Ben Hutton – McKeen's Hockey

DADOUN: THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Sharks show some bite in tough season – Coyotes, Hurricanes, Avalanche, Devils, Islanders, Maple Leafs, Canucks and Golden Knights – Players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 16:09:54 +0000

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 30: San Jose Sharks left wing Fabian Zetterlund (20) takes a shot in warm up before a game between the Boston Bruins and the San Jose Sharks on November 30, 2023, at TD garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

This column was previously getting released at the start of the week, but starting today, it will come out Saturdays instead. It’ll still preview the upcoming week, but now you’ll have more time to plan your strategy. Please bear in mind that the information provided is reflective of the time of writing (in this case, the morning of Dec. 8).

That aside, I wanted to cast a light on San Jose, which has won five of its last seven games. The Sharks have been fun to watch recently with them overcoming a 4-1 deficit against the Islanders on Tuesday and a 4-0 deficit to the Red Wings on Thursday. After a 0-10-1 start to the campaign that included back-to-back games in which they surrendered 10 goals, the Sharks are now 8-17-2. Still not good, but given where they came from, that’s impressive.

Looking at their last seven games specifically, the big change for San Jose has been its offense. The Sharks have scored 4.00 goals per game over that span, compared to 1.09 over their first 11 outings. Tomas Hertl has been an important factor in their recent surge, providing five goals and nine points over his last six appearances, but the real standout performer has been Mikael Granlund, who went from recording four assists over his first 13 contests to contributing three goals and 12 points over his last seven outings.

The Sharks have gotten some support team-wide too. Seven different players have supplied at least two goals over the past seven games, including three markers from defenseman Jacob MacDonald, who had just three goals over 101 career NHL games going into this campaign.

Is this sustainable, though? Probably not. The Sharks don’t have a particularly good team. Goaltenders Mackenzie Blackwood and Kaapo Kahkonen are still struggling, so if the offense cools from its unreal pace, then the whole house of cards will likely crumble again. Plus overcoming three- or four-goal deficits is fun to watch, but not something that can be counted on to happen routinely.

It is encouraging to see youngsters William Eklund, who has two goals and five points over his last four contests, and Fabian Zetterlund, who has four goals and five points over his last seven games, do well though. They’re the future of the franchise, so strong performances from them matter much more to San Jose than whether the squad is winning or losing today.

Arizona Coyotes - MON @ BUF, TUE @ PIT (BTB), FRI VS. SJS, SAT VS. BUF (BTB)

The Coyotes enjoyed a five-game winning streak from Nov. 25-Dec. 4, bringing them up to 13-9-2 by the end of that run. After spending a few years rebuilding, Arizona has a real shot of making the playoffs this year.

Of course, the Coyotes still have a lot of work ahead of them, which they’ll continue next week with games in Buffalo on Monday and Pittsburgh on Tuesday, followed by home contests versus the Sharks on Friday and Sabres on Saturday. Those adversaries range from bad to middling this campaign, so the Coyotes should do well.

With two back-to-back sets, Karel Vejmelka should get some work for the first time since Nov. 22. He’s struggled this campaign with a 2-6-2 record, 3.45 GAA and .892 save percentage in 11 contests, so he’s not an ideal option for a situational pickup. That said, if he draws the Sharks, then it might be worth considering him (provided San Jose has cooled by that point).

If Alex Kerfoot is still available in your league, he’d be a good pickup. He’s one of the hottest players in the league with a goal and nine points over his last five contests. Part of that surge is thanks to him getting an increased role. Over his first 15 contests this campaign, he had a goal and four points while averaging 15:01 of ice time, including just 0:18 with the man advantage, but that’s jumped to 18:57 over his last 10 contests, including 2:21 on the power play. So, while he obviously can’t maintain the offensive pace of his last five games, as long as Arizona keeps deploying him like it has recently, Kerfoot should continue to be a valuable forward in most fantasy leagues.

Someone else to consider in the short-term but is less likely to have long-term success is Michael Carcone. He has five goals over his last five contests, but his shooting percentage has climbed to an unsustainable 32.4 and he serves in a bottom-six role, so expect him to crash completely once the hot streak is over.

Carolina Hurricanes – TUE @ OTT, THU @DET, FRI VS NSH (BTB), SUN VS WAS

The Hurricanes will start the week by completing their six-game road trip with games in Ottawa on Tuesday and Detroit on Thursday. They’ll then get an opportunity to defend PNC Arena when they host the Predators on Friday and the Capitals on Sunday. Detroit’s been pretty good this campaign, but Nashville is the only other opponent currently in a playoff position, and even then, just barely.

Andrei Svechnikov couldn’t play Thursday due to an upper-body injury. If it turns out he won’t be available for some or all of next week’s games, then that will have a significant impact on Carolina’s lineup. In particular, Michael Bunting could play a major role during Svechnikov’s absence. When Svechnikov missed the first eight contests of the campaign because of a knee injury, Bunting had two goals and six points in eight contests while averaging 18:12 of ice time. Since then, Bunting has dropped to 13:45 while providing four goals and 10 points over 17 games.

We also might see Brendan Lemieux playing consistently during Svechnikov’s absence. Lemieux isn’t much of a factor offensively, but if you’re in a position where you’re looking for penalty minutes, he can help you there. Through 10 appearances this season, he’s accumulated 33 PIM and the 27-year-old has 517 PIM in 285 career games.

On the power play, there might be an opportunity for Brady Skjei to assume a second-line role. He has four goals and 15 points in 29 contests this season, which is great for a defenseman who is averaging just 0:13 with the man advantage. Even a second unit power-play role would be a potentially meaningful boost for him.

Colorado Avalanche – MON VS CGY, WED VS BUG, SAT @ WPG, SUN VS SJS (BTB)

The Avalanche will play four games next week, including home contests against the Flames on Monday, the Sabes on Wednesday and the Sharks on Sunday. Sprinkled in there will also be a road outing in Winnipeg on Saturday. Of those opponents, just Winnipeg is in a playoff position. The Sharks have won five of their last seven games, though, so it’ll be interesting to see if they’re still hot by the time that contest happens.

Speaking of hot players, Nathan MacKinnon is on a 10-game scoring streak, providing four goals and 16 points over that stretch, including two goals and five points over his last two contests alone. Through Thursday’s action, MacKinnon has moved into a three-way tie for fourth in the scoring race with 36 points in 26 outings.

The Avalanche don’t have any other players who are currently excelling, though. Bowen Byram is interesting with two goals and three points over his last four contests. He might be worth some short-term consideration, but the lack of a consistent power-play role is a significant negative.

We also should see Ivan Prosvetov start this week, likely Sunday versus San Jose. He’s been decent when utilized, posting a 2-1-1 record, 2.45 GAA and .919 save percentage in six contests this season, so if you’re looking for a situational pickup in goal, then Prosvetov is a good option.

New Jersey Devils – WED VS BOS, SAT @ CBJ, SUN VS ANA (BTB)

The Devils are a borderline selection because they have just three games this week and their first contest is a home game versus the mighty Bruins on Wednesday. However, New Jersey will then face two of the worst teams in the league with matches in Columbus on Saturday and against the Ducks on Sunday.

If you look at the league leader in terms of points per game, it isn’t Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin or Connor McDavid. That honor instead belongs to Jack Hughes, who has 10 goals and 33 points in just 19 contests. Hughes missed five straight games from Nov. 5-16 due to a shoulder injury but has bounced right back. In particular, he scored four goals and 10 points over a four-game stretch from Nov. 28-Dec. 5. Provided he stays healthy the rest of the way, Hughes is a good bet to surpass his career high of 99 points.

Hughes is far from New Jersey’s sole offensive threat with the team averaging 3.63 goals per game -- fourth in the NHL. However, that’s been counterbalanced by the Devils allowing 3.67 goals per contest, which is the second worst in the league. Their expected goals against per 60 is 3.27, which suggests that part of the problem is New Jersey’s defense, but its goaltending has been lacking too.

Vitek Vanecek is having a disastrous campaign with a 3.60 GAA and an .877 save percentage in 16 contests. The fact that he has a 9-5-0 record despite that is a testament to the Devils’ amazing offense, but for a team with playoff aspirations, Vanecek isn’t looking like an acceptable option. Lately, that’s led to New Jersey pivoting more toward Akira Schmid.

Schmid struggled initially with a 3.46 GAA and an .885 save percentage through his first six appearances in 2023-24, but since then he’s rebounded with a 3-2-0 record, 2.53 GAA and .920 save percentage in five outings. With the 23-year-old outplaying Vanecek, Schmid has a real opportunity to steal the No. 1 gig, which could lead to him accumulating a lot of wins given the offensive support New Jersey can provide.

New York Islanders – MON VS TOR, FRI VS ANA, SAT @BOS (BTB)

The Islanders will start the week with home games versus the Maple Leafs, Ducks and Bruins on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, respectively, before visiting Montreal on Saturday. Toronto and Boston are tough adversaries, but Anaheim and Montreal rank near the bottom of the league, and it helps that the Islanders will be playing mostly at home next week.

Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat have been playing some of the best hockey of their lives recently. Barzal has four goals and 11 points over his last four games, propelling him to nine goals and 27 points in 24 outings this year. Meanwhile, Horvat is on a five-game scoring streak in which he’s scored four goals and nine points, bringing him up to nine markers and 23 points through 24 appearances in 2023-24.

The Islanders have been getting offensive help from less common sources too. Julien Gauthier has two goals and five points in five contests this year. You can consider taking him in the short term, but keep in mind that he’s a depth forward, so once his hot streak ends, he won’t have value in anything but the absolute deepest of leagues.

Similarly, Simon Holmstrom is averaging just 13:38 of ice time this year, so he hasn’t been getting a big enough role to warrant holding him in standard fantasy leagues. However, Holmstrom is an interesting short-term option after scoring two goals and four points over his last four contests.

Toronto Maple Leafs – MON @ NYI, TUE @ NYR (BTB), THU VS CBJ, SAT VS PIT

The Maple Leafs’ schedule isn’t necessarily easy, but it is full with four games ahead of them. They’ll start the week with games in New York versus the Islanders on Monday and the Rangers on Tuesday. Afterwards, the Leafs will return home to host the Blue Jackets on Thursday and Penguins on Saturday.

Goaltender Joseph Woll sustained a leg injury during Thursday’s 4-3 victory over Ottawa and is expected to miss time. He had been serving as the Leafs’ top goaltender, but the injury will at least temporarily force Toronto to pivot back to Ilya Samsonov, who has missed the last two games due to an illness but will presumably be fine by next week. Samsonov has a 3.58 GAA and an .878 save percentage in 10 contests, so he’s been far from ideal, but he shouldn’t be dismissed after recording a 2.33 GAA and a .919 save percentage in 42 outings last season.

Martin Jones might also get a start next week depending on how long Woll is out for. Don’t expect too much out of Jones, though. He had a 3.09 GAA and an .895 save percentage in 220 NHL games from 2018-19 through 2022-23 and more recently has posted a 3.37 GAA and an .870 save percentage in five outings with AHL Toronto. Simply put, he’s not a good option. You might want to keep Dennis Hildeby in the back of your mind, though. The 22-year-old excelled in the Swedish Hockey League and has looked dominant in the AHL this campaign with a 1.89 GAA and a .925 save percentage in nine contests.

Putting the Maple Leafs’ goaltending aside, the team has been led by the usual suspects recently, which is to say that Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and William Nylander have combined for seven goals and 12 points over Toronto’s last three games. Meanwhile, Max Domi has provided a goal and an assist over his last two contests. He’s been inconsistent offensively, which is unlikely to change so long as he’s averaging just 12:54 of ice time, but he’s an interesting short-term pickup while he’s hot, especially if you’re in a position to benefit from the penalty minutes he can provide.

Vancouver Canucks – TUE VS TBL, THU VS FLA, SAT @ MIN, SUN @ CHI (BTB)

The Canucks will kick off the week by hosting the Lightning on Tuesday and the Panthers on Thursday. They’ll then travel to Minnesota for a contest Saturday and face the Blackhawks in Chicago on Sunday. Those later two games are of particular interest given that they’re against teams not in playoff spots.

Sam Lafferty has bounced around the lineup this campaign, but lately, he’s been playing alongside Elias Pettersson and Ilya Mikheyev. That’s a golden opportunity for the 28-year-old, who has seven goals and 13 points in 27 contests this year. He’s also doing well at the moment with two goals and three points over his last three games. Be careful not to get too excited about Lafferty, whose career high in points is just 27, but his fantasy value will increase meaningfully if his current top-six role proves to be more than just a temporary assignment.

