox plays the game with intelligence, ensuring that he is in the right position time after time. He exhibits great patience and handles the puck with confidence. Across the past two seasons, the Rangers have controlled 54.0 percent of shot attempts and 53.3 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play with Fox on the ice. He is a dominant player, one that has the ability to have a major impact on the game at both ends of the rink. If there is one area for improvement in Fox’s game, it is that he could shoot the puck more, especially considering how often it ends up on his stick in the course of a game. This is a minor quibble, however, since Fox is coming off a season in which he recorded more than a point per game for the first time in his career. As long as he is healthy, Fox is going to be a contender for the Norris Trophy. In 2024-2025, he should be expected to contribute 12-15 goals and 70-75 points.

K’Andre Miller

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	9	24	33	0.41

A rangy 6-foot-5 defender who is an exceptional skater, Miller excels at using his speed and massive reach to shut down opposing forwards. His ability to efficiently close the gap on the puck carrier allows Miller to shut down the attack, often eliminating any threat against the Rangers net. His confidence has grown in recent seasons and that is reflected in his play. Miller played primarily with Jacob Trouba and their effectiveness as a pair slipped a bit in 2023-2024. On the defensive end, they allowed a higher rate of shots against and, individually, Miller faded late in the season, managing a single assist in his last 14 games before he contributed four points in 16 playoff games. Considering how impressive Miller was in 2022-2023, enjoying a breakout season as a force at both ends of the ice, perhaps it’s not altogether surprising that he hit a bit of a speed bump in 2023-2024. Even with that hiccup, the 24-year-old defenceman has great potential and should be a major contributor to the Rangers’ cause for years to come. In 2024-2025, it is reasonable to expect 30-35 points from Miller. He has blocked more than 100 shots in back-to-back seasons and has recorded more than 140 hits in three consecutive seasons, so if Miller has adequate point production, those peripherals stats should push him into more valuable territory.

Jacob Trouba

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	5	25	30	0.38

The Rangers’ captain was a scapegoat during the Rangers offseason as the team apparently attempted to trade him in order to free up some cap space, but Trouba is rumoured to have exercised his no-trade clause to prevent a move. The 30-year-old blueliner has had better seasons and with the Rangers getting outscored 55-44 with him on the ice in the regular season, the fan base was suddenly turning on Trouba. That’s a tough situation for a guy who is a warrior on the ice, as Trouba was one of three players to record at least 180 hits and 180 blocked shots last season. Moritz Seider and Mackenzie Weegar were the others. Trouba also played through a broken ankle in the playoffs. He is a devasting hitter, often balancing on the line of what is acceptable and intimidating versus what is worthy of suspension, but that also makes it fair to wonder if his style of play is starting to catch up with him, leading to last season’s decline in performance. He is not tasked with handling a big offensive load anymore, but if Trouba is going to bounce back in 2024-2025, then he should be closer to 30 points, while hopefully improving his defensive performance.

Braden Schneider

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	6	17	23	0.28

Drafted in the first round in 2020, Schneider has established himself as a reliable third-pair defenceman in the NHL, but he could be ready for more responsibility as he continues to mature. Schneider’s defensive play improved in 2023-2024, even though the Rangers allowed more goals with him on the ice. That was due in large part to bad luck, as Schneider’s five-on-five on-ice save percentage went from .936 in 2022-2023 to .897 last season. He has yet to average 16 minutes per game, and last season’s 19 points counted as a career high, but Schneider did record 27 points in 22 Western Hockey League games during a shortened 2020-2021 season, so he has at least some offensive upside and still holds low end fantasy appeal for his contributions in peripheral categories like hits and blocked shots. He has recorded at least 130 blocked shots in back-to-back seasons and delivered 167 hits last season. Given his limited ice time, it’s easy to project more from Schneider if he is asked to take on more responsibility. Schneider’s offensive potential may not be great, but he could chip in 20-25 points while continuing to increase his impact in other parts of the game.

