Anthony DeAngelo – McKeen's Hockey

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: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – San Jose rebuild on track – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 12:54:26 +0000

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 11: San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund (72) (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

There are a number of teams that have effectively lost all hope of making the playoffs, but at the time of writing, only one team has been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention: The San Jose Sharks.

It’s the sixth straight year without a playoff berth for San Jose, which is by far the largest stretch of failure in the franchise’s history -- from the inaugural season in 1991-92 through 2018-19, the Sharks had missed the playoffs just six times in total -- and yet there’s a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

Macklin Celebrini has lived up to the hype in his rookie campaign with 21 goals and 50 points through 57 appearances, and the 22-year-old William Eklund is shaping up to be another strong member of the Sharks’ future with 15 goals and 50 points in 64 outings. They’re also seeing some preliminary success from 19-year-old Will Smith, who has provided 13 goals and 35 points in 61 appearances. We should also soon see Cameron Lund make his NHL debut after signing an entry-level contract with the Sharks on Friday. Perhaps the Sharks will try pairing Lund up with Eklund after the 20-year-old Lund supplied 18 goals and 40 points in 37 outings with Northeastern University this year.

In the long run, that young core of forwards might be backed up by 22-year-old netminder Yaroslav Askarov, who has struggled with the rebuilding Sharks (3.10 GAA, .896 save percentage in 13 outings), but has looked solid at the AHL level this campaign (2.52 GAA, .922 save percentage in 19 games).

If some of their other top prospects like Quentin Musty and Sam Dickinson work out, and the Sharks get value out of their four picks in the top two rounds of the 2025 and 2026 drafts, then San Jose could start moving in an upward trajectory quickly.

The only issue is that they have a lot of ground to gain. There’s a good chance the Sharks will finish with 60 or lower points for a third straight campaign. On the one hand, it’s a stretch that’s allowed them to put their full force into rebuilding, but there’s always the danger of falling into the Buffalo Sabres trap, where success always seems to be just around the corner.

An eventful summer might be the key for the Sharks, especially because the Sharks are currently swimming in cap space. They do need to be mindful of the big raises that Eklund, Celebrini and Smith will be due if all goes as hoped, but Celebrini and Smith won’t test the market for the first time until the summer of 2027, while Eklund will remain on his entry-level contract for the 2025-26 campaign, so there is a window here for the Sharks to spend. Their cap flexibility is also made a little easier by the fact that Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s $7 million contract comes off the books in the summer of 2026 and Couture’s $8 million cap hit ends after 2026-27, which will help offset some of those raises.

That will allow them to be aggressive on the UFA market, and it also opens the door for San Jose to potentially leverage some of its picks for veteran players. So, while the Sharks have some largely meaningless games ahead of them, this might end up being the summer of GM Mike Grier.

Buffalo Sabres (Tue vs OTT, Thu vs PIT, Sat @ PHI, Sun @ WAS)

It seems cruel to cite the Sabres as a cautionary tale whenever teams like the Sharks are in the midst of a rebuild, but that’s what they are. With a 27-34-6 record through Thursday’s action, Buffalo sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and is on course to miss the playoffs for a 14th straight season. That’s the longest postseason drought in the history of the league.

The Sabres will at least attempt to finish the season on a somewhat positive note. They’ll host Ottawa and Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, before heading on the road to visit Philadelphia on Saturday and Washington on Sunday.

Buffalo’s single biggest issue this campaign has been an inability to keep the puck out of the net. The Sabres rank 29th in goals allowed per game with 3.52. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who managed a solid 2.57 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 54 appearances in 2023-24, hasn’t looked nearly as impressive this campaign, going 23-21-4 with a 3.16 GAA and an .888 save percentage.

It's tempting to say that the team in front of him has been the source of Luukkonen’s woes, and there’s certainly some backing for that assumption. The Sabres rank 29th in xGA/60 at 3.35, per Moneypuck, which implies that the defense has been making life miserable for the goaltenders. However, Luukkonen can’t completely escape blame. He also has a minus-4.6 goals saved above expected, which suggests that he’s been putting forth below average performances, and that’s compounded Buffalo’s already significant defensive issues. That’s also in contrast to 2023-24 when Luukkonen finished with a plus-9.4 goals saved above expected.

Buffalo has already made a long-term commitment to Luukkonen, albeit with a $4.75 million cap hit through 2028-29, which is on the low end for a veteran starter and is expected to get even more reasonable as the cap goes up. If he ends up needing to slide into a backup role, that contract will look like an overpay, but not to the point where it’s an anchor on Buffalo’s cap situation.

The ideal would be if Devon Levi lives up to the promise he showed in the NCAA, but so far the 23-year-old has left plenty to be desired in the NHL, posting a 3.29 GAA and an .894 save percentage through 39 appearances. Goaltenders tend to take longer to develop than any other NHL position, so it would be premature to write him off, but Buffalo assuming that a Luukkonen-Levi duo will eventually lead the franchise to the playoffs might be dangerous -- the potential is there, but it’s far from a sure thing.

That’s a long-term concern for Buffalo. In the short run, the Sabres can at least enjoy Ryan McLeod’s hot streak. He’s recorded a point in five straight games and has been held off the scoresheet just once over his last seven appearances, giving him two goals and seven points in that span. He’s set career highs in goals (16) and points (38) in his first campaign with Buffalo after being acquired from Edmonton, and the 25-year-old should be a solid presence for years to come while primarily centering the third line under ideal circumstances.

Detroit Red Wings (Mon @ UTA, Tue @ COL, Thu vs OTT, Sat vs BOS)

Detroit has won just two of its past 10 games, putting the Red Wings playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. They’ll need to do well next week to avoid slipping out of the postseason picture. The Red Wings will start on the road, facing Utah on Monday and Colorado on Tuesday. Detroit will then return home to host the Senators on Thursday and the Bruins on Saturday.

Buffalo’s postseason drought is the one that get the most attention, but Detroit hasn’t been to the postseason since 2016, so there are significant stakes to the Red Wings’ playoff run, especially because they’re not exactly a rebuilding squad anymore. Lucas Raymond (23 goals, 69 points) is still just 22 years old, while Dylan Larkin (28, 60) and Alex DeBrincat (31, 58) are in their late 20s, so Detroit’s core forwards aren’t old, but they’re not emerging prospects either. Two of Detroit’s top four defensemen (Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson) are under 25, but they are supplemented by aging veterans (Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry).

Detroit does still have players that will get better with time. I’m very interested to see what the future holds for 20-year-old rookie Marco Kasper, who has 13 goals, 27 points, 30 PIM and 123 hits in 63 appearances this campaign, but Detroit is beyond the point where it can just shrug and say that short-term losing is a byproduct of the process.

Patrick Kane should be in no mood to be patient at the age of 36. He exploded with a five-point effort March 12 to lead Detroit past Buffalo. Kane also had a three-point showing March 1 versus Columbus, but he’s been inconsistent recently, so don’t look at his 11 points (three goals) in nine games this month and assume he’s red hot. The truth is more nuanced. Unfortunately, Detroit has lacked a steady hand on offense recently, which is a reflection of the team’s recent struggles overall.

Petr Mrazek, who was acquired from Chicago, has been given the opportunity to take over as Detroit’s starter. He’s got the nod in each of Detroit’s past four games, but the results have been mixed. He did post an 18-save shutout over Vegas on Sunday, but he also allowed at least three goals in each of the other three starts. Overall, he has a 2-2-0 record, 2.51 GAA and .901 save percentage in four appearances since joining Detroit. Still, Cam Talbot (2.96 GAA, .900 save percentage) and Alex Lyon (2.77 GAA, .900 save percentage) haven’t given Detroit much to be happy about this campaign, so Mrazek might continue to act as the Red Wings’ primary choice going forward.

Los Angeles Kings (Tue vs NYR, Thu @ COL, Sat vs TOR, Sun vs SJS)

The Kings sit third in the Pacific Division with a 37-21-9 record, but they still have a shot at catching Edmonton (40-24-5) and maybe even Vegas (40-20-8). The Kings will need a solid week to keep those prospects healthy. They’ll start by hosting the Rangers on Tuesday before playing in Colorado on Thursday. Afterward, the Kings will return home to face the Maple Leafs on Saturday and the Sharks on Sunday.

The Kings managed just four goals across eight games from March 13-20, so they don’t have any hot forwards. Kevin Fiala is about as close as you can find with a goal and three points over that four-game stretch, but he’s also been held off the scoresheet in seven of his past 12 contests, so his recent play is nothing to get excited over.

Meanwhile, Phillip Danault has just a goal and four points across his past 13. This is shaping up to be a disappointing campaign for him overall. He has just six goals in 66 games with a shooting percentage of 5.5, which is on course to be his lowest ever, excluding the two games he played in 2014-15. He also has no power-play points after recording 20 in 2022-23 and nine in 2023-24. On the one hand, he’s averaging 1:20 with the man advantage, the lowest of his four seasons with LA, which limits his chances, but Danault also hasn’t given the Kings much reason to use him more on the power play, so it’s a bit of a chicken and the egg issue. Either way, this campaign is looking like it’ll go down as a wash for Danault, and he certainly has been part of the issue for the Kings’ recent offensive drought, recording no points over the past four games.

This would be a bad stretch for the Kings, except Darcy Kuemper stopped 81 of 84 shots (.964 save percentage) while starting in those four games, and LA won three of those outings as a result. The 34-year-old goaltender is now 23-9-7 with a 2.13 GAA and a .918 save percentage in 40 appearances. In terms of GAA, this could be the best campaign of his career, excluding 2012-13 when he appeared in just six games. That’s quite a turnaround from 2023-24 (3.31 GAA, .890 save percentage), and it has to be said that Kuemper has a plus-15 goals saved above expected, which ranks 13th in the league, so this isn’t exclusively a case of him benefiting from strong defensively play in front of him -- though, the Kings do have a league-best 2.61 xGA/60, so the defense has been doing its part too.

Minnesota Wild (Mon @ DAL, Tue vs VGK, Thu vs WAS, Sat vs NJD)

Minnesota has a healthy edge in the battle for a wild-card spot, especially after winning its past two games. The Wild will look to build on their recent momentum when they play in Dallas on Monday. Minnesota will also host Vegas, Washington and New Jersey on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Although Minnesota is likely to make the playoffs, the extended absence of Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) has been felt. He’s appeared in just three games dating back to Dec. 27, and Minnesota is a mediocre 18-15-1 over that span while averaging just 2.50 goals per game. By contrast, the Wild went 21-10-4 while averaging 2.94 goals per game over their first 35 contests, which is a stretch when Kaprizov provided 23 goals and 50 points in 34 appearances (missing one game).

To make matters worse, Joel Eriksson Ek hasn’t played since Feb. 22 due to a lower-body injury. Coach John Hynes said Monday that Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek were progressing off ice, per Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News, which is mixed news. Any progress is good progress, but if they’re not skating yet, then they’re probably not close to returning. With so little time left in the campaign, I have to wonder if Minnesota is now simply looking ahead to the playoffs when it comes to Kaprizov. Maybe he’ll get into a few games toward the end of the regular season just to shake off the rust, but that might be all we can hope for.

At least Ryan Hartman is back from his eight-game suspension. He’s recorded three goals and six points in eight appearances since returning from his punishment. He also averaged 16:31 of ice time in that span, up from 15:00, as the Wild deal with injuries.

Minnesota also attempted to get help by acquiring Gustav Nyquist from Nashville on March 1, but that hasn’t moved the needle. Nyquist has registered just two assists in nine outings with Minnesota despite averaging 16:02 since the trade. He might see his role reduced once Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov are ready to return, especially if Nyquist doesn’t start heating up.

To wrap up on a somber note, we’re likely watching the final games of Marc-Andre Fleury. He hasn’t played much recently -- his last start was March 9 -- but the Wild do have a back-to-back coming Monday and Tuesday, so he’ll likely make his 885th career start and 1,048th appearance on one of those two nights. Fleury has solid backup at the age of 40, posting a 12-8-1 record, 2.73 GAA and .904 save percentage in 22 outings this campaign.

New Jersey Devils (Mon vs VAN, Wed @ CHI, Thu @ WPG, Sat @ MIN)

The Devils have been treading water lately, winning four of their past nine games. At this point, they’re unlikely to catch Carolina for the second seed in the Metropolitan Division, but the Devils are still likely to secure the third seed. In the meantime, they’ll start next week at home against Vancouver. The Devils will then hit the road, playing in Chicago on Wednesday, Winnipeg on Friday and Minnesota on Saturday.

