David Perron – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – The aftermath of the trade deadline, including deals for John Carlson, Brayden Schenn, Conor Garland, Bobby Brink, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 15:44:59 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, the aftermath of the trade deadline, including deals for John Carlson, Brayden Schenn, Conor Garland, Bobby Brink, and so much more!

#1 After playing more than 1,100 regular-season games for the Washington Capitals, defenceman John Carlson was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. The 36-year-old blueliner remains highly productive, ranking 11th among defencemen with 46 points (10 G, 36 A) in 55 games this season. He’s been a prolific force on the power play throughout his career but has been doing more damage at even strength this season, with just nine assists on the power play and 37 points at even strength, which ranks fifth among NHL defencemen. In Anaheim, Carlson should get power play time ahead of Jacob Trouba but maybe not ahead of Jackson LaCombe.

#2 The New York Islanders made a big commitment to acquire St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn, who has a relatively modest 28 points (12 G, 16A) in 61 games. He may do a little better with an Islanders team that is having more success, but the value for the Islanders could come from Schenn’s ability to play centre which could help to free up Mathew Barzal, who can move to right wing. Meanwhile, in St. Louis, Schenn’s departure could open up ice time down the middle of the ice, so rookie Dalibor Dvorsky might be worth keeping tabs on in deeper leagues.

#3 Ever since the Columbus Blue Jackets hired Rick Bowness as head coach, they have been making a concerted push for the playoffs, going 13-2-1 in 16 games under Bowness. Because of that surge, the Blue Jackets were buyers at the deadline and acquired right winger Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks. Garland has been a reliable secondary scorer throughout his career and has been a solid defensive contributor, too, though he had been struggling in the midst of the Canucks’ awful season, managing 26 points (7 G, 19 A) in 50 games. He should be a second-line winger in Columbus and with Garland moving on, the Canucks can give ice time to players in need of the experience, including Nils Hoglander, Liam Ohgren, and Linus Karlsson. Karlsson is probably the most appealing of those three.

#4 Veteran winger Michael Bunting was traded from the Nashville Predators to the Dallas Stars, and it should be a good opportunity for him to fill a middle six role on a strong Stars squad. Bunting has scored at least 19 goals in each of the past four seasons and had 31 points (13 G, 18 A) in 61 games for Nashville this season. With Bunting gone, perhaps look to Joakim Kemell in Nashville. The 2022 first-round pick had 29 points (10 G, 19 A) in 46 AHL games though he has failed to record a point in five career NHL games.

#5 The Minnesota Wild brought Minnesota native Bobby Brink home via a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers. Brink, 24, had 26 points (13 G, 13 A) in 55 games for the Flyers this season and should fit into Minnesota’s middle six with some second unit power play time. If he lands on Minnesota’s second line, with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, that would be an outstanding opportunity for Brink to elevate his production.

#6 Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has been in fine form since returning from the Olympics, putting up six points (2 G, 4 A) and 15 shots on goal in five games. With Artturi Lehkonen considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Landeskog is even more important for the Avs and is skating on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas.

#7 It took some time for Dallas Stars forward Matt Duchene to get back up to speed after he missed more than six weeks with an upper-body injury, but he has been cooking lately. In his past 10 games, Duchene has accumulated 17 points (8 G, 9 A) with 19 shots on goal. He is skating with Jamie Benn and Sam Steel on the Stars’ second line but is also getting first unit power play time, which gives him a better shot at sustaining this offensive surge. Steel has elevated his play, too, putting up 10 points (3 G, 7 A) and 18 shots on goal in his past nine games. He is up to a career-high 29 points (10 G, 19 A) in 61 games.

#8 Columbus Blue Jackets centre Charlie Coyle has been on a tear ever since the Blue Jackets hired Bowness. In 16 games under the new bench boss, Coyle has delivered 21 points (9 G, 12 A) with 48 shots on goal. He’s been dominating at even strength, scoring 17 of those 21 points at evens. While he is getting first unit power play time, Coyle’s current linemates are Cole Sillinger and enforcer Mathieu Olivier.