GOAL

Igor Shesterkin

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
59	35	18	6	5	0.916	2.52

It truly speaks to just how strong the pressure is for goaltender Igor Shesterkin when people talk about his 2023-24 regular season campaign. The 28-year-old Russian-born starter finished the season with numbers well above league average, boasting four shutouts and quality starts in nearly 60 percent of his games - and by most accounts, this year was considered a 'bad' year for him. He quickly established himself as a clear Vezina mainstay, and anything less than top five performances now come across as a red flag - even as the New York Rangers finished their year with a shiny new President's Trophy win.

Even if Shesterkin only replicates last year's numbers, though, the Rangers are still primed to be in excellent shape. Shesterkin will enter the 2024-25 season set to play another year alongside the surprisingly resurgent Jonathan Quick, who serves as a stabilizing veteran presence in the locker room and a fun stylistic foil to Shesterkin's structured play. Quick likely isn't going to be able to serve as a full tandem partner with Shesterkin, so the bulk of the workload will likely still fall to the younger of the pair - but that's perfectly okay. So long as Shesterkin continues to sail through his NHL career putting up top ten performances even in his worst seasons, the Rangers will be in excellent shape.

2024 NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW – EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: Florida Panthers vs. New York Rangers

Ryan Dadoun — Tue, 21 May 2024 23:00:55 +0000

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 04: Florida Panthers Left Wing Eetu Luostarinen (27) in action during the third period of the National Hockey League game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers on March 4, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire)

The Panthers are four wins away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row, but they’re set to be challenged by the Rangers, who proved to be among the most balanced squads in the regular season, setting a franchise record in points with their 55-23-4 finish, and won their first seven playoff games along a path that saw them handily sweep win the Washington Capitals and eventually best the Carolina Hurricanes in six contests.

The Rangers can count on strength in nearly every aspect of the game. They have a former Vezina Trophy winner in Igor Shesterkin, and he’s playing up to his potential in the postseason with an 8-2 record, 2.40 GAA and .923 save percentage. If he gets injured? Then they can turn to three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Quick. Sure, he’s 38 years old now, but he proved to be solid in the regular season with an 18-6-2 record, 2.62 GAA and .911 save percentage in 27 outings.

Even if the Rangers didn’t get good goaltending, though, they can adapt. New York ranked seventh in the regular season with 3.39 goals per game and has elevated in the playoffs to an average of 3.50. Artemi Panarin is coming off the best regular season of his career (49 goals, 120 points) and was backed up by Vincent Trocheck (25 goals, 77 points), Chris Kreider (39 goals, 75 points), Mika Zibanejad (26 goals, 72 points) and defenseman Adam Fox (17 goals, 73 points). To put all that into context, 52 players finished the 2023-24 campaign with at least 70 points, which adds up to an average of 1.625 players per team. The fact that the Rangers employed five of them speaks to their incredible depth.

That’s before you even get into Alexis Lafreniere, who came into his own this season with 28 goals and 57 points, providing the Rangers with another key weapon, or Blake Wheeler, who hasn’t played since Feb. 15 due to a leg injury, but is healthy now and provides the Rangers with another potential middle-six option should his services be needed.

In the likely event that the series turns physical, the Rangers are covered there too. Barclay Goodrow, Will Cuylle, Trocheck, defensemen Jacob Trouba and Braden Schneider are all happy to play a gritty game. If needed, the Rangers can also send out Matt Rempe. The 21-year-old rookie has been a healthy scratch in three of New York’s last four contests, but he’s already become a fan favorite and garnered national attention for his eagerness to play with intensity while taking full advantage of his 6-foot-7, 241-pound frame.

It's not hard to see how this roster reached the Eastern Conference Final or envision a path for them to win the Cup, but it’d still be wrong to dismiss the Panthers. Florida is one of the few teams that can measure up to the Rangers.

The Panthers had a similarly strong regular season, finishing atop the Atlantic Division with a 52-24-6 record, and they haven’t been made to sweat too much in the playoffs, dispatching Tampa Bay in five contests before getting past the Bruins in six games. Like the Rangers, Florida’s strengths are numerous.