Like Minnesota, New Jersey is dealing with some major injuries. Dougie Hamilton (lower body) hasn’t played since March 4 (he logged just 5:15 before exiting that March 4th game), and Jack Hughes (shoulder) was last in the lineup March 2.

New Jersey has gone 4-4-0 without Hamilton and Hughes, including the contest Hamilton was only briefly a part of in contrast to the Devils’ 33-23-6 record across their first 62 games. It’d be natural to assume their middling play lately has been as a result of a drop in offense, similar to what Minnesota has experienced, but the Devils have managed 2.88 goals per game over their last eight games, which isn’t much of a decline from their 2.98 before Hughes’ injury.

Instead, the problem has been at their own end. Jacob Markstrom has a 4.67 GAA and an .817 save percentage across his past five appearances. That leaky play has taken some of the shine out of the heroics from Jesper Bratt (three goals, 10 points in his past five games) and Luke Hughes (one goal, seven points in his past eight appearances).

Jake Allen has looked good, though, winning his past three starts while saving 99 of 103 shots (.961 save percentage). That contrast between New Jersey’s two goaltenders has resulted in Markstrom shifting from being the clear starter to serving in a rotation. I don’t expect that arrangement to persist for the remainder of the campaign, but it’ll probably last until Markstrom finds his footing again.

The Devils certainly have to hope Markstrom comes out of this cold patch sooner rather than later. While there is light at the end of the tunnel for Minnesota on the injury front -- albeit a distance light -- Jack Hughes isn’t expected back until training camp, and Hamilton probably won’t return until the second round at the earliest, provided the Devils make it that far. What they have now is all they can count on. Fortunately for New Jersey, Bratt, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier is still a solid forward core, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see that trio do well down the stretch, and Luke Hughes is a great alternative to Hamilton on the top power-play unit, which should result in Luke having a strong finish offensively.

New York Islanders (Mon vs CBJ, Wed vs VAN, Sat @ TBL, Sun @ CAR)

The Islanders have won their past three games, pushing them within striking distance of a wild-card spot. New York needs to stay hot next week to close the gap. They’ll start with a home game against Columbus, which is another team in the hunt for an Eastern Conference wild-card position. The Blue Jackets will also play at home against Vancouver on Wednesday before traveling to Tampa Bay on Saturday and Carolina on Sunday.

New York squeaking into the playoffs would be particularly impressive after they traded Brock Nelson to Colorado on March 6 in a where the key pieces back were prospect Calum Ritchie and a first-round pick. It’s not like the Islanders had offense to spare…or so you’d assume, but they’ve been getting help from unexpected sources lately.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau has a goal and six points while Simon Holmstrom has three goals and five points across the Islanders’ seven games since the trade. Both players are usually more complementary pieces when it comes to offense, but they do get on these kinds of hot streaks, making them nice situational pickups during times such as this.

Defensemen Noah Dobson and Anthony DeAngelo have also been major contributors during the same stretch, recording seven and six points, respectively. It’s been interesting that Dobson’s return from injury Feb. 27 hasn’t marginalized DeAngelo’s contributions. Rather than shift DeAngelo to the second power-play unit to make room for Dobson, the Islanders seem comfortable having two defensemen on their top group with the man advantage. DeAngelo has also continued to be used at even strength, averaging 22:18 of ice time in all situations since the return of Dobson.

DeAngelo’s always been a lightning rod for controversy, but it seems he’s found a good spot with the Islanders, and he should continue to be a meaningful contributor for the remainder of the campaign.

Ottawa Senators (Tue @ BUF, Thu @ DET, Sat vs CBJ, Sun @ PIT)

The Senators put themselves in a good spot by winning six straight from March 5-15, but they’ve hit a rough patch with back-to-back losses. The Senators still hold the first wild-card spot, but they can’t afford to relax. They have an opportunity to collect some key points next week against teams not currently in a playoff position. Ottawa will play in Buffalo on Tuesday, Detroit on Thursday and Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Senators will also host the Blue Jackets on Saturday.

Dylan Cozens has worked out pretty nicely in Ottawa since being acquired from Buffalo on March 7. He has three goals and six points in seven appearances with the Senators despite seeing his average playing time drop from 17:13 before the trade to 15:23 since joining the Ottawa. Cozens seems to be settling into a second-line center role with Ottawa, which isn’t surprising. He should get most of his minutes alongside Drake Batherson and David Perron for the remainder of the campaign, though Cozens is also getting work on the top power-play unit and has already provided two goals with the man advantage for Ottawa.

Batherson has been a good player to skate alongside recently. He enjoyed a four-game scoring streak from March 11-18 in which he supplied three goals and six points, but that run was snapped Thursday. The 26-year-old is up to 19 goals and 55 points in 68 outings overall, making it very likely that he’ll reach the 20-goal and 60-point marks for the third straight campaign. In fact, he still has a solid chance of besting his career high of 66 points, which he set last year.

Perron also has been solid recently with four goals and seven points in his past 10 appearances. The 36-year-old missed significant chunks of the campaign, so it’s not too surprising that he was limited to a goal and four points in 11 outings from Jan. 11 (when he returned from a 27-game absence due to back problem) through Feb. 26. Now that the veteran has been able to string together a significant number of games for the first time all season, we’re seeing steady production out of him, and there’s a good chance that’ll continue for the rest of the season, barring another exit from the lineup.

Ottawa’s top line, headlined by Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle, will be the main drivers of the Senators’ offense, but don’t underestimate that second unit of Perron, Cozens and Batherson.

Toronto Maple Leafs (Tue vs PHI, Thu @ SJS, Sat @ NYR, Sun @ LAK)

Toronto has won its past three games, putting behind a rough stretch in which the Maple Leafs won just one of six contests. The Maple Leafs are competing with Florida for the Atlantic Division title. Toronto will look for an edge in that battle next week, beginning with a home game against the Flyers on Tuesday. Toronto will then go on the road, playing in San Jose on Thursday, Los Angeles on Saturday and Anaheim on Sunday.

Even after a run of four goals from March 15-19, Auston Matthews is still on course for career lows with his goal total of 27 and his shooting percentage of 12.4. He’s been limited to 54 games this campaign, and it seems probable he’s playing through something even now, but even Matthews at less than 100 percent is still a high-end option. It helps that he’s pivoted to setting up his teammates a little more to make up for the reduced goal scoring -- he has 34 assists, so in terms of points per 60 minutes, his 3.3 this year is a touch low by his standards, but still well within the range of what’d you’d expect from him.

There’s a good chance he’ll come back strong next season with another 40-plus campaign, and he might even hit 60 for the third time in his career in 2025-26. However, the 27-year-old has run into more injuries problems than one would like over the first half of his career, which makes projecting him somewhat difficult.

Mitch Marner has been the steadier hand in Toronto in terms of season-by-season production. This will be his fourth straight campaign with over 20 goals and 80 points. One thing he’s never managed is reaching the 100-point mark, though he came close in 2021-22 (97) and 2022-23 (99). He might be able to just barely hit it this season after supplying 21 goals and 83 points through 68 appearances.

Marner needs to get hot again to hit the century mark, but right now, he’s not the hottest member of the Leafs. Neither is Matthews, for that matter. That distinction belongs to William Nylander, who has five goals and 15 points in his last 11 appearances. That brings him up to 38 markers and 73 points in 69 outings overall.

Nylander also reached the 600-point career milestone Thursday when he assisted on a goal by John Tavares. That was career point 1,098 for Tavares, and the 34-year-old center went on to collect two more points, making it a milestone night for him as well. Tavares has 29 goals and 60 points in 62 appearances in 2024-25, bringing him up to 213 goals and 479 points in 502 games. If you had told someone immediately after Tavares signed a seven-year, $77 million contract with Toronto that he would decline over the final couple of years, they would have likely believed you. However, while Tavares did show his age somewhat in 2023-24, he’s continuing to produce at a high level even in the final campaign of that deal. It’ll be very interesting to see what kind of contract he commands over the summer, because he still seems to have good hockey left in him.

Toronto’s offense revolves around that core, and unfortunately no one outside of it steps up for more than brief periods. Matthew Knies is Toronto’s next best producer with 25 goals and 45 points, but he’s going through a mediocre stretch in which he’s supplied a goal and four points over his past eight games. Max Domi and Bobby McMann have been similarly meh lately, each contributing two goals and four points over the same eight-game span. All three are worth monitoring as pickup options during hot streaks, but they can’t be counted on to put up strong numbers over a longer period.

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – CAROLINA HURRICANES – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 18:10:29 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - MAY 09: Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns (8) looks on during Game 4 of an Eastern Conference Second Round playoff game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New Jersey Devils on May 9, 2023, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

Review: The Rod Brind'Amour coaching era continued to be a great time for Carolina in 2022-23. There were some serious issues with Andrei Svechnikov being limited to 64 games, Teuvo Teravainen scoring just 37 points and posting his lowest points-per-game (0.54) since 2016-17 and Max Pacioretty missing almost the entire campaign with a torn Achilles. However, thanks to the rise of Martin Necas and offensive defenseman Brent Burns entering another chapter in his fantastic career, the Hurricanes were able to at least be serviceable offensively and, when combined with their stellar defense, they navigated to a 52-21-9 record and third straight division title. Carolina then made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in five years before running into Florida and getting absolutely goalied by the red-hot Sergei Bobrovsky.

What’s Changed? After Pacioretty spent most of the 2022-23 campaign on the long-term injured reserve list, the Hurricanes let him walk as an unrestricted free agent. Instead, they signed Michael Bunting to a three-year, $13.5 million contract in the hopes he’ll provide some scoring depth and grit. They also signed defenseman Tony DeAngelo, who has a checkered past, but saw success under Brind'Amour during the 2021-22 campaign and might serve a function again this year, especially on the power play after Carolina finished 20th in that regard in 2022-23 with a 19.8% conversion rate.

What would success look like? Making the playoffs is to be expected at this point, so Carolina’s success will instead by measured by how they do in the postseason. Teravainen missed a good chunk of the 2023 playoffs because of a hand injury, but given his regular season struggles, it’s not clear how helpful he would have been even if he was healthy. A strong campaign out of him would go a long way towards stabilizing the Hurricanes’ offense and putting them in a better position to power through if they run into a hot goaltender again.

What could go wrong? After failing to acquire Erik Karlsson on the trade market, the Hurricanes will still be relying heavily on Burns as their primary puck-moving blueliner, but he’s 38 years old now, so it’s hard to know how much more he’s got left in him. True, they do have DeAngelo again, but he’s usually a defensive liability and thus not a true replacement for Burns if the veteran blueliner takes a significant step back. There’s also a risk that Teravainen won’t bounce back or will once again run into injury troubles. Bunting might not pay off either. While he should provide some sandpaper at least, he also tends to get in trouble, and he’s going from a situation where he largely played alongside Auston Matthews to likely serving on the Hurricanes’ third line, so he might fail to reach even the 40-point milestone this year.

Top Breakout Candidate: If Carolina’s offense could use one more great weapon, then Seth Jarvis might be it. After scoring 31 goals and 79 points in 150 career contests, the 21-year-old forward is well positioned to take the next step. Selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Jarvis is projected to serve on the top line alongside Sebastian Aho this year and should get a decent amount of power-play ice time too.

Forwards

Sebastian Aho - C

A model of consistency for the Hurricanes, Aho scored at a 35+ goal pace for the fourth year in a row. Whether it’s scoring goals or killing penalties, he is the engine that drives the Hurricanes. The team recognized it by re-signing him to an eight-year contract with a cap hit of $9.75 million AAV. Aho has the skillset that can thrive in any system and game situation, possessing an explosive first step and great vision to create quick-strike offense off the rush. An element the Hurricanes don’t have much of. He also doesn’t need a lot of space to create chances, being able to test goaltenders from awkward angles and find loose spots in coverage. This is a crucial skillset on a forecheck-heavy team like Carolina, so the strong work he does on the penalty kill and in the defensive zone is an added bonus. They are hoping he gets a little more finishing help from his linemates this year, as Aho produced at under the point-per-game mark last year despite a 36-goal season. It’s the one thing keeping him from being considered in the elite class of the NHL.