#9 It has not been an easy season in Winnipeg, so the Jets need to take the good news where they can get it. Winger Cole Perfetti is starting to heat up as he takes on a bigger role. In his past eight games, Perfetti has seven points (3 G, 4 A) with 29 shots on goal while averaging 18:32 of ice time per game. That shot rate is very encouraging and he’s not only playing first unit power play time, but Perfetti is skating on a line with Adam Lowry and Gabriel Vilardi at even strength.

#10 Carolina Hurricanes left winger Taylor Hall has been a solid secondary scorer for the ‘Canes this season and he has six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past four games, but he is also consistently generating shots. In his past seven games, Hall has 19 shots on goal and seems to have a good thing going on a line with younger players Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake.

#11 New York Islanders captain Anders Lee plays more of a supporting role for the team than he did in his prime years, but he can still be a force in front of the net. In his past five games, Lee has scored four goals with 16 shots on goal. He is skating on a line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom at even strength and he’s a second unit power play guy, with only six of his 35 points this season coming via the man advantage.

#12 The Winnipeg Jets have activated defenceman Josh Morrissey so he should be available for Saturday’s game against Vancouver. It isn’t a moment too soon, either, after the Jets traded Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to Buffalo, the Jets were looking rather lean on the blueline. Morrissey has 42 points (10 G, 32 A) in 56 games this season, despite being held off the scoresheet in seven straight games prior to the Olympic break.

#13 The San Jose Sharks have been very prudent in their deployment of rookie centre Michael Misa this season, perhaps even conservative, but it’s starting to look like the freshman pivot is ready to play a bigger role down the stretch as the Sharks push for a playoff spot. In four games since the Olympic break, Misa has contributed five points (2 G, 3 A) with seven shots on goal. He is in a good situation with the Sharks now, skating on a line between William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli, so it should come as no surprise if Misa, the second pick in last summer’s draft, continues to ascend late in the season.

#14 It is practically impossible to trust that Buffalo Sabres centre Josh Norris will stay healthy – he has played more than 56 games in a season once in his career – but when he’s in the lineup, he can make a difference. Norris has five points (3 G, 2 A) and 10 shots on goal in five games since the Olympic break and has 22 points (9 G, 13 A) in 24 games this season. On a strong Sabres team, Norris is getting first unit power play time and skating between Noah Ostlund and Josh Doan at even strength.

#15 It is probably too soon to give out a recommendation for St. Louis Blues rookie defenceman Logan Mailloux, but he’s worth keeping an eye on, especially after Justin Faulk was traded to the Detroit Red wings. Mailloux only has five points (3 G, 2 A) in 46 games this season, but he has goals in back-to-back games and has 13 shots on goal. He has gone over 20 minutes of ice time in each of the past three games, the first times that he has crossed that threshold with the Blues. Faulk figures to be a solid addition in Detroit. The veteran blueliner had nine assists and 20 shots on goal in his last 10 games for St. Louis. In Detroit, he should continue to play 20+ minutes per game and have a role on the second power play.

#16 It shouldn’t move the needle that much when a 40-year-old right winger is traded, but Corey Perry had been having a strong season when the Los Angeles Kings traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Perry had zero points and 12 shots on goal in his last eight games for the Kings, but he still has 28 points (11 G, 17 A) in 50 games. If he can continue at that rate, it would be his best points per game since 2017-2018. Perry is likely to have a fourth line role in Tampa Bay, with some second unit power play time sprinkled in for good measure.

#17 This year’s trade deadline was decidedly underwhelming, with few big names moving, there were a bunch of veteran forwards on the move. Nick Foligno joining his brother in Minnesota, David Perron back to Detroit, Warren Foegele to Ottawa, Nicolas Roy to Colorado, Nic Dowd to Vegas, Andrew Mangiapane to Chicago with Colton Dach and Jason Dickinson going to Edmonton. It’s entirely possible that none of those players will have fantasy value for the rest of this season.