Shesterkin being a former Vezina Trophy winner is impressive, but Panther’s goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has done it twice, and he’s in the running to claim that honor for a third time after being named a finalist for 2023-24 after posting a 36-17-4 record, 2.37 GAA and .915 save percentage across 58 outings. Bobrovsky has been a somewhat mixed bag in the 2024 playoffs, but he is entering this series after posting a 1.62 GAA and a .921 save percentage over his past five starts, so his recent play doesn’t lend itself to much cause for concern.

Florida is also another team that doesn’t necessarily need great goaltending to win. The squad wasn’t quite as dominant offensively as the Rangers in the regular season, finishing 11th with 3.23 goals per game, but the Panthers have stepped up in the playoffs with an average of 3.55.

Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart have each supplied at least four goals and nine points through 11 postseason outings to lead the Panthers’ attack, but they’ve gotten plenty of support from Anton Lundell (two goals, nine points), Evan Rodrigues (three goals, six points) and defensemen Brandon Montour (three goals, eight points) and Gustav Forsling (two goals and seven points).

Just outside of the periphery, there are other Panthers forwards who might prove to be heroes at some point during this series. Sam Bennett has been limited to six playoff contests due to an upper-body injury, but he’s healthy now and has a respectable two goals and four points through six postseason appearances this year. Then there’s Vladimir Tarasenko, who has just two goals and five points across 11 playoff outings but shouldn’t be counted out after providing 23 goals and 55 points in 76 regular-season contests. He’s also a former Stanley Cup winner with 108 career postseason games under his belt, so as the pressure continues to grow, he could become a valuable locker-room presence.

Should this series get physical, the Panthers also have players who can respond, most notably Bennett and Tkachuk.

These teams aren’t without their flaws. Though Shesterkin has been largely masking it, the Rangers’ defensive play in front of him has left something to be desired. New York has an xGA/60 of 3.24 in the playoffs, which suggests that if you factor out Shesterkin, the defense itself has been mediocre to poor, and well below that of Florida with its xGA/60 of 2.62. At the same time, Bobrovsky’s inconsistency makes it hard to know what the Panthers are going to get, even if he has performed well recently.

Still, these are two teams extremely deserving of their place among the final four postseason squads, and seeing them battle it out will be a real treat.

KEY MATCHUPS

Igor Shesterkin vs. Sergei Bobrovsky

At their best, both of these netminders are incredibly hard to get anything by. They’ve had their share of rough patches too, and they each have their work cut out for them against the opposing offense in this series, but either goaltender has the potential to rise up and steal this series. To some extent, Bobrovsky did that in the second round when he shut the door on Boston by allowing just eight goals on 101 shots over the last five contests, though he had substantial help from his defense. Shesterkin was similarly lights out in the Rangers’ opening series, limiting Washington to seven goals on 101 shots over four games.

Will either of these two be the MVP of the Eastern Conference Final?

Sam Reinhart vs. Artemi Panarin

The Panthers and Rangers’ regular season scoring leaders have made their presence felt in the playoffs, but both still have room for improvement. Panarin ranks third offensively on the Rangers with four goals and 11 points through 10 postseason appearances this year while Reinhart is tied for fourth with five goals and nine points across 11 playoff outings. It’s worth noting that both of these players rose to the occasion in the season series -- Reinhart finished with four goals and five points in three outings against the Rangers while Panarin supplied three goals and four points versus the Panthers -- so they should rise to the occasion in the Eastern Conference Final.

Brandon Montour vs. Adam Fox

On paper, the battle of top offensive defensemen in one area where the Rangers should have the clear edge. Florida didn’t have a blueliner reach the 40-point milestone in 2023-24 with Montour crashing from 73 points in 80 appearances in 2022-23 to 33 points across 66 regular-season contests this year. Meanwhile, Fox has surpassed the 70-point milestone in three consecutive campaigns.

However, Fox has been quiet offensively in the postseason with four helpers through 10 contests and is entering this series on a four-game scoring drought. Meanwhile, Montour has stepped up with three goals and eight points through 11 playoff games. It’ll be interesting to see how these two perform in this series, especially because Fox did so well in the Rangers’ previous two postseason runs, recording five goals and 31 points across 27 outings.