Andrei Svechnikov - LW

Around mid-November, it looked like Svechnikov was heading for stardom. He had 11 goals and 17 points in only 14 games, culminating with a hat trick against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 12th. Since then, he scored only 12 goals in his next 50 games before a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. Svechnikov has the complete package of an elite power forward. He can move the puck from one zone to the next without much effort and take the puck from the wall to the net better than almost anybody. The goals just haven’t followed as much as anybody hoped. He still provided a lot of value as a playmaker, especially in the left circle on the power play, but not at the superstar level the team envisioned. Being a streaky goal-scorer, he was primed to finish the season on a strong note but never got a chance. Right now, he is someone with a game-breaking skillset that hasn’t had the results to match it, but at only 23-years old he has plenty of time to break into that class. Carolina is hoping the goals come to him for the rest of the year as easily as they did in October.

Martin Necas - RW

Carolina wasn’t sure what they had in Martin Necas around this time last year. He was signed to a two-year bridge deal after a disappointing 40-point season and responded by having a true breakout season. Doubling his goal total and leading the team in points with 71 in 82 games. Carolina used him on the penalty kill, their top power play unit and extensively in overtime, scoring four game-winners. He excels in the playmaker role, as he loves to roam the perimeter and the neutral zone looking to thread the needle through defenders. That is still part of his game, but he toned it back a little this year and became more of a dual-threat with creating his own shot by getting to the slot on his own or using his linemates on quick give-and-go plays instead of settling for low-percentage passes to nobody. This resulted in more consistent production from Necas and made him one of Carolina’s more reliable players for most of the year. Keeping this up through April and May is the next step for the former first round pick.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi - C

The Hurricanes were waiting for Kotkaniemi to take that next step and in some ways he did. Jumping from the fourth line to the second line, the former third overall pick made some strides as one of the team’s rocks in their top-nine. Doing a lot of the little things and providing a steadying presence alongside Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas. He posted some of the strongest defensive numbers on the team, limiting shots and scoring chances while getting the tough matchups some nights. His offensive game is still a work in progress, as he isn’t very quick with the puck and opts for the simple play more times than not. It started to come around for him in the second half, as he posted 31 points in 46 games after Jan 1^st with career highs across the board. There is always going to be the question of if he can do more and become a true game-breaker for Carolina, but he is currently poised to be their shutdown center of the future.

Michael Bunting - LW

Every top-six need complementary players and you’ll struggle to find a better one than Michael Bunting. He has spent the last two years skating on the Maple Leafs top line after a long career in the minors and parlayed it into a nice three-year deal with Carolina. He knows how to take advantage of playing with elite talent, always finding the soft spots in coverage or being a nuisance in front of the net. Last year was somewhat of a down season for him, as he was more of a pain for the officials than opposing goaltenders, but he still scored a respectable 23 goals. His skillset fits the Hurricanes needs, as they needed a jolt in their top-six and Bunting is the complementary, net front player Aho has missed in recent years. He should have plenty of rebound opportunities in Carolina.

Seth Jarvis - RW

The sophomore slump can be tough for some players, and this was true for Seth Jarvis. Not only did he struggle to get on the scoresheet, but he wasn’t creating chances or driving play at the same level he was in his rookie year. Part of it was bad luck, as his shooting percentage dropped by over 50%, the other was Jarvis struggling to create on his own. In his rookie season, he was one of the team’s better players at creating in transition, making the extra play in the neutral zone to create quick-strike offense. Last year, other players had to set him up and he was poaching more goals from in front of the net. He had a slight resurgence in the second half, but still failed to top his numbers from his rookie season. Still young, Jarvis is still finding his way in the league and the Canes are hoping he can return to being more of a consistent threat in the top-six.

Teuvo Teravainen - LW

Teravainen had a rare down season in his seven-year Hurricane career, spending various times on injured reserve and scoring at only a 44-point pace, which would be his lowest since 2016-17. Most of his best skills are away from the puck. Always in the right position to receive a pass, disrupt a cycle or make it tougher to get through the neutral zone. Those parts of Teravainen’s game were still there, but the offense was steps behind his usual pace. His hands weren’t as quick or sharp as they usually are and most of his one-timers ended up going nowhere near the target. He did what he could to pitch in, but it is tough to be a key player on a top line when you don’t get a lot of puck touches and you can’t execute at the same level as you used to. Carolina is sticking with him in the final year of his contract, and he will have some competition to keep his spot on Aho’s wing.

Jordan Staal - C

Not much happens when Jordan Staal is on the ice and that’s usually a good thing for your team’s shutdown center. The Canes don’t score a lot of goals when his line is out there but neither do their opponents. This has been his role for most of his 12-year career in Raleigh. His condor wingspan and huge frame make him a tough matchup, as he excels at playing the keep away brand of hockey the Hurricanes have made their bread and butter. The offense usually comes in bunches for him, as 11 of his 17 goals came in a 30-game span from December to February and his puck skills haven’t gotten much better as he’s gotten older. Playing a basic brand of offense where he scores most of his goals from brute force than a high level of finesse. Still, when playoff time comes, he is the one who gets the matchup minutes and it’s a big reason why the Canes re-signed him to a four-year deal.

Stefan Noesen - RW

Noesen played his way back into the NHL after an incredible season with the Chicago Wolves and a strong training camp. He didn’t relinquish this spot and became more of an important player on the Hurricanes as the year went on, playing anywhere from the top line to the fourth line. Also earning some spot duty as a net front player on the top power play unit. This was especially important in the playoffs where he was a permanent fixture in the top-six due to a barrage of injuries in Carolina’s wing depth. He possesses a Swiss-army knife skillset where he can fill in almost anywhere, playing the high-intensity game needed for a checking line role and having enough puck skill to take advantage of playing with top liners. He showed some limitations keeping up with the speed of the game, but his stint in Carolina has rejuvenated his career as a role player who can pitch in anywhere.

Defense

Brent Burns - D

While on the back nine of his career, a stop in Carolina was just what the former Norris winner needed to get his game back on track. He could play most of the game with the puck in front of him, taking advantage of Carolina’s strong possession game and got back to a level we saw in the mid-2010’s with the Sharks. With most of the Hurricane’s offense being based off point shots and deflections, this was a perfect environment for Burns to get his career back on track and he posted his highest point total since 2018. He also was a regular on their penalty kill and more than held his own at even strength, especially in the defensive zone. Provided more of a physical presence on their top pair and giving them a dynamic shooting threat at the point. The only question with Burns is how soon he starts to look like a defenseman pushing 40. He is one of the most physically gifted athletes in the league, so he has a little more rope than others, but father time is undefeated.

Jaccob Slavin - D

Regarded as one of the league’s top defensive defensemen, 2022-23 was another year at the office for Jaccob Slavin. Posting solid numbers on the Hurricanes top pair while pitching in on offense when needed. He saw a big drop in his point production, but this is secondary when considering that he spent most of his five-on-five ice time with Brent Burns, who is taking most of the shot opportunities on that pair. He is the prototype for the modern shutdown defenseman, a lanky player with a great reach and someone who takes terrific angles to disrupt even some of the best skating forwards. It has been this way since he entered the league in 2015 and his game has yet to drop off despite the massive workload he takes on, playing in all situations for the Canes. We should expect more of the same, although with even less power play time on Carolina’s stacked defense corps.

Dmitry Orlov - D

A surprising move to kick off free agency was Carolina signing Dmitry Orlov to a two-year deal, paying him $7.75 million AAV, and creating an embarrassment of riches on their blue line. Where he slots in will be interesting, but he possesses a terrific all-around skillset. He can play the skilled game, as he’s an excellent puck-mover who loves joining the rush, as well as the physical game. Stepping up on forwards at the opposing blue line is one of his trademarks. Orlov’s playing style is more about his skill with the puck, but he’s been used in more of a shutdown role for most of his career. He was always the rock in Washington’s top four that allowed John Carlson to focus more on offense in easier matchups, so it will be interesting to see how the Canes utilize him. He saw his boxcar stats blow up in his short stint with Boston alongside Charlie McAvoy, recording 17 points in 23 games (after only 19 in 43 with the Caps). The flashes were always there with Washington even if the point total never was. The only major concern with him is that he’s 32-years old and hasn’t played a full season since 2019.

Tony DeAngelo - D

The talented defenseman made the most of what was a “last chance” type of deal in Carolina two years ago. The Canes opted to walk from his RFA deal, trading him to Philadelphia, who happily paid him $5 million AAV. In a sense, they got what they expected out of DeAngelo. He scored a career high 11 goals, quarterbacked their top power play unit and he had a standard year for himself offensively. However, he was also tasked with playing a bigger role outside of the insulation he got on Carolina’s top pair alongside Jaccob Slavin, tasked with more defensive responsibility and having to play tougher minutes in general. He handled the puck-moving part of his role well, but his small frame and over-aggressive play made him a tough fit in the top-four, with the Flyers moving him down in the lineup as the season went on. They opted to buy out the last year of his contract after a trade with the Hurricanes fell through and Carolina happily signed him at a low-dollar contract hit at $1.675 million for one season. Having even more help around him now, he is in a good position to have another nice offensive season. Carolina knows how to play to his strengths and have a deep defense corps.

Brady Skjei - D

Only six defensemen have scored more than 20 goals over the past two seasons and Brady Skjei is one of them. It has been interesting to watch his career revival since being acquired from the Rangers in early 2020. He came to the team as a large, physical defenseman who could skate well but not provide much value outside of the penalty kill. As he got more acclimated to the system, the rest of his game started to come around. He became a very solid top-four defenseman who could handle the tough matchups alongside Brett Pesce and gave the Canes two pairs they can trust against anybody. The real surprise, however, was the offense. Skjei became one of the team’s best shooters, always getting room to pick a corner off the rush or on a cycle from the left faceoff circle. He doubled his career high in goals and tied a Carolina record for goals by a defenseman. It’s tough to see this carrying over, especially with Orlov in the fold now, and the goal-scoring covered up some of the high-risk parts of his game. Not enough that he should be demoted to the third pair, but the depth Carolina has on defense might force him into a more low-leverage role.

Goaltending

Frederik Andersen - G

Few goaltenders had better bounce-back years than veteran netminder Frederik Andersen upon his arrival in Carolina. He was one-half of a somewhat surprising tandem brought on board by the Hurricanes in the 2021 off-season, brought on after a disappointing end to his career in Toronto to tandem with fellow veteran Antti Raanta after the Hurricanes all but cleaned house in net. The team’s gamble paid off, with Andersen posting one of his best statistical seasons in his first full year in Raleigh – and although he wasn’t quite able to replicate that this past year, it’s still not quite time to panic for the Hurricanes as they consider one more year of Andersen at the helm.

He remains the sturdier veteran option for Carolina despite posting the worst numbers of the team’s three 2022-23 netminders. Those numbers, though, looked less like a legitimate regression and more like the result of a little bit of fatigue, a little bit of bad luck, and a pinch of expected aging slowing him down. Andersen is still a goaltender who does well making the first move, pushing out to get set for a shot in advance and recovering to his feet rather than spending the bulk of his time on his knees. But his edges have slowed a hair in the last few years, and he’s never quite been able to thrive making desperation saves through traffic – so as his game has matured over the years, he’s become less likely to steal saves when his sightlines are taken away on defensive breakdowns. Luckily, the Carolina system works well in his favor, so he should still be a good option for the Hurricanes as they transition to Pyotr Kotchetkov. But he no longer has a clear statistical advantage over Antti Raanta as the option the Hurricanes should turn to if they need to choose between one or the other; if anything, his security with the Hurricanes relies more on Raanta’s ever-questionable health than on his own performances.

Projected starts: 30-35

Antti Raanta - G

There isn’t much left to say for Antti Raanta at this point that hasn’t already been said. The Finnish netminder might be the most injury-prone workhorse in the league; he’s guaranteed to go down with at least one or two scrapes and bruises every year but is perhaps the most likely veteran in the entire NHL to maintain his good numbers whether he’s missed a week or half a season with an injury. Last season was a case in point; even though he only appeared in 27 games all year, he was still Carolina’s strongest statistical performer and put up his seventh year with at least a .910 unadjusted save percentage. He still plays a reliable, consistent style that challenges skaters to look for holes in his coverage and then utilizes quick recoveries and effective hands to close them off once the puck has left someone’s stick. And like every other year, he’s still only as reliable as his body; while Carolina almost certainly wishes they could use him as a steady presence to usher Kotchetkov into the NHL full-time, he’s failed to string together a lengthy enough healthy stretch in any season for nearly his entire decade-long career for any GM to feel comfortable keeping him as their only veteran option. He’s effective to have around, especially if the Hurricanes are worried that Andersen may be headed for another season of regression – but unless they’re confident Kotchetkov can stay in the NHL full-time and put up a 45-plus game campaign, they can’t keep Raanta as their only piece of the puzzle.