One Canucks player who has trended in the other direction recently is Andrei Kuzmenko. After scoring 39 goals and 74 points in 81 contests last year, the 27-year-old has been limited to four goals and 15 points over 24 outings in 2023-24, including just one point (a goal) over his last eight appearances. Things got so bad that he was even a healthy scratch for two straight games from Nov. 24-25 and he logged just 12:15 of ice time Thursday, his second-lowest total of the season.

While I don’t expect Kuzmenko to repeat his 2022-23 heights, he certainly can do better than he has lately. Given his recent play and his diminished role (which I believe to be temporary), he’s a solid buy-low candidate.

Vegas Golden Knights – TUE VS CGY, FRI VS BUF, SUN VS OTT

Vegas has just three games scheduled next week, but they’re all home contests against teams not in a playoff position. Specifically, the Golden Knights will host the Flames on Tuesday, the Sabres on Friday and the Senators on Sunday.

Jack Eichel is easily the hottest member of the Golden Knights with four goals and nine points over his last four contests, pushing him up to 12 goals and 30 points in 27 contests in 2023-24. Alex Tuch has already worked out great for Buffalo while Peyton Krebs and Noah Ostlund still might be good for the Sabres in the long run, so it’d be overly simplistic to call Vegas the winners of the Eichel trade, but the Golden Knights nevertheless must be thrilled with how that move has worked out.

Ben Hutton has been a bit of a disappointment, though, at least from a fantasy perspective. With Shea Theodore (upper body) unavailable, Hutton has averaged 2:17 of power-play ice time over the last seven contests, up from an average of just 0:25 over his first 14 outings. However, Hutton has just a goal and an assist over his last seven games and neither of those points came with the man advantage. Hutton’s never been much of an offensive force anyway, but it is a shame that he hasn’t gotten any production out of that power-play role.

If Daniil Miromanov (undisclosed) returns before Theodore, then he might take that power-play spot from Hutton. In that scenario, Miromanov would have some fantasy value.

*(BTB) – Denotes the second of a back-to-back series

FANTASY: The Week Ahead – November 27 to December 3rd – Teams with favourable schedules and who to target

Ryan Dadoun — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 17:41:13 +0000

With a 4-1 loss to Detroit on Sunday, Minnesota has now lost its last seven straight contests to drop to 5-10-4. That puts them 30th in the NHL in terms of points, ahead of just Chicago and San Jose.

At the heart of Minnesota’s issues is its goaltending. Marc-Andre Fleury has a 3-4-2 record, 3.46 GAA and .875 save percentage through nine outings while Filip Gustavsson is 2-6-2 with a 3.94 GAA and an .881 save percentage in 11 starts. Going into Sunday’s action, the Wild ranked eighth in expected goals against with 57.31, which suggests the defense has been solid, but the goalies have wasted the effort.

To be fair to Fleury and Gustavsson though, the Wild have also struggled to score and currently sit in a three-way tie for 20th offensively with 2.95 goals per game. Mats Zuccarello, Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek are a solid enough trio, supplying 21, 18 and 17 points respectively through 19 games, but after them, the Wild’s next best players are Ryan Hartman and Marco Rossi, who each have 11 points. In other words, they could use more secondary scoring.

These are issues that have been tough for Minnesota to address. Buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in July of 2021 might have helped the Wild out in the short term, but they’re paying for it now. The team has $14.7 million in dead space this year and they’ll have the same penalty next season as well. After that, the bulk of the cap burden will go away, but in the meantime, GM Bill Guerin is assembling this team with a hand behind his back. It’s unfortunate because it’s squandering the prime years of Kaprizov, who is also only under contract through 2026, but that’s the reality.

Maybe it’s too early to write Minnesota off, though. Fleury has defied expectations before, so maybe the 38-year-old has one more comeback in him. Maybe Gustavsson will bounce back too, given how much better he was than this in 2022-23. It’s a long shot given how deep the Wild’s hole is at this point, but it’s also their best hope.

MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 11: Look on Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) during the Boston Bruins versus the Montreal Canadiens game on November 11, 2023, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

Boston Bruins

Boston is experiencing its first downswing of the season, though it’s only been a mild one. The Bruins have lost two straight contests and three of their last four games, bringing their record to 14-3-3.

Boston will attempt to end the slump during a busy week, featuring games in Columbus on Monday, against the Sharks on Thursday, in Toronto on Saturday and versus the Blue Jackets on Sunday. Two contests against the lowly Blue Jackets, not to mention the league-worst Sharks, make the upcoming stretch a great opportunity for the Bruins to enter a new winning streak.

Keep an eye on Charlie Coyle, particularly during this stretch. He’s riding a five-game scoring streak in which he’s collected four goals and seven points. With nine markers and 19 points in 20 outings this campaign, Coyle’s well on his way to shattering his career highs of 21 goals and 56 points. Take some caution with him though: His 23.1 shooting percentage is a big red flag. Given the nature of the upcoming competition, I don’t expect him to slow down yet, but if you have Coyle on your fantasy squad, you might want to think about attempting to sell high in a week or two.

If your team happens to include either Bruins goaltender -- Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman -- don't worry yet. Sure, Swayman has allowed nine goals on 75 shots (.880 save percentage) over his last two starts while Ullmark was on the wrong end of a 7-4 loss to the Rangers on Saturday, but those struggles are an anomaly is what has been a generally strong campaign for both of them. The Bruins were also facing some of the league’s top offenses recently, which won’t be the case in three of their four contests this week.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers are another team that needs to rebound after a bit of a skid. They have a two-game losing streak heading into a road trip against Ottawa on Monday, Toronto on Tuesday and Montreal on Thursday. They’ll then return to Florida to host the Islanders on Saturday. Of those adversaries, Toronto is the only one in the upper half of the league in terms of points.

With that busy schedule against mostly middling teams ahead of Florida, you might be well served to grab defenseman Niko Mikkola in fantasy leagues for the short term if you have the opportunity. He’s not typically a significant offensive threat -- his career high in points is 13 -- but the Panthers have used him in a top-four role this season, which has led to his production ticking up to three goals and eight points in 20 contests. He’s been particularly effective recently with two goals and three points over his last three outings.

This week should also see the end of Matthew Tkachuk’s scoreless drought, which currently stands at five games. In particular, I’m looking for him to find the back of the net soon. He has just three tallies through 20 contests, leaving him with a 3.5 shooting percentage, which is far below his career average of 12.7. Tkachuk is not going to continue to be that unlucky with the puck, especially with him currently ranking in the 99th percentile in terms of high-danger shots on goal.

Nashville Predators

Nashville has clawed its way back to .500 by winning its last five contests, and the Predators have three home games ahead of them as they look to extend that run. They’ll host the Penguins on Tuesday, the Wild on Thursday and the Rangers on Saturday before concluding the week with a road contest versus Buffalo on Sunday.

Filip Forsberg has been the chief architect of the Predators’ current winning streak, providing four goals and seven points over that five-game span. Through 20 outings this year, he’s up to 11 goals and 25 points. Forsberg was held back by injury troubles last year, but now that he’s healthy again, it’s entirely plausible for him to challenge his career highs of 42 goals and 84 points, which were set in 2021-22.

If you’re looking for a lower profile forward who might be had in standard fantasy leagues as a short-term pickup, then Yakov Trenin should fit the bill. After being held off the scoresheet over his first 14 contests this season, Trenin has contributed four goals and five points over his last five contests. He typically serves in a middle-six role but has logged over 17 minutes in each of Nashville’s last three contests, including a season-high 19:18 on Sunday.

New York Rangers

The Rangers have won three consecutive contests, bringing them up to 15-3-1, so they’re in a dominant position going into what will be a busy week. They’ll host the Sabres and Red Wings on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, before traveling to Nashville for a contest Saturday and returning home to play the Sharks. Of those teams, the 11-6-3 Red Wings are the fiercest competition, but the Rangers already earned a 5-3 victory over Detroit earlier this month.

Jimmy Vesey might be a decent short-term pickup this week. He’s primarily a fourth line forward, but recently he’s seen an uptick in ice time to an average of 13:34 over his last three outings and even has gotten a little use on the second power-play unit. Vesey also supplied a goal and an assist Saturday, bringing him up to four tallies and seven points in 17 outings this campaign. It’s all still not enough to make him fantasy-relevant in most leagues under normal circumstances, but New York’s busy schedule combined with his increased usage makes things interesting for now.

On the blue line, Erik Gustafsson is on fire with a goal and 10 points over his last nine appearances. It’s no coincidence that Gustafsson’s offensive climb coincides perfectly with Adam Fox’s (lower body) absence. Gustafsson is on the first power-play unit during Fox’s absence and three of Gustafsson’s last four helpers have been recorded with the man advantage.

Fox is eligible to be activated off LTIR on Nov. 29, so there’s a non-zero chance he’ll return this week. If that happens, Gustafsson’s production is likely to cool somewhat.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Speaking of returning stars, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made his season debut Friday, saving 22 of 24 shots in an 8-2 victory over Carolina. Now that their elite netminder has recovered from his back injury, Tampa Bay will look to go on a run this week with games in Colorado on Monday, Arizona on Tuesday and Dallas on Saturday. The Lightning also have a home contest Thursday versus the Penguins.

Vasilevskiy is extremely unlikely to play in both halves of the back-to-back, especially so soon after returning, so Jonas Johansson is likely to make at least one start this week. Beyond that though, Johansson should be used sparingly for the remainder of the campaign. He didn’t do enough to earn a bigger role in the long run with his 8-4-5 record, 3.41 GAA and .894 save percentage in 17 outings during Vasilevskiy’s absence.

Up front, this should be another big week for Nikita Kucherov, who is on fire with four goals and 11 points over his last four contests. It’s crazy to think that Kucherov comes with a sub-$10 million cap hit through 2026-27 ($9.5 million to be exact), especially with the cap expected to jump dramatically over the next couple of seasons.

He’s not the biggest bargain on the Lightning though: That’d be Brandon Hagel. He’s in the final campaign of a three-year, $4.5 million deal. Hagel set career highs in 2022-23 with 30 goals and 64 points in 81 contests and might do even better this season after providing 10 goals and 22 points through 21 outings. Even the eight-year, $52 million deal he signed in August might prove to be a steal when you consider that he’s just 25.

He also highlights the downside of the Blackhawks’ aggressive fire sale in the pre-Connor Bedard era. While it’s too early to truly judge the trade that sent Hagel to Tampa Bay in March 2022, and it’s possible Hagel’s breakout would have interfered with Chicago’s ability to tank for Bedard, it’s hard not to argue that Hagel wouldn’t be an ideal player for a rebuilding squad like the Blackhawks to have, if only they had held onto him.

Vegas Golden Knights

After getting off to an 11-0-1 start, Vegas has won just three of its last nine games. The Golden Knights will start the week against two struggling teams though, with contests in Calgary on Monday and Edmonton on Tuesday. Vegas will then wrap up the road trip with a contest in Vancouver on Thursday before hosting Washington on Saturday.

Vegas is missing key blueliner Shea Theodore (lower body) after he was put on the injured reserve list Sunday and defenseman Alec Martinez (lower body) has missed the Golden Knights’ last two contests and is regarded as day-to-day.

That’s created an opportunity for Ben Hutton, who logged a season-high 20:34 of ice time Saturday, including 2:49 with the man advantage. By contrast, he’s averaged 15:02 this season and 0:35 on the power play. Hutton has just two assists in 15 games this season, so don’t get too excited, but if he maintains the role he had Saturday for as long as Theodore and Martinez are out, then Hutton might still make some short-term offensive contributions.

Vegas has just scored two goals over its last three games, so naturally, the Golden Knights don’t have much in the way of hot forwards, but Jonathan Marchessault is the closest to an exception with three goals and five points over his last five outings. The 32-year-old is up to nine goals and 14 points through 21 contests overall and should surpass the 50-point milestone for the third straight campaign.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals suffered a 5-0 loss to Edmonton on Friday but won its previous five games. They’ll be on the road this week with contests in San Jose on Monday, LA on Wednesday, Anaheim on Thursday and Vegas on Saturday.

T.J. Oshie (upper body) suffered an injury Friday, so the Capitals might be without him this week in addition to forwards Nicklas Backstrom (hip) and Max Pacioretty (Achilles). With so many key scorers out, the Capitals’ top six is looking fairly thin.

Matthew Phillips has been a healthy scratch for the Capitals’ last three games, but he might draw back into the lineup Monday and even see time on one of the top two lines. The 25-year-old had 36 goals and 76 points in 66 AHL contests this year, so he’s always been worth keeping an eye on to see how the Capitals utilize him. So far in 2023-24, he has a goal and four points in 14 outings but has averaged just 10:40 of ice time.

Connor McMichael also has the potential to see his role increase somewhat. Through 17 outings this year, he has four goals and eight points while averaging 14:38 of ice time. It’s worth noting he’s been hot lately with two goals and five points over his last seven outings, making this an ideal time for the Capitals to utilize him more anyway.

