Blake Wheeler – McKeen's Hockey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KEY MATCHUPS

Igor Shesterkin vs. Sergei Bobrovsky

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

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

Sam Reinhart vs. Artemi Panarin

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

Brandon Montour vs. Adam Fox

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

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

X-FACTOR

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

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

PREDICTION

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

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

2024 NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

Ryan Dadoun — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 17:57:50 +0000

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 14: New York Rangers Center Vincent Trocheck (16) and Washington Capitals Center Dylan Strome (17) face off during the National Hockey League game between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers on January 14, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire)

At a glance, the Rangers-Capitals’ series might be the most lopsided series of all the first-round matchups, in part because Washington looks really bad on paper. Still, the Capitals have gotten this far, so perhaps there’s more to them than meets the eye.

Before we can discuss how Washington might be better than it looks, though, we need to establish why the Capitals look so underwhelming in the first place. For starters, Washington is entering the playoffs with a goal differential of minus-37, which is easily the worst of any playoff-bound squad this year. To put that into perspective, Ottawa, which finished with a 37-41-4 record, had a significantly better minus-26 goal differential. No team in 2023 made the playoffs with a goal differential worse than plus-17 and in 2022 the worst was Dallas at minus-8. Excluding the unusual COVID interrupted 2019-20 campaign, you’d have to go back to 2015-16 to find another postseason with a goal differential worse than minus-10 in Detroit, and even that version of the Red Wings looked leagues better in that metric at minus-13.

All this is to say that, at least in terms of goal differential, the Capitals aren’t just bad for a playoff team, they are historically so. The fancy stats don’t make the case for Washington much brighter. The Capitals Expected Goal Differential Per 60 was minus-0.3, which doesn’t set the Capitals apart by quite as much -- the Islanders made the playoffs at minus-0.28 -- though it is still pretty bad.

This all begs the question: How are the Capitals even here? The simple answer is luck or clutch play, depending on how you want to look at it. Washington was an incredible 20-2-11 in one-goal games compared to 20-29 in all other contests. Just Dallas and the Rangers earned more one-goal victories and, in contrast to Washington, both of those teams finished atop of the standings.

If you do want to ascribe Washington’s success in close contests as the result of clutch play, then you’re likely to feel more optimistic about them in the playoffs. Even if you don’t, though, there are reasons around the margin to think the Capitals are more than the top-line numbers suggest.

Most notable is its goaltending. Darcy Kuemper has skewed the defensive numbers downward with his 3.31 GAA and .890 save percentage across 33 appearances, but barring injury, that’s not necessarily going to matter much in the playoffs. Instead, Washington is likely to lean heavily on Charlie Lindgren, who has excelled with a 25-16-7 record, 2.67 GAA and .911 save percentage in 50 contests this season.

Up front, the Capitals have been terrible this year, averaging just 2.63 goals per game, which ranks 28th in the NHL. However, Alexander Ovechkin was far stronger in the second half of the campaign with 25 goals and 45 points in 46 contests compared to six goals and 20 points over his first 33 appearances. If Ovechkin can carry that into the playoffs, he might give the Rangers some trouble.

Even still, Washington shouldn’t be seen as anything other than an underdog because the gap isn’t even fully about the Capitals’ shortcomings, it’s also due to the Rangers’ abilities.

While Washington might have a couple of veterans capable of stepping up like Ovechkin, the Rangers boast an incredible forward corps. Artemi Panarin was one of the best players this campaign with 49 goals and 120 points, and he’s backed by Chris Kreider, Alexis Lafreniere, Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck, who each provided at least 25 goals. Aside from Ovechkin, Dylan Strome is the only other Capitals player with even 20 markers.

Then there’s the Rangers defense, which has been solid by limiting the competition to 3.00 xGA/60 (13th in the league), and behind it is one of the league’s top goaltenders in Igor Shesterkin, who had a 36-17-2 record, 2.58 GAA and .912 save percentage over 55 contests this season. Should he get injured or struggle, New York could always turn to Jonathan Quick, who has 92 starts worth of playoff experience and proved to be a capable backup this campaign, posting an 18-6-2 record, 2.62 GAA and .911 save percentage in 27 outings.

With that kind of balance and star power, a Capitals upset in this series would be nothing short of a Cinderella story.

KEY MATCHUPS

Charlie Lindgren vs. Igor Shesterkin

Shesterkin enters this series with a far more impressive resume, and Lindgren will need to keep up to give the Capitals a chance. Although Lindgren is 30 years old, he’s spent most of that career as a journeyman and consequently has no playoff experience, so Game 1 will be a big test for him.

If there is a glimmer of hope here for the Capitals, it’s that Lindgren has a 2-1-0 record, 1.35 GAA and .955 save percentage in three career games against the Rangers. It’s a small sample size, but at least it’s something.

Artemi Panarin vs. Alex Ovechkin

Panarin has enjoyed an outstanding career in which he’s averaged 1.16 PPG in the regular season, but one thing he hasn’t done with regularity is step up in the playoffs. Instead, Panarin has seven goals and 20 points across 30 career playoff appearances. Meanwhile, Ovechkin is one of the top active players in terms of postseason production with 72 markers and 141 points in 147 outings. If Panarin wants to lead the Rangers to the Cup as Ovechkin did for Washington in 2018, he’ll need to step up when it matters most.

Adam Fox vs. John Carlson

This series will pit two top-tier offensive defensemen against each other. Carlson is getting up there in age, but the 34-year-old still contributed 10 goals and 52 points in 82 appearances this season while averaging 25:54 of ice time. Meanwhile, Fox missed a bit of time due to injury, but still surpassed the 70-point milestone for the third consecutive campaign by supplying 17 goals and 56 assists. Unlike Panarin, Fox has also stayed just as strong in past playoff runs, totaling five goals and 31 points across 30 outings.

X-FACTOR

Washington Capitals: The Capitals need to stay out of trouble. The Rangers had a 26.4 conversion rate on power plays in the regular season while Washington was 18th on the penalty kill with a 79 percent success rate. The good news for the Capitals is they were also a pretty disciplined team, taking just 246 minor penalties throughout the campaign, which was the seventh-least in the league. The notable exception to that was Tom Wilson, who tied for second with 38 minors.

New York Rangers: The Rangers already have plenty of depth, but they might get even more with the potential return of Blake Wheeler (lower body) and Filip Chytil (head). Wheeler’s status is uncertain, but Chytil, who hasn’t played since Nov. 2, seems poised to return. Chytil had 22 goals and 45 points in 74 outings in 2022-23, so if rust doesn’t prove to be too big of a hindrance, he could be a nice addition to the third line. Wheeler is also likely to serve in a bottom-six capacity if he does factor in at all. While the 37-year-old isn’t the player he once was, having him healthy would still be a nice luxury.

FANTASY PLAYERS TO TARGET

The Rangers are well-positioned to go far in the playoffs, so taking their players in general is likely a good idea. As mentioned above, Panarin has been somewhat underwhelming overall in the playoffs, but he’s never been this effective before, so I wouldn’t be shy about selecting him in playoff pools. You also shouldn’t overlook Lafreniere, who made great strides in his fourth NHL campaign and seemed to only get better as the season went on, contributing 14 goals and 26 points over his past 28 contests.

Fox is an easy recommendation, but if your playoff league values PIM, hits and blocks, then Trouba is also worthy of consideration. Trouba won’t help you out much offensively after recording just three goals and 22 points in 69 contests this season, but he can contribute in the gritty categories.

I’d be more cautious about Capitals players given that Washington’s chances of making it past the first round are poor. However, Ovechkin might still be worthy of a gamble later in the draft, just because of how much potential value there is there if the Capitals do pull off an upset. Even if they don’t, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make a solid mark on this series.

You could also view Max Pacioretty as a sleeper candidate. He was limited to four goals and 23 points in 47 contests this year, but the 35-year-old might have something more to give. He’s certainly had big campaigns in the past and did look good during his most recent playoff stint in 2021, scoring five goals and 11 points across 13 appearances with Vegas.

PREDICTION

I think it’s fair to believe that the Capitals will put up a fight, but the difference between these teams is too great for me to realistically suggest that they’ll win. I’m projecting the Rangers to take this series in six.

DADOUN: THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD (January 1st, 2024 to January 6th) – The Penguins complicated Guentzel situation – Flames, Hawks, Rangers, Flyers, Leafs, Canucks, Capitals, Jets to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 16:05:17 +0000

Pittsburgh Penguins Left Wing Jake Guentzel (Photo by Steven Kingsman/Icon Sportswire)

The Penguins are a weird team. In their last five games, they’ve earned a 7-0 victory and suffered a 7-0 defeat. They have the seventh best xGoals Differential/60 at 0.33 and their actual differential is nothing to scoff at either at plus-10 goals, but they’re currently sitting outside of a playoff spot with a 16-13-4 record. No other team has a double-digit differential in the positives without being in a position to make the postseason.

That 7-0 loss aside, the Penguins’ main issue is holding it together when things are close. Pittsburgh is just 5-5-4 in one-goal games and 4-5 in contests decided by two goals. To put that into perspective, Washington, which has a three-point lead on Pittsburgh in the standings despite a minus-13 goal differential, is 10-1-5 in one-goal games.

So, have the Penguins just been unlucky or do they lack that extra something that allows certain teams to perform in clutch situations? The latter would be particularly troubling given that Pittsburgh has been set up for one last playoff push before age catches up to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

Complicating this conversation is Jake Guentzel’s contract situation. He’s playing out the final season of his team-friendly five-year, $30 million contract. The 29-year-old, who has surpassed each of the 35-goal and 70-point milestones three times and might do so again this campaign is in line for a big payday. At the same time, I have to wonder if there’s a bit of hesitation on Guentzel’s part to re-sign with Pittsburgh.

If Pittsburgh is struggling to even make the playoffs now when their aged core is still relatively effective, what will the situation be like in a couple of years? Most likely, by that point, the Penguins will be paying the toll for the win-now moves they’ve made. If Guentzel signs an eight-year deal with Pittsburgh, a lot of that time might be as a member of a rebuilding squad. Is that a problem for him? I don’t know, but it’s a potential wrinkle.

Either way, all isn’t lost for the Penguins in the short term. We’ve seen signs that this team still has life. They just need to be able to find that little extra they too often lack.

Calgary Flames – TUE @ MIN, THU @ NSH, SAT@ PHI, SUN @ CHI (BTB)

The Flames will be on the road next week, but they do have a packed schedule with games in Minnesota on Tuesday, Nashville on Thursday, Philadelphia on Saturday and Chicago on Sunday. None of those adversaries have been especially good this year, though the Wild are one to watch out for after winning 11 of their last 14, bringing them up to 16-13-4.

As a team, Calgary can’t claim to be nearly as hot as Minnesota, but the Flames have seen some superb individual performances recently. Yegor Sharangovich is chief among them, supplying six goals and 11 points over his last 10 contests. He got off to such a slow start this year with two goals and five points through 16 games, but that’s in no small part because he was averaging just 13:42 of ice time, including 0:39 on the power play. By contrast, he’s averaged 20:00 over his last 10 appearances, including 3:23 with the man advantage. If he maintains his present role, which seems probable, then it’s reasonable to pencil the 25-year-old in for 30-40 points over Calgary’s final 47 contests.

Blake Coleman is another player taking advantage of an increased role, though to a lesser degree. He had two goals and three points through 11 games while averaging 15:02 of ice time -- almost none of that on the power play. He’s ballooned to 17:23 per game over his last 10 outings and has rewarded Calgary by contributing six goals and 11 points over that stretch. What’s most encouraging is the Flames have experimented with using him on the power play recently -- he's averaged 2:31 with the man advantage over the past six games -- and while that’s only resulted in one point (a goal) thus far, that position does increase his upside.

Unfortunately for the Flames, things are getting progressively worse for their most expensive player. Jonathan Huberdeau was a massive disappointment last year when he dropped from 115 points to 55, and he’s on pace to do even worse in 2023-24 with just four goals and 15 points through 34 contests. Huberdeau is marred in a 12-game scoring drought. If there’s any silver lining, it’s that he’s still serving in a top-six role, so the 30-year-old is at least being put in a position to rebound. Whether he’ll take advantage of it remains to be seen, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to remain optimistic.