Projected starts: 35-40

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – NHL Player Profiles

Scott Cullen – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 20:59:20 +0000

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 13: Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart (79) in warm up before a game between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers on January 13, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Sean Couturier

What the Flyers get out of Sean Couturier will be their x-factor. Their workhorse center was limited to only 29 games after a back injury and subsequent surgery ended his season. He was having a tough year even before that, scoring only 7 points at five-on-five despite playing in a top-line role with Giroux and Konecny. In a normal year, he gives the Flyers a chance to win every game with how effective he is at driving the bus against top matchups, bringing the rest of the team along with him. Last year was a normal year for him in the play-driving department, but he didn’t have the scoring to back it up. The concern for Philly now is what is Couturier’s “new normal.” Is a guy who has played through a lot of injuries and last year was his most serious to date. Some players heal from back surgery, but it can also derail careers. Couturier plays a less physically demanding game than most shutdown center, so it’s possible that he can get back to his old self. Entering the first year of an eight-year contract, the Flyers future rests on his shoulders.

Kevin Hayes

It’s hard to think of a player who had a tougher season than Kevin Hayes. Between the tragic passing of his brother in the off-season and undergoing two abdominal surgeries the previous year, he was a guy everyone was rooting for. Unfortunately, he spent more time on the IR than on the ice yet again, this time with an infection in his groin that had to be drained. With the Flyers in rebuild mode, they’re hoping he can be a good leader for some of the new talent coming in and that he can return his 2019-20 form. While never a star, Hayes was a good goal-scorer and played an important role in bolstering the Flyers transition game. He was excellent at using his big body to create space for guys like Farabee and Konecny and getting them the puck with some space. With three core muscle procedures, it’s uncertain if he can play that type of workload again, but he remains the Flyers best option at 2C for the time being.

Joel Farabee

Two seasons were all the Flyers needed to see to make Joel Farabee part of their core, signing him to a six-year deal before the start of last season. To say it was rocky would be an understatement. He started the year off with a bang, scoring in his first three games and followed it up with a stretch of having only one goal through American Thanksgiving (about 14 games) before going on another three-game streak where he found the back of the net. The rest of the year followed a similar patter, scoring in bunches and going dormant for a stretch of 10+ games. It’s not that different than most goal-scorers, but the concern with Farabee is that there’s no shot volume or chance creation to back it up. He’s the type who will score a lot of tap-in goals or create off turnovers, so he’s more prone to streaks like this than others. He made improvements as a passer, but the Flyers will be hoping for more consistency out of him next year. Unfortunately, he will be recovering from neck surgery to start the year and won’t be available until November at the earliest.

James van Riesmdyk

Once the master of making skilled plays in front of the net, van Riemsdyk still has something to offer as a scoring winger. The way that he creates offense might be a little one-dimensional as a rebound hound, but JVR’s always brought a strong game away from the puck. One of the better forecheckers in the league while he was in his prime and someone who can help kill the clock while playing with a lead. Surprisingly led the Flyers in goals last year with a meager 24 tallies, nine of them coming on the power play, and was one of the few players who gave them some form of consistency. He plays the type of game where he’s easy to slide onto any line and give you decent results, which makes him an intriguing trade option while he’s in the final year of his contract. The Flyers are in a position to pump up his value if this is the route they want to go, as he was one of the few guys who produced on a terrible power play last year and will always score a healthy amount of goals because he creates so many chances from close range. Pairing him with a great passer or a strong territorial line could fetch Philadelphia a decent return come March.

Travis Konecny

Figuring out Travis Konecny’s ceiling will be an important part of the Flyers next chapter. Not even three years ago, he looked like a player who could regularly score 20+ goals and be one of the better right-wingers in the league. The past two seasons he has scored 27 total goals in 129 games, stuck in a major shooting percentage rut last year. There were parts of Konecny’s game that stayed consistent, as he still has the wheels to gain the zone and create off the rush like he used to. The shot volume is there, but the chance creation isn’t as high quality as it used to be. Part of it might be not having Claude Giroux by his side, as the two had great chemistry with stretch plays to get Konecny rush chances with speed. He had to alter his game a bit the past year, moving to a line with Sean Couturier or Scott Laughton and acting as more of a playmaker. Konecny had trouble getting space to shoot on his own, but his passing still gives him some high-end skill. He made the most out of a revolving door of linemates last year, leading the Flyers in assists and showing that he isn’t just a guy who can score off the rush. His play has been inconsistent the past two years, but he started to look like a guy who can drive his own line without an elite talent to supplement him. He should be the Flyers top offensive option behind Couturier next year.

Scott Laughton

A solid middle-six forward who won’t move the needle but keep the dial at a neutral pace when he’s out there. Laughton will have flashes of high-end skill and will go on a scoring tear from time-to-time, but for the most part he’s just a steadying presence who will work hard and stick to his assignments. The Flyers depend on him more than his statline suggests, as he has spent a lot of time alongside Kevin Hayes and James van Riemsdyk the past couple of years with some special teams’ time on top of that. He had to pick up a lot of slack with Couturier out last year, used all over the lineup and he eventually found some chemistry with Travis Konency. The two connected on some great deflection plays and injected some life into the Flyers offense for a brief spell. Like for most of his career, it was just a brief spell for Laughton and a head injury in early March all but ended his season. With new forwards coming into the fold, Laughton will likely slide into more of a pure third line role, but he is the type coaches will move up if the one of the top lines needs a spark.

Owen Tippett

It might not feel like it, but Owen Tippett is entering his third NHL season, albeit the first one where he actually has an opening night lineup spot penciled in. He showed in Florida that he isn’t afraid to shoot the puck and can command the offensive zone when he’s out there. The ability to score at the NHL level, however, is another story. He is currently stuck on 18 career goals in 115 games. He showed some improvement last year getting to the 10-goal mark but still leaving some goals on the table relative to how much offense he creates in volume. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for a prospect who scored from distance at lower levels, but him taking the next step would go along way for the Flyers rebuild. If he doesn’t, he’s still a solid winger and having a guy in your lineup who can create chances is still a plus. Injuries should keep him in the Flyers lineup come training camp, but he is more of a sleeper pick for being an impact player next year.

Cam Atkinson

One of John Tortella’s trusty horses from the Blue Jackets, Cam Atkinson was an early fan-favorite for the Flyers last year. He got off to a roaring start with six goals in his first seven games, which summed up how most of the season went for him as it was a tale of peaks and valleys. He scored only twice in November but responded well after that. He was the most reliable player on the Flyers for offense and all-around play during the doldrums of the season, tallying 28 points in 32 games from December through February. He ended the season on a tough note with only 5 goals in his last 21 games and recorded only 3 assists in his last 12. On the whole, it was a solid bounce-back year for the former Jackets sniper, although the process of getting there was a little rocky. He’s a shoot-first player and that’s not going to change but carrying so much of a workload for the Flyers seemed to wear on him as the season went on. You can usually count on his line to be on the right side of the goal and scoring chance battle and that fell off dramatically as the season went on. Inconsistent linemates from trades and injuries along with becoming a “go-to” guy at 33 years of age will do that. He should be a fixture in the Flyers lineup and is one of their more proven goal-scorers along with van Riemsdyk.

Morgan Frost

There were reasons to be excited about Morgan Frost’s potential heading into 2021. He showed flashes of becoming a future top-six player in his brief stint with the Flyers two years ago, showing a great knack for the details of the game as well as being a great playmaker. Shoulder surgery prematurely ended his 2021 season, and he didn’t make the Flyers out of training camp to start last year. Called up in late November, the former first round pick had an okay start centering a line with Cam Atkinson and Joel Farabee, getting on the scoresheet and looking like the guy they saw back in late 2019. As the season went on and the Flyers struggles continued, Frost became more of just another guy than a difference maker. Not doing anything bad but struggling to standout. Part of that is being relegated to a more of a grind line role and the other is just him struggling to translate his high-end skill to the pace of the game. They go hand-in-hand when you’re a player like Frost whose best skill is his passing and vision. It’s tough to setup any plays when the puck is always in the corner or you’re chasing the game. He’s an interesting puzzle piece for John Tortorella. There’s a lot of raw skill with Frost and encouraging him to lead the play a little more and use the tools that got him drafted could go a long way to him sticking around at the NHL level.

DEFENSE

Tony DeAngelo

Given yet another chance to turn his career around, DeAngelo’s one-year deal with the Hurricanes appeared to do just that. He quarterbacked a power play that was top-third in the league for most of the year and earned a promotion to the team’s top defense pair with Jaccob Slavin after a couple months. It was a good setup for him with Slavin handling most of the work along the boards and DeAngelo just needing to read the play and jump in when he needed to. It allowed him to play to his strengths and spend more time in the offensive zone, an area where he’s very proficient. That said, it also showed his limitations. He’s a smaller defenseman who doesn’t handle forecheck pressure well and his passive nature in the defensive zone left him open to some blown assignments and misreads. The hope is that his talents on offense would outweigh the bad and that he could keep his emotions in check, which he did up until the playoffs when the games got tougher. The Flyers will have a more difficult time utilizing DeAngelo in the same role unless Provorov has a rebound season. There is a lot he can do for a power play that will be restructured this year, but they aren’t as well-equipped to play him top-pair minutes and his five-on-five impact will take a hit. DeAngelo was able to coast for most of the year in Carolina and he won’t have that luxury with the Flyers.

Ivan Provorov

There are tough minutes and then there is playing top-pairing minutes on a struggling team. Provorov fell into that class, playing his usual 24-25 minutes a night and going through the motions once the Flyers fell into a rut. At the age of 25, he has a career’s worth of miles on his tires and his level of play usually follows the rest of the team. When the Flyers are good, Provorov’s an effective, mobile top-pair defenseman who does a little of everything for you. When the team is struggling, he has a hard time helping the team dictate the play. It might speak to his own limitations as a player that even if he has the conditioning to play heavy minutes, he doesn’t have the skillset to carry the defense on his back. Provorov still does a lot of things well and skates better than most forwards, but his game is a little more reactionary now. He’s more effective at angling off forwards into a corner than going for the poke-check at the line. He can make safe plays out of the zone to mitigate damage but gets knocked off the puck more often now when retrieving dump-ins. The mistakes added up more than they used to, and the Flyers plans to supplement him were foiled with Ryan Ellis’ injury problems. He will be the most interesting player to watch under the new coaching staff, as John Tortorella and Brad Shaw have a great track record with defensemen and will find a way to take some of the burden in the d-zone off Provorov.

Travis Sanheim

One of the few players on the Flyers who objectively had a good year and the only Flyer defenseman to post a positive on-ice goal differential. Sanheim’s accomplishments last year might not seem like a big deal, but it was a big development for the Flyers in what was as tumultuous year. Having a player who didn’t let the team’s struggles drag down his own game is a big deal for a rebuilding team and potentially gives them a building block. Sanheim has more of a “jack of all trade” skillset by the eye but had more moments where he could drag the Flyers back into a game with a great rush or a pass to setup a scoring chance. The downside for the Flyers is that they already signed him to a two-year deal that will take him to UFA status after this season, giving them huge decision to make. You’d figure Sanheim would figure into their long-term plans. He showed last year that he can drive play and bounce-back in a tough environment, but with three defensemen already making over $5 mil., things start to get dicey. As good as Sanheim is, he doesn’t produce a lot of points and that could work in the Flyers favor as far as a new contract goes. Seeing if he can repeat his success from last year will likely be the deciding factor on if he’s part of the Flyers long-term plans.

Rasmus Ristolainen

Ristolainen’s first season as a Flyer was similar to his many years as a Sabre. Poor underlying numbers mixed with a wide range of opinions on his play from observers. Casted in more of a pure defensive role, Ristolainen acted as a safety valve for Travis Sanheim, not used on the power play and staying high in the zone instead of pinching for offense. It’s a little different from his peak years, as Buffalo got a lot of mileage out of him on the power play, an area of the game he thrived in. With the Flyers, he almost never touched the puck and if he did, it was gone within a second. His job was to throw hits and protect the front of the net. Whether or not he did that depends on who you ask but the Flyers saw enough to want to keep him around for five more years, re-signing him around the trade deadline despite interest from other teams. Shutdown defensemen come in all forms and players who throw their weight around like Ristolainen are still highly regarded in hockey circles. It gets magnified when they’re casted in a pure defensive role and you see a lot of good mixed with bad. Some might see Ristolainen putting himself out of position to throw a big hit or chasing a mistake, others might laud him for his willingness to play physical. Tortorella’s been one to value players like him (see Dan Girardi and David Savard) so he should continue to get heavy defensive usage in Philly next year.