One additional forward to monitor is Hendrix Lapierre. The 21-year-old has struggled to get a regular role this campaign, but the injuries might change that. Taken with the 22nd overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, he gave a taste of what he might be capable of last Saturday when he scored a goal and registered two assists in a 4-3 win over Columbus. Outside of that, though, Lapierre’s been quiet with Washington.

Winnipeg Jets

Despite a 3-2 loss to Nashville on Sunday, Winnipeg is one of the hottest teams in the league after claiming eight of its last 10 games. The Jets only have three games this week, but they’re all home contests, against Dallas on Tuesday, Edmonton on Thursday and Chicago on Saturday. Those final two games look particularly winnable given the state of the Oilers (7-12-1) and Blackhawks (6-13-0).

Connor Hellebuyck has been a huge part of the Jets’ recent success, posting a 6-1-0 record, 2.15 GAA and .926 save percentage over his last seven starts. That’s night and day compared to his first eight starts of the campaign -- a 4-3-1 record, 3.09 GAA and .891 save percentage. Hellebuyck has been an elite goaltender for years, so it’s not surprising to see the 30-year-old rebound from his shaky start. With this week’s contests spread out, there’s a good chance the Jets will deploy him in all their games.

Josh Morrissey is also on a strong run, providing three goals and five points over his last four outings. That brings him up to four goals and 19 points in 20 contests this year. Vladislav Namestnikov has been an underrated factor too, supplying a goal and six assists over the span of a six-game scoring streak from Nov. 11-24. That run ended Sunday, but it’s a little early to declare the hot streak completely dead. That said, he traditionally hasn’t been a significant offensive force -- he's exceeded the 40-point mark just once in his career -- so if you picked him up during his recent success, then you should be prepared to drop him if he has a couple more quiet contests in a row.

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 14:45:40 +0000

Review: In the sixth season in franchise history, the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup, going 51-22-9 and finishing with the best record in the Western Conference during the regular season. The Golden Knights ranked 14^th with 3.32 goals per game, and ranked 11^th with 2.79 goals against per game. They were a mediocre possession team, controlling 49.0% of score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempts and 51.7% of expected goals, so that did not profile as a dominant Cup contender, but they also did this with five different goaltenders starting games for them during the season. It may not have necessarily been a typical path to a championship, but banners hang forever.

What’s Changed? Not surprisingly, the Stanley Cup champions did not make a lot of changes in the offseason. They did trade reliable winger Reilly Smith to Pittsburgh and let Phil Kessel hit the open market as a free agent. Center Teddy Blueger and goaltender Jonathan Quick signed as free agents with the Canucks and Rangers, respectively. The biggest move of the summer for Vegas was re-signing Ivan Barbashev, who played such a crucial role on Vegas’ top line in the playoffs, so keeping him around ensures that the Vegas heads into this season with a lot of the same championship pieces in place.

What would success look like? Expecting a repeat is asking a lot, but that is naturally going to be the expectation for Vegas after winning in 2022-2023. They return much of that championship team and while back-to-back Stanley Cups is a tall order, a title has to be the standard. Now, if they lose in the Western Conference Final, it is hardly going to be a disaster, but the Golden Knights have reached the final four in four of their six seasons, so that becomes more of a baseline expectation, which sounds preposterous but that is what follows this level of achievement.

What could go wrong? The Golden Knights managed to win the Stanley Cup with a myriad of goaltenders last season, so they might be able to survive an off season between the pipes. The bigger concern may be the health of captain Mark Stone, who has played in a total of 80 games over the past two seasons. He still plays well when healthy, but if Stone misses a bunch of time, that could cause problems for Vegas. Because the Golden Knights tend to have a top-heavy roster, the health of their stars is of major importance. It might be that way to some degree for every team, but especially teams that have invested more among their top players.

Top Breakout Candidate: On a veteran-laden team, there are not a lot of young players in prominent roles, so the best breakout candidate in Vegas is probably a goaltender. Adin Hill was excellent in the playoffs, posting a .932 save percentage in 16 appearances, but the 27-year-old netminder played a modest career high of 27 games during the regular season. He should see more action this season and that alone will give Hill a chance to have the best season of his career. If it’s not Hill, then Logan Thompson is a viable option, too. Thompson has a .915 save percentage in 57 career games and was cruising as Vegas’ starter last season before a lower-body injury ended his season.

Forwards

Jack Eichel

Eichel just kept getting better and better as the 2022-23 season went on, culminating in a dominant Stanley Cup run that saw him grab the game by the scruff of the neck and carry Las Vegas to victory on more than one occasion. Eichel showcased a nearly magnetic ability to keep the puck on his stick through opponent stick checks and his own physics-defying dangles that enabled him to create offense on a consistent basis for Vegas. Eichel lead all Vegas forwards in zone entries per hour of even-strength hockey by a comfortable margin and was in the 99^th percentile for zone entries among NHL forwards per the All Three Zones project. Eichel didn’t waste these zone entries, he was in the 98^th percentile for rush shots taken among NHL forwards last year as well. In the postseason, Eichel led the Golden Knights in both shot-attempt generation and in the creation of quality scoring chances. Eichel will continue to serve a top line role for the Knights where his vision and creativity allow him to serve up scoring opportunities for his teammates in addition to the rush chances we mentioned. Eichel finished the playoff run with the highest assist total (20) of any player in the league. With his health issues behind him, expect a very good chance at a repeat performance from Eichel.

Jonathan Marchessault

Marchessault, the Golden Knights’ Conn Smythe winner, had a consistent and strong offensive season that culminated in a 13-goal campaign that included some huge goals in critical moments of time. The most tenured member of the Golden Knights and a member of the inaugural version of the team, Marchessault’s ability to skate the puck out of danger was the foundational role in his performance. Marchessault was a menace offensively at both even-strength and on the power-play. His quick acceleration, puck handling, and knack for finding open space made him a difficult player for opposing defenders to mark. Marchessault’s even-strength offensive performance was good for the 90^th percentile among NHL forwards. He played a huge role as a conduit for assisting in getting the puck to safe areas and out of the defensive zone as evidenced by landing in the 98^th percentile for forward zone exits as tracked by All Three Zones. Marchessault had the highest expected goal share of any Knights forward in the Cup run at just over 56 percent. Whether it involved finishing plays or making high-danger passes, Marchessault was heavily involved in the Knight’s offense and is expected to step right back into his role on the top line next season.

Mark Stone

Mark Stone is one of the best two-way hockey players in the game and one of the most resilient. Stone, fresh off two back surgeries inside of one year, somehow managed to play a full slate of games in the post-season despite having the most recent of those surgeries in January of 2023. With 24 points in 22 playoff games, it was hard to believe he’d returned from surgery for game one of the post-season. Stone’s defensive performances have been the bedrock of the Golden Knights over the last few seasons and that was no different this season. When Stone is on the ice, scoring chances just do not happen in front of the Golden Knights net. He is noticeably low in the zone, actively looking to engage with any opposing forward looking to garner a chance from a high-danger area. For evidence of his participation defensively, Stone was in the 99^th percentile of forward zone exits per the All Three Zones project. Stone does work in being a conduit from defense to offense and creating scoring chances himself. He is a big body that is difficult to move and possesses great vision. Stone’s best work is on the cycle and in the battle areas of the ice, but his offensive toolbox is deceivingly deep, and his shot is both powerful and accurate.

Chandler Stephenson

Stephenson is coming off a year of career bests in points for the regular season (65) and the playoffs (20). Stephenson’s passing is the cornerstone of his game and undoubtedly his best offensive attribute. As a result of this skill and his ability to put the puck on the stick of teammates in a scoring position, he had more power-play time than any other Golden Knights’ forward last year. Stephenson found the back of the net 10 times in 22 playoff games during the Cup run, scoring some absolutely pivotal goals en route to capturing his second Stanley Cup ring. Opportunities exist for Stephenson to put the puck on the net, but that’s nitpicking given his overall offensive impacts have been fine. Stephenson drew some difficult deployments last season and still found success in them. He routinely went against some of the best forwards in the league and had the highest number of defensive zone faceoff starts of any forward on the Golden Knights roster. Overall, Stephenson plays a critical role in his team’s ability to work the puck through traffic.

William Karlsson

Turns out, the purported demise of William Karlsson was greatly exaggerated. After a career-low 35 points in the 2021-22 season, it appeared Karlsson was on a downward trajectory of slumpy-ness that was putting into question what the best fashion to deploy him was moving forward for Las Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy. The result was a 53-point campaign for Karlsson that was followed up by an additional 17 points in 22 playoff games on the way to the Stanley Cup. Karlsson’s forechecking became a critical part of the cog that moved the Golden Knights forward. It was infectious and momentum stealing in nature. Karlsson had the highest number of recovered dump-ins per hour of even-strength ice time, a testament to his ability to quickly press the play and be a nuisance to his opponents. Additionally, Karlsson was in the 88^th percentile for passes to a high-danger area per the All Three Zones project. Karlsson had positive impacts to both the power-play and penalty-killing units for the Knights this year. His utility in how he can be deployed truly makes him a coach’s dream. While his finishing has still struggled in recent years, the boosts he provides in other areas, with and without the puck, are a major benefit to the overall structure of the team.

Ivan Barbashev

Barbashev arrived in Vegas via St. Louis in a trade that ultimately played a critical role in the Golden Knights winning a Stanley Cup. Barbashev, whose previous playoff experience had garnered him a total of nine points in 50 games for the St. Louis Blues, found his name all over the scoresheet for the Golden Knights championship push. When it was all said and done, he’d registered seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 22 playoff games, undoubtedly his best post-season performance to-date. Barbashev has traditionally put up forgettable if not sometimes detrimental results defensively, but his offensive outputs have always masked that, and he often does a lot of thankless work in getting the puck on the stick of his teammates. Barbashev had the second highest expected-goal share on the Knights for the 2022-23 post-season, a testament to his ability to aid in controlling the play. Expected to fulfill top line duties this season, the question is whether Barbashev’s offensive run in the playoffs was a mirage or a new standard of expectation for his game moving forward. He’ll certainly be in an environment that will allow him to continue to focus on supporting offensive production. In any case, the Knights have a proven playoff performer here that can fill in anywhere within the top six forward group.

Brett Howden

Howden is a traditional defense-first forward that makes mostly indirect offensive contributions but can be relied upon for a consistent, above-the-line performance defensively on a nightly basis. Minimally impactful outside of an even-strength deployment. In fact, Howden accumulated a total of 41 minutes of special teams play in his 54 total games last season, all of it on the penalty-kill. This year could present the opportunity for him to step into a top six role. From a microdata perspective, there is some evidence from the All Three Zones project to support his time there despite his overall poor outputs offensively. For instance, in games tracked last season, Howden ranked in the top 10 percent of the league’s forwards in shot assists in the offensive zone and shots taken off of passes from a high danger area. Howden has never eclipsed 10 goals in a season or more than 24 points, but the path to doing so seems fairly easy if he can stay in the lineup. Ultimately, Howden’s best work is in maintaining possession in difficult areas of the ice and being a strong defensive presence. Fresh off of a new, two-year contract worth a total of $3.8 million dollars, Howden will be looked at to provide a spark and potentially a few more points than he has previously.

Michael Amadio

Amadio is a former waiver pickup that earned a new contract with the Golden Knights and showed the rest of the league why they trusted him with that deal as this season wore on. Amadio set highs in every bucket and put down 10 points in 16 playoff games. Briefly scratched in the post-season during a scoring drought, Amadio returned to the lineup and finished out the run on a positive note. Amadio’s defensive performance has always been strong, but he’s gone from being slotted as a specialist in that bucket to having much more to provide offensively, especially from a goal-scoring department. Amadio both gets to scoring areas himself and sets up teammates with an increasing level of effectiveness. As a result of this offensive boost, his overall Wins Above Replacment total fell in the 79^th percentile of NHL forwards per JFresh Hockey’s data. Amadio was third on the Knights among forwards in primary shot assists per hour at even-strength. Amadio was deployed in a fashion that gives you the sense he may be in line for more ice time and responsibility this season given that he has provided a moderate boost to the Golden Knights offense and defense over the last two seasons.

William Carrier

Carrier had never scored double-digit goals prior to the 2021-22 season but ended last year with a total of 16 goals in 56 games played. He contributed six points in 18 games to the Stanley Cup win. Carrier’s big body and strong style of skating made him an extremely difficult player to handle in the Vegas system. Carrier had the best expected-goal share of any Golden Knights forward with at least 500 minutes played at even-strength with over 56-percent of the quality scoring chances going his way. Per the All Three Zones project, Carrier was in the 90^th percentile among NHL forwards with regard to scoring chance generation and in the 91^st percentile regarding his ability to generate shots off of the rush. For as good as Carrier’s offense was this year, his defense kept up the same pace. While he isn’t a special team’s player for the Golden Knights, his ability to press the play forward, contribute to offense, and be an impactful defensive player make him a forward that the defensive staff trusts to deploy in a variety of fashions. Last year was an anomalous result to his finishing ability, but if he can continue to score goals in the double digits, it will be a huge boost to the depth scoring for the Golden Knights.