Chicago Blackhawks – TUE @ NSH, THU @ NYR, FRI @ NJD (BTB), SUN VS CGY

The Blackhawks will start the week with road games against the Predators on Tuesday, the Rangers on Thursday and the Devils on Friday before hosting the Flames on Sunday. It’s not an easy schedule but having a full four-game schedule is handy, so it’s worth highlighting the Blackhawks.

In particular, it’s worth keeping Petr Mrazek in mind if you’re looking for starts. With an 8-11-0 record, 3.09 GAA and .907 save percentage in 21 contests, he hasn’t exactly wowed this year, but Mrazek has been quietly effective lately, posting a 2.21 GAA and a .933 save percentage over his last eight appearances. With Arvid Soderblom struggling (0-5-1, 4.71 GAA and .848 save percentage over his past six outings), Mrazek is likely to start in three of the four games next week.

Philipp Kurashev will also be looking to stay hot after supplying a goal and six points over his last seven appearances, including three helpers over his past two games. It helps that he’s playing alongside Connor Bedard, who has factored into 10 of Kurashev’s last 11 points.

Speaking of Bedard, he’s on a five-game scoring streak in which he’s collected three goals and eight points. That gives the 18-year-old rookie 13 goals and 30 points through 33 outings.

New York Rangers – TUE VS CAR, THU VS CHI, SAT @ MTL

The Rangers have just three contests next week, but they’re winnable games. They’ll start by hosting Carolina on Tuesday and Chicago on Thursday before playing in Montreal on Saturday. The Hurricanes are in a playoff spot, but the Rangers’ other adversaries aren’t.

It’ll give Mika Zibanejad to extend his amazing run. He’s recorded at least a point in eight straight games and 16 of his last 17 outings. He had a slump from Nov. 2-20 in which he was limited to an assist over seven outings, but from Nov. 22 onward, Zibanejad ranks fourth in the league with 25 points (11 goals) over 17 appearances.

Of course, the Rangers expected Zibanejad to respond going into the campaign, but what they were going to get out of the 37-year-old Blake Wheeler was less certain. After inking a one-year, $1.1 million deal over the summer following his buyout, Wheeler was initially a nonfactor, collecting just two goals and six points through 26 contests this season. Something’s clicked recently, though, allowing him to supply three goals and eight points over his last seven outings.

New York’s schedule is spread out enough that Igor Shesterkin might start in all three games, but Jonathan Quick has been seeing action around once every three contests, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Rangers use him during this stretch. Keep an eye out for that because Quick’s been a fantastic backup this year with a 9-1-1 record, 2.27 GAA and .920 save percentage in 12 outings.

Philadelphia Flyers – TUE @ EDM, THU VS CBJ, SAT VS CGY

The Flyers will start the week with a challenging matchup in Edmonton on Tuesday, but then they have a pair of home games against the 11-18-7 Blue Jackets on Thursday and the 14-16-5 Flames on Saturday.

Those latter two contests should help Joel Farabee in his quest to surpass his career high of 39 points, which he set last year. The 23-year-old has made huge strides in 2023-24 with 12 goals and 24 points in 34 outings. He’s been particularly effective lately, providing a goal and four points over his past two outings.

Farabee’s linemate, Bobby Brink, is on a bit of a roll too, recording a point in each of his last three contests. The 22-year-old rookie is up to six goals and 17 points in 29 appearances. It’s not enough to put him in the conversation for the Calder Trophy, but it’s a solid start to what could be a good career. His playing time is somewhat modest at 14:50 per contest, which limits his production, but Brink is at least worth considering as a short-term pickup while he’s hot.

Owen Tippett isn’t getting a ton of playing time either -- just 15:15 per game -- but he has made the most of what he’s been given with 12 goals and 21 points through 33 outings. The 24-year-old has been especially productive recently, supplying at least a point in four straight outings and six of his last eight appearances.

Toronto Maple Leafs – TUE @ LAK, WED @ ANA (BTB), SAT @ SJS

The Maple Leafs will play in Los Angeles on Tuesday and Anaheim on Wednesday before hosting the Sharks on Saturday. While the Kings are a top-tier team, the Ducks and the Sharks sit in the NHL’s basement and rank 22nd and 32nd, respectively, in terms of goals allowed per game.

It’ll be an opportunity for Auston Matthews to pad his numbers. The superstar forward has 28 goals in 30 contests, including a stunning 14 tallies over his last 10 appearances. William Nylander can’t match Matthews in terms of goals, but he’s still having an amazing campaign in his own right with 16 markers and 45 points through 31 contests. Nylander is riding a 12-game scoring streak during which he’s provided four goals and 19 points -- and that’s on top of his season-opening 17-game point streak.

The rest of the Maple Leafs haven’t been nearly as impressive recently, though of course Mitchell Marner and John Tavares are still star forwards. Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi and Matthew Knies have their moments too. That trio of supporting forwards hasn’t been nearly as consistent as Toronto might like, but against competition like Anaheim and San Jose, any one of them is capable of excelling.

Vancouver Canucks – TUE VS OTT, THU @ STL, SAT @ NJD

Vancouver leads the league with 3.78 goals per game and its offense is likely to keep rolling given the state of its upcoming competition. The Canucks will host the Senators (28th defensively with 3.50 goals allowed per game) on Tuesday, play in St. Louis (19th, 3.26) on Thursday and conclude the week with a contest in New Jersey (29th, 3.55) on Saturday.

It might be a good time to pick up Teddy Blueger if he’s still available. That’s a sentence that hasn’t been written much over the course of the 29-year-old’s career -- after all, his career high in points stands at just 28 -- but he’s riding a seven-game point streak in which he’s supplied three goals and nine points.

Dakota Joshua is another middle-six forward who has caught fire with five goals and eight points over his last seven outings. Don’t expect him to keep this up -- the 27-year-old had just 23 points in 79 appearances last season -- but he’s a nice short-term option while he’s hot and Vancouver’s opponents feature leaky goaltending.

Of course, there are also the usual suspects too. Defenseman Quinn Hughes is having an amazing campaign with 10 goals and 45 points in 36 contests and is likely to take full advantage of the Canucks’ favorable upcoming schedule.

Washington Capitals – TUE @ PIT, WED VS NJD (BTB), FRI VS CAR, SUN VS LAK

The Capitals will start the week by visiting their main rival in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. From there, Washington will host the Devils on Wednesday, the Hurricanes on Friday, and the Kings on Sunday.

Washington has struggled offensively this year, averaging only 2.34 goals per game, and the Capitals have scored three or fewer goals in each of their last seven contests, so things don’t seem to be getting any better. Aliaksei Protas is one of the few forwards doing well recently. He’s on a four-game scoring streak and has six helpers over his last seven outings.

Anthony Mantha is also surging with four goals over his last three outings. That’s pushed him up to 10 markers through 32 contests, making him the third Capitals player to reach double digits in goals this year.

Charlie Lindgren and Darcy Kuemper might evenly split next week’s four-game set. Kuemper has been a mixed bag this campaign, but Lindgren has excelled with a 2.29 GAA and a .928 save percentage in 14 contests. He’s allowed just three goals on 56 shots (.946 save percentage) over his last two starts.

Winnipeg Jets – TUE VS TBL, THU @ SJS, FRI @ ANA, SUN @ ARI

The Jets have a full schedule of four games next week, though all those contests will be on the road. They’ll face the Lightning on Tuesday, the Sharks on Thursday, the Ducks on Friday and the Coyotes on Sunday. That set between San Jose and Anaheim in particular should be good for the Jets.

Winnipeg is still without Kyle Connor, who hasn’t played since Dec. 10 because of a knee injury. What partially compensates for that is that the Jets got Gabriel Vilardi back from a knee injury Nov. 30. It took him a few games to shake off the rust, but he has seven goals and 13 points over his last eight contests.

Nikolaj Ehlers has also stepped up during Connor’s absence. He averaged 15:47 of ice time before Connor’s injury and in the seven games Winnipeg has been without the star forward, Ehlers has supplied four goals and 10 points while logging 18:21 per contest.

Laurent Brossoit will probably start against either Anaheim or San Jose during that back-to-back set, so the Jets’ backup goaltender is slated to have a favorable matchup. Brossoit’s done well this year with a 2.49 GAA and a .911 save percentage in eight contests.

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Joey Daccord stakes his claim to the crease in Seattle, Brock Faber eats minutes in Minnesota, Jack Quinn brings scoring touch to Buffalo, Juraj Slafkovsky is making progress in Montreal, and much, much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 18:39:38 +0000

MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 30: Juraj Slafkovsky (20) of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the third period of the NHL game between the Florida Panthers and the Montreal Canadiens on November 30 2023, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dive into the numbers to help make decisions when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, Joey Daccord stakes his claim to the crease in Seattle, Brock Faber eats minutes in Minnesota, Jack Quinn brings scoring touch to Buffalo, Juraj Slafkovsky is making progress in Montreal, and much, much more!

#1 One of the stories that has been consistent with the Seattle Kraken in their three seasons of existence is that they have not been able to find an answer in goal. They spent big money to bring in Philipp Grubauer as a free agent and he has not performed nearly as well as he did in previous stops with Colorado and Washington. However, with Grubauer injured, the door has opened for 27-year-old Joey Daccord, who had started 15 NHL games prior to this season. In his past seven starts, Daccord has a 4-1-2 record and a scintillating .944 save percentage. If he keeps playing like this, Daccord will remain Seattle’s starter even if the other goaltenders are healthy. Chris Driedger has been recalled from Coachella Valley in the AHL and he stopped 37 of 38 shots to earn a win in Calgary on Wednesday, and the 29-year-old appears to be healthy and ready for NHL duty after missing all of last season.

#2 Minnesota Wild rookie defenceman Brock Faber stepped up his game in a big way this month, especially when the Wild have been missing veterans Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon due to injury. In a dozen December games, Faber produced eight points (1 G, 7 A) while averaging 27:30 of ice time per game. That average time on ice was the highest in the league for the month of December.

#3 Recovered from a torn Achilles suffered in the offseason, Buffalo Sabres right winger Jack Quinn has buried a pair of goals on 10 shots through his first four games of the season. Quinn is a skilled young forward working on a line with Dylan Cozens and J.J. Peterka, a couple more skilled young forwards. It’s interesting to note that Quinn averaged 13:51 of ice time as a rookie last season and has averaged 16:34 per game in his first four games this season – the Sabres obviously have room for Quinn to play a prominent role.

#4 The first overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Montreal Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky has not been overly impressive early in his career, but it should not be ignored that he is still just 19 years old. In any case, he is starting to show promising signs as he skates on Montreal’s top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. In his past five games, Slafkovsky has produced five points (2 G, 3 A) and he has played more than 20 minutes in three of his past six games. It’s kind of like the Habs are letting him sink or swim with this opportunity and, thus far, Slafkovsky is at least treading water.

#5 Acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings in the offseason, Arizona Coyotes defenceman Sean Durzi returned just before Christmas from a lower-body injury suffered a few weeks earlier. In his first three games back, Durzi has compiled seven points (1 G, 6 A) with eight shots on goal. He is up to 20 points (6 G, 14 A) in 28 games and his 0.71 points per game ranks 21^st among defencemen this season. He has shown the ability to provide offence from the blueline and that is securing his value for fantasy managers.

#6 An early-season injury sidelined Anaheim Ducks defenceman Jamie Drysdale for more than two months, but he has returned and the smooth skating blueliner is worth keeping an eye on. Not only does Drysdale have three points (1 G, 2 A) in five games this season, but he has been inserted as the quarterback on Anaheim’s top power play unit and is averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game. Opportunity alone makes Drysdale worth a potential pick up.