#18 It has been a difficult season for defenceman Mackenzie Weegar, who had been one of the league’s most reliable blueliners over the previous five years. The Utah Mammoth acquired Weegar from the Calgary Flames, where he had 21 points (3 g, 18 A) in 60 games, but he had 99 points (28 G, 71 A) in 163 games across the previous two seasons, so he does have more offensive potential than he has shown this year. He’s not a sure thing for power play time in Utah, especially if Mikhail Sergachev and Sean Durzi are healthy, but it will be worth monitoring Weegar in his new home.

#19 One of the more surprising stories of the season is that of Calgary Flames goaltender Devin Cooley. The 28-year-old netminder had played a total of six NHL games prior to this season and it was a couple of years ago when he had a .870 save percentage for the San Jose Sharks, so expectations for Cooley were not high coming into the season. In 22 games, however, Cooley has a sparkling .923 save percentage, and he’s earning more action in the Flames crease. There may not be a lot of wins for Flames goalies over the rest of this season, but Cooley is changing the trajectory of his career and could have some value late in the season, at least when the Flames have more favorable matchups.

#20 As the New York Rangers’ season circles the drain, captain J.T. Miller has landed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. With Vincent Trocheck also out, the Rangers have Mika Zibanejad followed by journeyman Jonny Brodzinski, rookie Noah Laba, and Juuso Parssinen, who was just called up from the AHL. That’s an uphill fight down the middle of the ice every night so the Blueshirts might be in full tank mode. Just something to keep in mind for a rebuilding team that may not be offering a whole lot of support to its best players down the stretch.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – A Kings defenceman and Ducks winger are elevating their production, veterans Vladimir Tarasenko, Brent Burns, and Vincent Trocheck are producing, Josh Doan earns a contract extension, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:20:39 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - DECEMBER 21: Josh Doan #91 of the Buffalo Sabres skates during a game between the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on December 21, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, a Kings defenceman and Ducks winger are elevating their production, veterans Vladimir Tarasenko, Brent Burns, and Vincent Trocheck are producing, Josh Doan earns a contract extension, and so much more!

#1 Los Angeles Kings defenceman Brandt Clarke has earned a bigger role as the season has progressed, and especially with Drew Doughty nursing an injury. In his past six games, Clarke has five points (1 G, 4 A) and 12 shots on goal, while averaging 21:49 of ice time per game. Clarke is generating 3.53 points per 60 during 5-on-4 play, which is clearly best among Kings defencemen, so he should have some security in the role as power play quarterback.

#2 Staying in Southern California, Anaheim Ducks rookie right winger Beckett Sennecke is similarly growing into a bigger role during his rookie season. In his past 11 games, Sennecke is averaging 19:52 of ice time per game, putting up nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 35 shots on goal. He is skating with veterans Mikael Granlund and Alex Killorn at even strength while also getting first unit power play time, and the rookie is making the most of his opportunities.

#3 There have been ups and downs this season for Minnesota Wild right winger Vladimir Tarasenko but when he’s cooking, the Wild benefit from his scoring. He may not be delivering like he did during his peak seasons, but the 34-year-old winger does have eight points (5 G, 3 A) and 18 shots on goal in his past five games. He is on a veteran line alongside centre Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson, both returning from injuries for Thursday’s home game against Detroit.

#4 While he can get overlooked in Colorado, considering all the star power on the roster, Avalanche defenceman Brent Burns continues to be an effective contributor from the blueline. The 40-year-old defender has produced five points (3 G, 2 A) and 22 shots on goal in his past six games, and it’s a good reminder that, when he was at his best, Burns was an elite shot generator from the point, and he’s firing pucks again while the Avalanche tend to consistently dominate play.

#5 New York Rangers centre Vincent Trocheck is reportedly finding his way into trade rumours as the season appears to be getting away from the Blueshirts. The veteran pivot has three more years after this one remaining on his contract, but it’s at a reasonable price - $5.625 million cap hit – and he remains productive. In his past 13 games, Trocheck has 15 points (5 G, 10 A) and 28 shots on goal. What sets Trocheck apart, especially for fantasy managers, is that he also has 11 blocked shots and 29 hits in those 13 games, filling even peripheral statistical categories. Trocheck is on a line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere and it’s working right now, but Panarin is also in trade rumours, so who knows where these Rangers stars could be playing by the time the trade deadline arrives.