Defense

Alex Pietrangelo

Alex Pietrangelo put in a dominant offensive season for the Golden Knights en route to his second Stanley Cup. Pietrangelo hit a high-water mark of 54 points in 2021-22, which tied his career best that he established in 2017-18 with St. Louis. He followed the regular season up with a playoff performance that saw him register 10 points in 21 playoff games and finish the run with the highest expected goals for rate among any Golden Knights defender in the post-season. Pietrangelo is still among the best defensemen in the league at confidently skating the puck out of the defensive zone and pressing in the offensive zone to generate additional chances and shooting opportunities. He creates offense against the other team’s best players and takes some of the most difficult assignments the Knights defensive unit has to offer. Per the All Three Zones project, he was in the 89^th percentile of league defensemen with regards to his ability to generate exits out of the defensive zone. Pietrangelo is not a strong defensive player but is not the liability defensively of some of his offensively-minded counterparts across the league. Overall, Pietrangelo will continue to take tough minutes for Las Vegas and translate them into offense. He will take minutes at even-strength, power-play, and on the penalty kill, truly making him a player that can be deployed in any fashion and the leader of the Knights defensive unit.

Shea Theodore

Theodore was one of the league’s most dangerous offensive defensemen last year and the only member of the Golden Knights blueline who out-paced Alex Pietrangelo with regard to zone exits last season. With Theodore, you know what you will get: a defenseman that joins the rush, acts as a fourth forward, pinches offensively, and takes risks all over the ice surface. The proof is in the pudding as he had 41 points in 55 regular season games with an encore performance of 13 points in 21 playoff games. Theodore’s offensive impact this season was in the 97^th percentile of NHL defensemen per JFresh Hockey. The All Three Zones project had him in the 93^rd percentile for shot contributions and rush offense. With Theodore, the defensive impact is where the issues arise. Theodore is often simply non-existent for transition defense given his role as an offensive defenseman. Within the zone, he’s best served in his ability to find his way out and provide the offense with a boost. Despite his offensive skillsets, he trailed his peers on the team in power-play contributions to shot and chance generation. Expect Theodore to continue to push the limit offensively and focus on the contributions to transition offense and creating chances off of the rush.

Alec Martinez

Martinez is a more defensive-minded defenseman who takes difficult deployments for the Golden Knights and settles them down. Martinez saw his defense and its on-ice impacts grow by leaps this season. When the regular season finished, he had the 2^nd highest expected-goal share of any defenseman on the team. Martinez’ 244 blocked shots lead the rest of the NHL’s defensemen by a significant margin. His blocked shot rate in 2012-22 was the highest of his entire career. Martinez played a large role in the Golden Knights penalty-kill and was a reliable presence in that environment. He doesn’t handle the puck a lot, but when he does, it’s with confidence and success. Martinez posted his lowest number of giveaways and highest number of takeaways since the 2018-19 season. Martinez seemed to thrive in the defensive zone but had a larger number of struggles in transition. With regard to his ability to mitigate zone entries with possession, he was in the 26^th percentile of NHL defensemen. Expect Martinez to continue to make the most of difficult defensive situations and take on a larger share of even-strength ice time this season. Martinez should continue to act as Pietrangelo’s safety on the top defensive pairing for the Golden Knights.

Brayden McNabb

Brayden McNabb was an underrated, stay-at-home style defenseman who gained bigger notoriety this year on a national stage due to his repeatedly solid performances in the spotlight of the playoffs. McNabb is physical, protects his own zone extremely well, and is the perfect balance for an offensive-minded partner like Shea Theodore. McNabb is very limited in his ability to handle the puck but due to his partner that hasn’t needed to be his focus. Per the All Three Zones project, McNabb had the highest rate of zone entry denials from opposing forwards and that is certainly where he is at his best. He keeps a strong, aggressive gap at the defensive blueline and is physical in his approach. His long reach enables him to force forwards to make uncomfortable decisions. All Three Zones data had him in the 92^nd percentile among NHL defensemen regarding his ability to stifle scoring chances from zone entries. His limited mobility hurt him more on the penalty kill where he has a larger area of ice to cover and more loose puck races to engage in. Overall, the Golden Knights will once again look to McNabb to be a quiet, stabilizing presence within their top four defensive unit.

Goaltending

Logan Thompson

Perhaps no one has been a more pleasant surprise than the undrafted Logan Thompson of the Vegas Golden Knights, who went from being an overager in the WHL to a year of college hockey up in Canada to a minor league-only deal – and finally to the NHL, where just three years after first getting his chance with the Golden Knights, the unlikely team hero found himself with his name on the Stanley Cup.

Thompson was one of the too-many goaltenders that Vegas saw suffer injuries last season, so he’ll need to prove he can stay healthy this upcoming season. But he boasts a lot to love about his game; he’s taken a long-standing willingness to do anything to stop the puck and cleaned up his game reads as he’s gone along, sharpening his positioning so he no longer needs to course-correct as frequently as he used to. Combined with a more conservative base position than fellow former WHL-er Adin Hill, that makes Thompson the goaltender in Sin City who’s less likely to elevate blood pressures and allow open holes. His instincts aren’t quite as top-tier as Hill’s, which makes for a nice tandem of goaltenders that each offer unique strengths in the Vegas net. But ultimately, the affordability of Thompson’s deal with the team alongside Hill’s make it hard not to marvel at just how lucky the team got with their pairing.

Projected starts: 40-45

Adin Hill

The Vegas Golden Knights didn’t exactly see goaltender Adin Hill put up the kind of wunderkind numbers one might have hoped for from a relatively young reclamation project, especially one moving from a pair of rebuilding teams to a playoff contender. But while Hill wasn’t exactly a Vezina candidate during his first year in Vegas, he was exactly what the team needed him to be – just better than league average, and able to avoid any meltdowns statistically en route to the team’s alarmingly fast championship win. In fact, Hill – who doesn’t always play the most technically sound game, but can make acrobatic saves look easy and snag pucks that smaller-statured goaltenders only dream of – managed to put up a clutch postseason performance that helped his team secure their win; he might not have been a Vasilevskiy or a Shesterkin during the year, but he was certainly good enough to get it done when he needed to most.

Hill’s reliance on lightning-fast reflexes and his above-average agility levels, combined with his impressive size and reach, can be both a blessing when he snags last-second pucks and a curse when he does too much and opens up holes that he doesn’t need. But he proved last season that when given more stability up front, he’s got the ability to be consistent enough to rely upon as a starter. And for Vegas, who have him signed to a team-friendly deal that doesn’t require too much commitment on their end, that’s more than good enough.

Projected starts: 35-40

FANTASY: The Weekly Look Ahead – Week 1 – October 10 – 15 – Teams with a favourable schedule and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 14:18:21 +0000

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 24: Look on Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha (18) during the Boston Bruins versus the Montreal Canadiens game on January 24, 2023, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

Welcome to the first edition of my weekly look ahead. In this column, I’m going to highlight teams I believe have a particularly favorable schedule for the upcoming week and zero in on some potentially undervalued/underappreciated players on those squads who might be in line for a strong week. Going forward I’m also going to highlight hot players on those teams, but of course given that the regular season hasn’t started yet, I can’t really do that justice. I will make mention of preseason standouts instead this week, but please keep in mind that exhibition stats need to be taken with a large helping of salt.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins might not be the team they were a year ago, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see them start the season 2-0-0. They’ll begin the campaign with two home games, first against the rebuilding Blackhawks on Wednesday, then Saturday they’ll host Nashville, which is likely to be a middle-of-the-pack team.

Chicago’s offense is now led by Taylor Hall and Connor Bedard, so it will be interesting if nothing else, but Petr Mrazek and Arvid Soderblom is a pretty sorry goaltending duo that the Bruins should be able to take advantage of.

I’m particularly interested to see how Charlie Coyle does this week. The 31-year-old had 44 and 45 points in each of his last two campaigns, so he hasn’t been a major part of Boston’s attack, but there is the potential for him to play a bigger role in the post-Patrice Bergeron/David Krejci era. He’s gotten a chance to work alongside Brad Marchand during the preseason, which is a great opportunity for him. We might also see the NHL debut of Matthew Poitras. He has plenty of offensive upside and could begin the campaign in a middle-six role, so keep an eye out for that.

Boston was just 2-2-2 in the preseason, but David Pastrnak did stand out with two goals and four points in three appearances. Pavel Zacha, who might start the campaign on a line with Pastrnak, recorded three assists in three games.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have three games slated for their opening week. They’ll first host Ottawa on Wednesday, then play road contests versus Los Angeles and Anaheim on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The Kings and Senators are projected to be playoff contenders, but not the cream of the crop, while Anaheim is still looking to the future.

The Kings were also the only one of those three opponents to finish in the upper half of teams in terms of goals allowed per game last year and even then, just barely – LA ranked 16th. To be fair, Ottawa did sign Joonas Korpisalo over the summer while the Kings scooped up Cam Talbot, so there has been turnover in net, but this still looks like a potentially favorable grouping for the Hurricanes’ forwards.

Perhaps we’ll see Jesperi Kotkaniemi get off to a strong start. The 23-year-old set career highs last year with 18 goals and 43 points in 82 contests, but the 2018 third overall pick still has room to grow. That’s especially true when you consider he averaged just 14:44 of ice time in 2022-23. He might start this campaign on the second line with Teuvo Teravainen and Martin Necas. Speaking of Teravainen, he had just 37 points last season, but is a huge bounce back candidate.

Carolina went 3-3-0 during the preseason with Michael Bunting doing particularly well, providing three goals and four points in three contests. Bunting, signed from Toronto, might end up playing a pretty big role with the Hurricanes. He’s been seeing time alongside Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis on the top line and crucially has also slotted into the first power-play unit.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers have only two games this week, but it’s an away-and-home series against Vancouver on Wednesday and Saturday. The Canucks are a weird team. They clearly have some star talent and goaltender Thatcher Demko might have a comeback season if he stays healthy, but they seem caught in that weird middle ground between building for the future and focusing on the present, with the outcome that they look mediocre on paper.

The player I’ll be most interested in during those two games will be Connor Brown. He didn’t record a point in four contests last season and the 29-year-old has never contributed more than 43 points in a single campaign – and even then, it was back in 2019-20 – but Brown has been seeing time on the top line with Evander Kane and Connor McDavid.

Brown is new to the Oilers, but not new to McDavid. The duo spent two years together with the OHL’s Erie Otters where they were two of the main driving forces of that squad’s attack. It’s been a while since Brown was that kind of offensive leader, but playing with McDavid should help.

Brown had two goals and three points in four preseason contests, which is solid, but it’s nothing compared to McDavid’s four goals and seven points in four exhibition games. Defenseman Evan Bouchard was also a preseason standout with six assists in five outings.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils will start the campaign with home games against Detroit and Arizona on Thursday and Friday, respectively. The Red Wings are a team on the rise, but they’re still questionable to even make the playoffs while Arizona likely still needs significantly more work.

Luke Hughes will be fun to watch as he begins his rookie campaign. While Bedard is understandably seen as the favorite for the Calder Trophy going into this campaign, Hughes is very much in the conversation too. The 20-year-old defenseman had 10 goals and 48 points in 39 NCAA games with the University of Michigan last season followed by a goal and four points in five appearances with New Jersey between the regular season and playoffs.

The big X-Factor is how much of a role will Hughes play off the bat. It’s hard to say what his even-strength role will be initially, but there’s a strong chance he’ll serve on the second power-play unit.

Also, while it must be said over and over again that preseason stats don’t mean much, it will be interesting to see if the Devils are able to carry any momentum from their 7-0-0 exhibition run into the regular season. In particular, Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes and Dawson Mercer dominated with nine, eight and five points, respectively – each in four preseason contests.

Pittsburgh Penguins

After falling short of the playoffs last year, the Penguins made significant changes over the summer to try to push back into contention with their most notable addition being defenseman Erik Karlsson. With their aged roster, a lot is on the line in 2023-24, and Pittsburgh has a golden opportunity to start off on the right foot. The Penguins will host Chicago on Tuesday, play in Washington on Friday and then host Calgary on Saturday. All those three teams joined the Penguins in the most recent draft lottery.