#7 Veteran right winger Blake Wheeler got off to a miserable start with the New York Rangers, going 10 games without a point to start his career on Broadway, but the 36-year-old has adjusted. Despite averaging just 12:30 of ice time per game in his past seven contests, Wheeler has still produced eight points (3 G, 5 A) and has found himself back on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. The best days are behind Wheeler, but his sudden resurgence and playing situation do give him potential value.

#8 It seems like the Columbus Blue Jackets lineup is chock full of players auditioning for bigger roles in the future. One of those players that is making the most of his opportunities is Yegor Chinakhov, the 22-year-old winger, who was something of a surprise first-round pick in 2020. In his past eight games, Chinakhov is averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time per game and has tallied 11 points (7 G, 4 A) in the process. He is currently part of a Russian trio in Columbus, skating on a line with Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko.

#9 Calgary Flames winger Blake Coleman has a reputation for his high energy and consistent effort, but his reliable production is making an impact this season, too. In his past 10 games, Coleman has put up 11 points (6 G, 5 A) while launching 28 shots on goal. Coleman’s 12 goals on the season puts him in the team lead, one ahead of Yegor Sharangovich. On one hand, it’s great that Coleman is scoring enough to lead the Flames. On the other, it does not speak well of Calgary’s skilled forwards, who are not finding the net as often as Coleman.

#10 There have been several occasions in recent seasons in which it would have been easy to write off veteran winger Marcus Johansson, deciding that he is finished as a productive scoring winger in the NHL. Of course, that would be wrong, because the 33-year-old Minnesota Wild forward has contributed nine points (3 G, 6 A) in his past nine games. With Mats Zuccarello out, Johansson has a spot in Minnesota’s top six as well as on the top power play unit and that makes him appealing, at least in the short term.

#11 It has not been the smoothest transition to Colorado for winger Jonathan Drouin, but the outlook is getting better for the 28-year-old forward who has produced seven points (2 G, 5 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games. In his previous 26 games, Drouin had eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 33 shots on goal, so this is the best run of production he has offered since joining the Avalanche in the summer. He is such a pass-first player that it can turn his game one dimensional, but his recent surge does come with more shots and perhaps that makes his production more sustainable.

#12 There has never been any question that Washington Capitals winger Anthony Mantha has the skill to be a productive NHL player. There have been questions about his desire, work ethic, and discipline, and it looked like he was fading out of the Capitals lineup early in the season when he had four points (3 G, 1 A) in his first 14 games. In 14 games since then, however, Mantha has 12 points (8 G, 4 A) with 32 shots on goal, while averaging less than 14 minutes of ice time per game. This version of Mantha is very appealing, both for the Capitals and fantasy managers.

#13 When the Boston Bruins signed centre Morgan Geekie as a free agent in the summer, they could not have realistically expected that the 25-year-old pivot would be skating on their first line before the calendar turned to 2024, but that is indeed the case. In his past eight games, Geekie has produced seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 21 shots on goal. He has Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak on his wings right now, and that’s a good enough situation to consider Geekie for short-term fantasy value at the very least.

#14 In his first four starts since returning from a broken finger, Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom has a .938 save percentage. He had stumbled to a .896 save percentage in his first 16 games of the season, so this recent development could be a potential difference maker for the Flames. At his best, Markstrom can be one of the top goaltenders in the league. Unfortunately, he can also linger in the below average tier as well when things are not going his way.

#15 With Joseph Woll injured and Ilya Samsonov practically unplayable while he searches for his confidence, it looks like Martin Jones has an opportunity to run with the starting goaltender job in Toronto. Jones has a .914 save percentage in seven appearances for the Maple Leafs and while his consistency tends to vary, the likelihood that he could start most of the games until Woll returns does give Jones more value than might have been expected for fantasy managers.

#16 Washington Capitals left winger Max Pacioretty is nearing his return from another torn Achilles, suffered last season after he scored three goals in just five games for the Carolina Hurricanes. Pacioretty is 35 and has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons, but he can put the puck in the net. Since 2019-2020, he has scored 78 goals in 163 games. His 0.48 goals per game ranks 14^th among players that have played at least 50 games in that span. It’s the same rate of goals per game as Nikita Kucherov, Sebastian Aho, and Jake Guentzel, so Pacioretty has been keeping company with some very skilled finishers.

#17 Coming into the season, it looked like there would be a bunch of scoring options on the Arizona blueline, including Sean Durzi. Surprisingly, the third-highest scoring defenceman on the team thus far has been Michael Kesselring, who started the season in the AHL and had one assist in his first five games after being promoted. Since then, Kesselring has eight points (4 G, 4 A) in 13 games, which is better than a 50-point pace over 82 games and he has not recorded any points on the power play. Kesselring will not keep scoring on 19.0% of his shots, but he is pushing for a bigger role on the Arizona blueline. The 6-foot-4 blueliner was acquired in a trade last season for Nick Bjugstad and dynasty owners should have keen interest in how Kesselring develops and if he can continue to be an offensive contributor.

#18 Just when it looked like Kris Letang might be fading into the background in Pittsburgh, lost behind Erik Karlsson on the Penguins’ blueline, Letang has produced nine points (1 G, 8 A) in his past two games. He had 14 points (2 G, 12 A) in 31 games before this eruption. He’s not the only sudden source of offence in Pittsburgh. Marcus Pettersson, whose career high is 25 points in a season, has recorded eight assists in his past four games. Obviously, Letang is the more appealing Penguins defender because of his track record, but Pettersson is the one more widely available, so he does offer some value, especially in leagues that count hits and blocked shots, because those are staples of Pettersson’s game.

#19 The Bruins have called up prospect Georgii Merkulov, a 23-year-old who played one season at Ohio State and had 60 points (25 G, 35 A) in 75 AHL games entering this season. He has been on a tear recently, however, putting up 16 points (9 G, 7 A) in his past nine games with the Providence Bruins, so it’s no surprise that he has been promoted to the big club. He has just been called up, so his role is unknown at this point, but if you’re a fantasy manager looking to take a flier in a deep league, a player who is shredding the AHL is worth your consideration.

#20 With the 2023 calendar year winding down, here is a look at some of the leaders. The league’s leading point producer in 2023 has been Nathan MacKinnon, who has 133 points (53 G, 80 A) in 82 games, ahead of Connor McDavid, who has 126 points (44 G, 82 A) in 74 games. There are six more players that have produced 100 points in 2023: Nikita Kucherov (118), David Pastrnak (108), Leon Draisaitl (107), Mikko Rantanen (104), Elias Pettersson (101), and J.T. Miller (100). With very little time left in the year, there is still a chance for Jack Hughes, who has 98 points (37 G, 61 A) in 70 games and Artemi Panarin, who has 97 points (39 G, 58 A) in 78 games. Brayden Point has 96 points (46 G, 50 A) in 83 games. Among those top scorers in the 2023 calendar year, there are also players who produce at a similar per-game level but have missed time with injuries. The most notable is Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar, who has 73 points (16 G, 57 A) in 55 games. His 1.33 points per game ranks seventh, putting him between Pastrnak and Rantanen. Other top per-game point producers that were not included among the 100-point club in 2023: Auston Matthews (1.25), Mitch Marner (1.24), Tim Stutzle (1.21), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1.20).

FANTASY: The Week Ahead – November 6th to 12th – Teams to target with trending players and opportunities

Ryan Dadoun — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 18:44:20 +0000

SAN JOSE, CA - NOVEMBER 02: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek (17) skates with the puck during the NHL professional men’s hockey game between the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks on November 2, 2023 at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire)

Last week I posed the question: Are the San Jose Sharks historically bad? Since then, they’ve been outscored 20-3 over the span of two games. I’m not going to make a second straight article headlined by the Sharks but…yikes.

Still, there’s a team sadder than them: The Edmonton Oilers. The Sharks might be the worst team this year, perhaps even the worst team ever assembled, but they were never supposed to be good. By contrast, the Oilers are actually trying to win the Cup, and yet they’re 2-7-1.

With each passing year, the possibility of squandering the luxury of having Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together becomes even more real. After all, this is the ninth year they’ve been together. It’s not like it’s bound to get much easier either: Draisaitl is signed until the summer of 2025 at $8.5 million and after that, he’ll either demand a massive raise or, if he doesn’t think Edmonton is going anywhere, he’ll move on in the hopes of pursuing the Cup in the back half of his career. If Draisaitl leaves, McDavid could follow in the summer of 2026.

So, the stakes are very high, but can Edmonton rise to the occasion? There’s still time, even if they have dug themselves into a deep hole, but at this point, I think the only way for them to make the playoffs and compete for a spot is to somehow acquire a solid goaltender. That’s not a small ask. Teams with good goaltending aren’t exactly jumping to part with it, but Jack Campbell has been dreadful in Edmonton (a 3.53 GAA and an .886 save percentage through 41 contests with the Oilers), and while Stuart Skinner might rebound, the young goaltender isn’t a safe enough bet.

To be clear: This is on the goaltending. Edmonton’s expected goals allowed ranks eighth this season at 31.66, so the defense has been doing its part. The Oilers forwards have gotten off to a sluggish start, but the pieces are there, so I have faith that Edmonton’s forwards will come through. Unless the goaltending changes, though, that likely won’t matter.

Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim has three home games this week, hosting Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Philadelphia on Friday and San Jose on Sunday. The Sharks are, of course, the worst of those teams, but the Penguins have struggled too, posting a 4-6-0 record. Sure, Pittsburgh earned a 10-2 win Saturday, but…it was against the Sharks.

The Ducks are red hot, winning five straight going into the week. Mason McTavish has been a big part of that, scoring five goals and eight points during the run, which brings him up to 12 points through 10 contests this season. I don’t expect him to maintain his offensive pace, but he should easily surpass his 43-point rookie finish.

Ryan Strome is hot too, contributing two goals and eight points over his last eight outings. He did miss Wednesday’s contest, but don’t worry about that -- it was just an illness, so he should play Tuesday.

In net, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Anaheim continue to lean heavily on Lukas Dostal, who has started in the last three contests. His GAA isn’t great (2.80), but he has a fantastic save percentage (.920), and with the quality of the Ducks competition this week, Dostal has a solid chance of picking up another two wins.

Dallas Stars

The Stars have a busy week ahead of them. First, they’ll host the Bruins on Monday, then they’ll make stops in Columbus on Thursday, Winnipeg on Saturday and Minnesota on Sunday.

Dallas is off to a 7-2-1 start, partially thanks to its deep offense. Even Matt Duchene, who was scoreless over his first four contests with the Stars, settled in, recording a five-game point streak from Oct. 24-Nov. 2 (two goals, three assists). However, he exited Saturday’s game after sustaining an upper-body injury on a high hit from Vancouver’s Ian Cole, so his status for Monday’s outing is in question.

Radek Faksa is also dealing with an upper-body injury, and if both miss time, then Sam Steel might have an opportunity to serve in a middle-six role and even get some power-play ice time. Steel isn’t a major offensive force, but that opportunity is worth keeping in mind, given Dallas’ packed schedule. If Duchene is healthy, though, he’d be worth leaning on given his recent play.

Digging deeper, Mason Marchment has some short-term value. The middle-six forward’s looked strong lately, collecting two goals and four points over his last five appearances.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers have been up-and-down thus far, earning wins against strong competition like New Jersey on Oct. 16, Toronto on Oct. 19 and Detroit on Nov. 2 while also being one of just two teams to deny Boston a regulation-time victory (Florida lost 3-2 in overtime Monday). However, the Panthers also suffered a 5-2 loss to the lowly Blackhawks on Saturday and are 5-4-1 overall.

This week will be a test for the Panthers with home games against Columbus, Carolina and Chicago on Monday, Friday and Sunday, respectively, as well as a road match versus Washington on Wednesday. Those are all winnable games. Carolina (7-5-0) and Washington (5-4-1) do have PTS% over .500, but not by much.

Anton Lundell should make for a good pickup this week. The 22-year-old was held off the scoresheet for the first five contests of the campaign, but he’s provided a goal and three points over his last five games. His increased production goes hand-in-hand with added responsibility, jumping from an average of 13:27 of ice time during his slump to 16:41 over his last five outings.