X-FACTOR

Florida Panthers: Bobrovsky is the Panthers’ biggest question mark. It could be argued that I’ve made too much of the 35-year-old goaltender’s inconsistencies, especially after he put forth a season worthy of Vezina Trophy consideration, but when I think about him being unpredictable, I’m not just referring to a few bad playoff performances or some cold stretches during the regular season. Bobrovsky’s career has been one of extremes with him being dominant at times and a disaster at others. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that he was strong against the Rangers in the regular season, posting a 2-0-1 record, 2.59 GAA and .919 save percentage, so that coupled with the strong play we noted above in the second round provide reason for optimism.

New York Rangers: I noted above about the Rangers’ mediocre defense outside of Shesterkin, and that’s a potentially big problem. It’s also not one that’s completely new either. During the regular season, the Rangers ranked 13th in xGA/60 at 3 while Florida tied for fourth with a 2.78 xGA/60. That gap growing in the playoffs is troubling and potentially is New York’s biggest weakness going forward.

PREDICTION

Through the first seven games of the playoffs, the Rangers looked like a team of destiny. Sweeping the Capitals was noteworthy, but Washington wasn’t a great team, so the outcome wasn’t shocking. Taking a 3-0 lead on Carolina, though? That’s special and drew allusions to the Cup-winning 1994 Rangers, who also started their playoff run 7-0.

Some of that glean wore off the Rangers when they dropped Games 4 and 5, but this group still feels like the team to beat. Perhaps the Panthers can do it, they’re certainly a force in their own right, but I suspect New York will edge past them in seven games.

McKeen’s 2024 NHL Playoff Pool Picklist

Robert Howard — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 17:01:11 +0000

COLUMBUS, OH - FEBRUARY 25: Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid #97 prior to the game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Edmonton Oilers at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on February 25, 2023. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire)

In kicking off our 2024 NHL Playoff Pool coverage, Scott Cullen did an excellent breakdown of how to strategize for your pool. We recommend you give it a read and can link here.

The picklist below largely follows the strategy laid out in his article focusing on these broad categories – 1) Diversify 2) Stacking 3) First Round Winners 4) Power Play 5) Late Season Production 6) Injuries 7) Targeting playoff performers. Every playoff season will be different, of course, and simply following the Stanley Cup odds laid in many places including BetGM will provide a picture of which teams you should focus on with your picks to make the final, but the path to that result will vary. They currently have the Carolina Hurricanes (650) and the Colorado Avalanche (700) as odds on favourites to meet in the Stanley Cup Final, followed closely by Florida Panthers (700), Dallas Stars (800), Edmonton Oilers (800) and the New York Rangers (900).

If we look at McKeen’s team predictions for each of the first round series it becomes clear some teams have an easier path and their players will provide the best odds to play the most games. Lets look at how the brackets might shake out.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Dallas Vs. Vegas – We have Dallas winning in seven in a very hard-fought battle. A deep Dallas team versus the defending Champion who boasts several high-profile additions to end the season.

Winnipeg Vs. Colorado – This should be another war with the potential of a Winnipeg upset if Connor Hellebuyck rises to the occasion and Georgiev continues his late season struggles. Colorado should triumph in seven games.

Second Round Matchup: Colorado vs Dallas - The winner of these two close series meet and it means one of the highly ranked Colorado or Dallas will eliminate each other in the second round, assuming no upset in the first.

Edmonton Vs. Los Angeles – Edmonton should have the depth and firepower to take Los Angeles in six as we have predicted.

Vancouver Vs. Nashville – We hesitate to underestimate Nashville again, and this could be a close contest, but feel confident Vancouver will take it in six.

Second Round Matchup: Edmonton vs Vancouver – This should make for a thrilling series, but McDavid and company looked on a mission in the second half and should proceed to the conference final in six.

Therefore, the conference final in the west is projected to be Edmonton versus Colorado or Dallas (two very closely matched teams).