Between that favorable schedule and the absence of Jake Guentzel (ankle), Drew O'Connor might hit the ground running. O'Connor had four goals and five points in four exhibition games and while, yes, it’s preseason stats, it also seemed to be enough to demonstrate to the Penguins that he’s deserving of temporarily playing alongside Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust while Guentzel recovers.

If you want a real stretch, I have a little interest in Jeff Carter. He had just 29 points in 79 contests last season and is inching towards his 39th birthday on Jan. 1, so not much is expected of him. That said, he’s projected to start the campaign on the Penguins’ second power-play unit, which is an underrated assignment. Obviously, the top unit should do better, but getting anyone from that group is naturally costly. Meanwhile, the second unit is (due to the acquisition of Karlsson) now headlined by Kris Letang, who is immensely overqualified for his new role. This could be a pretty effective unit and Carter is one of the easiest to obtain from it.

As already noted, O’Connor was a preseason standout for Pittsburgh, but Marcus Pettersson and Rickard Rakell did well too, each recording three points in three games.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay will begin the campaign at home Tuesday versus Nashville before facing Detroit and Ottawa on the road Saturday and Sunday, respectively. None of those three teams made the playoffs last year, though to be fair, all three of them should be in the mix in 2023-24. Still, the Lightning should be looking to take at least two of three against those middle-of-the-road squads.

The big X-Factor is goaltending. The Lightning won’t have Andrei Vasilevskiy (back), so they’ll probably have to rely on Jonas Johansson for two of those three starts. With how strong of an offensive team Tampa Bay is, Johansson seems like a strong pickup for the duration of Vasilevskiy’s absence.

Outside of Johansson, Conor Sheary is worthy of consideration. After signing a three-year, $6 million contract with the Lightning over the summer, Sheary seems to be settling in on a line with Steven Stamkos. That could be a significant boost for Sheary, who had 53 points in 61 contests with Pittsburgh in 2016-17, but has struggled to replicate that success since, most recently recording 15 goals and 37 points in 82 contests with Washington.

Steven Stamkos is also worth keeping an eye on. Obviously, he’s a star and is expected to put up big numbers regardless, but even by his standards, he might have a big start to the campaign. Stamkos expressed disappointment with the lack of offseason discussion about a contract extension, and he could make the Lightning literally pay for waiting by coming out strong this campaign.

During the preseason, Brandon Hagel and Sheary were two of the Lightning’s best performers, each recording four points (Hagel in four games, Sheary in five). Johansson saved 94 of 96 shots during exhibition play.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights will start their defense of the Stanley Cup with a difficult home game versus Seattle on Tuesday. However, they’ll follow it up with what should be a pair of comparatively easy contests: one in San Jose on Thursday and a contest back in Vegas versus Anaheim on Saturday.

Vegas won’t have defensemen Alec Martinez (upper body) or Zach Whitecloud (upper body) this week, which opens the door to both Brayden Pachal and Ben Hutton dressing in the Golden Knights’ opener. Neither player is a significant offensive threat, but if you’re in the market for blocks, hits or penalty minutes, then Pachal is worth taking in the short-term. Pachal had eight PIM, 12 blocks and 27 hits in 10 contests with Vegas last season. He also had 90 PIM in 55 contests with AHL Henderson – his second straight 90 PIM campaign at the AHL level.

Adin Hill and Logan Thompson should also be good for some situational starts this week. It might be best to avoid going with Vegas goaltending Tuesday if you can, but Hill and Thompson are likely to split the San Jose/Anaheim contests. The Sharks and Ducks ranked 25th and 31st, respectively, in terms of goals per game in 2022-23 and neither is likely to be a major offensive threat this year.

Vegas was a mediocre 3-3-1 in the preseason, but Jack Eichel managed to score two goals and eight points in four contests while Jonathan Marchessault finished with three goals and seven points in three appearances.

NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS EDMONTON OILERS – Oilers have been a freight train since the trade deadline, but return of Stone, team defense, make Vegas a tough out

Scott Cullen — Mon, 01 May 2023 22:30:22 +0000

EDMONTON, AB - NOVEMBER 19: Vegas Golden Knights Defenceman Nicolas Hague (14) clears the puck from Edmonton Oilers Center Connor McDavid (97) in the first period during the Edmonton Oilers game versus the Las Vegas Golden Knights on November 19, 2022 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB. (Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire)

VEGAS vs. EDMONTON

After dispatching the Los Angeles Kings in six games in Round 1, the Edmonton Oilers head into a second-round matchup against the Pacific Division winning Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights might have finished higher in the standings, but the Oilers are the team that is both favored to win the series, and one of the top favorites to capture the Stanley Cup.

The Oilers have been a freight train since the trade deadline, so it appears that they have momentum on their side, but the Golden Knights made short work of the Winnipeg Jets in the first round and are not likely to be an easy out.

Forwards

One of the benefits of having two superstars is that it is so difficult to shut down both. As ridiculous as it sounds, the Kings could have felt okay limiting Connor McDavid to three goals and 10 points in six games (a 41-goal and 137-point pace in 82 games) in the first round, but then Leon Draisaitl notched seven goals and 11 points in the series. They combined for 11 power play points in the first round.

The Oilers received four points against Los Angeles from wingers Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane, Zach Hyman, and Klim Kostin. Edmonton’s depth forwards may not be scoring much, but they are controlling play. Edmonton controlled more than two-thirds of expected goals against Los Angeles when Kostin, Derek Ryan, Warren Foegele, and Ryan McLeod were on the ice.

For the Oilers to make a Stanley Cup run, they will need production from more than McDavid and Draisaitl, and it appears that they have enough quality depth to handle that responsibility.

The Golden Knights don’t have elite scorers like McDavid and Draisaitl, but there is still plenty of forward talent on hand.

Jack Eichel finally arrived in the playoffs, for the first time in his career, and he contributed three goals and five points with 17 shots on goal in five games against Winnipeg, a good start. Eichel’s line is not the most dangerous for the Golden Knights, though.

Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone both had eight points in the first round, and Brett Howden chipped in four points, while the trio controlled 60.7% of expected goals while outscoring Winnipeg 5-1 during five-on-five play.

Forward depth is a strong suit for the Golden Knights. William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith are proven performers, even though Marchessault managed just two assists in Round 1. Vegas has also received quality contributions from the likes of Michael Amadio, Ivan Barbashev and hard-hitting wingers Keegan Kolesar and William Carrier. The return of Carrier to the lineup bumped Phil Kessel to the press box for Game 5 against Winnipeg.

While Vegas looks like they might have an edge in forward depth, the question is whether that is going to be enough to overcome two of the most prolific scorers in the league.

Defense

When the Oilers moved out Tyson Barrie as part of the deal to acquire Mattias Ekholm at the trade deadline, Evan Bouchard was the defender set up to step into a first unit power play role. While Bouchard and Ekholm were effective at evens against Los Angeles, controlling 54.7% of shot attempts and 51.4% of expected goals during five-on-five play. Bouchard kicked it up a notch on the power play, though, scoring eight of his 10 first-round points with the man advantage.

The Oilers outscored the Kings 5-2 when the pairing of Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci were on the ice during five-on-five play, but Edmonton managed just 45.2% of shot attempts and 45.8% of expected goals in those situations, so there is some defensive vulnerability.

Brett Kulak, Vincent Desharnais, and Phillip Broberg round out the defense corps and all three had solid underlying numbers against the Kings. Desharnais was outscored 5-2, but that seems like randomness since the Oilers were controlling 62.8% of expected goals with Desharnais on the ice.

The Golden Knights used eight defensemen in Round 1, with Brayden Pachal and Ben Hutton getting into the lineup as injury replacements for Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb.

Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez were the top pair against Winnipeg. The Golden Knights controlled 51.6% of expected goals and outscored the Jets 8-3 with that duo on the blueline. Theodore and McNabb both missed Game 5 against the Jets, but when they were on the ice together Vegas had 56.1% of the expected goals during five-on-five play against Winnipeg.

Nicolas Hague and Zach Whitecloud are a strong third pairing for Vegas, when the team is healthy. They can move up the depth chart when Theodore and McNabb are out.

Vegas is a strong defensive team, allowing 2.78 all-situations expected goals against per 60 minutes, the third lowest rate in the first round.

Goaltending

Edmonton’s rookie netminder Stuart Skinner started all six games against the Kings in the first round, winning three. He was pulled after the first period in Game 4, with Jack Campbell stopping 27 of 28 shots to lead the Oilers to a pivotal victory. Skinner was an above average starter during the regular season but had a .890 save percentage against Los Angeles. If the Oilers are going to go on a Stanley Cup run, they will need better than .890 goaltending.

Even though he played just 11 games for the Golden Knights in the regular season, spending most of the year in the AHL after recovering from hip surgery, Laurent Brossoit was the clear starter in goal going into the series against Winnipeg, and Brossoit posted a .915 save percentage in five starts. He may not be one to steal too many victories, but solidly average goaltending can go a long way.

This is not a series in which either team can be supremely confident in their goaltending. Anything can happen with a goalie in the small sample of a playoff series, but the range of outcomes is practically infinite when it comes to relatively unproven options like Skinner and Brossoit.

Special Teams

Edmonton had a historically strong power play during the regular season, and it was even better in the first round against Los Angeles, ranking first among playoff teams with 20.96 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-four play. This is an area where Edmonton’s elite talent takes over.

The Golden Knights power play ranked 10^th with 7.06 goals per 60 during five-on-four play in the first round. That comes after ranking 19^th in goals per 60 during the regular season, so there is a clear difference in quality between the two teams when they have the man advantage. This is standard for the Oilers, of course.

While Edmonton’s penalty killing ranked 11^th in the first round with 11.87 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play, the Golden Knights’ penalty kill was torched for five goals in 14:45 of four-on-five play (20.34 goals against per 60 minutes) against Winnipeg, the second worst rate in the first round of the postseason. Vegas allowed 85.42 shots against per 60 during four-on-five play in Round 1, the only team to surrender more than 70 shots against per 60. That’s a small sample, but it is ugly in a small sample.

If Vegas’ penalty killing is indeed a liability, then facing an Oilers power play that has been historically great figures to be an enormous problem.

Conclusion

Momentum is riding with the Oilers and even though they finished two points behind the Golden Knights in the standings, Edmonton had a better goal differential and had the league’s best record (17-2-1) after the trade deadline. That leads to Edmonton being favored even though Vegas holds home ice advantage.

Vegas has been an excellent defensive team and has been boosted by the return of Mark Stone for the playoffs. Is that enough to help them hold off the Oilers? It’s possible, but I’m still leaning towards the superstars carrying the series for Edmonton. Oilers in 6.

NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: WINNIPEG JETS VS. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS – Can the Jets muster the offense to win?

Jesse Marshall — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 15:12:00 +0000

The Vegas Golden Knights enter this post-season as the top seed in the Western Conference. Even typing that feels weird, as it doesn't feel like Vegas has had that kind of dominance this season, but they've broken their franchise record in points en route to this top seed. This is a well-rounded team that does everything well enough and gets extraordinary offensive contributions all throughout its lineup.

The Jets are defensive specialists with good goaltending, is that enough to get the job done? These two teams last met in the 2018 Western Conference final where Vegas took the win in five games. Let's take a look at the tale of the tape between these teams before jumping into a prediction to round things out.

Offensive Breakdown: A David vs. Goliath Tale

NEWARK, NJ - JANUARY 24: Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) skates with the puck during the National Hockey League game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the New Jersey Devils on January 24, 2023 at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

We're starting off with the most lopsided aspect of this matchup. These two teams generate shots and scoring chances at near-equal paces to each other, but the Jets rank 27th in the league with regard to their ability to finish and the Golden Knights are 15th. That makes a huge difference in the bucket of actual goals scored. The Golden Knights are outpacing their expectations and have the 9th most goals in the league as a result. The Jets are struggling to finish opportunities and rank 23rd in goals-for as a result.

The struggle for the Jets is a total lack of transition and rush offense. Once they can establish a cycle, they begin to get some chances and shots on net, but until that time comes it's largely a hit and miss effort full of dump-and-chase hockey. Aside from Nikolaj Ehlers, the Jets do not have many players that they can comfortably rely on to carry the puck into the offensive zone with possession.

Ehlers, as it might not surprise you, also leads the team with regards to shooting off of the rush as well. Winnipeg's best work comes off of the cycle and from getting opportunities in-tight to the net. The generate more opportunities here than they do anywhere else on the ice. They also generate messy shots like deflections and rebounds at a rate higher than most of their peers. The Jets will be looking to their top line of Mark Scheifele and his 40+ goals to help them keep pace with things on offense. Look for the Jets to try and establish long, offensive zone possessions that work the puck low-to-high and generates attempts that challenge the goalie in high-danger areas.