It might also be a big week for Sergei Bobrovsky, who has a 4-3-1 record, 2.51 GAA and .913 save percentage through eight appearances this year. This week’s contests are spread out enough that he could start in all four, which might be exactly what the Panthers do, given how sparingly they’ve used Anthony Stolarz. It’s also not like Stolarz demanded an expanded role Saturday -- he stopped 19 of 23 shots in a 5-2 loss to Chicago.

New York Rangers

The Rangers will look to build off their incredible 8-2-1 start with a home stretch against Detroit on Tuesday, Minnesota on Thursday and Columbus on Sunday. The Red Wings have done well themselves (7-4-1), but the Wild and Blue Jackets are off to mediocre starts.

It will be a challenging stretch for New York, though, because Adam Fox (lower body) and Filip Chytil (upper body) were hurt Thursday and will not be an option this week. Their absence forces the Rangers to make significant changes, particularly on the power play.

Erik Gustafsson is now likely to serve on the top power-play unit, so his fantasy value will go up meaningfully during Fox’s absence.

Meanwhile, without Chytil, Blake Wheeler might see time on the second power-play unit. Wheeler has been used sparingly by New York -- just an average of 11:58 per game -- and he consequently has just one assist through 11 contests. The 37-year-old finished the 2022-23 campaign with 16 goals and 55 points in 72 outings, though, so even in the tail end of his career, he can still chip in offensively under the right circumstances.

Artemi Panarin should still run the show, though. He has six goals and 18 points in 11 contests this year and is showing no signs of slowing down, providing three goals and 10 points over his last five outings.

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks are obviously bad, but they do have a full schedule this week. They’ll host Philadelphia on Tuesday and Edmonton on Thursday before visiting Vegas on Friday and Anaheim on Sunday.

If that schedule belonged to any other team, I wouldn’t hesitate to include them, but is there anyone playing for San Jose who has fantasy value? Certainly not its goaltenders, who have combined for a 4.75 GAA and an .873 save percentage.

What about on offense? San Jose has averaged 1.09 goals per game, so the pickings are slim there too. However, Tomas Hertl did have two assists Saturday, bringing him up to a goal and seven points in 11 contests. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him do some damage this week, particularly against Edmonton’s shaky goaltending.

Anthony Duclair might be worthy of a short-term pickup as well. He has just two goals and three points in 11 contests, but he’s not far removed from his 58-point campaign in 2021-22. Plus, the upside of being with San Jose is he does get a solid amount of playing time, including first power-play unit responsibilities.

Keep an eye on William Eklund too. The 21-year-old has just a goal and an assist, but the 2021 seventh-overall pick does have considerable upside and is getting top-six minutes.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning will complete their four-game road trip with visits to Toronto and Montreal on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Then they’ll spend some time at home while facing the Blackhawks on Thursday and the Hurricanes on Saturday.

Outside of Tampa Bay’s usual suspects, Alex Barre-Boulet is doing very well, collecting three goals and six points over his last six outings. The 26-year-old is an interesting one because he was never drafted and had just nine points in 32 contests going into this campaign. However, he earned this opportunity by excelling in the AHL, finishing the 2022-23 campaign with 24 goals and 84 points in 69 appearances with Syracuse, and has shown that his skills can translate to the top level. Barre-Boulet is averaging just 13:14 of ice time, but some of that’s with Nikita Kucherov, so if he’s available in your league, he’s worth taking a chance on.

If you could use a source of hits, Tanner Jeannot can fill that role during the Lightning’s busy week. He has 34 hits in 11 contests thus far and should maintain that aggressive play. Jeannot will probably continue getting into trouble, too, after accumulating 13 PIM this campaign. On the offensive side, he’s not a huge asset, but his two goals and five points are respectable for this stage of the season, and the 26-year-old consistently plays on the second power-play unit.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto has dropped its last four games, bringing its record down to 5-4-2. That’s not so bad that it’s time to panic -- The Maple Leafs started 4-4-2 last year en route to a 50-21-11 campaign -- but it’s fair to say some serious questions about the team’s viability as contenders have been raised.

They’ll have an opportunity to step up this week with a key home stretch featuring the Lightning on Monday, Senators on Wednesday, Flames on Friday and Canucks on Saturday. While those aren’t easy teams, though Calgary is 3-7-1, playing at home should help.

What would help more is if the supporting cast stepped up for the Leafs. The Core Four of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitchell Marner and John Tavares have done their part, combining for an incredible 26 goals. That’s more goals than the entirety of the Blues or Capitals and more than double the Sharks.

The rest of the forward core is a barren wasteland, though. Matthew Knies has just two goals and four points, Max Domi has four helpers and Tyler Bertuzzi has two markers and three points.

Calle Jarnkrok is showing a bit of life, though. He has a goal and five points this campaign but has registered a point in back-to-back contests. The Leafs have been doing so line juggling, but Jarnkrok has seen time recently alongside Matthews and Marner, which certainly helps his potential value. If you’re going to gamble on any non-star Toronto player, Jarnkrok seems like the best bet right now.

Bertuzzi might be a good buy-low candidate. He’s struggled to find his rhythm with Toronto, but he’s a capable top-six forward who should turn things around. He certainly has reason to want more out of himself, given that he’s playing on a one-year contract.

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver will start the week hosting the struggling Oilers before facing Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal on the road on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The Canucks are off to an 8-2-1 start and on a three-game winning streak, so they couldn’t be much hotter entering this batch of contests.

Elias Pettersson is leading the offense with six goals and 20 points in 11 contests this campaign, while defenseman Quinn Hughes isn’t far behind, providing four goals and 16 points. However, Vancouver also has gotten help up and down the lineup.

Filip Hronek is on a six-game point streak and has collected 11 helpers this year. He’ll slow down at some point, but for now, he’s a great component to any fantasy team.

If Ilya Mikheyev is still available in your league, he’s worth scooping up over the short term. Mikheyev has never recorded more than 32 points in a single campaign, but injuries are a big part of the reason why. He also missed the start of the 2023-24 campaign after undergoing ACL surgery in January, but since returning, he’s provided three goals and six points in seven outings. He’s been playing alongside Pettersson, and as long as that remains the case, Mikheyev should be productive.

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Karlsson continues to shine in Vegas – Vatrano raising his game in Anaheim – Byfield picking up the pace in LA, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 13:42:42 +0000

20 FANTASY POINTS

Los Angeles Kings Quinton Byfield (55) l(Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dive into the numbers to help make better fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, Willam Karlsson continues to shine in Vegas, Frank Vatrano is raising his game in Anaheim, Quinton Byfield is picking up the pace in Los Angeles, and much more!

#1 William Karlsson was a standout on Vegas’ run to the Stanley Cup last season, scoring 11 goals in 22 playoff games, and he has continued to play at a high level early in the 2023-2024 season, putting up 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in his past 10 games. Karlsson does so much of his damage at even strength, with 10 of his 13 points this season coming at evens, and his most common linemates have been rookie winger Pavel Dorofeyev and Michael Amadio, so Karlsson is the one driving those results.

#2 Anaheim Ducks winger Frank Vatrano delivered 22 goals and a career-high 41 points last season, his first in Southern California, but has stepped into a bigger role this season. Vatrano’s ice time is up nearly two minutes per game compared to last season and he has scored nine goals while launching 35 shots on goal in 10 games. Vatrano has always been a quality shot generator, but often in a limited role. Now that he is playing more than 18 minutes per game, his per-game shot rate is soaring.

#3 Progress has been gradual for Quinton Byfield, the Kings winger who was the second overall pick in the 2020 Draft who had a modest career high of 22 points (3 G, 19 A) in 53 games last season. Byfield has suddenly picked up six points (1 G, 5 A) in his past five games and with a continued role on the Kings’ top line, alongside Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, Byfield is getting the opportunity to develop his offensive game.

#4 Coming into the season, there were relatively high expectations for Pavel Zacha, the Boston Bruins centre who appeared to be due for a bigger role with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retiring. He had just one assist in five games but has rebounded from that slow start, contributing six points (4 G, 2 A) with 14 shots on goal during a five-game point streak. David Pastrnak has been Zacha’s most common linemate, and that is obviously a good sign, but Zacha has also shifted to left wing, with rookie Matthew Poitras getting a look on Boston’s top line.

#5 Buffalo Sabres defenceman Owen Power, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 Draft, is starting to find his range offensively, riding a four-game point streak, during which he has produced four points (1 G, 3 A) and seven shots on goal. Power’s upside for fantasy managers runs into a ceiling because Rasmus Dahlin is the quarterback on Buffalo’s top power play unit and that doesn’t figure to change anytime soon, but Power has the offensive skills to be productive even as the No. 2 option on the Buffalo blueline.

#6 Veteran New York Islanders winger Kyle Palmieri has been a serviceable secondary scorer since he was acquired from the New Jersey Devils, but has taken on a bigger role this season, tallying eight points (3 G, 5 A) in his first nine games. He is skating with Pierre Engvall and Brock Nelson on the Islanders’ second line, but Palmieri does get first unit power play time, so there is an opportunity for him to hit 40 points for the first time since 2019-2020.

#7 Following a standout rookie season in which he tallied 24 goals, Dallas Stars centre Wyatt Johnston has continued his upward trajectory. In his past six games, Johnston has produced six points (3 G, 3 A) with a dozen shots on goal as Johnston maintains his familiar spot between Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov.

#8 Seattle Kraken right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand got off to such a slow start last season, managing 14 points (3 G, 11 A) in his first 31 games and while his production got better, he was really chasing after such a poor start. The good news for Bjorkstrand and the Kraken is that it does not appear to be happening this season. With his goal Thursday night against Nashville, Bjorkstrand has eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games. After recording 10 power play points last season, Bjorkstrand already has four power play points this season.

#9 After missing all of last season while he recovered from neck and triceps injuries, Flyers right winger Cam Atkinson has already shown that he has not forgotten how to finish. In his past seven games, Atkinson has tallied eight points (5 G, 3 A) with 21 shots on goal. Getting that kind of production from a 34-year-old who just missed an entire season certainly helps lift the Flyers to a more competitive place and he has moved to play alongside Sean Couturier, the veteran centre who also missed all of last season. While the playoffs might still be a longshot, having Atkinson and Couturier healthy does change that calculation somewhat.

#10 Seattle Kraken left winger Jaden Schwartz has had an interesting career, with quality production mixed in with some injury-plagued seasons. He is off to a fine start this year, and has put up seven points (2 G, 5 A) with 19 shots on goal during a five-game point streak. Schwartz is skating on a line with Alexander Wennberg and Jordan Eberle, but has been a power play threat, with four of his nine points this season coming with the man advantage.

#11 New York Rangers star defenseman Adam Fox suffered an apparent leg injury Thursday after a leg-on-leg hit from Carolina Hurricanes centre Sebastian Aho. A Fox injury would leave a large hole on the Rangers blueline. He has 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in 10 games this season and has finished in the top five in Norris Trophy voting in each of the past three seasons, winning in 2020-2021. If Fox is going to be out of the lineup, Erik Gustafsson would be a logical replacement as the power play quarterback but K’Andre Miller might also be an option for more power play time, too.

#12 For managers in deep or banger leagues, Arizona Coyotes centre Jack McBain is producing enough to generate interest. In his second season, McBain has six points (4 G, 2 A) in the past five games, but that is also not likely to be sustainable since he is a fourth liner playing about 12 minutes per game. Nevertheless, McBain’s fantasy appeal is tied to his physical play as he had 304 hits last season and has 28 hits through 10 games this season. If he gets his offensive production to even passable levels, there is a path to fantasy value.

#13 It appears that the Winnipeg Jets have found something in their physical third line of Nino Niederreiter, Adam Lowry, and Mason Appleton. Appleton has five points (2 G, 3 A) in the past five games and the trio has controlled 62.7% of five-on-five shot attempts and 60.3% of expected goals this season. There may be an offensive ceiling for these players but dominating five-on-five play to this degree at least indicates that they will be getting scoring chances.