#6 Buffalo Sabres winger Josh Doan signed a seven-year, $49 million contract extension and the young winger has really taken advantage of the opportunities available in Buffalo this season after arriving in the offseason as part of the trade package from the Utah Mammoth for JJ Peterka. In his past 11 games, Doan has just 14 shots on goal but has still put up 11 points (5 G, 6 A) while averaging 17:31 of ice time per game. He has proven his ability as a scoring winger and is getting ice time with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch on the Sabres’ top line in addition to first unit power play time.

#7 The Calgary Flames traded defenceman Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights and there is some fallout for fantasy managers. In Vegas, Andersson is not likely to supplant Shea Theodore or Noah Hanifin on the power play, so that could limit Andersson’s offensive output. In Calgary, MacKenzie Weegar should return to the top power play unit and he’s a good buy-low option right now, as Weegar has zero points in his past eight games.

#8 Injuries have hindered Seattle Kraken left winger Jared McCann this season, but he is still a threat when he is in the lineup. In his past 13 games, McCann has 13 points (6 G, 7 A) with 32 shots on goal. He is scoring on 18.0 percent of his shots on goal this season, which is well above his career mark of 12.4 percent, so regression could be coming, but McCann is skating on the Kraken’s top line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle in addition to getting first unit power play time, so he is getting ample opportunity to live up to his scoring role.

#9 After a slow start to the season, Nashville Predators sniper Steven Stamkos started to find his way into trade rumours, which made sense given where the Predators were in the standings. However, once Stamkos started filling the net, the Preds suddenly turned into playoff contenders. They are right in the hunt now and in his past 21 games, Stamkos has scored 16 goals and 25 points, with 61 shots on goal. While he may not continue to score on 26.2 percent of his shots, as he has during this stretch, but he has scored on 16.7 percent of his shots throughout his career so it’s not like his shooting percentage should collapse.

#10 Every so often, New Jersey Devils centre Cody Glass can heat up for a short burst, showing why he was the sixth overall pick in the 2017 Draft. It tends not to last very long, but Glass does have six points (4 G, 2 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past six games. He is up to 11 goals on the season, which ties him for fourth on the Devils with Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes, though Glass is more of a short-term pickup for fantasy managers.

#11 A 27-year-old winger for the Washington Capitals, Ethen Frank has battled to secure a regular spot in the lineup and is now starting to show some of the scoring ability that he displayed in the American Hockey League in previous seasons to earn his look with the Capitals. Frank tallied 82 goals and 127 points in 164 AHL games after his college career at Western Michigan. In his past seven games, Frank has six points (5 G, 1 A) and 18 shots on goal, while averaging 16:41 of ice time per game, a notable jump from the 12:03 per game he had been playing before that. Frank is skating with Nic Dowd and Alex Ovechkin at even strength while also getting second unit power play time, which is enough to put him on the radar of deep league fantasy managers.

#12 Detroit Red Wings centre Andrew Copp has emerged as a solid complementary scorer, holding the second-line centre spot between Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. As the Wings have gone 7-1-1 in their past nine games, Copp has eight points (3 G, 5 A) with 16 shots on goal. He is up to 30 points (8 G, 22 A) in 52 games, giving him a chance to surpass 40 points for the third time in his career.

#13 Buffalo Sabres right winger Jack Quinn seems to drift in an out of fantasy relevance but when he’s going good, he is a quality source of secondary offence for the Sabres. In his past eight games, Quinn has seven points (4 G, 3 A) with 21 shots on goal and seems to have a good thing going with linemates Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker at even strength along with some second unit power play time.

#14 As the Calgary Flames have become sellers before the NHL Trade Deadline, some of their younger players figure to get good opportunities for the rest of this season. Left winger Connor Zary is one of those players. The 2020 first-round pick has six points (2 G, 4 A) and 19 shots on goal and he is getting a look on Calgary’s top line, skating with Nazem Kadri and rookie Matvei Gridin, who has just been recalled from the American Hockey League, where Gridin had 28 points (10 G, 18 A) in 32 games for the Calgary Wranglers.