GOALTENDING

Carter Hart

There might be no goaltender in the NHL being asked to do more with less than Philadelphia’s Carter Hart. The Flyers, who have struggled for years to establish a consistent baseline in net, responded to a lackluster third year in the league for Hart by adding a struggling reclamation project in Martin Jones in 2021-22 – then thanked Hart for a moderate statistical bounce-back by walking Jones in free agency and failing to replace him with just a month and change left before opening night.

The woes aren’t entirely the team’s fault, as there was little way to predict that Russian-born prospect goaltender Ivan Fedotov would be detained by the Russian military and hospitalized after being sent to a remote detention center. Still, it’s hard once again to piece together what the Flyers are hoping for as they enter the 2022-23 campaign offering Hart no backup outside of prospect Felix Sandstrom. Hart’s game is based on a foundation that sees the Canadian netminder operate from a central reset position, hinging out to challenge shots as they approach but returning to a consistent and established ‘home base’ once the action has died down. That makes it hard to feel overly confident that he can regain his form, which relies on accuracy and precision to go with predictive tracking over reactionary movements, when being asked to provide high-volume reps behind a team that still hasn’t managed to right the ship. If he can’t start off the year with his technique in top form, he’ll be trying to fix his game from a tougher position if he doesn’t have reinforcements. The good news, though, is that the vote of confidence the team is clearly giving him with their current goaltending depth offerings could be the catalyst he needs to shake off the goalie ‘twistys’ he seemed to suffer during his last few years. It’s too early to write off what Philadelphia is trying to do – even if it’s also too early to applaud it, per se.

Projected starts: 60-65

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Line shuffle is working for the Bruins, the Panthers get scoring from everywhere, some interesting Sabres, the best 5-on-5 lines in the league and more.

Scott Cullen — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 16:12:01 +0000

Each week I will dive into the numbers and offer some insights that should help when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

In this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points, a line shuffle is working for the Bruins, the Panthers get scoring from everywhere, some interesting Buffalo Sabres, the best 5-on-5 lines in the league and more.

#1 When the Boston Bruins acquired Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres last season, he had great success on a line with David Krejci and Craig Smith. This season, Hall started slowly – he had just 11 points (5 G, 6 A) in 22 games – but has taken advantage of the Bruins’ line shuffling. Since the calendar turned to 2022, Hall has 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in 10 games and is making the most of his opportunities with new linemates Erik Haula and David Pastrnak.

#2 Anthony Duclair appears to have found a home in Florida. The 26-year-old is a two-time 20-goal scorer who has already played for five other teams, but he has become a valuable contributor in Florida, skating primarily with Sam Bennett and Jonathan Huberdeau. Since Bennett joined the Panthers last season, Duclair has produced 45 points (22 G, 23 A) in 44 games.

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 26: Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) skates during the Florida Panthers versus Washington Capitals National Hockey League game on November 26, 2021 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire)

#3 Florida’s rookie center Anton Lundell had a strong start to the season before his production started to dip. Since the schedule pause in December, though, the Panthers have been the team scoring at the highest rate in the league and that is having effects throughout the lineup. Lundell has contributed 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in 11 games since the pause, and while he is a strong third-line center, he has had opportunities to move up when needed to replace Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett.

#4 A checking center whose career high is 18 points, Arizona Coyotes pivot Johan Larsson is making the most of his opportunity to play a bigger role on a rebuilding team. In nine games since the schedule pause, Larsson has put up 10 points (6 G, 4 A) with 16 shots on goal. He has been dependent on a higher shooting percentage for this production, but opportunity is knocking, and Larsson might just be able to contribute enough to have value in deeper leagues.

#5 Something of a Swiss Army Knife of a player for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Alexander Kerfoot has moved around the lineup to help wherever he is needed. Since the calendar turned to 2022, Kerfoot has put up 10 points (2 G, 8 A) in seven games. His shot rate is still an area of concern, but he is a quality depth option.

#6 After missing all of last season, Columbus Blue Jackets winger Gustav Nyquist faded into the fantasy background, but the veteran playmaker has provided a recent offensive boost, with nine points (4 G, 5 A) in the past eight games. He has thrived on the Blue Jackets’ top line alongside Boone Jenner and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

#7 St. Louis Blues center Ivan Barbashev has been a depth player for most of his career, but the 26-year-old has stepped into a bigger role this season. That has become most notable recently, as Barbashev has produced 15 points (5 G, 10 A) in the past 10 games, giving him a career-high 34 points (15 G, 19 A) in 38 games this season.

BUFFALO, NY - SEPTEMBER 24: Rasmus Dahlin #26 of the Buffalo Sabres (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

#8 Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin had seen his progress stall in the past couple of seasons, but I still had high hopes for him coming into his fourth season, naming him to my McKeen’s Fantasy All-Star Team. While there is room for continued improvement, the 21-year-old has taken a step forward in his fourth NHL season. After a three-point night against Dallas Thursday, Dahlin has 11 points (4 G, 7 A) and 32 shots on goal in his past 13 games, lifting his season total to 26 points (7 G, 19 A) in 40 games.

#9 Maligned Sabres winger Jeff Skinner signed a massive contract after scoring 40 goals for Buffalo in 2018-2019. He followed by scoring 21 goals in 112 games in the next two seasons and that pretty much wiped out his fantasy appeal. A new head coach has helped as Skinner is getting the kinds of opportunities that might be expected for a winger making $9 million per season, and Skinner has started to show some results. He has seven points (5 G, 2 A) and 27 shots on goal in eight games since the schedule pause and is up to 14 goals in 38 games on the season, a 30-goal pace.

#10 The New York Rangers sent defenseman Tony DeAngelo home after six games and then bought out his contract, making him a free agent in the offseason. The Carolina Hurricanes made the decision to bring DeAngelo in on a one-year deal and he has been hugely productive, scoring 28 points (6 G, 22 A) in 29 games. One note of caution: DeAngelo has a 5-on-5 on-ice shooting percentage of 12.7%, second highest in the league among defensemen (behind Minnesota’s Alex Goligoski, 12.9%) that have appeared in at least 20 games. It will be tough to maintain that lofty percentage so DeAngelo might have value as a sell-high candidate.

#11 One of the premier goal-scorers in the league, Boston Bruins right winger David Pastrnak was struggling to find the net early in the season. Pastrnak had eight goals in his first 28 games despite putting 120 shots on goal. That shooting percentage of 6.7% was way below his career mark of 14.3% coming into the season. Regression was due to work in Pastrnak’s favor, but he has also responded to the Bruins’ line shuffle, taking him from the top line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron to play with Taylor Hall and Erik Haula. In his past nine games, Pastrnak has 13 points (10 G, 3 A) and 45 shots on goal. Essentially, he is once again the scoring star that we have come to expect.

#12 A major free agent signing by the Los Angeles Kings in the offseason, center Phillip Danault gives his team a reliable two-way player who can take on the toughest matchups. At the same time, his offensive production has tended to fluctuate throughout his career – some good, some bad. Now is one of the good times for Danault, as he has eight points (6 G, 2 A) and 23 shots on goal in the past nine games. It’s notable that, among lines that have played at least 100 5-on-5 minutes together, Danault’s trio with wingers Trevor Moore and Viktor Arvidsson leads the league with 4.18 xGF/60.

#13 Via Evolving Hockey, the next best lines during 5-on-5 play in terms of expected goals per 60 minutes (minimum 100 minutes): Huberdeau-Bennett-Duclair (Florida), Guentzel-Crosby-Rodrigues (Pittsburgh), Hyman-McDavid-Puljujarvi (Edmonton), Barabanov-Hertl-Meier (San Jose), and Bunting-Matthews-Marner (Toronto). There can be value found in getting the supporting piece on a line with stars and superstars.

#14 As for the lines that have been best in terms of actual goals per 60 minutes, the top six lines have been: Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello (Minnesota), Huberdeau-Bennett-Duclair (Florida), Pacioretty-Stephenson-Stone (Vegas), Marchessault-Roy-Smith (Vegas), Bunting-Matthews-Marner (Toronto), and Barabanov-Hertl-Meier. One takeaway from looking at the leaders in both categories is that the Florida, San Jose and Toronto trios have earned their high levels of production, ranking near the top in both expected goal rate and actual goal rate.

VANCOUVER, BC - MARCH 24: Winnipeg Jets Left Wing Andrew Copp (9) on ice against the Vancouver Canucs. Copp scored 4 goals to help the Jets defeat the Canucks 5-1 during their NHL game at Rogers Arena on March 24, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Devin Manky/Icon Sportswire)

#15 Andrew Copp of the Winnipeg Jets had a breakthrough season in 2020-2021, scoring 39 points (15 G, 24 A) in 55 games, and he has continued to provide value to the Jets and fantasy managers this season. A versatile forward who can play center and wing while moving up and down the lineup, Copp has produced six points (3 G, 3 A) with 25 shots on goal in six games since the Jets returned from their schedule pause.

#16 In the spotlight this week for his testy exchange with an Edmonton reporter, Oiler’s center Leon Draisaitl is frustrated and it’s understandable. Not only are the Oilers sinking, with two wins in the past 15 games, but Draisaitl has 13 points (6 G, 7 A) in those 15 games – not a disastrous stretch by any means but, when you were the league’s leading scorer before that and now sit two points back of Alex Ovechkin, albeit with games in hand, it is understandable that Draisaitl is wondering if or when this Oilers team is going to get turned in the right direction. For fantasy purposes, Oilers stars are probably decent buy-low options at this point because they have seen their value fall over the past month, and they presumably won’t continue losing at this rate for the rest of the season.

#17 The Calgary Flames aren’t in quite the same dire circumstances as the Oilers, but they have slumped after a strong start to the season. That has been the case for Flames center Elias Lindholm, too, as he has managed three points (1 G, 2 A) in the past eight games, despite averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game.

#18 Staying on the Elias beat, Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson might possibly be emerging from what has been an exasperating season-long slump. Pettersson has scored three goals in the last two games of their recent road trip after going goalless with just two assists and 11 shots on goal in the first seven games away from home. Pettersson has high-end upside and might be worth considering as a buy-low candidate but there is obviously some risk involved given his lack of production this season. After scoring three goals in the past two games, he has just 20 points (9 G, 11 A) in 39 games.

#19 Buffalo Sabres rookie winger Jack Quinn buried his first NHL goal Thursday night, and he is an interesting player to watch. After last season, when Quinn had nine points (2 G, 7 A) in 15 AHL games as a rookie pro with Rochester, there was quite a bit of complaining about his being selected eighth in the 2020 Draft, ahead of other forwards like Marco Rossi, Cole Perfetti, Anton Lundell, and Seth Jarvis. Quinn was crushing the AHL this season, though, putting up 35 points (18 G, 17 A) and 80 shots on goal in 24 games. That kind of production from a 20-year-old in the AHL is very encouraging with regards to what he might be able to produce in the NHL and, with the Sabres, Quinn should get a legit chance to play and put up some numbers.

#20 Quinn was one of 10 AHL rookies to play at least 10 games and average better than a point per game this season. The others: Scott Perunovich, Alex Newhook, Alexander Holtz, Peyton Krebs, Lukas Reichel, Matias Maccelli, Marco Rossi, Jakob Pelletier, and Matt Boldy. Maccelli and Pelletier are the only ones from that group that have not played an NHL game this season.

Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey.

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Oilers power play in a league of its own – Sillinger, Terry, Mangiapane, Getzlaf and more

Scott Cullen — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 14:51:31 +0000

Each week, I will dive into the numbers and offer some insights that should help when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

In this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points, the Oilers power play is in a league of its own, Cole Sillinger, Troy Terry, Andrew Mangiapane, and Ryan Getzlaf are among the players off to encouraging starts to the season.

EDMONTON, AB - MARCH 18: Edmonton Oilers Center Connor McDavid (97) in action in the third period during the Edmonton Oilers game versus the Winnipeg Jets on March 18, 2021 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB. (Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire)

#1 The Edmonton Oilers power play is wrecking the league. This is not new, as the Oilers have the most productive 5-on-4 results across the past three seasons, scoring 9.45 goals per 60 minutes. This season they are scoring 19.03 goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-4 play. The St. Louis Blues (16.62) are the only other team scoring more than 12 goals per 60 during 5-on-4 play. This is unsustainably ridiculous but when it has already been established as the league’s best power play, they are probably going to continue to put up great results.