#14 There are a couple of rookie defencemen forcing their way into the fantasy conversation. New Jersey’s Luke Hughes has six assists and 12 shots on goal in the past four games, and four of those assists have come on the power play as Hughes is getting a look on the Devils’ top power play unit, with Dougie Hamilton sliding to the second unit. Across the country, in Anaheim, Ducks defenceman Pavel Mintyukov has five assists in the past five games and while he is getting a chance on the Ducks’ No. 1 power play unit, Mintyukov has just one power play point this season.

#15 The Philadelphia Flyers lost goaltender Carter Hart to a “mid-body” injury this week and it seems that they will be without him for a while. Samuel Ersson is next in line and the Flyers have recalled Cal Petersen from the American Hockey League, but none of this precludes Felix Sandstrom from potentially seeing action in the Flyers net as well. Ersson has had an incredibly poor start to the season, allowing 14 goals on 59 shots (a .763 save percentage!), while Petersen has a .884 save percentage in four AHL games this season. Although the goaltending could be a major question mark, the Flyers deserve credit for playing a stronger team game this season as they have earned 54.8% of score-and-venue-adjusted expected goals during five-on-five play, which puts them in the top ten in that category.

#16 Ottawa Senators rookie centre Ridly Greig was hurt early in Thursday’s defeat against the Los Angeles Kings and that is going to test the Senators for the time that Greig is out. With Shane Pinto suspended, Greig was an important part of the lineup, contributing seven points (2 G, 5 A) in eight games prior to Thursday as Ottawa’s third line centre. As a short-term fix, Rourke Chartier could move up the depth chart, but the journeyman pivot has two points (1 G, 1 A) in 28 career games, so he may not be a viable answer if Greig is going to miss significant time.

#17 Alexander Barabanov is out 4-6 weeks with a broken finger and that creates an opening on San Jose’s top line alongside Tomas Hertl and Anthony Duclair. San Jose is hardly the source for great fantasy production, as the Sharks are getting buried on a nightly basis, but in deep leagues keep tabs on Fabian Zetterlund, who is getting that chance and is averaging nearly 16 minutes per game over the past five.

#18 While it was understood that veteran right winger Blake Wheeler had seen his better days, the 37-year-old still had 55 points (16 G, 39 A) in 72 games for the Winnipeg Jets last season. He has started a new phase with the New York Rangers in the worst way, going without a point in his first 10 games, and he is playing just 12 minutes per game, his lowest time on ice average of his career. Without a role on the Blueshirts’ power play, Wheeler is going to be hard-pressed to get his production back to fantasy relevant levels unless there is a dramatic shift in the situation.

#19 After a strong finish to last season, when he was between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz on Arizona’s top line, Barrett Hayton was in a good spot to continue his career ascent. He is still centering that top line, and getting power play time, but has yet to record a point through 10 games this season. Hayton has 25 shots on goal and is playing a career-high 19:31 per game, so he might be a decent buy-low candidate, but his value has taken an unexpected hit due to his lack of production.

#20 Ongoing health issues have forced Washington Capitals centre Nicklas Backstrom to step away from the game and while his announcement did not have a final decision, it appears that the 35-year-old could be headed for retirement. An elite player from 2007-2008 through 2020-2021, Backstrom has been hampered by hip issues and it has been a tough road coming back. Since returning last season, Backstrom has 22 points (7 G, 15 A) in 47 games and the Capitals have been outscored 31-16 with him on the ice during five-on-five play. He just isn’t the same player who was nearly a point-per-game scorer in his first 1,000 games in the league and, at his peak, was in the Selke Trophy discussion. With Backstrom out, that does provide more opportunity for Dylan Strome, whose ice time has been climbing and has six goals in his past six games.

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Early Standouts – Significant early injuries – Who benefits from opportunity

Scott Cullen — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 22:14:31 +0000

OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 14: Ottawa Senators Right Wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) after a whistle during second period National Hockey League action between the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators on October 14, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dive into the numbers to help make decisions when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, a look at a new Panthers winger plus lots of early injuries including to significant players like Sebastian Aho, Gabriel Vilardi, Kirby Dach, Viktor Arvidsson, Matthew Boldy, Pavel Buchnevich, and more. That means new opportunities for others looking for a bigger role.

#1 In the past couple of seasons, Evan Rodrigues has proven to be a premier shot generator who could thrive in a supporting offensive role. In those two seasons – one with Pittsburgh and one with Colorado – he put up 82 points (35 G, 47 A) in 151 games while generating 2.85 shots on goal per game. That was something of a late breakthrough for the now 30-year-old forward who is looking at an even better opportunity this season in Florida. Rodrigues has opened the season skating on Aleksander Barkov’s wing and is averaging 18:54 time on ice per game, which would be a career high, on the way to producing five points (2 G, 3 A) and 17 shots on goal in his first four games. It is obviously a very small sample, but Rodrigues has the underlying numbers to make his production more sustainable. For a player that has never had 20 goals and 50 points in an NHL season, Rodrigues should be looking to exceed those numbers this season.

#2 Entering the season, there did not seem to be a lot of buzz surrounding new Ottawa Senators right winger Vladimir Tarasenko, a six-time 30-goal scorer who signed with the club as a free agent. The veteran winger has opened his Sens tenure with six points (2 G, 4 A) in four games, but that doesn’t alleviate the concerns about him entirely, either. He is averaging just 13:38 of ice time per game, which would be his lowest since his rookie season in 2012-2013, and he only has six shots on goal through four games. Although Tarasenko has been skating with rookie Ridly Greig at center, with Josh Norris returning to the Senators lineup, that could eventually help Tarasenko get more offensive opportunities, but the ice time and shot rate bear watching.

#3 It is not easy for Ottawa Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson to get power play time on a team with Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychrun already, which is not to say that it never happens, only that he ranks second among Sens defencemen in five-on-four ice time behind Chabot. Even so, Sanderson is off to a stellar start, producing five points (2 G, 3 A) in four games. He only has five shots on goal, which is not encouraging, but Sanderson is going to get quality ice time, even if he is not always going to be quarterbacking Ottawa’s top power play unit.

#4 A lot was made of the decline in performance last season from Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman, but it might be premature to start the 32-year-old blueliner into a heavy decline phase of his career. Hedman has contributed five points (1 G, 4 A) and 13 shots on goal through five games, which is a promising start, but the Lightning have been getting outshot with Hedman on the ice (46.2 CF%), too, and that hasn’t happened for more than a decade.

#5 Carolina Hurricanes centre Sebastian Aho has been out for a couple of games and while his injury is thought to be a day-to-day thing, his absence is still felt. Through a couple of games, the Hurricanes were getting 79.1% of expected goals with Aho on the ice during five-on-five play, In Aho’s absence, Teuvo Teravainen has moved into the first line centre role and Teravainen has scored four goals in five games to start the season. Additionally, the Hurricanes have better depth down the middle as Jesperi Kotkaniemi continues to develop. The 23-year-old has started his sixth NHL season with five points (2 G, 3 A) and 14 shots on goal in five games, averaging a career-high 15:51 of ice time per game.

#6 In a move that didn’t make a huge offseason splash, the Detroit Red Wings brought in puck-moving defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere. While he does not have a huge role, averaging 18:53 of ice time per game, Gostisbehere is getting first unit power play time alongside Moritz Seider and Gostisbehere already has four points (1 G, 3 A) in four games with the Red Wings controlling play (53.2 CF%) in Gostisbehere’s five-on-five minutes.

#7 Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews is the early leader in all-situations expected goals (3.76), ahead of Matthew Tkachuk (3.23), Connor Bedard (3.10), Artturi Lehkonen (2.85), Filip Forsberg (2.74), and Jack Eichel (2.64). Bedard is obviously playing a lot for Chicago and creating chances, but they have yet to materialize into goals. For a player who enters the league with a legendary release, Bedard’s ability to generate high-quality shots bodes well for his future production. It’s also encouraging to see Eichel playing at such a high level. He had an outstanding playoff, but it appears in the early going that Eichel is going to continue at an elite level. He leads the NHL with 28 shots on goal in five games, though Nathan MacKinnon (27) and Auston Matthews (26) are close behind while playing just four games.

#8 Winnipeg Jets RW Gabriel Vilardi is out for four-to-six weeks with a sprained MCL, which is a tough situation for a player who was averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game through two games. Vilardi was also rocking a 73.3 CF%, but now the Jets will need to find someone to fill those minutes. It looks like Mason Appleton will get first crack alongside Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele and that is a big opportunity for a 27-year-old who scored a career-high 25 points (12 G, 13 A) in 56 games in 2020-2021.

#9 Montreal lost centre Kirby Dach to a torn ACL, ending the 22-year-old’s season prematurely. He had two assists and 70.4 CF% in two games before getting hurt. Alex Newhook will slide into the middle of the ice to fill the hole created by Dach’s absence, while Tanner Pearson will move up the depth chart to take Newhook’s spot on left wing. Pearson, who played just 14 games last season, has two goals in three games to start his Habs career.

#10 On the Florida Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, Sam Bennett was an impact player at centre, between Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk. Bennett has yet to play this season because of a lower-body injury, so Eetu Luostarinen is getting that opportunity. Unfortunately, he has yet to record a point and has just one shot on goal in four games. That is not making the most of the situation.

#11 Los Angeles Kings winger Viktor Arvidsson has been an excellent and sometimes underrated contributor, but he is out long term after undergoing back surgery, which means new opportunities on the right side in Los Angeles. Arthur Kaliyev is skating in Arvidsson’s typical spot, alongside Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore, while rookie Alexis Laferriere has landed a prime spot on the wing with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kevin Fiala. Kaliyev may have the higher upside as a scorer, as he has shown a strong ability to generate shots, even in limited ice time. Arvidsson’s injury should help ensure that Kaliyev sees a good jump in ice time this season, opening the door for a breakout season.

#12 Injuries have hit the Minnesota Wild hard early in the season. Rising star winger Matthew Boldy and defencemen Jared Spurgeon and Alex Goligoski are all out of action for Minnesota and they are not easily replaced. Taking Boldy’s spot is Samuel Walker, a 24-year-old who has two points (1 G, 1 A) in 10 career NHL games and did not have any points in two AHL games this season, but he did produce 48 points (27 G, 21 A) in 56 AHL games last season, so this is a real chance to Walker to show his stuff at the NHL level. Spurgeon’s absence also gives Calen Addison the role of first unit power play quarterback, which is an area in which the young defenceman has excelled, with 18 of his 29 points last season coming with the man advantage.

#13 While fourth lines are not going to bring big fantasy appeal, it’s worth noting what is happening in Detroit, where Christian Fischer (83.7 xGF%) and Klim Kostin (80.2 xGF%) are dominating play to a ridiculous degree. Austin Czarnik has played only two games, but Detroit has controlled 86.3% of expected goals during five-on-five play with Czarnik on the ice.

#14 Staying in Detroit, veteran winger Robby Fabbri made it through one game before suffering another injury and Fabbri’s injury presents an opportunity for Michael Rasmussen to climb up the depth chart. Rasmussen had a career-high 29 points (10 G, 19 A) in 56 games last season, but his average ice time has increased by more than a minute per game in the early going this season and he has a couple of points (1 G, 1 A) in four games.

#15 Although he can get overshadowed by the top two centres on the Devils roster, Erik Haula’s upper body injury is notable for a team that thrives on its depth. With Haula out, Michael McLeod moves from the fourth line centre to third line centre and while McLeod has established that he is a solid fourth liner, his offensive production has kept him in that role. He has just 10 goals in 157 games over the past two seasons, so if McLeod is ever going to shake his fourth-line label, he will need to take advantage when he gets the chance to play in the top nine.

#16 Expectations were already very low for the San Jose Sharks coming into the season, but it has been made even more difficult with veteran centres Mikael Granlund and Logan Couture out of the lineup. Rookie Thomas Bordeleau and veteran Luke Kunin are handling the middle six centre roles for the Sharks. Bordeleau has managed one goal and five shots on goal through four games while he has been caved in when it comes to puck possession (31.1 CF%). Kunin has yet to record a point and is not much better at driving play (33.0 CF%). This should come as little surprise, but it reveals how much of an uphill fight it is for San Jose right now.