#15 It would be bold to recommend Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton, who has not scored a goal since November 26, but from the files of “rising tides lift all boats” it’s worth keeping an eye on him anyway. In the month of January, Colton has five assists in nine games, but he also has 33 shots on goal. He has 17.41 shots on goal per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play this month which is the highest shot rate in the entire league. He gets third line and second unit power play ice time, so there is a limit to Colton’s offensive upside, but his shot generation does suggest that he’s going to bust out and start scoring some goals soon.

#16 One of the best players in the league this season, Minnesota Wild left winger Matt Boldy has landed on the injured list with an undisclosed injury. Boldy is tied for fourth in the league with 27 goals in 48 games and he has been a play driving force with the Wild outshooting opponents and outscoring the opposition 38 to 21 during 5-on-5 play with Boldy on the ice. With Boldy out, Marcus Johansson secures a spot in Minnesota’s top six and while that is a drop off, Johansson has 14 points (5 G, 9 A) and 27 shots on goal in his past 18 games. That shot rate isn’t ideal, but Johansson is a reliable source of secondary offence.

#17 Florida Panthers defenceman Seth Jones has landed on LTIR due to an upper-body injury which will also prevent him from playing for Team USA in the Olympics, as he has been replaced on the roster by Anaheim Ducks defenceman Jackson LaCombe. In Florida, Jones’ absence means a bigger role for Aaron Ekblad, and the veteran blueliner does have four assists and 13 shots on goal in his past seven games. Also look to Uvis Balinskis, who is getting time on the top power play unit and has three points (2 G, 1 A) with seven shots on goal while averaging 21 minutes of ice time per game in his past five games.

#18 The logjam that was appearing on the New Jersey Devils blueline, which resulted in Dougie Hamilton being a healthy scratch, seems to be alleviated for the time being now that Luke Hughes is injured. Hughes’ shoulder injury will keep him out for at least a month, and he did have seven points (2 G, 5 A) and 15 shots on goal in his last 10 games prior to getting injured, with three of those seven points coming on the power play. With Hughes out, Hamilton resumes his spot as the quarterback of the Devils power play. He has seven assists and 12 shots on goal in his past six games.

#19 With Ottawa Senators veteran winger David Perron needing surgery for a sports hernia which will keep him out of the lineup for 5-7 weeks, look to Sens winger Ridly Greig, who is starting to heat up. Greig has seven points (2 G, 5 A) in his past five games and while he only has five shots on goal in that time, he is averaging more than 17 minutes of ice time per game and is skating on a line with Brady Tkachuk and Dylan Cozens, while also getting second-unit power play time, so Greig could build on this hot streak.

#20 Anaheim Ducks centre Leo Carlsson has landed on the injured list with a thigh injury that will keep him out 3-5 weeks following surgery. He has broken though offensively this season, tallying 44 points (18 G, 26 A) in 44 games but this injury is likely going to cost him his spot on Sweden’s Olympic Team. The Ducks’ forward lines have been depleted by injuries, with Carlsson, Troy Terry, Frank Vatrano, and Mason McTavish all dealing with various issues, so it’s an opportunity for a veteran like Ryan Strome to step up. Jansen Harkins has seen his ice time increase, but has not recorded a point in 2026, so maybe consider more proven scoring options for the Ducks.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Veterans who are elevating their play, including Zach Hyman, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Ryan Hartman, Claude Giroux, David Perron, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 16:22:00 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, veterans who are elevating their play, including Zach Hyman, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Ryan Hartman, Claude Giroux, David Perron, and so much more!

#1 Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman was not ready to start the season, as he recovered from wrist surgery, so he didn’t get into the lineup until mid-November and even then it took him some time to get up to speed. It does appear that he’s starting to cook. In his past 11 games, Hyman has 15 points (9 G, 6 A) and 34 shots on goal. He’s getting first unit power play time and skating on the Oilers’ top line with Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, so Hyman should be in a prime position for the rest of the season.