It's a more dynamic story on the offensive side of the puck for the Golden Knights. I don't look at their results and point to one area to say that it's definitively responsible for their success. Their zone entry numbers from the All Three Zones project show that they have no issue carrying the puck and they do it frequently with contributions coming from all over their lineup, but especially from Jack Eichel.

Speaking of Eichel, he's found great success with Mark Stone this season and should the two of them find time together at even-strength, that is going to certainly challenge the Jets. Vegas passes the puck a lot once they enter the offensive zone. As a result of their wholesale approach to puck movement, they find a lot of space on the edges of the circles and in the slot. Keep an eye on William Carrier, he's set a career-high for game-winning goals and has registered a point on 78-percent of all the goals scored while he's on the ice at even-strength.

Defensive Comparison

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Winnipeg Jets Defenceman Josh Morrissey (44) carries the puck at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Rob Curtis/Icon Sportswire)

This is an area where the Jets can definitely hang with the Golden Knights. They allowed fewer goals against than the Knights this year and allow significantly fewer shots. The Jets protect their defensive blue line well and on controlled breakouts, it's not uncommon to find them with three bodies stacked at the blue line. However, that hasn't prevented them from stopping zone entries. I talked earlier about how good Vegas was at carrying the puck into the offensive zone with possession and the Jets haven't been great at defending that.

The Jets will look to Josh Morrissey, a legitimate Norris candidate for this season, to run the show for them on the backend. Morrissey's skating allows him to make significant contributions both offensively and defensively and the Jets will need him in both areas. Defensively speaking, Brenden Dillon has done a great job for the Jets this year. He's kept a strong, aggressive gap and has posted positive results in shot and scoring chance mitigation relative to his teammates as a result.

For the Golden Knights, their kryptonite has seemingly been their inability to protect the opposition from piling up on shot-attempts. The good news is that while Vegas allows a lot of shot-attempts, they keep most of them to the outside. They do have an issue with getting lost in transition on long cycle opportunities and center drives, but it's more of an annoyance versus something that could potentially sink them in the post-season.

The Golden Knights third pairing of Nicolas Hague and Ben Hutton have been posting quietly good results in the realm of shot and scoring-chance suppression. They can be deployed in a very confident fashion as a third-pairing. Meanwhile Alec Martinez and Alex Pieterangelo have controlled 55-percent of the quality scoring chances while they've been on the ice at even-strength.

Special Teams Battle

Neither of these teams have a power-play that particularly strikes fear into the heart of the opponent. The Golden Knights convert at just over 20-percent and the Jets come in at 19.3-percent. The one element that I think goes in the Golden Knights favor is that they take shots from all over the ice surface whereas the Jets are more limited to the right side of the ice. In fact, most of their attempts at offense come from this area courtesy of Connor being posted up there. Add in Nino Niederreiter and you've got a lot of firepower on that right-hand side of the ice.

For the Knights, they've struggled to find someone who can lift their power-play to the next level. Jonathan Marchessault leads the way with 9 power-play goals and 16 power-play points on the year.

On the penalty-killing side it's the Jets that have had more success so far this season. They boast the 7th-best penalty-kill in the league with an 82.4-percent success rate. Winnipeg's success in this are comes from the direct support they provide to their goaltending in these circumstances. Their penalty-kill is aggressive but tight to the front of their net. They will make opponents work for good opportunities from the exterior of the ice.

The Golden Knights have all the trappings to keep up with the Jets from a scoring chance prevention perspective, but they allow entirely too many shots and haven't gotten the good goaltending the Jets have on the penalty-kill. I mentioned the struggles the Jets have with generating shots outside of the right half of the ice surface on the power-play, and that's an area the Golden Knights have showed no trouble with on the penalty-kill.

Goaltending Comparison

The Jets path to stealing this series will come from the crease in the form of Connor Hellebuyck. It was another solid performance from him this season with a .920 save percentage. He had an expected goals-against total of 189 and an actualized goals-against total of 157.

I mentioned earlier the discrepancy in offensive talent here. If the Jets are going to keep these games close, they need huge performances in the crease to keep the scores low. Getting into an offensive shootout is not their game and goaltending is more important than ever for them as a result.

The big question here is who is going to be the game one started for the Golden Knights? The have, in some form or fashion, deployed a total of five goalies at regular points throughout this regular season. Laurent Brossoit has been playing well for them recently, could he get the call? Jonathan Quick has seem time for them as well, but he's posting a .901 save percentage and has allowed four more goals than a league average goaltender would in his situation.

This is a big advantage for the Jets as we know who their rock is in goal but the Golden Knights still have a question who will be starting in game one for them.

Prediction

Despite the questions about goaltending, I think a Golden Knights team that has just seen Mark Stone and Shea Theodore return to the lineup is too much to handle. The Jets have a top line that features some lethal goal-scorers and a group that can control the game, but I don't think that and the goaltending advantage is going to be enough to stave off a Golden Knights team that has a lot of different ways they can score goals. I'm taking the Golden Knights in six games.

Data for this piece was obtained by:

Corey Sznajder - All Three Zones

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS – NHL Player Profiles

Ryan Dadoun – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 22:15:05 +0000

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 03: Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) skates up ice during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on April 3, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Jack Eichel

After years of disappointment in Buffalo, it ultimately wasn’t the Sabres’ continued inability to make the playoffs that pushed Eichel out, it was a medical disagreement. Eichel couldn’t play because of a neck injury, but his medical team and Buffalo couldn’t agree on how to handle the situation. He wanted to undergo artificial disc replacement and the Sabres refused to sign off on that treatment, which hadn’t been performed on an NHL player to that point. That situation dragged on until November when he was finally traded to Vegas, and then on February 16th he made his Golden Knights debut after having undergone and recovered from the artificial disc replacement surgery. Eichel wasn’t quite as good as he normally is for what was left of the season, but he more than held his own with 14 goals and 25 points in 34 games. After the season it was revealed that Eichel had been playing with a broken thumb since March 17th. Between the fact he had to jump into the lineup with a new team more than halfway through the year and the revelation that he was playing hurt for the last chunk of the campaign, it’s hard to read too much into his performance in 2021-22. What we can say is that when Eichel is healthy, he’s good enough to slot in as the top center on most teams in the league. Taken second after Connor McDavid in the 2015 draft, Eichel hasn’t reached McDavid’s heights and likely won’t, but Eichel’s the complete offensive package and can drive Vegas’ offense while averaging over a point-per-game.

Mark Stone

Stone is one of the league’s best two-way forwards, but last season his impact was severely hampered by injuries. He had multiple stints on the sidelines and after the season, he underwent back surgery. The good news is that he’s expected to be ready for training camp, but it’s hard to read too much into his season given his injury woes. Stone was particularly ineffective when he attempted to return on April 12th in a failed bid to push Vegas into the playoffs. Stone admitted after his first game back that he didn’t feel very good, and he ultimately was limited to just a goal and an assist over his final nine games. That dragged him below a point-per-game, finishing the season with nine goals and 30 points in 37 contests. That’s still pretty good all things considered, and he should be entering this season hungry. He felt he “skunked” in the 2021 semifinals against Montreal and his injury situation prevented him from being able to truly redeem himself last season. Vegas ultimately missed the playoffs for the first time in their short franchise’s history, in no small part due to injuries, and as the team captain, Stone will be looked upon to lead this team back into contention. If he can stay healthy, that’s a task he’s up for. He’s capable of providing around 30 goals and 70-80 points while simultaneously contending for the Selke Trophy.

William Karlsson

When evaluating William Karlsson, it would be best to forget his 2017-18 campaign. He had 43 goals and 78 points in 82 games that season but reached those heights by posting a 23.4 shooting percentage, scoring 43 goals versus 26.3 expected goals. In other words, he vastly overperformed that season and it’s not surprising that he hasn’t been able to measure up to those heights since. Instead, it’s best to look at Karlsson as a solid second line forward who is responsible defensively and can be used on both the power play and penalty kill. He doesn’t have much of a physical element to his game, but the positive there is that he also doesn’t take many penalties. He’s also become a modest asset on the draw in recent years, going from a 47% success rate on the draw from 2016-17 through 2018-19 to 52.5% over the last three seasons. He had 12 goals and 35 points in 67 contests in 2021-22, which was on the low side for him from a points-per-game perspective. He also had an 8.9% shot percentage, which was his lowest since he joined the Golden Knights. He had a 55.6 IPP and 970 PDO, which suggests that he might have been a bit unlucky last season. It wouldn’t be out of line to expect him to push for the 20-goal and 50-point milestones if he plays the full 82 games.

Jonathan Marchessault

Vegas was devastated by injuries last season, which made Marchessault somewhat unique among the forward core for his ability to stay fairly healthy. In fact, among Golden Knights forwards, he was one of just four players to log at least 70 games. Not only did he stay healthy though, but he also excelled, scoring a team-leading 30 goals and 66 points in 76 games. That made this his best season since 2017-18, but it wasn’t too far a deviation from the norm. This is the fifth straight season that he’s averaged at least .71 points-per-game, which translates to roughly 58 points over 82 contests. That consistency is a testament to his hard work and determination in face of significant odds. At 5-foot-9, he’s an undersized forward who went undrafted. He had to work his way up from the AHL and didn’t establish himself as a top-six forward until the 2016-17 campaign, during which he celebrated his 26th birthday. Despite taking the long road to the NHL, he’s managed to stay at the top for a while now. He’s certainly not without his weaknesses, he’s not much of a physical presence and he’s nothing to write home about defensively. At the same time, his work with the puck more than makes up for that. Vegas is a significantly better team when he’s on the ice, as evidenced by his plus-5.4 relative Corsi For and his plus-6.4 relative Fenwick For in 5v5 situations. He was well worth his $5 million cap hit last season and should continue to provide Vegas with great value in 2022-23.

Reilly Smith

Smith isn’t a headline forward, but there’s a reason why Vegas felt it was important to ink him to a three-year, $15 million contract over the summer despite their cap woes. To put it simply, he does most things well. He doesn’t take a ton of shots, but he’s effective when he does fire the puck and he’s perfectly capable of creating chances for his teammates. Smith did struggle by his standards in 2020-21, finishing with 14 goals and 25 points in 53 games, but he bounced back last season while playing primarily on Vegas’ second line last season alongside William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault. Although he missed a significant chunk of the season with a knee injury, he contributed 16 goals and 38 points in 56 games. From a points-per-game perspective, that’s the fourth time in five years that Smith has exceeded 0.65 PPG, which would translate to roughly 53 points over 82 games. He’s also solid defensively and led the team in shorthanded minutes per game with 1:46. Smith is an original member of the Golden Knights, having been acquired from Florida for the low price of a fourth-round pick back in June 2017. While there’s been a lot of turnover in Vegas since their unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, the Golden Knights clearly continue to value his strong two-way play and given that he’s not too old at the age of 31, he seems like a safe bet to continue to serve as a great second line option through the life of his new contract.

Chandler Stephenson

In a season where Vegas as a franchise endured its first major disappointment by missing the playoffs, Stephenson’s performance was something of a silver lining. He took a step forward in 2020-21 with 14 goals and 35 points in 79 games but blew that out of the water last season by scoring 21 goals and 64 points in 79 contests. Part of his rise has been thanks to his increased role. When the Golden Knights acquired him from the Capitals in 2019-20, his playing time jumped from an average of 11:50 minutes in Washington to 15:47 minutes over the rest of the campaign. His responsibilities have continued to increase in Vegas to the point where he was averaging 19:19 minutes last season. In Stephenson, Vegas has a speedy forward who can slot in comfortably with pretty much any linemates. Vegas also sends him out with confidence on both the power play and penalty kill. His 5-on-5 play is nothing to sneeze at either. He led the team in even-strength points with 48 and had a solid 5v5 Corsi For and Fenwick For at 51.3 and 52.5 respectively. It will be interesting to see how Vegas opts to utilize him this season. A full season of Jack Eichel when combined with the return of William Karlsson and Nicolas Roy gives the Golden Knights no shortage of capable centers to compete with Stephenson. At the time, Vegas lost Max Pacioretty and Evgenii Dadonov to cap saving trades, so their thinner on the wings. That could lead to Vegas shifting a natural center and to that end, it is worth noting that Stephenson received some 5v5 ice time with Eichel last season. That duo might find themselves together a lot more in 2022-23.