#2 Among those to play at least 10 minutes during 5-on-4 play this season (it’s early!), Connor McDavid leads the way with 16.68 points/60. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (13.39) is seventh. Zach Hyman (12.54) is ninth. Leon Draisaitl is all the way down at 20^th (10.98). Even if these early results are unsustainably great, the prolific nature of the Edmonton power play does bode well for players like Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman.

#3 Hyman, in particular, is reaping early rewards from his role on the Oilers power play. He has 6.70 individual expected goals per 60 minutes during 5-on-4 play, which is far and away the best rate in the league. The rest of the top five includes: Matthew Tkachuk (3.87), Leon Draisaitl (3.77), Reilly Smith (3.77), and Josh Norris (3.76). Connor McDavid is sixth (3.63).

#4 The job just keeps getting more challenging in Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby and Brian Dumoulin have landed in Covid-19 protocol after Crosby had played just one game following offseason wrist surgery. A player to watch in Pittsburgh could be rookie Drew O’Connor, who has five points (3 G, 2 A) in seven games but ranks fourth in points/60 (4.30) and 19^th in shots/60 (12.05). That is a super small sample for a player who does not have an illustrious track record as a scorer, but O’Connor did produce 19 points (7 G, 12 A) in 20 AHL games last season during his first pro campaign, so he may have at least a little offensive upside.

#5 Columbus Blue Jackets rookie centre Cole Sillinger had a goal and an assist in his first eight NHL games then put up two goals and an assist in Wednesday’s overtime win against Colorado. One reason to be intrigued by Sillinger’s ability to generate offense? Among the 212 forwards that have played at least 100 5-on-5 minutes, Sillinger ranks fifth with 13.95 shots/60, behind Blake Coleman (16.76), Vladimir Tarasenko (14.76), Jeff Skinner (14.35), and Logan O’Connor (14.31).

#6 Anaheim Ducks right winger Troy Terry failed to record a point in Anaheim’s first game of the season. In the nine games since then, Terry has 12 points (7 G, 5 A) and 21 shots on goal, recording a point in each of those nine games. He has already tied his career high with seven goals, the same total he had last season in 48 games. Terry has also played more than 21 minutes in two of the past three games, so his production is getting rewarded.

VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 18: Calgary Flames left wing Andrew Mangiapane (88) skates with the puck during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on May 18, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

#7 With seven goals in nine games this season, Calgary Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane has scored 25 goals in 65 games since the start of last season, shooting a lofty 22.5%. That shooting percentage is not likely to last but since the start of last season there have been 323 forwards to play at least 500 5-on-5 minutes. From that group, Mangiapane ranks fifth with 1.46 goals/60, behind Auston Matthews (1.83), Jakub Vrana (1.68), Daniel Sprong (1.56), and Brandon Saad (1.46).

#8 Speaking of players with unsustainably high shooting percentages, Tampa Bay’s Alex Killorn has eight points (5 G, 3 A) during a five-game point streak. He now has seven goals on 18 shots this season, good for a 38.9% shooting percentage. Killorn led the league in shooting percentage in 2019-2020 when he scored on 20.0% of his shots but he has been under 12.5% in every other season of his career. This isn’t to suggest dropping Killorn, as he has established a consistent level of production and has a significant role on the Lightning power play, but the goal-scoring pace should slow down.

#9 Ryan Getzlaf became the Anaheim Ducks all-time leading scorer this week, surpassing Teemu Selanne, and the 36-year-old centre has been very productive, with 10 points (1 G, 9 A) in 11 games but that does not cover all of Getzlaf’s fantasy appeal. He also has 21 hits, 11 blocked shots and, often a reluctant shooter, he has 30 shots on goal. His 2.73 shots per game would rank as the second highest per-game shot rate of his career. It’s early, but it looks like a pretty good bounce-back season after Getzlaf managed 17 points (5 G, 12 A) in 48 games last season.

#10 Minnesota Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov was in a goal-scoring slump to start the season but scored in overtime against Ottawa Tuesday to get on the board. He has eight points (1 G, 7 A) and 32 shots on goal in nine games and that shot rate was always the reason to expect Kaprizov to snap out of it. Last season started differently for him. Kaprizov had 17 points (6 G, 11 A) in his first 18 games but only had 32 shots. His shot rate picked up as the season progressed and now, he is good for three-plus per game on average.

#11 Minnesota’s Kevin Fiala is also off to a relatively mediocre start, with five points (1 G, 4 A) in nine games but he has 27 shots on goal, and he has only had more than three shots on goal per game once in his career – that was last season. As long as the shots are there, it’s fair to expect the goals and points to follow.

#12 For those seeking peripheral statistical value, beyond goals and assists, there are four players with at least two shots on goal and four hits per game: Darnell Nurse, Brady Tkachuk, Dmitrij Jaskin, and Radko Gudas. Nurse and Tkachuk would have been relatively early picks because they are productive enough offensively, too. Jaskin has not found the scoresheet yet for Arizona but is not shy about playing the body, while Gudas has consistently generated shots and hits for much of his career.

#13 A group of defensemen offering additional peripheral stats value, those averaging at least two shots on goal, two hits and two blocked shots per game: Esa Lindell, Jacob Trouba, Zach Whitecloud, and Matt Dumba. Whitecloud is on IR and Dumba is rostered in 80% of Yahoo leagues, but Trouba (52%) and Lindell (23%) are more readily available to provide sneaky value on the blueline.

#14 Among 212 forwards that have played at least 100 5-on-5 minutes, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander (3.95) and Auston Matthews (3.77) rank first and third in terms of on-ice expected goals. Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov is second (3.83) and Jordan Staal (3.54) is fourth. St. Louis’ Robert Thomas (3.50), somewhat surprisingly, rounds out the top five. That might suggest that it’s time to buy on the Maple Leafs’ top line because, so far, their production has not been outstanding. But if the chances have been there, the goals will probably be coming soon.

#15 Nylander and Matthews are now playing with Michael Bunting, who is the league leader in individual expected goals during 5-on-5 play (1.41), followed by Dylan Larkin (1.32), Jeff Skinner (1.25), Alex Iafallo (1.23), and Vladimir Tarasenko (1.20). Auston Matthews and Andrei Svechnikov are sixth and seventh, respectively.

#16 Some notable forwards with the lowest on-ice expected goals: Mike Hoffman (1.22), Kevin Labanc (1.29), Dominik Kubalik (1.40), Luke Kunin (1.42), and Nick Suzuki (1.57). It is tough to create sustainable offence with such low rates of expected goals during 5-on-5 play. Given expectations, Suzuki might be the most worrying in that low-rent statistical neighbourhood.

#17 Early in the season, the best goaltenders in terms of actual goals allowed vs. expected goals allowed in all situations are: Frederik Andersen, Sergei Bobrovsky, Igor Shesterkin, Jacob Markstrom, and Elvis Merzlikins. Every one of those goaltenders has had some previous success in the league but Andersen, Bobrovsky, and Markstrom are all coming off mediocre, at best, seasons in 2021. Who can figure out goaltenders from one year to the next?

#18 At the other end of the spectrum, the worst goaltenders in terms of actual goals allowed vs. expected goals allowed in all situations this season are: Carter Hutton, Kevin Lankinen, Marc-Andre Fleury, Darcy Kuemper, and Philipp Grubauer. Fleury won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender last season. Grubauer was a finalist. Kuemper has a .921 save percentage in 147 games since 2017-2018. It is early and small sample goaltending is about as volatile as it gets but goaltending remains a fickle and often unpredictable beast.

#19 Aside from the injured Drew Doughty and Ryan Ellis, the defenceman with the highest points per game this season is Carolina’s Tony DeAngelo, who has 10 points in nine games (1.11 ppg). He is just ahead of Roman Josi (1.10) and Adam Fox (1.10). Kevin Shattenkirk, Kris Letang, Aaron Ekblad, Torey Krug, and Victor Hedman are each at one point per game. Everything is coming up Carolina, it seems.

#20 The Montreal Canadiens sent rookie right winger Cole Caufield to the American Hockey League this week, after he started the season with no goals and one assist in 10 games. Caufield had 22 shots on goal. Last season, when he scored four goals in his first 10 games for the Habs, Caufield had 30 shots on goal, and he had 48 shots on goal in 20 playoff games, so the declining shot rate was one troubling sign. Not all of that would fall on Caufield but if he is not being put in position to generate three shots per game, he is probably not going to deliver the desired results. He will be back, likely after tearing up the AHL for a while.

Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

Youngblood: Top storylines in an unpredictable 2014 NHL Draft

Brendan Ross — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 16:21:19 +0000

The 2014 draft class has been scrutinized, talked about, debated and picked apart to the nth degree. Deemed "weak", "underwhelming" and occasionally "awful" by experts, whatever your own personal take is on the 2014 draft class, there is one undebatable fact – the stage has been set for June 27^th to be an extremely exciting event. While this draft crop isn’t as deep at the top as 2013 nor does it offer the franchise players that 2015 will, the eligible players in 2014 are rather exciting when you look at their long term upsides. From year to year, most 1^st or 2^nd overall draft selections are players with high likelihoods of becoming franchise players (sooner than later too) but the jury is still out on whether this year’s top end contestants will reach their true potential. If they can, all this chatter is for nothing.

The thing to remember with the 2014 crop is that these young talents definitely have the potential and upsides but there is an aura of uncertainty looming over them. There is certainly much less consensus among scouts…especially after the opening eight or so picks and that is where the draft gets labeled “unpredictable”. Looking for a stud defenseman at the top of the draft? Well, after Ekblad and Fleury, you will need to invest time and patience to develop raw prospects like Travis Sanheim, Marcus Pettersson or Jack Dougherty.

It may sound cliché in a draft world that is all about investing in the long-term potential of prospects but the 2014 class is all about cashing in on “potential”. Specific to this crop, drafting future NHLers will require teams' scouting staffs to be on their games and then insulate their draftees with proper development to ensure return on their investments.

The 2014 group has some promising undersized skill forwards with intriguing offensive games and the same can be said with the defensive group as well. Kevin Fiala, David Pastrnak, Sonny Milano, Nikolay Goldobin, Nick Schmaltz, Josh Ho-Sang, Brayden Point…the list goes on and on with these exciting forwards. On the back end, Julius Honka leads a group of defenseman including Anthony DeAngelo, Marcus Petersson, Sebastian Aho, Joe Hicketts, Dysin Mayo, Jake Walman and Jacob Middleton – all blue liners with some issues in their game whether that be size, defensive deficiencies, or something else. If there was a year that NHL GMs would like a little luck on their side, it would be right now at the 2014 NHL Draft.

Here are some storylines to watch leading up to and during the 2014 NHL Draft…

Shopping Spree

If draft chatter indicates anything, there could be a shopping spree in Philadelphia and it won’t be be just cheesesteaks on the shopping list. With NHL General Managers well aware of the consensus group at the top of the draft and where players begin to “fall off”, teams could certainly be looking to trade up into the top tier of players. Conversely, teams sitting on the cusp of the drop off may be more apt to listen and place their high pick on the trade market.

A storm is brewing for a trading frenzy and several different factors including some key top NHL free agents becoming available and an unpredictable draft class could set the stage for prime trading opportunities.

With Philadelphia as draft hosts and a record for being aggressive, keep an eye on the Flyers as Ron Hextall looks to make on impression early in his tenure as GM. The Florida Panthers and GM Dale Tallon hold the golden ticket and with history of the franchise moving the 1^st overall selection in past years (Florida has traded the top pick three of the five times it was dealt), all eyes will be on the 2015 draft hosts. Furthermore, Garth Snow has proven to be an aggressive GM and after somewhat foolishly boldly opting to keep their 2014 top pick, the pressure is on to add an impact player via trade or draft to prevent his 2015 selection that was dealt to Buffalo from being a lottery pick in a stacked 2015 draft class. The Toronto Maple Leafs (8^th), Vancouver Canucks (6^th) and Calgary Flames (4^th) are all eager to mold new identities after undergoing some revamped management and will be kicking tires in hopes of landing a key future piece.