#2 In his first 29 games this season, Nashville Predators right winger Steven Stamkos had 11 points (8 G, 3 A) and when that happens to a player in his mid-30s, it can look like the end is near. He has turned back the clock recently, however, putting up 11 points (7 G, 4 A) with 29 shots on goal in his past seven games. He’s skating on a veteran line with Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg and the key is that Stamkos is generating shots on goal. In his first 29 games, he had just 58 shots on goal, so to go from two shots per game to more than four shots per game in this recent uptick in his performance shows that he can still be a legitimate offensive threat.

#3 Ryan O’Reilly has been a huge part of the Predators’ resurgence. In the past 14 games, the Preds are 10-4 and O’Reilly has 19 points (5 G, 14 A) in those 14 games. He has just 23 shots on goal, and a low shot rate is a concern for offensive sustainability, but O’Reilly is a consistent play driver year after year and that has continued this season in Nashville, with a 55.8 CF%, which would represent the best Corsi percentage of his career.

#4 Although he moves around the Minnesota Wild lineup quite a bit, there is usually reason to like when Ryan Hartman gets his turn playing on the top line. With Marco Rossi dealt to Vancouver in the Quinn Hughes trade, Hartman has moved in between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, with Hartman putting up seven points (5 G, 2 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past seven games, after he had eight points (4 G, 4 A) through his first 29 games this season.

#5 The Ottawa Senators are getting quality production from veteran wingers Claude Giroux and David Perron. Giroux has eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 11 shots on goal in his past seven games while Perron has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games. They are getting second unit power play time and, for a pair of 37-year-olds, they are still providing reliable secondary scoring for the Sens. As with many of the veterans in this week’s article, they are not producing at the level of their best career performance but in their mid-30s that’s not a reasonable expectation and it is part of the reason that these players are more widely available.

#6 When he was acquired by the Ottawa Senators from the San Jose Sharks last season, Fabian Zetterlund responded with a meagre five points (3 G, 2 A) and 40 shots on goal in 20 games. He followed that up by starting this season with four points (1 G, 3 A) and 28 shots on goal in his first 20 games, but he has turned the corner and is now a solid offensive contributor on a talented Senators squad. In his past 16 games, Zetterlund has 12 points (8 G, 4 A) and 38 shots on goal, and appears to have secured a regular spot on the top line alongside Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk.

#7 With injuries decimating the Tampa Bay Lightning blueline, Darren Raddysh has been the primary beneficiary from an offensive standpoint, as he is quarterbacking the top power play unit and producing at an elite level. His partner, J.J. Moser, has been making inroads recently, with five points and 16 shots on goal while averaging 23:32 of ice time in his past six games. Moser only had seven points (1 G, 6 A) and 34 shots on goal in his previous 28 games, but he does seem equipped to provide more offense than that.

#8 Although he is getting surpassed by his younger teammates in San Jose, Sharks right winger Tyler Toffoli has put up 13 points (5 G, 8 A) and 38 shots on goal in his past 13 games, recording two four-point games in the process. Toffoli is skating on San Jose’s second line, alongside William Eklund and Alexander Wennberg, while also getting time with the top power play unit.

#9 At this stage of his career, 40-year-old Colorado Avalanche defenceman Brent Burns is not the focal point for offense on the blueline, but he hasn’t abandoned those parts of his game, either. In his past 12 games, he has delivered eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 26 shots on goal, while averaging 19:44 of ice time per game. Only one of Burns’ 19 points this season have come on the power play, so there is a limit to his offensive contribution, but he remains a contributor for an Avalanche team that is steamrolling the rest of the league.

#10 Staying on the Colorado blueline, Samuel Girard has suddenly started to provide offense. In his past six games, Girard has six points (2 G, 4 A) and eight shots on goal, but he had just two assists in the 15 games that he played before that. Like Burns, Girard is not getting power play time in Colorado, but the Avs are so good that it could be worth considering these guys in deeper leagues.