Keegan Kolesar

Kolesar’s offensive game has been slow to develop, and it remains to be seen if he’ll ever be a significant threat with the puck, but he has made a name for himself among the Golden Knights thanks to his physical play. He set a career-high with 246 hits in 77 games, which was good for 10th in the NHL and made him Vegas’ leader by a margin of 87 hits. With Ryan Reaves no longer a part of the team, Kolesar has latched onto the role as the team’s main enforcer. To that end, he also wasn’t shy about dropping the gloves last season, logging eight fights. He set career-highs offensively too, but those were far less impressive. He finished with seven goals and 24 points in 77 contests. Part of the problem was that he was averaging just 12:39 minutes and he also lacked consistent linemates. Let’s not pretend that his only issue was a lack of opportunities though. In terms of 5v5 points/60, he was the third worst forward on the team at 1.43 (min. 20 games played). His offensive upside isn’t high, so don’t expect a breakout here and with the number of skilled forwards the Golden Knights already have, they’re likely to continue to utilize him primarily in a bottom-six role. Fortunately, that’s a role he’s well suited for. He might not be a star forward, but he will help Vegas round out its team.

Nicolas Roy

With the 2021-22 Vegas Golden Knights devastated by injuries throughout the season, some players had to play bigger roles and one major example of that was Roy. He averaged 16:15 minutes last season, shattering his 2020-21 career-high of 13:01. It wasn’t a flawless transition for him. Although he did provide a bit of a physical edge with 85 hits, he wasn’t great defensively. That said, he made solid contributions with the puck, scoring 15 goals and 39 points in 78 contests. He also had a plus-2.1 5v5 relative Corsi For and plus-0.3 5v5 relative Fenwick For, so he at very least wasn’t a liability compared to his teammates from a puck possession perspective. It’s also worth noting that Roy averaged a somewhat modest 1:45 power-play minutes and a lot of that came as part of Vegas’ second unit. For that reason, Roy’s offensive gains came despite limited production on the power play. Of his 39 points, 33 of them came at even strength. In fact, in terms of 5v5 points/60, Roy held his own at 1.70, which put him in ninth place among Vegas forwards (min. 20 games played), just behind Jack Eichel (1.74) and not too far off from Evgenii Dadonov (1.84) or Jonathan Marchessault (1.91). Looking ahead to the 2021-22 campaign, Roy should be penciled in as the team’s third-line center, but with Dadonov and Max Pacioretty gone, there’s some potential for him to shift to the wing to serve in a second line role. It wouldn’t be surprising if his role changes on a semi-regular basis over the course of the season, resulting in him getting somewhat similar minutes to what he enjoyed last season.

Nolan Patrick

It’s hard not to feel sympathy for Patrick, even though that’s probably the last emotion he was hoping to elicit from people five years after being taken with the second overall pick by the Philadelphia Flyers. Patrick’s first two seasons in the NHL weren’t great, but they were okay. He recorded 30 and 31 points while seeing his role slowly increase. Then injuries completely derailed his career. He couldn’t play at all in 2019-20 because of a migraine disorder. That not only robbed him of a valuable chance to grow his role, but also critical development time. He was able to return for the 2020-21 campaign, but it was difficult for him to pick up where he left off. He contributed just four goals and nine points in 52 contests while averaging a modest 13:17 minutes. The Flyers gave him an opportunity to get a fresh start when they dealt him to the Vegas Golden Knights during the summer of 2021, but injuries once again spoiled his opportunity. He only got into four games before being sidelined for roughly two months due to an upper-body injury and that wouldn’t be his last stint on the sidelines. He ultimately finished with two goals and seven points in 25 games while averaging a career-low 11:30 minutes. Patrick has size, offensive potential, and can play with a physical edge. After all the setbacks he’s endured though, it’s tough to maintain optimism about his prospects. The one silver lining here is that the Golden Knights’ cap saving trades over the summer have created a top-nine opportunity for Patrick to seize if he can stay healthy.

DEFENSE

Alex Pietrangelo

When discussing who the best defenseman was from the first generation of salary cap era players, Pietrangelo won’t be the name that’s thrown out a lot. He’s never been a finalist for the Norris Trophy, nor has he ever led the defenseman scoring race. But he exists at a level just a hair below that: Not quite the very best of his era, but one of the elite blueliners all the same. He’s been consistently excellent, averaging over 24 minutes in each of the last 11 campaigns while averaging over 0.5 points-per-game in each of the last 12 seasons. He maintained his high standards in 2021-22, scoring 13 goals and 44 points in 80 games while averaging 24:39 minutes with Vegas. His contributions go beyond just being a great puck mover though. He ranked second on the Golden Knights with an average of 2:27 shorthanded minutes and he was eighth in the NHL with 164 blocked shots. Plus, while he didn’t get the opportunity to do so last season, he’s had some amazing playoff runs in recent years. He played a critical role in the Blues’ 2019 championship run, contributing three goals and 19 points in 26 postseason games and he was great during Vegas’ 2021 playoff run with four goals and 12 points in 19 contests. All-in-all, he’s been providing the Golden Knights with a valuable foundation to their blueline and given his extensive track record, he’s a safe bet to continue to perform at a high level this season.

Alec Martinez

Sometimes luck just isn’t on your side. Coming off a 2020-21 campaign where Martinez exceeded expectations by scoring nine goals and 32 points in 53 games while averaging 22:34 minutes for Vegas, Martinez was only able to participate in 26 contests last season. His absence was for the flukiest of reasons: Martinez was the unfortunate victim of a cut by the skate of Minnesota's Brandon Duhaime on Nov. 11th. He missed the next four-and-a-half months while recovering from that unfortunate incident. He’s healthy now though, so what should we expect from him? First off, it’d be best to temper your expectations when it comes to his offensive contributions. He saw his production roughly half in 2021-22 in terms of points-per-game from 0.6 to 0.31 and while it’s true that he suffered from a small sample size last season, the 2020-21 campaign was an outlier in the context of his career. He’s also 35-years-old and it wouldn’t be surprising if he shows his age a bit. Even still, he’s good in his own end of the ice and a terrific shot blocker. He easily led the NHL in blocks in 2020-21 with 168. The next best player was Adam Larsson, who finished a full 40 blocks behind him. Even in 2021-22, he still managed to get in front of 68 shots despite being limited to 26 games. So even in the likely event that he doesn’t fully recapture his offensive success in 2020-21, he’s going to be a very useful defenseman for Vegas.

Shea Theodore

Theodore is a defenseman without much of a physical side to his game, he doesn’t stand out at his own end of the ice, and Vegas has never trusted him with a noteworthy amount of shorthanded ice time. There is one thing better than 95% of the defensemen in the league though: generate offense. He moves the puck well and isn’t shy about firing it. In fact, he ranked seventh among defensemen last season with 417 shot attempts. That persistence paid off. Theodore had 14 goals and 52 points in 78 games last season, making it the third straight season that he logged over 40 points. He chipped in on the power play, but where he really stood out was 5v5 play. He ranked fourth among defensemen with 13 even-strength goals and tied for eighth place with 40 even-strength points. While game-winning goals can sometimes be a luck-based stat, it is worth noting that he was also one of just six blueliners with at least five winners. Now 27-years-old, Theodore is firmly in the prime of his career and Vegas has him locked in at $5.2 million. That’s a reasonable cap hit given what he brings to the table and the fact that it’ll stay at that level for the next three seasons is critical for the cap-strapped Golden Knights. Vegas will continue to lean heavily on Theodore next season in even-strength situations and he should continue to get a prominent role with the man advantage. That combined with his skill level makes him a good bet to exceed the 40-point milestone again.

Brayden McNabb

For years now, McNabb has made a good living out of being strong in his own end, sacrificing his body, and making life miserable for anyone he’s up against. He led all blueliners last season with 179 blocks and dished out 154 hits. That made him just one of six players to finish the season with over 150 in both hits and blocks. Given his skill set, it shouldn’t surprise you to find out that he also led the Golden Knights in average shorthanded minutes with 2:38. And yet, that’s where the praise for him ends. He was okay offensively last season with three goals and 18 points in 69 games, but those aren’t exactly eye-catching numbers and yet they’re about as good as it gets for McNabb when measured against his career. The 31-year-old has also lost a touch of his physical edge in 2021-22. He was clearly still an impact player in that regard, but his 6.79 hits/60 last season was the lowest it’s been since his 2011-12 rookie campaign. As he gets older, the 6-foot-4 defenseman might deliver big hits with diminishing frequency, but one season alone doesn’t make a trend and he’s not in the twilight of his career just yet. Even in the scenario where his physical play does continue to slowly taper off, he’ll continue to be a reliable stay-at-home defenseman in 2022-23. How many more years that will be the case though remains to be seen.

GOALTENDING

Laurent Brossoit

The Vegas Golden Knights certainly didn’t seem prepared to name backup Laurent Brossoit as their number one this year, particularly given the negative fan reaction to the team’s surprising choice to deal goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury last summer to the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. But with true number one Robin Lehner set to miss extended time for surgery, Vegas will have to hope that the mercurial Brossoit – who can be one of the league’s most underrated backups or one of its most mediocre – can step up and be a reliable option as the team looks to bounce back from their poor 2021-22 showing.

Brossoit has provided ample evidence that he’s capable of playing a powerful, hard-to-beat game; he, like his new backup Adin Hill, is biomechanically more flexible and adaptable than most goaltenders his size, and therefore is able to make stops few other goaltenders are capable of making. But while he has the ability to reach pucks that seem impossible and bend himself into desperation saves few others can, he also struggles to keep his game controlled and contained; he has a bad habit of looking a bit like he’s all limbs and no structure when he starts to panic, which opens up holes and makes him susceptible to being pulled out of position by offensive systems capable of establishing cross-ice passing patterns.

Projected starts: 45-50

Adin Hill

The San Jose Sharks’ acquisition of former Arizona Coyotes prospect Adin Hill in the summer of 2021 was met with mixed reviews, with fans and pundits on both sides of the trade unclear if he was a promising replacement for Martin Jones or a middling prospect who needed a fresh start to truly show what he could do. And after a full year in the Bay Area, it’s still difficult to determine what he offers as he moves teams once again; despite plenty of successful games and a clear top-tier ability to make stops that other goaltenders find physically impossible, Hill’s season with San Jose once again yielded mediocre results that looked just a step or two away from being legitimately good.

Hill’s game shows that he’s capable of holding his own against the league’s best; he’s got lightning-fast footspeed and an elite level of agility that enables him to physically attempt stops from wider stances and more flexible positions than goaltenders less physically limber. But he also has some questionable instincts in both his positioning – particularly with his arms, where he tends to open up holes – and in his depth management, which can be too aggressive for his size. And he’s been known to crumble after bad goals, struggling to keep his composure and getting too reactionary with his movements in a way that opens him up to flurries of goals in the aftermath. That, combined with a tendency to fall into slumps instead of immediately bouncing back from bad games, make him a hard sell as a true starter or 1A on a roster – although with Robin Lehner out in Vegas, the Golden Knights will have to see one of either Hill or Brossoit level their longevity game out in order to bounce back from their disappointing 2021-22 campaign.

Projected starts: 35-40

OH, CANADA! – NHL Trade Deadline Edition

Jeff Veillette — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 14:57:40 +0000

Welcome back to “Oh, Canada” – a weekly journey across Canada’s temporary North Division, exploring stories that may have happened throughout the week. With the NHL’s Trade Deadline occurring on Monday Afternoon, this week’s issue will be a quick glance at each team’s transactions in the days and hours before the cutoff.

COLUMBUS, OH - FEBRUARY 10: Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno (71) looks on during the game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on February 10, 2020. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire)

Calgary Flames

April 11^th: Traded G David Rittich to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 3^rd Round Draft Pick in 2022
April 12^th: Traded F Sam Bennett and a 6^th Round Draft Pick in 2022 to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Emil Heineman and a 2^nd Round Draft Pick in 2022

With the disappointing season that the Flames have had, it wasn’t a big shock to see them look more towards selling than buying. Nothing short of a miracle will get them into the playoffs at this point, so it stands to reason that the team would look towards refilling the cupboard a bit.

Which pieces would go, though, was the bigger question. Rittich’s departure makes sense given his upcoming free agent status and the long-term commitment the team has with Jacob Markstrom, but Bennett was a bit surprising. After all, we were only days removed from him telling the world that he was no longer interested in being traded! But, when a haul like the Flames received – a second-round pick and Heineman, a recent second-round pick himself – becomes available, the equation changes and you’re suddenly okay with moving a bottom six forward.

I think there is still a little more the Flames could’ve possibly done here. Derek Ryan, for example, feels like the sort of player they would have likely gotten phone calls on but chose not to move. But with so much of their core locked up to term and a lot of uncertainty around the league at the moment, it makes sense that they didn’t want to go into a snap fire sale at the highest level. What they did get done should be considered a particularly good effort.

Edmonton Oilers

April 12^th: Traded a Conditional 4^th Round Draft Pick in 2022 to the New Jersey Devils for D Dmitry Kulikov

The Oilers didn’t do a heck of a lot to add, and with the team in the position that they are, that decision seems like a confusing one. Ken Holland talked about a look towards next year as a spending year, telling reporters “I don’t know that you can be all-in every year. I think you pick and choose.”