Wildcard Prospects

Sure, the 2014 NHL Draft class gets a bit of a bad rep after a fairly exciting 2013 crop that featured several high end talents at the top in MacKinnon, Drouin, Barkov and Seth Jones. It doesn’t help its cause that the 2015 draft is shaping up to be one of the most dominant in a long, long time with Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin leading a group of dozen or so prospects that could, arguably, contend for a top spot this year if they were eligible. In saying that, I remain fascinated and hopeful of the 2014 draft class simply because while there may not be the high-end depth at the top, there are several exciting high risk-reward players to keep tabs on.

Teams that pride themselves on great development have a huge opportunity to cash in on some skilled talent that may get passed by cautious teams early on. Pencil in forwards Josh Ho-Sang, Nikolay Goldobin, Nick Schmaltz, Vladimir Tkachev, Spencer Watson, Brayden Point and Chase De Leo as front-line players with intriguing offensive skills and the raw abilities that could pay huge dividends down the road. Defensemen Anthony DeAngelo, Sebastian Aho, Brandon Montour and Joe Hicketts are all undersized offensive defenseman who get knocked for their lack of size but are game-breakers from the back end.

The list of high potential skaters doesn’t end there as Ryan MacInnis, Vladislav Kamenev and Eric Cornel are a trio of forwards who haven’t begun to tap into their true skill sets and three or four years down the road, we could hear the old adage “how did he fall so far?” when talking about these skaters.

The OHL offers two high-end prospects that are deserving of stories specifically for themselves in the polarizing Tony DeAngelo and Josh Ho-Sang. Considered true “wild cards” and “gambles” by most, draft day will consist of closely following two of the most dynamic players at their respective positions. How long these stories remain active will depend largely on how long they last on the draft board. For me, the DeAngelo and Ho-Sang Draft Watch is the most interesting storyline of the 2014 NHL Draft and should be trending on Twitter near you.

Don’t Sleep on Potential

The draft offers plenty of sleepers and it’s these types of players that can make or break a team’s day at the draft. Highlighting my list of “sleepers” are Brett Pollock, Justin Kirkland, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Dylan Sadowry, Warren Foegele, Jacob Middleton, Jaden Lindo, Alex Peters and Christian Dvorak. Some of these skaters enter the draft as players who haven’t begun to realize their true skill sets (Pollock, Kirkland, Foegele and Middleton, as examples), others are players who struggled with injuries during their draft years (namely Lindo and Dvorak) and the rest are guys who offer a unique skill set that will eventually surface in a breakout when presented with more opportunity (see Aube-Kubel and Sadowry).

The Re-Entries

Each season the draft is an opportunity for hockey players to realize their dreams of being drafted into the NHL and the feel good stories are often those associated with players who have already been passed over once before before emotionally hearing their name called a second time around.

Hunter Smith is a massive winger who found his game playing in Oshawa this season and teams are enamored with his size, scoring touch around the crease and his overall physicality. Edgars Kulda capped off a great season winning the CHL Memorial Cup MVP and his ability to control the game’s pace with his confident puck skills and creative vision are true assets. Criticized for his sloppy skating last year, Lucas Wallmark continued to play on showing unbelievable playmaking ability and a creative knack for operating a power play. Teammate of Hunter Smith, Josh Sterk had a strong start to his OHL season in Oshawa and showed that he may be worthy of a late round selection in his second go-round at the draft. Gavin Bayreuther is an offensive defenseman who has been funnelled through two drafts and had he been born on a different day, he would have been highly coveted in the collegiate free agent market, especially with his howitzer of a shot. Ville Husso will surely be scooped up as the top ranked European goaltender, despite being passed over last year. An interesting re-entry to watch is one-dimensional defenseman Guillaumme Gelinas who finished as the CHL’s top scoring defenseman with an astonishing 92 points in 67 games with Val-d’Or. Lastly, Ashton Sautner was one defenseman who impressed with his fluid mobility and instinctual reads in all three zones while playing with the Edmonton Oil Kings.

From the OHL, Hunter Garlent, Stephen Harper, Brett Welychka, Max Iafrate and Marcus McIvor are worthy of landing on a team this time around. Don’t be surprised if QMJHLers Anthony DeLuca, Louick Marcotte, Matt Murphy, Philippe Gadoury, Cameron Darcy and Marcus Power could be on the radar of scouts. Out west in the WHL, Rinet Valiev, Richard Nejezchleb, Jaedon Deschaneau, Mads Eller, Colby Cave and goaltender Austin Lotz have good chances of donning NHL sweaters. From other leagues look for players like Matt Iacopelli (USHL), Scott Salvage (Boston College) and Brandon Montour (USHL) are certainly worth consideration as well.

This list of late bloomers doesn’t include players who were drafted and then went unsigned by NHL clubs.

Weak Defensive Class Limps In

Aaron Ekblad leads the pack at the top of the draft with no player even close to challenging him. He’s made significant strides since being granted exceptional status and reaching new levels in his skating, offensive confidence and powerplay abilities have went a long way to silencing his critics. Behind Ekblad, Haydn Fleury lines up as the next best defender with his mobility and emerging offensive skills which are two of his best attributes. Fleury’s upside is safely projected as a second pairing defenseman capable of playing in all situations but no one is ruling out his ability to develop upon his skills to become a top pair rearguard either.

Based on his raw skills and overall hockey sense, Roland McKeown will be looked at hard to be the third defender selected as he has plenty of room to develop. However, the late surging Travis Sanheim will be close challenger. NHL teams love nabbing defensive prospects with such raw skills and Sanheim fits that bill perfectly. He’s a defenseman who showed great progression and he is at a phase in his development where his game can be molded into a style that suits the team well. Don’t count out Finn Julius Honka as a challenger for the third defenseman selected because this kid’s mobility, hockey sense and two-way game flashes great potential.

After Ekblad, Fleury, McKeown, Sanheim and Honka, the door is wide open for defensemen to walk through. Sarnia’s Anthony DeAngelo is the best offensive defenseman of the draft but his incomplete defensive game and volatile temper has scouts wavering on him. Jack Dougherty is another raw offensive defenseman, albeit with good traces of defensive awareness, and he could push for a first round selection. Dominik Masin and Alexis Vanier are two defensive pillars that would solidify future blue lines. Dysin Mayo used a lengthy season and capitalized on increased playing time en route to a Memorial Cup Championship but his offensive creativity and developing defensive game would make for a great mid-round target.

The top of the draft isn’t flooded with standout defensemen but there are some valuable investments to be made. Following the opening round, the depth is intriguing on the blue line and teams can really stock pile prospects with players like Marcus Pettersson, Jake Walman, Andreas Englund, Johnathan MacLeod, Brycen Martin, Jack Glover, Alex Peters, Ryan Collins, Luc Snuggerud, Ben Thomas, Josh Jacobs, William Lagesson and Aaron Haydon all possessing unique talents.

The Goaltenders

Stanley Cups are won on the back of strong goaltenders but when the draft comes due every year, or at least in recent years, the puck stoppers are normally overlooked. Goaltenders’ development curves are rather lengthy especially compared to forwards so this oversight isn’t overly surprising. Fans are looking for immediate help and this long wait time for crease attendants allows us to focus on the skaters at the draft. With that said there are several high-end goaltenders available in this draft and compared to recent years, the netminders are rather appealing.

At the 2013 draft, Montreal was the first team to start the goaltender run after selecting top ranked tender Zach Fucale with the 34^th pick (2^nd round). Three goaltenders followed in the second round with Pittsburgh locking up Tristan Jarry (44^th), Dallas selecting Philippe Desrosiers (54^th) and Eric Comrie (59^th) heading to Winnipeg. Interesting enough, these four goaltenders were the four invitees named this week for Hockey Canada’s Summer Evaluation Camp.

The question that surfaces every year is, “how early will the first goaltender be taken?” It’s certainly a difficult question to answer with any certainty. If instincts are any indication, I feel that it won’t be until the second round that we see teams start drafting goaltenders. If a goaltender is to crack the 1^st round it will be Boston College puck stopper Thatcher Demko. Look for the lanky Mason McDonald and an extremely competitive Alex Nedeljkovic to challenge Demko and both end up as Top 60 picks.

Finland continues to churn out top quality netminders and Kaapo Kahkonen and Ville Husso (passed over at the 2013 draft) are two to place on your radar. Niagara’s Brent Moran possesses a projectable skill set and Sault Ste. Marie’s Brandon Halverson is one of the best puck handlers that the goaltending position has seen in recent history. Both Moran and Halverson are excellent mid-round targets as their best days are ahead of him. Out east, one goaltender to watch is the undersized Julio Billia as his work ethic and technical aggressive approach are workable attributes. As the draft plays out, we’ll witness plenty of goaltending talent drafted and these are the pillars that teams down the road will eventually lean on, whether they realize it on draft day or not.

As the 2014 NHL Draft commences Friday, June 27^th, these are just a few of the appealing storylines to watch. Be sure to follow the McKeen’s Hockey team and @RossyYoungblood as the draft unfolds.

2014 NHL Draft: Top 5 Offensive defenceman – Honka in control

Grant McCagg — Thu, 22 May 2014 14:40:50 +0000

Best offensive defenceman

When you come across a defensive prospect with speed, agility, heady passing and a lethal shot, you have a potential NHL power play quarterback. "He's an elite offensive defenceman," noted one scout who has Julius Honka ranked in his top 20. "He controls play with his elusiveness, mobility and puck skills." Honka made a seamless adjustment to the North American game, leading all rookie WHL defencemen is scoring this season,

While Anthony Deangelo has some question marks entering the draft, offensive ability is not one of them. He's a speedy puck carrier with great passing skills and a hard, accurate shot. Aaron Ekblad has an ability to find open lanes to unleash his heavy slapshot, and distributes the puck smartly. Jack Dougherty's mobility, puck skills and point shot are all above average, while Hayden Fleury uses his skating skills to jump up in the play or lead the rush.

1. Julius Honka

2. Anthony Deangelo

3. Aaron Ekblad

4. Jack Dougherty

5. Haydn Fleury

Youngblood: The fab five – Ontario strong

Brendan Ross — Wed, 07 May 2014 12:15:02 +0000

Ontario hockey is as strong as ever with the long line of NHL stars emerging from the Ontario Hockey League. Each of the OHL’s 20 franchises contributed to the NHL landscape in some way or another. The London Knights have sent first round selections Rick Nash, Corey Perry, Patrick Kane, Sam Gagner and Nazem Kadri onto successful NHL careers. The Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds are best known for contributing Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey but have also added current stars Joe Thornton and Jeff Carter. Sarnia Sting gun slinger Steven Stamkos has relocated his ability of sniping goals to warm Tampa Bay. Windsor Spitfires’ alum Taylor Hall is electrifying fans in Edmonton with his blazing speed. On Long Island, former Oshawa Generals star John Tavares has emerged as one of the NHL’s newest superstars.

The OHL has routinely churned out all-star prospects and it’s a trend that won’t disappear anytime soon. The 2013 NHL Entry Draft featured a league high eight first round selections from the OHL, highlighted by the Calgary Flames’ 6^th overall selection of Ottawa 67’s pivot Sean Monahan. In total, 37 players were chosen in seven rounds at the 2013 draft, the most from any league. As players flock to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, it’s expected that even more OHL players will hear their names called in the opening round. With 20 of the 40 invitees, the OHL dominated the 2014 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospect Game in Calgary in January. NHL Central Scouting lists 14 skaters from the OHL among its top 30 North American ranked players. The OHL bloodlines are as strong as ever in the National Hockey League.

As all eyes set on the draft eligible prospects from the Ontario League, let’s break down its top treasures starting with the top five and ending with some honourable mentions.

Ekblad defining exceptional

Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Capping off a strong freshman season by winning the Emms Family Award as the OHL Rookie of the Year, Ekblad displayed considerable improvements in his skating and began to silence criticisms of his oft-debated “offensive limitations”.

Fast forward two seasons.

As his draft season draws to a close, Ekblad filled his trophy case with Ivan Hlinka gold and the 2013-14 Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman. He’s the unanimous top defenseman in the 2014 draft in a class lacking top-end star defensemen and exemplifies leadership, poise and maturity. Offensively, Ekblad has launched his game to new levels showing improved confidence and puck skills that top-pairing defensemen require. He doesn’t possess the puck rushing ability of an Erik Karlsson or the intimidating physicality of Shea Weber but he’s proven to be above average in almost every facet of the game.