EASTERN CONFRENCE

Florida Vs. Tampa Bay – The recent two-time Stanley Cup champion meets last year’s finalist in the first round. While Tampa’s core may be aging, they are still a real threat if they get rolling. Florida showed they know how to win in the playoffs last year as well. Two goaltenders who can steal a series may make this a potential upset, but Florida should prevail in six.

Boston Vs. Toronto – Old nemesis meet again in the first round. Boston has beaten Toronto consistently in the playoffs in recent years and won all head-to-head matchups this season. There are questions about both teams, but the series should go seven and really could go either way.

Second Round Matchup: Boston Vs. Florida – with both series offering potential upsets, Florida players are ranked higher than Boston, and have ranked some high scoring Leafs and reasonable picks given they could well make it to the second round and can provide a challenge for both teams.

Carolina Vs. New York Islanders – A deep Carolina team adding some significant pieces at the deadline and should beat the Islanders here in five games.

New York Rangers Vs. Washington – The Rangers should be heavy favourites in this series and should beat the Capital in five or six games.

Second Round Matchup: - Carolina vs New York Rangers – of the second-round matchups this is the one we are most comfortable predicting. It should be a close series with the Hurricanes moving on to the Conference Final against Florida.

The following picklist is based on those possible outcomes. The first round offers some interesting matchups that could leave a favourite or two on the outside looking in early. Stack up on the teams you feel have the best odds of taking the cup but understand there are always upsets. Looking at the above, the teams with the easiest path to the conference final are Edmonton and Carolina. Colorado and Dallas are favourites of both the oddsmakers and ourselves to win a cup, but one of them will bow out by the second round. Florida has depth but will have to go through Tampa and either Boston or Toronto.

Good luck whichever strategy you choose.