#17 St. Louis Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich suffered an upper-body injury when crushed into the boards by Seattle Kraken defenceman Jamie Oleksiak, and while Buchnevich has been out, the opportunity has fallen to 21-year-old Jake Neighbours, who has managed zero points and two shots on goal in three games this season. A chance to play in St. Louis’ top six is not bad, but it is up to Neighbours to show that he deserves to stay in a significant role over the long term.

#18 It is still super early, but there are some forwards raising red flags with their early struggles. Timo Meier was benched for the third period against Florida and has zero points and four shots on goal in three games. Meier has always been able to generate shots, so that is a notable concern with his game in New Jersey, but he really should be able to figure it out.

#19 When he returned to action last season following hip resurfacing surgery, Washington Capitals centre Nicklas Backstrom struggled, to a degree that he never really had in the NHL before. With a fresh start this season, 35-year-old Backstrom is still struggling to find his way. He has zero points in three games and is averaging 15:45 of ice time per game, which would be the lowest rate of his career. Backstrom is still getting top unit power play time but is skating between Sonny Milano and Tom Wilson at even strength, so he is not nearly the dangerous scoring threat that he was during his prime.

#20 After getting bought out by the Winnipeg Jets, 37-year-old right winger Blake Wheeler landed with the New York Rangers. Through four games with the Blueshirts, not only does Wheeler not have any points, but he is playing just 12:26 per game, which would be the lowest time on ice of his career. He is skating on a line with centre Vincent Trocheck and rookie left winger Will Cuylle. While Wheeler’s all-around game has declined in recent seasons, he still produced 55 points (16 G, 39 A) last season and early returns suggest that he will not be continuing at that level this season.

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK RANGERS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 18:52:44 +0000

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 04: New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) in warm up before a game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers on March 4, 2023, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

REVIEW: The Rangers entered 2022-23 as serious contenders, and their performance in the regular season helped reinforce that. Their biggest weakness was their mediocre defense, which finished 16th in 5-on-5 expected goals against (174.2), but that was about the closest the team had to a concern and even that wasn’t a big deal because the Rangers employed goaltender Igor Shesterkin. He posted a 37-13-8 record, 2.48 GAA and .916 save percentage in 58 starts, leaving the Rangers with the fourth-best goals against per game (2.63) despite that mediocre defense. Additionally, while the Rangers’ blueliners didn’t make life easy for Shesterkin, they were great drivers of the offense with former Norris Trophy-winner Adam Fox leading the charge with 12 goals and 72 points. The squad also featured a strong and deep forward cast headlined by Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, who recorded 92 and 91 points, respectively. Seeing this team’s potential, GM Chris Drury put his cards on the table by acquiring forwards Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane before the deadline. The Rangers entered the playoffs equipped for a lengthy run but were ultimately eliminated in a seven-game first round series against the Devils.

What’s Changed? Tarasenko left as a free agent while Kane, who isn’t expected to be ready for the start of the campaign after undergoing offseason hip resurfacing surgery, remains unsigned. The Rangers did add a fresh top-six forward option, though, by signing Blake Wheeler after he was bought out by Winnipeg. Jonathan Quick was also inked to serve as Shesterkin’s new backup.

What would success look like? Given the talent on this team coupled with the fact that Panarin, Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, Jacob Trouba and Shesterkin are all now firmly in their prime, the goal this season must be a substantial playoff run, if not the Cup. One thing that’d really help in that regard is if Kaapo Kakko and/or Alexis Lafreniere took a significant step forward after recording 40 and 39 points, respectively, last year. Both have the potential to be great top-six forwards, and if they breakout it would elevate what’s already a strong offensive core.

What could go wrong? Shesterkin getting hurt is naturally the nightmare scenario, but it would be an especially big problems this year because the alternative is Quick, who posted a 3.41 GAA and an .882 save percentage in 41 contests last season. Combine that with the fact that Quick will turn 38 in January, and he’s not even a safe bet to be an acceptable backup, let alone assume the starting gig if the need arose. While on the subject of injuries: Panarin, Zibanejad, Fox, Trocheck and Trouba all played the full 82 games last year. Can the Rangers count on being that lucky this time around?

Top Breakout Candidate: A lot is expected of first overall picks, so the fact that Lafreniere has 47 goals and 91 points in 216 career NHL contests is disappointing, but it’s worth remembering that he’ll be turning just 22 on Oct. 11. The Rangers’ offensive depth has also put them in a position to ease him into the lineup far more gradually than a typical top pick, which partially explains his slow growth. Entering a two-year, $4.65 million “show me” contract, Lafreniere has the talent and motivation to take a significant step forward.

Forwards

Mika Zibanejad

A big strong center who set a career high with 91 points (39 G, 52 A) last season, Zibanejad works well with Panarin, and has averaged more than three shots on goal per game in three of the past four seasons. His 133 goals rank ninth and 297 points ranks 14^th in the league over that time. He scored 20 power play goals last season and has 60 goals with the man advantage over the past four seasons, the latter ranking second behind only Leon Draisaitl. Zibanejad has a strong base which allows him to shield the puck effectively, giving him more time to make a play or find an opening for a shot. It is noteworthy that Zibanejad was below break-even in terms of Corsi percentage and expected goal percentage, even though the Blueshirts outscored the opposition 51-34 during five-on-five play with Zibanejad on the ice. Zibanejad had a blistering finish to the regular season, tallying 23 points (7 G, 16 A), with 36 shots on goal in his last 16 games. Of course, like Panarin, Zibanejad struggled in the postseason, with four points (1 G, 3 A) in seven games against New Jersey. Considering how consistently productive he has been in recent seasons 35 goals and 80-plus points should be a fair expectation for Zibanejad’s production in 2023-2024.

Artemi Panarin

Playoff struggles, including zero goals and two assists in a seven-game first-round loss against New Jersey last season, are starting to overshadow Panarin’s outstanding regular season production. In four seasons with the Rangers, he has accumulated 341 points (100 G, 241 A) in 268 games, which ranks fourth in the entire league in that span, finishing behind Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Nathan MacKinnon. That track record suggests that small sample playoff struggles should not be Panarin’s defining characteristic. Panarin has excellent vision on the ice and can find an open teammate with ease, sometimes to the detriment of his own scoring. He has a top tier shot, capable of scoring from distance, but when he gets too focused on playing the setup role, he loses some of his effectiveness. Panarin is also a force on the Blueshirts’ power play. After the All-Star break, Panarin racked up 42 points (17 G, 25 A) with 75 shots on goal in 33 games. That he would suddenly fall flat in the postseason was hardly a foregone conclusion. There is little reason to believe that his regular-season production is going to dry up, so expect 25-plus goals and 90-plus points from the Rangers’ game-breaking winger.

Vincent Trocheck

A feisty two-way center, Trocheck put up 64 points (22 G, 42 A) in his first season with the Rangers, his most since a career high 75 points for Florida in 2017-2018. He did this despite his shooting percentage dipping to 9.8% after scoring on 12.9% of his shots in the previous two seasons with Carolina. In addition to his point production, Trocheck drives play and brings a physical game, so he offers substantial value in the second-line center spot. He has recorded more than 180 hits in each of the past two seasons, one of 12 forwards to cross that threshold in both seasons. In the last month of the regular season, Trocheck contributed 15 points (3 G, 12 A) in 17 games all while his ice time decreased. He had averaged 19:54 time on ice per game before that point and then played 17:06 per game the rest of the way, losing first unit power play time to Patrick Kane. With Kane unsigned, that could mean that Trocheck returns to the Rangers’ first power play unit, depending on where Blake Wheeler fits in, and Trocheck should still have a good chance to hit 60 points.

Chris Kreider

Kreider was practically guaranteed to regress after scoring 52 goals in 2021-2022 and he did, but 36 goals last season still counted as the second highest total of his career, and he scored one more even strength goal than he did during his 52-goal campaign. Kreider has rare skating ability for a winger of such size. He is listed at 6’ 3”, 230 pounds and when he gets a full head of steam going, he is a handful for defenders. Kreider also uses that size to bang bodies on the forecheck and create space in front of the net. He is superb in the net front position on the power play, setting screens, tipping pucks, and knocking in rebounds. It is not the most glamorous work, but those goals all count, too. Because of the manner in which he scores so many of his goals, Kreider is not in position to pick up a lot of assists. In his last 22 games of the regular season, Kreider had 11 goals and just one assist! The rarity of those helpers does put a limit on Kreider’s scoring totals, but he could still deliver 35 goals this season. It might just come with something like 55 points.

Blake Wheeler

Bought out of the last year of his contract by the Winnipeg Jets, Wheeler will be 37 by the time the season starts, and he is no longer the premier setup man that he was at his peak, but he can still contribute offensively. He has 161 points (48 G, 113 A) in 187 games across the past three seasons, ranking 64^th in the league over that time. Wheeler is much more a distributor than shooter, so if he is in a setup role that should still play to his strengths even if he is in the decline phase of his career. Last season started well for Wheeler, as he produced 24 points (8 G, 16 A) in 25 games, he had just five points (1 G, 4 A) in his last 13 games. To his credit, Wheeler earned six points (2 G, 4 A) in Winnipeg’s five-game first-round loss to Vegas. In a supporting role with the Rangers, Wheeler can still put up 55-60 points and, on his bargain contract, that will provide significant value.

Filip Chytil

The Rangers’ third line center busted out last season to set career highs of 22 goals and 45 points. He has a quick release and his confidence noticeably increased as he started to find the net. He had a 13-game stretch from early January to early February in which he scored 11 goals on 36 shots, which was phenomenal production considering he was playing 15 minutes per game. Chytil was obviously not going to keep scoring on 30% of his shots, but he scored 19 of his 22 goals at even strength and his career high shooting percentage of 12.4% was hardly an unreasonably lofty rate. The challenge for Chytil to increase his production is how to get more ice time. With Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck ahead of him on the depth chart, Chytil does face an uphill battle trying to earn more time with a scoring line. Under those circumstances, Chytil should be able to produce 40 points, but if he could find his way to a bigger role, then obviously there is more upside to be discovered.

Kaapo Kakko

Drafted second overall in 2019, Kakko has taken some time to find his footing in the NHL, but he made progress last season, connecting for career highs of 18 goals and 40 points. The puck tends to move the right way when Kakko is on the ice and, aside from his rookie season, the Rangers have outscored the opposition with Kakko on the ice, so the 22-year-old right winger is having a positive impact for the Blueshirts. Can he take his game to another level, one in which he scores more consistently and plays an even bigger role? That should be his objective, but Kakko’s progress has been gradual, so it is hard to fathom a sudden explosion. Consistency can be a challenge for Kakko, but he flashes potential. In a nine-game stretch starting in mid-January, Kakko produced 10 points (2 G, 8 A), and he is still just 22-years-old. If Kakko continues to skate on the third line, then another 40-point season is a reasonable hope. If he earns a spot in the top six, there is room for him to grow offensively.

Alexis Lafreniere

When you are the first overall pick, as Lafreniere was in 2020, expectations are for immediate stardom, rather than preaching patience for eventual results. On one hand, Lafreniere had a career high 39 points (16 G, 23 A) and started to have more of a physical impact with 141 hits last season. At the same time, the first overall pick is three years into his career and is still searching for his first 20-goal campaign. There was an 11-game stretch in January and February last season in which Lafreniere produced 10 points (5 G, 5 A), and that is tempting production from a 21-year-old. Lafreniere’s supporters can note that he has scored 32 even-strength goals in the past two seasons, which is the same number as Sam Reinhart, Rickard Rakell, Jamie Benn, and Brayden Schenn. It is one more even-strength goal than Mika Zibanejad. In any case, if Lafreniere has been disappointing to this point in his career, all hope is not lost. All the same, time is of the essence if he is going to prove that he is more than a third-line winger. Lafreniere does not have great speed at this level and has found it difficult to create separation in the NHL. That may not change, but he is getting comfortable with his physical play and a 40-point season should be within his grasp.