#11 Winnipeg Jets forward Morgan Barron has never scored more than 21 points in an NHL season, but that could change this season. He has found a role on Winnipeg’s third line, alongside Adam Lowry and Alex Iafallo, and in his past six games, Barron has five points (4 G, 1 A) and a dozen shots on goal. He is up to 12 points (7 G, 5 A) in 29 games this season, so he has a real chance to set a career high in point production. For fantasy managers, his appeal is mostly in very deep leagues, though his offensive surge coupled with 67 hits in 29 games does give him some added fantasy value.

#12 It seems as though Oliver Bjorkstrand has been underutilized in Tampa Bay, as he is playing just 14:23 per game, which would be his lowest average time on ice since 2018-2019. However, in his past seven games, Bjorkstrand does have seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 12 shots on goal while playing 15:32 per game. He is currently on the Lightning’s second line, with Nick Paul and Jake Guentzel.

#13 Buffalo Sabres left winger Zach Benson was having a hard time finding the back of the net, going without a goal in his first 17 games of this season, but he has started to put it together recently. In his past six games, Benson has five points (3 g, 2 A) and 12 shots on goal, As the Sabres are making a concerted effort to turn their season around, Benson is getting first unit power play time while skating on a line with Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn at even strength.

#14 After a slow start to the season that saw him demoted to the fourth line, Carolina Hurricanes left winger Andrei Svechnikov does seem to be back on track. In his past nine games, Svechnikov has 10 points (2 G, 8 A) and 20 shots on goal. He’s now skating on a line with Jordan Staal and Jackson Blake, which is more of a two-way line than usual, but Svechnikov is delivering results.

#15 The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired left winger Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken after the consensus was that Marchment’s time in Seattle was just not a good fit. After he had 13 points (4 G, 9 A) with 46 shots on goal in 29 games, which was not the kind of production that he was providing in his previous seasons with Dallas. Early returns in Columbus are more promising, as he has been playing with Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko and Marchment has three goals and seven shots on goal in his first two games with Columbus. He is still more of a deep league option for fantasy managers, but he has a chance to provide value.

#16 The Buffalo Sabres are turning around their season and goaltender Alex Lyon is putting up great results. He has won each of his past six starts, posting a .922 save percentage. When the Sabres’ season looked like it was getting away from them, it was looking more likely that Lyon or Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen could get traded, but now that the Sabres have moved to within two points of a Wild Card playoff spot, they are more likely to stick with their tandem.

#17 While the Seattle Kraken are battling to stay in the playoff hunt, currently three points back of the second Wild Card spot, they are getting quality play from goaltender Joey Daccord. In his past five starts, Daccord has won three while posting a .934 save percentage. On the season, Daccord has 4.14 Goals Saved Above Expected, which is the kind of goaltending that can keep a team in the playoff race and it might make him a viable fantasy option.

#18 When looking for players who might be ready to bust out offensively, consider those that have not been living up to their underlying numbers. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, for example, has just one goal in 11 games this month, despite having 5.70 individual expected goals in all situations. Some other players whose goal numbers have been below expected goals in December: William Eklund (-4.25), Anthony Cirelli (-4.04), Chris Kreider (-3.88), John Tavares (-3.61), Rickard Rakell (-3.36), Logan Stankoven (-3.21), Jake DeBrusk (-3.20), Nico Hischier (-3.12), Tom Wilson (-3.11), and Jake Guentzel (-2.83).

#19 With Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar injured, the Chicago Blackhawks have veterans Jason Dickinson and Ryan Donato holding down their top two centre spots. Donato played a season-high 21:35 in the last game before the break and does have a goal and an assist in his past two games, so he may have some short-term appeal while the Blackhawks are in the tough situation of missing their top two centres.