To Holland’s credit, the Oilers could find themselves in a very flexible position next year, with a bevy of contracts coming off the books to supply them with $27 million in cap space. On the other hand, some of those names (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Larsson, Tyson Barrie, Kailer Yamamoto, Mike Smith) will take up a decent chunk of money to either re-sign or replace, and there’s no guarantee – especially in Smith’s case – that they put up the same results next year.

Not to mention a few other factors at play here like, I don’t know, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl producing at career-high rates, and while Toronto seems to be a formidable potential opponent, they’ll still have Vegas to deal with when the divisions go back to normal next year. It seems to me that while the team aren’t sure-fire favourites, they’re good enough to have a shot, and so long as you have a generational talent in his prime available, you push forward. Instead, all that happened is a minor pick for depth transaction – Kulikov is a body who can play games and minutes and that’s important to any playoff team, but he’s not going to be breaking any games.

Montreal Canadiens

April 12^th: Lost D Victor Mete on Waivers to the Ottawa Senators
April 12^th: Traded a 7^th Round Draft Pick in 2022 to the Philadelphia Flyers for D Erik Gustafsson

The Canadiens have a bit more of an excuse for a quiet deadline, given that that they had lost four of five going into the deadline and seem to mostly be playoff-secure right now due to the Flames’ failures, rather than their own success. It’s very reminiscent of last year’s team – perhaps the sign of a core that is decent, but still not ready to be in the contender conversation for a little bit.

They also already made their splash in acquiring Eric Staal on March 26^th, and with just one point to his name in the six games since (albeit an OT winner), that may have given Marc Bergevin some pause on attempting another. They did make an intriguing attempt at a buy-low, though, in acquiring Flyers’ defenceman Erik Gustafsson, who probably has the most shocking-to-stumble-upon 60-point season of any active NHLer (2018/19 with Chicago).

I don’t think Montreal is expecting to get a repeat of that out of him, and with an expiring contract, they likely don’t have time to find out. But he’s a perfectly capable defenceman who can contribute in the defensive zone, even if he appears to be a shell of his former self offensively. Given the loss of Victor Mete to waivers earlier in the day, the low-cost bet appears to be sound.

Ottawa Senators

April 11^th: Traded D Mike Reilly to the Boston Bruins for a 3^rd Round Draft Pick in 2022
April 12^th: Claimed D Victor Mete on Waivers from Montreal Canadiens
April 12^th: Traded D Erik Gudbranson to the Nashville Predators for Brandon Fortunato and a 7^th Round Draft Pick in 2023
April 12^th: Traded D Braydon Coburn to the New York Islanders for a 7^th Round Draft Pick in 2022

Victor Mete

It should come to no surprise that the Senators would be sellers in a clear rebuild year, but after the way Erik Gudbranson and Brayden Coburn were talked about as invaluable members of the team by DJ Smith in the weeks prior, there was some wonder whether he was asset-pumping or sure that they’d stick around.

It seems the answer is neither, as both have moved on and neither fetched much – 7^th round picks in later years, and a warm-body contract in Fortunato. It stands to reason for the Senators to take what they could get there, though, and as the market for big, defence first, non-play driving defencemen fades year after year, what they could get just wasn’t much.

Redemption came in their other two transactions. Getting a 22-year-old Victor Mete for free from the Canadiens via waivers, presumably with lots of ice time now available to him, was a great free wallet. Even if he doesn’t amount to his previous hype, he still at least seems to be a young, capable NHLer, so the potential on the acquisition is nearly all upside. Mike Reilly would be a tough loss to a team in a more competitive position but given that he will be out of his prime by the time the Senators are ready, getting a third round pick in a buyer’s market is a solid alternative.

Toronto Maple Leafs

April 9^th: Traded a Conditional 7^th Round Draft Pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for F Riley Nash
April 11^th: Traded a 1^st Round Draft Pick in 2021 and a 4^th Round Draft Pick in 2022 to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and 4^th Round Draft Pick in 2021, for F Nick Foligno (two salary retentions) and F Stefan Noesen
April 11^th: Traded a 3^rd Round Draft Pick in 2022 to the Calgary Flames for G David Rittich
April 12^th: Traded F Alexander Barabanov to the San Jose Sharks for F Antti Suomela
April 12^th: Traded a 5^th Round Pick in 2022 to the Anaheim Ducks for D Ben Hutton

Few, if any teams were more active in trying to check all possible boxes than the Maple Leafs in their deadline week. Nash brings them a fourth line, absence-of-event defensive forward, and acquiring him first gave Toronto some LTIR flexibility as he recovers from a sprained knee. Rittich gives them a fourth goalie to play regular season games while they figure out which of Jack Campbell, Frederik Andersen, and Michael Hutchinson are healthy and/or good. Ben Hutton has played games throughout the season and will be a warmer option should a depth defenceman be required. Over in San Jose, the Leafs get to do a favour to a European signing who didn’t work out and find him another spot to try to make a name for himself, while getting back a player who can play centre if their depth severely lessens.

The big fish here is obviously Foligno, who fetched the biggest return of any rental forward this week. Toronto is hoping that he can be the piece that brings it all together – someone who bolsters their sandpaper while contributing a solid two-way game. His familial relation to the city through his father Mike helps create an early bond with the fanbase.

From a traditional perspective, I think the Maple Leafs checked a lot of boxes. They sharpened their tools up front, on defence, and in goal. There are some arguments to be had about the costs, mostly on the Foligno trade, and whether a spend that steep could’ve been better put towards a higher-talent player. But in an interesting plot twist, Kyle Dubas has stuck with conventional wisdom, and we’ll see where it takes them.

Adam Gaudette

Vancouver Canucks

April 12^th: Traded F Adam Gaudette to the Chicago Blackhawks for F Matthew Highmore
April 12^th: Traded a 4^th Round Draft Pick in 2021 to the Chicago Blackhawks for D Madison Bowey and a 5^th Round Draft Pick in 2021
April 12^th: Traded D Jordie Benn to the Winnipeg Jets for a 6^th Round Draft Pick in 2021

Traditionally, this is one of the best weeks in the year to wonder what exactly the Vancouver Canucks are thinking, as this is right about the time where this management group has frequently let sharper minds in the fanbase down. Usually, this is the time where you expect the Canucks to sell and replenish their pick capital, only for them to case a bunch of pre-prime aged reclamation projects in hopes that what Jim Benning once liked about them can be found again.

Now, looking at the above list, it’s easy to say that they’ve literally done just that once again. They extended Tanner Pearson instead of trading him, they kept Brandon Sutter, they kept Travis Hamonic, they kept Alex Edler, they didn’t move out anyone with term, and they come out of this all with only a couple low picks and two 25-year-old longshots. But I’d argue, for once, that they can take a pass on this one.

With the Canucks in a completely unenviable spot due to their COVID-19 outbreak, I understand the interest in doing right by the players and avoiding moving them whenever possible this week. Most reports seem to suggest that Gaudette preferred to move, and given his position as potential patient zero, I can see why they made it work for him. Benn was unlikely to return next year and moving him to a Canadian team to minimize disruption was likely something he was happy with. I’m kind of into the Madison Bowey play as well – his NHL career hasn’t been great to date, but he’s at the very least a solid tweener, and the average value gap between a 4^th and 5^th rounder isn’t significant.

In normal circumstances, I’d be all over dunking on this deadline. This time? We’ll give them a pass. It’s fine given how up against the wall they were.

Winnipeg Jets

April 12^th: Traded a 6^th Round Draft Pick in 2021 to the Vancouver Canucks for D Jordie Benn

So, on the note of Benn, Winnipeg was where he landed, as the Jets’ only move of significance this week. In him, they get a veteran who has seen his way around the league, making stops in Dallas, Montreal, and obviously, Vancouver on his way to his new home. He’s best known as a physical, shot blocking defenceman who can put up a limited, but existent rate of production, and has some comfort on the penalty kill. Most underlying metrics aren’t super high on him, though the popular Evolving Hockey Goals Above Replacement model has him as Vancouver’s second most positively impactful player this year.

Suffice to say, while he’s not a slam dunk acquisition, he’s the kind that a team can make for a sixth-round pick and be satisfied. That’s especially true if you’re the Winnipeg Jets, who for all of their scoring talent and their elite goaltending, simply do not have a strong defence core. As it stands, we’re talking about a team where Neal Pionk seems to clearly be their top defenceman, with no one, even the high-priced Josh Morrissey, really stepping up to declare themselves as a well above-average piece, let alone be a star.

The big question here is – could they have done more? As mentioned last week, there was talk of Mattias Ekholm, but Nashville’s price got excessive quickly. David Savard may have been an interesting add, though he ultimately landed in Tampa Bay. Not outbidding Boston on Mike Reilly is the one that really confuses me, as the cost of a third-round pick was little to nothing for a player like him. The Jets are in a great position to go for it this year, and while Benn helps, I’m just not sure it’s enough of a leap forward in that position. Then again, when you have one of the best goalies in the world at your disposal, maybe you don’t have to do much defending.

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Week One

McKeen's Hockey — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 12:05:16 +0000

The waiver wire return for the 2015-16 season and with the first week of NHL games complete some players are already injured, some failed to make the team, and some are wetting the bed and need to be replaced. The Waiver wire in many fantasy leagues offers the easiest and sometimes best option to upgrade some dead weight on your roster. One trend to be wary of is rookies who have junior eligibility remaining like Daniel Sprong with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sprong has made the Pens roster to start the season but is not eligible to play in the AHL. If Pittsburgh decide he is not ready he will go back to junior and be gone for the season.

1. Brandon Sutter - Vancouver Canucks, Right Wing/Centre 56% Owned

The 26 year old Sutter is now on his third team and has 500 career games played. Throughout his career he has typically been a third line centre but with Vancouver he has been seeing shifts on the top line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Sutter has not looked out of place on the top line and if he can hold that spot for the season he is poised to have a career year. He is a point per game player after five games this season and has a shooting percentage of 13% which is well above his career average suggesting he can sustain fantasy relevance and a spot on a top line. Sutter is entering his prime years and has proven to be a durable player missing only three games in the past two seasons.

2. Brandon Pirri – Florida Panthers, Left Wing/Right Wing 46% Owned

Limited to just 49 games last season Pirri had a breakout 22 goal performance last season. Unfortunately, he only managed to add two assists to his point totals. This year, he has been playing on Florida’s second line with Nick Bjugstad and Reilly Smith and is producing; a goal and three assists in five games. His shooting percentage is well below career average at 7.7% which suggests that the goals are coming. His cap hit is also very attractive at $925k

3. Jeff Petry – Montreal Canadiens, Defence 32% owned

After the Habs rescued Petry from Edmonton at a deadline deal last season, he instantly rewarded them with seven points in 19 games and played a top four role. The Habs in turn rewarded Petry with a lucrative new contract. Saddled with a $5.5 million cap hit, Petry is still providing the Habs with good value as a second pairing defender and is seeing time on both special team units and both his points have come with the man advantage. If you can afford him, or are not in a capped league and need a defenceman, you will be hard pressed to find a better option on the waiver wire than Petry.

4. Tobias Rieder – Arizona Coyotes, Left Wing 37% owned

After a successful rookie season in the fantasy hockey desert, Rieder is off to a hot start in his sophomore season playing on the second line with Martin Hanzal and Max Domi. Rieder has found some early production with five points in five games as the Coyotes are off to a hot start. It is unlikely either the Coyotes or Rieder will maintain this pace, so he represents a good short term solution while his line is hot.

5. Jimmy Hayes – Boston Bruins, Right Wing 36% owned

Hayes only has points in one of his five games so far this season, but it was a four point night! Hayes is playing on a young but talented line with Ryan Spooner and Brett Connolly on the third line and should not draw the opposition’s better defensive line. Hayes has struggled with consistency but the 25 year old has a new contract and the faith of Bruins management as he enters his prime. He is a breakout candidate.

6. Colton Parayko – St. Louis Blues, Defence 40% owned

Super sleeper Colton Parayko has only managed to post two goals (both in the same game) but is one of the best kept secrets in the NHL. The Blues scouts did a great job finding Parayko and keeping him under the radar as he has come from nowhere. Don’t sleep on the player who is the early favorite to be this years John Klingberg as he has been drawing rave reviews since training camp.

7. Ben Hutton – Vancouver Canucks, Defence 31% owned

Speaking of super sleeper players to come from nowhere, Huton impressed Canucks management so much at training camp he forced himself onto the roster despite being minor eligible. The move forced the Canucks to expose Frank Corrado to waivers and he was claimed by Toronto. Corrado is a highly regarded prospect so it speaks volumes to how high the Canucks are on Hutton.

All ownership numbers are based on Fantrax leagues