Subscribers can download an excel version of this list in subscriber downloads

RANK	Player	Team	Pos	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	P/GP	EVG	EVP	PPG	PPP
1	Connor McDavid	EDM	C	76	32	100	132	35	30	1.74	24	87	7	44
2	Nathan MacKinnon	COL	C	82	51	89	140	35	42	1.71	41	92	10	48
3	Sebastian Aho	CAR	C	78	36	53	89	34	36	1.14	24	55	11	32
4	Jake Guentzel	CAR	C	67	30	47	77	25	22	1.15	25	55	5	22
5	Leon Draisaitl	EDM	C	81	41	65	106	26	76	1.31	20	65	21	39
6	Mikko Rantanen	COL	R	80	42	62	104	19	50	1.3	28	64	14	40
7	Cale Makar	COL	D	77	21	69	90	15	16	1.17	13	47	7	39
8	Sam Reinhart	FLA	C	82	57	37	94	29	31	1.15	25	55	27	34
9	Matthew Tkachuk	FLA	L	80	26	62	88	19	88	1.1	19	55	6	32
10	Aleksander Barkov	FLA	C	73	23	57	80	33	24	1.1	18	49	5	29
11	Artemi Panarin	NYR	L	82	49	71	120	18	24	1.46	38	75	11	44
12	Jason Robertson	DAL	L	82	29	51	80	19	22	0.98	20	52	9	28
13	Roope Hintz	DAL	C	80	30	35	65	26	22	0.81	19	42	8	19
14	Seth Jarvis	CAR	C	81	33	34	67	23	14	0.83	18	44	13	20
15	Andrei Svechnikov	CAR	R	59	19	33	52	13	58	0.88	14	35	5	17
16	Evan Bouchard	EDM	D	81	18	64	82	34	32	1.01	10	47	8	35
17	Zach Hyman	EDM	L	80	54	23	77	36	48	0.96	39	57	15	20
18	Valeri Nichushkin	COL	R	54	28	25	53	5	22	0.98	12	30	16	21
19	Nikita Kucherov	TBL	R	81	44	100	144	8	22	1.78	31	91	13	53
20	Auston Matthews	TOR	C	81	69	38	107	31	20	1.32	51	77	18	29
21	David Pastrnak	BOS	R	82	47	63	110	21	47	1.34	35	75	12	35
22	Jack Eichel	VGK	C	63	31	37	68	4	27	1.08	20	44	11	22
23	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	EDM	C	80	18	49	67	10	36	0.84	14	38	4	26
24	Joe Pavelski	DAL	C	82	27	40	67	12	20	0.82	16	46	11	21
25	Matt Duchene	DAL	C	80	25	40	65	15	20	0.81	19	49	6	16
26	Mika Zibanejad	NYR	C	81	26	46	72	15	30	0.89	12	35	12	31
27	Martin Necas	CAR	C	77	24	29	53	-9	42	0.69	16	40	8	13
28	Vincent Trocheck	NYR	C	82	25	52	77	16	55	0.94	13	52	11	24
29	Chris Kreider	NYR	L	82	39	36	75	19	26	0.91	19	41	18	29
30	William Nylander	TOR	R	82	40	58	98	1	24	1.2	26	59	11	35
31	Mitch Marner	TOR	R	69	26	59	85	21	18	1.23	17	57	8	27
32	Adam Fox	NYR	D	72	17	56	73	21	36	1.01	10	38	6	33
33	Miro Heiskanen	DAL	D	71	9	45	54	8	36	0.76	7	33	2	21
34	Carter Verhaeghe	FLA	C	76	34	38	72	17	36	0.95	26	51	8	21
35	Mark Stone	VGK	R	56	16	37	53	1	22	0.95	10	35	4	14
36	Wyatt Johnston	DAL	C	82	32	33	65	14	38	0.79	26	52	3	10
37	Casey Mittelstadt	COL	C	80	18	39	57	10	32	0.71	15	48	3	9
38	Jonathan Drouin	COL	L	79	19	37	56	12	28	0.71	14	37	5	19
39	Artturi Lehkonen	COL	L	45	16	18	34	11	14	0.76	9	22	7	12
40	Sam Bennett	FLA	C	69	20	21	41	17	100	0.59	15	29	5	12
41	Vladimir Tarasenko	FLA	R	76	23	32	55	13	12	0.72	20	46	3	9
42	Jamie Benn	DAL	L	82	21	39	60	8	41	0.73	13	35	7	22
43	Tyler Seguin	DAL	C	68	25	27	52	10	26	0.76	22	42	3	8
44	J.T. Miller	VAN	C	81	37	66	103	32	58	1.27	25	61	10	40
45	Quinn Hughes	VAN	D	82	17	75	92	38	38	1.12	12	54	5	38
46	Elias Pettersson	VAN	C	82	34	55	89	20	12	1.09	21	56	13	31
47	Brad Marchand	BOS	L	82	29	38	67	2	78	0.82	19	37	7	26
48	Charlie Coyle	BOS	C	82	25	35	60	-2	38	0.73	17	44	7	11