The gem of the OHL class is Barrie Colts’ defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who has exceeded expectations in each of his three seasons dating back to his rookie year as a 15-year-old underage player. The Belle River native was the second player, and first defenseman, to be granted “exceptional status” by Hockey Canada and he has been on an upward trajectory ever since. It was Ekblad’s efficient point shot that has served as his offensive launching pad displaying an ability to get pucks through traffic on net, resulting in a league-leading 23 goals from the blueline. Ekblad also topped the OHL in power play goals (16) showing that his offensive game has some serious upside. Besides growing an caveman-like beard that grown men are envious of, Ekblad possesses the exceptional hockey sense, size and two-way skill set to draw interest right out of the gates at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He’s a potential cornerstone defender and a player who should be ready to step right into an NHL lineup.

The accomplished Ekblad doesn’t stand alone at the top of the OHL class, as pivot Sam Bennett has assembled loads of praise from the scouting community and will serve as Ekblad’s biggest challenger from the OHL.

Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Indicative by the sweater number 93 he wears, Sam Bennett grew up as a Maple Leafs’ fan idolizing Dougie Gilmour for the way he played the game with skill, grit and passion. Now as a young man, Sam Bennett is realizing a dream playing for Gilmour’s Kingston Frontenacs team as its star forward, in a similar mold as his idol. Although blessed with a dazzling offensive skillset featuring soft hands and an innate scoring ability, Sam Bennett receives the most praise for his intangibles that include an unmatched compete level, leadership services and in-game adaptability. He mixes it up in all four corners whether he’s attacking or defending and the big-game pivot will unquestionably be on the ice during the final minutes of close games after earning a reputation as a clutch player.

Bennett’s game starts with an exceptional skating stride that keeps opponents on their heels and uses his advanced hockey sense to gain ideal positioning in the attacking areas of the rink. He is a player who has become unpredictable, either unleashing a quick shot or utilizing creative vision and playmaking gifts as a setup man. In just his second season, Bennett was arguably the OHL’s most consistent player and his 25-game point streak that witnessed him tally 17 goals and 46 points was the second longest in the league. With a scrappy-in-your-face competitive style, the skilled Sam Bennett may be the most complete forward available, making him a worthy first overall selection.

Finding sophomore stardom

Common dialogue in hockey circles suggest the top pick from the OHL is a two horse race with Ekblad and Bennett as the heavy favourites but don’t overlook Oshawa Generals’ forward Michael Dal Colle. After an unexpected breakout rookie campaign that watched him collect an impressive 48 points, Dal Colle’s encore performance in his sophomore season was scoring a remarkable 39 goals and 95 points to lead all draft eligible skaters and finish top five in league scoring.

His game receives mixed reviews from analysts but he remains high on Youngblood’s list. Knocked for his effort at times in a similar way that Joe Thornton receives criticism, Dal Colle’s analytical and calculated approach often portrays his effort as lackadaisical but do not mistake that for him lacking a competitive drive because that would be drastically incorrect. Possessing creative vision and patience with the puck, Dal Colle’s playmaking skills are often understated. Particularly strong on the powerplay, Dal Colle dissects opposing defences quickly with creative back door blind passes for easy tap-ins. Equally impressive is the young man’s shooting arsenal as he possesses one of the best shots in the league. He has not perfected how to use his size and physicality efficiently but it’s an element that can easily be worked on. If he can add some snarl and pushback to his game, Dal Colle stands a good chance to tap into his star potential.

An old school prospect

Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

Next on the rankings is Peterborough’s intimidating power forward Nick Ritchie, the one OHL skater with the size, strength, skill set and pedigree to develop into a true superstar. Ritchie is far from a sure bet to reach superstar status but he’s got a chance. He is a massive physical presence who moves with ease hunting down pucks using great stick skills and crushing body checks. Willing to drop the mitts to defend a teammate, Ritchie plays on the edge, as evident by his 136 penalty minutes (5^th in the OHL), and it’s this bull-in-a-china-shop approach that is so appealing to NHL scouts. Questioned for his wavering effort, Ritchie hasn’t exactly performed with ideal consistency but he has also been on a struggling franchise his entire OHL career so stagnant periods can be normal.

The tide is turning in Peterborough as the future looks bright and the same can be said for Nick Ritchie. His brother, Brett, was a second round selection of the Dallas Stars and hit his stride later in his junior career. The potential is high for Nick Ritchie and when he’s on his game, few can dominate a game like this Orangeville native. That domination alone may be worth the high investment. He is cut from the same cloth as Milan Lucic and what NHL team wouldn’t want that throwback style of power forward.

A 'dog that lacks bite

Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Rounding out the top five wasn’t an easy process as several OHLers received considering including Sault Ste. Marie’s Jared McCann, Guelph’s Robby Fabbri and Sarnia’s Nikolay Goldobin. In the end, Niagara’s Brendan Perlini’s size, intelligence and skating abilities edged out his draft mates. Stamping his place inside the Top 10 early in the season after coming out of the gates hot, Brendan Perlini impressed with a well-balanced puck possession game. He made a living shielding opponents from pucks along the boards and walking off the wall to unleash a deadly shot. Perlini uses his combination of speed and puck skills to back up defenders, and his net drive and hunger for the loose puck speaks volumes of his love for scoring goals. And boy, can this kid score goals. Perlini scored 16 goals with the man advantage tying Aaron Ekblad for the lead among draft eligible skaters in the Ontario league.

Had Perlini showed scouts that he can play a more consistent physical game, he may have moved up the rankings into the top 5. For teams looking to add a sizeable winger with poise and natural scoring instincts, Brendan Perlini will be a hot target.

The abovementioned five OHL prospects are great players with appealing upsides but the pool of talent doesn’t end there. The 2014 NHL Draft class has been deemed average by most analysts and it’s an accurate assessment given the lack of a sure-fire stud prospect. However, some of the drafts most talented prospects are those that have grown accustomed to being critiqued, for varying reasons. Opting to go outside of the box to select these prospects may prove worthwhile gambles down the road given that their offensive ceilings are similar to those previously mentioned.

Building a captain

Jared McCann is one of the safest OHL skaters in terms of eventually playing in the NHL as this mature two-way forward packs both skill and intelligence into a competitive personality. McCann’s best weapon is his shot but he’s become a desired commodity because of his projectable intangibles. McCann slowed down as the season progressed finishing just shy of point-per-game numbers but scouts are more infatuated with his overall two-way presence and contributions behind the scenes.

Fabbri-ulous finish

Enjoying a long successful playoff run to cap off a fantastic season has been the perfect scenario for undersized skilled forward Robby Fabbri. A Youngblood favourite dating back to his OHL draft season, Robby Fabbri is a tremendously gifted offensive talent that uses his elite hockey intelligence, poise and competitive drive to get the job done. He’s a big game player rising to the occasion and despite critics trying to knock him down because of his size, he continues to push on…rising higher, and higher with each passing game. Sure, Fabbri plays on a star-studded Guelph Storm roster and his 45 goals (leading all draft eligible) may have been inflated slightly but this youngster knows how to exploit the goal scoring areas. Despite playing in a smaller frame, Fabbri thrives around the blue paint using his creative passing abilities to feed quick tricky passes to waiting teammates. Adding strength will be a priority but it’s the only attribute that is keeping Robby Fabbri from being a sure-fire top 10 selection. Fabbri’s doing his best Jeff Skinner impersonation heading down the playoff stretch and don’t count out this hungry forward in his quest to exceed everyone’s expectations.

Gold’n hands

Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Carrying a Russian passport never helps your case but Nikolay Goldobin has done all he could to abolish the traditional fleeing Russian stereotype. Finishing one point shy with 94 points of leading all draft eligible skaters in the OHL, Nikolay Goldobin was a dynamic offensive threat on every night for the Sarnia Sting. He enjoyed a 22-point game streak posting 21 goals and 43 games.

He’s the most creative and gifted puck handler in the OHL and is capable of highlight reel action every time he hits the ice. Defensively, Goldobin will require more coaching and while his work ethic gets questioned because he’s not an in-your-face attacker, he does play hard in traffic by using a strategical approach. Goldobin thrived on the OHL’s last place team but it shouldn’t be forgotten that he was a true standout among his CHL draft peers at the Top Prospect game. Teams will weigh the risk-reward factors of selecting a fairly one-dimensional Russian in Nikolay Goldobin but his offensive talents are considered top 5 worthy and he is looking like he could be a steal if he slides outside of the top 20.

The fire of passion

Staying in Sarnia, Anthony DeAngelo led the OHL in points (71) and his 15 goals (3^rd), 56 assists (1^st among draft eligible skaters) and 30 powerplay assists (3^rd) were among the top. No one doubts DeAngelo’s offensive production as this undersized smooth-skating defenseman controls the game with ease from the back end. Tricky puck handling skills, creative vision and precise passing allows DeAngelo to push the pace with utmost confidence. He’s a passionate competitor who loves to win but his short temper and volatile attitude has been well documented, and resulted in several team and league induced suspensions. Based on talent alone, Anthony DeAngelo would be snatched up inside the top 15 but some teams have crossed him off their lists entirely. Look for the interview process at the NHL Combine to be an important element in determining DeAngelo’s ultimate draft fate as teams look for answers from this skilled defenseman.

Opening round curtain call

The dynamic skating Josh Ho-Sang, mobile two-way defender Roland McKeown, developing power forward Ryan MacInnis, raw skilled pivot Eric Cornel, athletic netminder Alex Nedeljkovic and skilled agitator Brendan Lemieux are just a few players to keep tabs on as potential first round selections.

Two months remain until the 2014 NHL Entry Draft commences on June 27^th at the Wells Fargo Center and it marks an event full of unpredictability but one thing is for certain, the Ontario Hockey League will be well represented on day one of the draft.

Be sure to follow the McKeen’s Hockey (@mckeenshockey) Youngblood series as Brendan Ross (@RossyYoungblood) continues to break down the happenings inside the hockey prospect world.

Anthony DeAngelo, Nikolay Goldobin provide Sarnia’s offensive Sting

David Burstyn — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:36:22 +0000

There’s a lot to like about Anthony DeAngelo and Nikolay Goldobin’s playmaking abilities.

Both the defender and the forward were the unheralded offensive leaders on the last-place Sting. DeAngelo produced at a clip unmatched by the league’s top defensemen, but unfortunately didn’t let his play do all the talking.

Goldobin displayed the same brilliant offensive flashes seen in his rookie season. The lack of a strong supporting cast didn’t diminish his attributes when scouts finally got to see how his skills could translate when playing with the elite at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in January.

Goldobin’s name is attached to history. Last season, the Russian forward scored four times, including the overtime winner, against the London Knights, which ended their 24-game winning streak – one shy of tying the Canadian Hockey League record.

His game, like his teammates DeAngelo’s, isn’t complete, but the offensive dimensions will be appealing for teams at the draft.

Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Led the OHL in defenseman scoring despite only playing 51 games (51-15-56) .. a highly-skilled, offensive-minded player who has exceptional game-reading ability .. extremely quick and agile with the puck - he can slow down the pace of a game .. a masterful puck-carrier who can easily rush the puck up ice or make a stellar first pass .. an effective PP option due to his strong ability to walk the line – he’s always able to get the puck into a better shooting/scoring lane .. skating is crisp, fast and he possesses multiple gears of acceleration .. lacks authority in his defensive situations .. allows players behind him and makes it easy to gain position in front of his net .. undersized with a diminutive appearance on the ice .. suspended for eight games for inappropriate comments directed at a teammate .. inability to harness his emotions leads to DeAngelo becoming quickly frustrated and losing his cool which subtracts from his overall game .. although he’s one of the draft’s most skilled puck-rushing defensemen, DeAngelo comes with questions and a “buyer beware” tag.

Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Finished seventh in league scoring following a 22 game point scoring streak (11-14-13 to 01-17-14) in which he recorded 44 points .. enjoyed a highly-productive CHL Top Prospects Game where he was able to better demonstrate his abilities to NHL scouts when presented the opportunity to play with better players .. uncanny offensive skills - he has a knack for distributing the puck and holding onto it till the last possible moment .. a puck-possession player who can spearhead a rush .. slick passer - he can fool defenders with the direction of his blade and make strong plays on both his strong and weak side .. terrific ability to settle down bouncing pucks while still in full skating motion .. skating has a subtle quality to it as he can explode on the puck when it is in his general vicinity, however too often he doesn’t accelerate through plays .. a very care-free approach to defence .. can get caught flat-footed in the neutral zone, yet he understands where he needs to be in connection to the play .. Goldobin is an offensive dynamo and considering his supporting cast this season, his numbers are all the more impressive .. he needs to engage more but his offensive ceiling is very high.