Barclay Goodrow

With back-to-back seasons of more than 30 points, Goodrow has increased his offensive output since arriving in New York. Even so, he is probably playing too much, as the Rangers have been getting outshot handily with Goodrow on the ice. He is a gritty forward who adds a physical presence, but he is paid too much to toil on the fourth line and that is probably where he fits best. Goodrow has surpassed 30 points in both of his seasons with the Rangers but, with any objective evaluation, he would start losing ice time, because the Rangers fare better when he is not on the ice, so it might be a reach to expect a third consecutive 30-point season for Goodrow.

Defense

Adam Fox

One of the premier defensemen in the league, Fox won the Norris Trophy in 2020-2021 and has finished fifth and second, respectively, in voting in the two years since. The 25-year-old standout has recorded more than 70 points in back-to-back seasons as he has become very adept at quarterbacking the Rangers’ power play. Fox has a great understanding of the game, anticipates where he needs to be and is confident when he moves the puck. He dominates possession at both ends of the rink and the Rangers have outscored opponents by 82 goals at even strength in Fox’s four NHL seasons, which ranks sixth among defensemen over that span. He is a perennial Norris Trophy contender in his prime. Fox had a nine-game point streak in November, during which he accumulated 14 points (4 G, 10 A), and had two six-game point streaks in January and March, respectively. His consistent power play production should give Fox yet another season with more than 70 points.

K’Andre Miller

The rangy 23-year-old blueliner is emerging as a standout stick-on-puck defender. Standing 6’ 5”, with a great reach and outstanding skating ability, Miller can swallow up the space surrounding any attacking player. His confidence and point production both seemed to spike in his third NHL campaign, as Miller scored 38 of his 43 points at even strength. That is the same number of even-strength points as Miro Heiskanen, Alex Pietrangelo, and Brent Burns. Miller’s offensive breakthrough started in December, when he had 15 points (4 G, 11 A) in a 16-game span. His limited role on the power play does put a ceiling on what Miller can reasonably be expected to produce so it is fair to expect 30 to 35 points. Maybe he can get back to 43 points despite limited power play production, but that is a tall order.

Jacob Trouba

A thundering hitter who is one of the most intimidating defenders in the league, Trouba has recorded 425 hits and 373 blocked shots, ranking seventh and second among defensemen, respectively, while missing just one game in the past two seasons. Trouba is not just a physical presence, however. He is a strong skater who can move the puck and has recorded four seasons with at least 30 points in his career, including the past two seasons, when his per-game shot rates have also been the highest of his career. Trouba was the only Rangers regular to be outscored during five-on-five play, but he also had an expected goals percentage of 49.1%, so getting outscored looks like it was earned. He is not asked to handle a huge offensive role, but Trouba can still contribute in that way. During a nine-game stretch in March, he produced 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 24 shots on goal. He should still be good to deliver a 30-point season for the Rangers.

Erik Gustafsson

While the veteran blueliner has not necessarily had the most secure place in the lineup for most of his previous six stops in the NHL, he has tended to deliver quality results, so he is a valuable third pair defender who skates and moves the puck well enough to offer support on the power play. In New York, there is little pressure for Gustafsson to play a prime puck-moving role, but he does give the club insurance behind Fox and Miller, at the very least. Gustafsson’s puck skills can lead to some scoring surges. In December of last season, when he was playing for Washington, Gustafsson scored 13 points (6 G, 7 A) in seven games and only two of those points were on the power play. He added eight assists in the last six games that he played for Washington before getting traded to Toronto. There is some variability when setting expectations for Gustafsson, and it just requires a simple look at his track record. There are a lot of ups and down in his career, so the safe expectation is to look for 30 to 35 points, understanding that he is capable of more if he is given the ice time to do it.

Goaltending

Igor Shesterkin

Everyone was watching the Big Apple last season to see if goaltending phenom Igor Shesterkin – who seamlessly transitioned the Rangers from the Henrik Lundqvist era to a new one under his regime – was the real deal. And while the 27-year-old’s fourth year of NHL games didn’t quite yield the same superhuman numbers that he had put up the year prior, he was still good enough to sit comfortably among the league’s biggest threats – even on a team that hadn’t made back-to-back playoff appearances since 2017.

Shesterkin’s game is rivaled by very few around the league; during an era of tumultuous performances and changing guards for the NHL’s goaltending corps, he’s one of the most impressively consistent young talents available. He’s managed to steady the ship for the Rangers as they flirt the line between a quick retooling and a full rebuild, taking the controlled and precise style that Henrik Lundqvist perfected for the Rangers and adding a few twists of explosive strength and speed all his own. He has one of the league’s most consistent baselines; after every shot, he manages to re-set himself flat on the goal line to give himself a better opportunity to face tricky offensive systems designed to draw goaltenders out of position. Add in a strong tracking game and mental read of shooters, coupled with a game that minimizes extra movement to avoid fatigue, and there’s very little about Shesterkin that’s not to like. The only real question this year? Just how he’ll handle sharing a net with a Lundqvist-era legend; he’ll share the crease with none other than Connecticut native Jonathan Quick, who has returned to the East Coast to back up Shesterkin after a disappointing year for Jaroslav Halak as his number two. Quick’s style sits on the opposite end of the spectrum from Shesterkin’s – so it will be interesting to see how the team handles such variance in what they’ll need to do to prepare for games with each of their respective starters.

Projected starts: 60-65

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Byram and Valimaki getting opportunity – Help on the wing in Teravainen, Carrier and Harvey-Pinard – Goaltending grabs

Scott Cullen — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 15:41:40 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 28: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram (4) looks on during the National Hockey League game between the Colorado Avalanche and the New Jersey Devils on October 28, 2022 at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

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

This week, Bowen Byram and Juuso Valimaki are getting bigger opportunities on the blueline, Teuvo Teravainen, William Carrier, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard may offer help on the wings, and Adin Hill and Philipp Grubauer are among the goaltenders that are widely available that could provide value for fantasy managers.

#1 With Cale Makar still out of the lineup due to a concussion, the Colorado Avalanche have been giving Bowen Byram a bigger role. Since returning from his own injury, Byram has three assists in five games while averaging 21:51 of ice time per game. Byram has the talent to be an impact player, but the 21-year-old has either had trouble staying healthy or gets lost in the shuffle behind Colorado’s other premier defensemen. He has 27 points in 64 career games, but 24 of those points have come at even strength. Among 222 defensemen that have played 1000 five-on-five minutes across the past three seasons, Bryam ranks 45^th with 1.05 points per 60 minutes.

#2 With Shayne Gostisbehere injured and Jakob Chychrun stuck in limbo while awaiting a trade, Juuso Valimaki is being asked to handle more responsibility on the Arizona blueline, and that includes quarterbacking the Coyotes’ top power play unit. He has six assists and 12 shots on goal in his past five games, averaging 22:42 of ice time per game.

#3 An upper-body injury hindered him earlier in the season, but Carolina Hurricanes left winger Teuvo Teravainen is rounding into form. In his past 11 games, Teravainen has nine points (3 G, 6 A) and 27 shots on goal. The 28-year-old has had four seasons of 60-plus points in his career, but has just 26 points (6 G, 20 A) in 44 games this season. However, he is back on Carolina’s top line and first power play unit, so Teravainen is poised for a big finish to the season.

#4 Vegas’ hard-driving left winger William Carrier is putting the puck in the net and it has elevated him into the land of fantasy relevance, especially in banger leagues because he brings a physical component to his game. In his past 8 games, Carrier has contributed nine points (5 G, 4 A) and 22 shots on goal. He is skating on the third line in Vegas with Chandler Stephenson and Phil Kessel, which is a better opportunity than he has typically had in his career and Carrier is making the most of it.

#5 Sticking in Vegas, starting goaltender Logan Thompson is injured so Adin Hill has a chance to handle the No. 1 role. Over the past month, Hill has a .933 save percentage in six games, and while he has never played more than 25 games in a NHL season, he has tended to deliver around league average results. If you’re looking for goaltending help at this stage of the season, he is worthy of consideration. If Hill falters, Laurent Brossoit has been recalled from the AHL, so he could see some action, too.

#6 For much of the season in Seattle, Martin Jones has been the number one option in net for the Kraken, but Philipp Grubauer is pushing to recapture the starter’s spot on the depth chart. In 2023, Grubauer has appeared in eight games and has a .927 save percentage, which is dramatically better than his play through his first season and a half with the Kraken.

#7 Usually, when seeking value from players on the fantasy waiver wire, it is nice to find a player who has some pedigree to lean on – a track record of production that would suggest that they might be able to do it in the NHL, too. Rafael Harvey-Pinard was a seventh-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2019, and has been reasonably productive in the American Hockey League, but that did not portend the kind of scoring that he has immediately added to the Montreal lineup. With a goal in Thursday’s 6-2 loss at Carolina, Harvey-Pinard has nine points (7 G, 2 A) in 11 games since getting called up from the AHL. He has scored on 35% of his shots, which his obviously not sustainable, but that early success has also helped Harvey-Pinard get more ice time – he played a career-high 19:02 Thursday at Carolina.

#8 His production is down this season, and he may be on the move before the trade deadline, but Blues center Ryan O’Reilly has returned from injury with a three-game point streak, tallying three points (2 G, 1 A) with seven shots on goal. His modest production this season is why he is available in more leagues than usual, but O’Reilly could still be worth adding for the stretch run, especially if he moves to a better situation.

#9 It’s easy for production to get overlooked in Arizona, but Nick Schmaltz continues to deliver for the Coyotes. In his past nine games, Schmaltz has put up 14 points (7 G, 7 A) with 24 shots on goal and for a player who has never been a big volume shooter, it is encouraging that he is averaging a career high 2.05 shots on goal per game this season.

#10 It seems unlikely that Barrett Hayton will live up to the expectations created when the Arizona Coyotes drafted him fifth overall in 2018, but the Coyotes are giving him the reps to show what he can do in the NHL. In his past 22 games, Hayton has 15 points (6 G, 9 A) and 57 shots on goal, while averaging 18:00 minutes of ice time per game. He is skating on the top line with Schmaltz and Clayton Keller, so that certainly helps to boost his productivity.

#11 Montreal Canadiens winger Jonathan Drouin has had a hard time staying healthy, but he is working in a setup role when he is in the lineup. He has five assists in four games since returning from his latest injury, and now has zero goals and 17 assists through 32 games. There has never been a season in NHL history in which a forward finished a season with that many assists without scoring a single goal, so we are now on history watch to see if Drouin is going to be the first.

#12 The Calgary Flames bumped Dillon Dube up to the top line in mid-December, and the speedy winger has rewarded the club with strong production in that role. In his past 26 games, Dube has 22 points (11 G, 11 A) with 58 shots on goal. Among players that have played at least 200 five-on-five minutes since December 14, Dube ranks 12^th with 3.08 points per 60 minutes. That is a higher rate than players like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak, Jack Hughes, and Nikita Kucherov.

#13 There is potential value to be found further down the Flames’ depth chart, too. Veteran center Mikael Backlund had 18 points (6 G, 12 A) in 35 games going into the December holiday break. Since then, he has 16 points (4 G, 12 A) with 71 shots on goal in 20 games. That shot rate has lifted Backlund to a career-high 3.07 shots on goal per game and is a solid indication that he can maintain a quality level of point production even if he is in more of a supporting role offensively.

#14 While the Montreal Canadiens have a lot of young players getting turns on the blueline, veteran is Mike Matheson emerging as the leader of the group. In his past 15 games, going back to early December, Matheson has nine points (1 G, 8 A) and 33 shots on goal, while averaging 23:26 of ice time per game. He is quarterbacking the first power play unit for Montreal, so Matheson is worth some deep league consideration.

#15 After scoring a goal and adding an assist in Thursday’s 5-2 win at Calgary, Detroit Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri has eight points (3 G, 5 A) during a four-game point streak. Be a little skeptical of that production, though, because Fabbri is not generating shots – he has accrued just 25 shots on goal in 18 games, and that rate makes it tough to believe that his surge in scoring is going to last.