49	Jonathan Marchessault	VGK	R	82	42	27	69	-2	40	0.84	34	52	8	17
50	Tomas Hertl	VGK	C	54	17	21	38	-28	22	0.7	10	26	6	11
51	Teuvo Teravainen	CAR	L	76	25	28	53	15	10	0.7	15	32	9	17
52	Mason Marchment	DAL	L	81	22	31	53	22	54	0.65	16	42	6	11
53	Thomas Harley	DAL	D	79	15	32	47	28	18	0.59	13	37	1	9
54	John Tavares	TOR	C	80	29	36	65	2	30	0.81	20	45	9	20
55	Pavel Zacha	BOS	C	78	21	38	59	12	18	0.76	15	44	6	15
56	Brayden Point	TBL	C	81	46	44	90	-16	14	1.11	31	58	15	32
57	Steven Stamkos	TBL	C	79	40	41	81	-21	34	1.03	21	42	19	39
58	Victor Hedman	TBL	D	78	13	63	76	18	76	0.97	9	45	4	31
59	Brandon Hagel	TBL	L	82	26	49	75	1	79	0.91	24	66	2	7
60	Evander Kane	EDM	L	77	24	20	44	-4	85	0.57	21	36	2	7
61	Logan Stankoven	DAL	C	24	6	8	14	10	4	0.58	5	12	1	2
62	Devon Toews	COL	D	82	12	38	50	28	18	0.61	12	43	0	5
63	Charlie McAvoy	BOS	D	74	12	35	47	4	86	0.64	11	34	1	13
64	Morgan Rielly	TOR	D	72	7	51	58	7	27	0.81	6	38	1	20
65	Brock Boeser	VAN	R	81	40	33	73	23	14	0.9	24	48	16	25
66	Alexis Lafrenière	NYR	L	82	28	29	57	2	40	0.7	26	51	2	6
67	Mark Scheifele	WPG	C	74	25	47	72	19	57	0.97	19	54	6	18
68	Kyle Connor	WPG	L	65	34	27	61	-6	6	0.94	29	42	5	19
69	Chandler Stephenson	VGK	C	75	16	35	51	-9	25	0.68	10	35	4	13
70	Mattias Ekholm	EDM	D	79	11	34	45	44	47	0.57	8	41	2	3
71	Josh Morrissey	WPG	D	81	10	59	69	34	44	0.85	8	50	2	19
72	Ross Colton	COL	C	80	17	23	40	-8	61	0.5	14	35	3	5
73	Warren Foegele	EDM	L	82	20	21	41	3	47	0.5	18	38	1	1
74	Brady Skjei	CAR	D	80	13	34	47	15	40	0.59	11	31	1	12
75	Brent Burns	CAR	D	82	10	33	43	19	20	0.52	5	22	4	20
76	William Karlsson	VGK	C	70	30	30	60	15	22	0.86	22	43	7	15
77	Shea Theodore	VGK	D	47	5	37	42	4	6	0.89	3	27	2	15
78	Filip Forsberg	NSH	L	82	48	46	94	16	43	1.15	35	62	13	32
79	Roman Josi	NSH	D	82	23	62	85	12	45	1.04	14	51	9	33
80	Sean Monahan	WPG	C	83	26	33	59	-1	12	0.71	15	36	9	21
81	Gustav Forsling	FLA	D	79	10	29	39	56	43	0.49	9	37	1	2
82	Brandon Montour	FLA	D	66	8	25	33	1	46	0.5	7	16	1	17
83	Mathew Barzal	NYI	C	80	23	57	80	-4	34	1	18	55	5	25
84	Noah Dobson	NYI	D	79	10	60	70	12	36	0.89	9	45	1	24
85	Nikolaj Ehlers	WPG	L	82	25	36	61	27	29	0.74	25	54	0	7
86	Tyler Toffoli	WPG	C	79	33	22	55	-6	14	0.7	22	37	11	18
87	Cole Perfetti	WPG	C	71	19	19	38	13	12	0.54	14	27	5	11
88	Gabriel Vilardi	WPG	C	47	22	14	36	11	14	0.77	13	22	9	14
89	Anthony Duclair	TBL	L	73	24	18	42	-8	34	0.58	19	30	5	12
90	Brock Nelson	NYI	C	82	34	35	69	-5	28	0.84	24	48	9	19
91	Bo Horvat	NYI	C	81	33	35	68	-1	39	0.84	22	48	10	18
92	Adrian Kempe	LAK	R	77	28	47	75	13	72	0.97	20	44	5	27
93	Kevin Fiala	LAK	L	82	29	44	73	1	62	0.89	18	43	11	30
94	Anze Kopitar	LAK	C	81	26	44	70	11	22	0.86	16	44	9	23
95	Jake DeBrusk	BOS	L	80	19	21	40	4	18	0.5	15	28	2	10
96	Tyler Bertuzzi	TOR	L	80	21	22	43	2	53	0.54	16	37	5	6
97	Ivan Barbashev	VGK	C	82	19	26	45	15	42	0.55	16	40	3	5
98	Gustav Nyquist	NSH	C	81	23	52	75	7	8	0.93	17	49	5	24
99	Ryan O'Reilly	NSH	C	82	26	43	69	6	18	0.84	12	41	14	28
100	Max Domi	TOR	C	80	9	38	47	10	118	0.59	8	45	1	2