#16 Recording an assist on Winnipeg’s only goal in Thursday’s 3-1 loss at Columbus, veteran right winger Blake Wheeler continues to put up points. He has 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in his past nine games, though, like Fabbri, Wheeler is not a big shot generator. In his past nine games, he has just nine shots on goal. He also has 42 points (15 G, 27 A) in 46 games, making this the eighth straight season in which he has averaged better than 0.90 points per game.

#17 It was something of a surprise when, at the start of the season, Philip Tomasino was not on the Nashville Predators roster. He had 32 points (11 G, 21 A) in 76 games as a rookie last season, but was demoted to the American Hockey League. He responded by producing 32 points (12 G, 20 A) in 38 games and, in the wake of Filip Forsberg’s injury, Tomasino has been recalled to the Predators roster. He has not recorded any points in his first couple of games, but has generated five shots on goal and if Nashville becomes a seller before the trade deadline, there could be more opportunities for Tomasino to re-establish his value as an NHL player.

#18 The goaltender for the San Jose Sharks is not exactly a blue-chip fantasy stock, because the Sharks do not win that much, but Kaapo Kahkonen has a .929 save percentage in his past five games and figures to get the bulk of the action down the stretch. Veteran James Reimer, with an expiring contract, remains a potential trade candidate, and while Kahkonen has started 24 games this season, he should have a good chance to surpass the 36 games he appeared in last season.

#19 Depending on your desperation in goal, there are some longshot options to consider. With Anton Forsberg done for the season, with torn medial collateral ligaments in both knees, Mads Sogaard should see playing time in Ottawa, especially while Cam Talbot remains out. Talbot is also a potential trade candidate, so it is possible that Sogaard will play quite a bit for the rest of the season. Arizona’s Connor Ingram is coming off the best game of his NHL career, a 47-save shutout against Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Ingram has a respectable .907 save percentage in 18 games and there have been some rumors that starter Karel Vejmelka could be available for the right price. Wins might be tough in Ottawa or Arizona, but even more difficult to achieve in Chicago. Nevertheless, 23-year-old rookie Jaxson Stauber is worth keeping an eye on. Petr Mrazek has had another rough season and Alex Stalock has an issue with his eyesight, so it is possible that Stauber will continue to see action for the Blackhawks. He has a .911 save percentage in his first four NHL games.

#20 Injuries have hampered the production of Detroit Red Wings left winger Tyler Bertuzzi, but he is starting to find his footing. After putting up a goal and two assists in a 5-2 win at Calgary on Thursday, Bertuzzi has six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past six games. With the Red Wings back in the playoff hunt, Bertuzzi may be held back from the trading block, but if he continues to produce, there will be plenty of interest in the style of game that he can bring to a team heading to the postseason. Maybe that team will turn out to be the Red Wings.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Standout Rookies and Riding the Seattle Wave

Scott Cullen — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 19:31:57 +0000

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

This week, standout rookies Owen Power and Cole Perfetti are scoring, Jared McCann and Oliver Bjorkstrand are riding the wave in Seattle, Filip Chytil is emerging as a scoring threat and much more.

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

#1 The first pick in the 2021 Draft, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power has been an impact player from the drop of the puck but has been getting overlooked to some degree because he was not scoring. He had no goals and 15 assists through 41 games. Those days could be in the past, as he has three goals and an assist during a four-game point streak. He may have his offensive ceiling capped by Rasmus Dahlin getting first unit power play time, but Power could provide sneaky offensive value down the stretch.

#2 Another rookie to keep in mind, is the Jets’ Cole Perfetti. The 10^th pick in the 2020 Draft, Perfetti has moved up the Winnipeg depth chart to skate on a line with Kyle Connor and Pierre-Luc Dubois. In his past 10 games, Perfetti has contributed nine points (1 G, 8 A), giving him 29 points for the season. That puts him in second place in rookie scoring, seven points behind Seattle’s Matty Beniers.

#3 Staying in Winnipeg but moving to the other end of the career spectrum, 36-year-old right winger Blake Wheeler continues to put up points and remains available in many fantasy leagues. Even with reduced ice time, Wheeler has nine points (3 G, 6 A) in his past eight games, giving him 36 points in 41 games. In a change of pace, Wheeler has six power play goals and just four power play assists. It would be the first season of his career in which he finishes with more power play goals than assists.

#4 As the Seattle Kraken have surprisingly become one of the top scoring teams in the league, Jared McCann is leading the way with 23 goals. He has 12 points (7 G, 5 A) in his past 13 games. Among players that have played at least 500 five-on-five minutes, McCann has scored a league-best 2.29 goals per 60 minutes. The rest of the Top 10 is Jason Robertson, Jack Hughes, Tage Thompson, David Pastrnak, Cole Caufield, Connor McDavid, Victor Olofsson, Brayden Point, and Mikko Rantanen, so McCann is traveling in some rare company.

#5 Coming off a career-high 28 goals and 57 points for Columbus last season, Oliver Bjorkstrand was supposed to be an impact player for the Kraken. He scored a goal on opening night and then went 17 games without a goal. There has been progress lately, though, as he has seven points (4 G, 3 A) with 30 shots on goal in his past 10 games

#6 Due to a lack of premier playmaking options down the middle in Columbus, veteran Boone Jenner is still handling the first line center role and he has scored a goal in three straight games, but also has gone 11 games without recording an assist. The goals and hit totals are enough to give Jenner fantasy value, but if he is playing with Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine, there have to be a few more helpers on the board.

#7 Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren picked up a couple of points in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers and the 23-year-old is stepping into a bigger role. He has six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past nine games and has played more than 20 minutes in six of his past seven games. Since the start of last season, the Maple Leafs are controlling 57.4% of expected goals during five-on-five play with Liljegren on the ice. Among defensemen to play at least 1500 minutes, only three come in with a higher percentage – Charlie McAvoy, Jaccob Slavin, and Matt Grzelcyk.

#8 In that Rangers loss at Toronto, Blueshirts center Filip Chytil scored a pair of goals, and he now has a career-high 15 goals in 40 games. In his past 10 games, Chytil has 11 points (7 G, 4 A) and 29 shots on goal, so it looks like the 23-year-old is ready to move beyond a depth role with the Rangers and become a real offensive contributor.

#9 Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson is on a goal-scoring tear, putting up 11 points (10 G, 1 A) and 38 shots on goal in the past 12 games. That gives Olofsson 23 goals and six assists in 48 games, making him a contender for the hockey Cy Young award. Cole Caufield (26 G, 10 A) is closest, but the Montreal Canadiens winger is done for the season with a shoulder injury. Aside from Olofsson, the players with the most goals, while still recording single digit assists totals are Brandon Saad (14 G, 7 A) and Josh Anderson (14 G, 3 A).

#10 The ninth pick in the 2017 Draft, Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen took some time to develop but appears to be taking the next step in his development. After notching a goal and an assist in Thursday’s 4-3 overtime win at Montreal, Rasmussen has seven points (2 G, 5 A) and 13 shots on goal in his past six games. At 6-foot-6, Rasmussen can play both center and wing and is up to 24 points (9 G, 15 A) in 45 games, pushing closer to his career high of 27 points, set in 80 games last season.

#11 While the Nashville Predators have called up Juuso Parssinen and Tomas Novak to fill center ice spots, the latest center to move to the top line is Cody Glass, who has quietly been a nice reclamation project for the Preds. In his past 19 games, Glass has 14 points (5 G, 9 A) to go with 38 shots on goal. He has been moved up the depth chart to center Nashville’s top line, between Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene, so if the production continues, Glass should be able to count on remaining in a strong situation.

#12 Even with Jake Allen returning from injury to help stabilize the Montreal Canadiens’ goaltending situation, Samuel Montembeault has surely earned a substantial role in the Habs crease. In the past three weeks, Montembeault has started eight games and delivered a .930 save percentage in that time. He has a .910 save percentage in 21 starts and his 10 wins is already a career high.

#13 Montreal has a long list of injured players, and it includes eight skaters that have been regulars in the lineup this season. That has resulted in Rem Pitlick and rookie Jesse Ylonen securing spots among the top six forwards and Evgeny Dadonov is getting firs unit power play time. Of those three, Dadonov would have the most fantasy appeal, and it’s not much.

#14 The return of Josh Norris to the Ottawa Senators lineup was brief, as he will now have season-ending shoulder surgery. Considering where the Senators are in the standings, this should mean a good run for rookie Shane Pinto. He has 19 points (12 G, 7 A) in 47 games, which is not going to draw fantasy interest even though 12 goals rank third among rookie goal-scorers, but if Pinto’s ice time goes up, there will be an opportunity for him to produce more later in the season.

#15 For much of the season, the New York Rangers have been trying to figure out the right combination of linemates for star winger Artemi Panarin. Although he is still scoring better than a point per game, Panarin has five points (1 G, 4 A) in the past eight games and one of those games was a three-assist effort against Florida. The latest line combinations for the Blueshirts have Panarin skating with Mika Zibanejad and Jimmy Vesey. Certainly, Panarin and Zibanejad are rostered just about everywhere, but this is quite an opportunity for Vesey who has four points (2 G, 2 A) in his past 16 games and played a season-high 19:18 at Toronto on Wednesday.

#16 It looked so good early in the season for Jack Eichel in Vegas. He was healthy and scoring, but now as his production is slowing down, he has taken public criticism from head coach Bruce Cassidy. In six games since Mark Stone landed on the injured list, Eichel has managed one assist and 11 shots on goal, which is not nearly good enough, but the Golden Knights are not exactly setting up Eichel to succeed at this point – his most recent linemates are Nicolas Roy and Paul Cotter and it’s a big ask for those players to handle the responsibility of playing on a No. 1 scoring line for a Stanley Cup contender.

#17 Carolina Hurricanes left winger Andrei Svechnikov has yet to score in 2023, picking up five assists in 11 games, but that could make him a good buy-low option on the fantasy trade market. Svechnikov is still generating chances – he has 41 shots on goal in those 11 games – and while there is some variance in his ice time from game to game, he is still averaging more than 18 minutes per game over that stretch, which is consistent with his average time on ice for the season. So, the opportunities are there for him and the Hurricanes have plenty of incentive to get Svechnikov back on track.

#18 Another possible buy-low candidate is skating in Ottawa. Alex DeBrincat has three points (2 G, 1 A) in 11 games since the calendar turned to 2023. While he has 39 points in 47 games, DeBrincat has just 15 goals, which is well below the pace that he was scoring at for Chicago in the past couple of seasons. However, DeBrincat is actually averaging 3.52 shots on goal per game this season, more than he ever has in his career. The problem is that he is scoring on 9.6% of his shots, which is way down form the 17.2% that he scored on in the past two seasons. But if the percentages bounce back a bit, DeBrincat could still have a hot streak of goal-scoring in him.

#19 Since January 1, the leaders in per 60 minutes individual expected goals in all situations (minimum 50 minutes): John Tavares, Max Pacioretty, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid, Timo Meier, Brady Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, Jack Hughes, and Matthew Tkachuk. The season-ending Achilles injury to Pacioretty is obviously a big loss for the Hurricanes and most of these names are to be expected, though Tavares being tops in the league is somewhat surprising and Verhaeghe is showing that he is a consistent scoring force. In his past six games, Verhaeghe has eight points (6 G, 2 A) and 25 shots on goal.

#20 At the other end of the spectrum, looking at forwards that have not been generating a lot of chances or expected goals in 2023, naturally, a lot of those forwards are fourth liners, who are often not expected to contribute offensively. However, there are some notable names among the bottom 40 forwards when it comes to expected goals per 60 in 2023. That includes Mike Hoffman, Jonathan Toews, Jack Roslovic and…Mitch Marner? Marner has 15 points (4 G, 11 A) with 24 shots on goal in 12 games in the new year, but perhaps that stark difference between Tavares and Marner helps explain why the Maple Leafs went back to having Marner play with Auston Matthews earlier this week.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.