#20 Newly acquired Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry suffered a lower-body injury that should keep him out for a couple of weeks and that has opened the door for Connor Ingram, who has won his first couple of starts with Edmonton, stopping 92.0 percent of the shots that he faced in the first two games. He had a .856 save percentage in 11 AHL appearances, so it’s not like he was forcing his way back into the NHL with his play, but the Oilers are playing better and if it means that Ingram can get comfortable in the NHL again, he could at least have short term appeal for fantasy managers.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – OTTAWA SENATORS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 19:52:02 +0000

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 29: Ottawa Senators Center Dylan Cozens (24) skates with the puck during the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs first round game five between the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 29, 2025, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire)

After missing the playoffs for seven straight seasons, the Senators finally returned to the postseason in 2024-2025, recording 97 points (45-30-7). They lost in six games in the first round to the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was disappointing but not altogether unexpected. They were a middling possession team, ranking 14th in Corsi percentage (50.3) and 18th in expected goals percentage (49.6). Ottawa scored 7.68 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-four play, which ranked 16th. They also ranked 16th with 7.09 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play, so this is a very average team based on those numbers. What lifted them above that, however, is goaltending. Linus Ullmark, Anton Forsberg, and Leevi Merilainen combined to give the Sens a .908 save percentage which helped boost a mostly average team into the playoffs.

What’s Changed?

The Senators did not stray too far from their playoff roster, maintaining a lot of continuity heading into this season. They signed veteran checking centre Lars Eller, who had been with the Washington Capitals, winger Arthur Kaliyev, who was last with the New York Rangers, and made a savvy addition to their blueline, trading for Jordan Spence of the Los Angeles Kings. Forsberg signed as a free agent in Los Angeles, but the Senators already had Merilainen ready to step into the backup role, so that should be a seamless transition for them in goal. Free agent forward Adam Gaudette signed with the St. Louis Blues and veteran defenceman Travis Hamonic remains without a contract. Those are not a lot of changes, so the Senators have to be looking to build on last season’s success with the vast majority of the team that brought that success.

What would success look like?

At this point, the playoffs have to be expected for the Senators, though it’s obviously not to be taken for granted. The team had middle-of-the-road numbers except for goaltending, so if they are going to be assured of success, they need to play better in all situations, so that they are above average in all of those aspects. If the Sens could be a Top 10 or Top 12 team at five-on-five, five-on-four, and four-on-five, and have strong goaltending on top of that, then that’s a team that could be expected to do more than just show up in the playoffs. Winning a playoff round would be a successful season for the Sens in 2025-2026.

What could go wrong?

There is a fine line when a team depends on its goaltending, because it’s an unpredictable position and it’s just one guy between the pipes, with no one to pick him up if he’s not performing. So, if the Senators don’t get strong goaltending, then suddenly they could be left scrambling for a playoff spot, but that’s precisely why the team needs to show improvement. They have quality talent with depth to handle potential injuries, so that should mitigate any down sides, but the Senators are not safe enough in the playoff picture to be expected to just cruise past every hurdle, so an injury to a key player, a goaltending slump, some bad bounces at the wrong time could still prevent them from making a second straight playoff appearance.

Top Breakout Candidate

After he was acquired from the San Jose Sharks last season, Fabian Zetterlund arrived in Ottawa and produced shockingly little. He had five points (2 G, 3 A) and 40 shots on goal with the Senators and then had zero points and six shots on goal in six playoff games against the Maple Leafs. The Senators responded by giving Zetterlund a three-year, $12.825 million contract, a vote of confident for the sturdy young winger. More importantly, Zetterlund looks like he could get a shot with Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle on the Senators’ top line and if that happens, then the opportunity is there for Zetterlund to have the best offensive output of his career.

FORWARDS

Tim Stützle

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	36	53	89	1.09

The German center compiled what was arguably the best season of his career in 2024-25. Even though his 24 goals and 76 points fell short of the 39 goals and 91-point regular season highs he established during his 2022-23 campaign, Stützle boosted his overall worth by having the best defensive performance of his career. According to Evolving-Hockey's 'total defence' (DEF) metric that combines all of a player's five-on-five and shorthanded contributions into one encompassing metric, Stützle more than quadrupled his previous best (4.1 DEF in 2024-25, 0.8 in 2021-22) for defensive value. Stützle has a substantial impact on the Senators' offence and defence when he is on the ice. If there are any knocks to the center's game, they rest exclusively on his 47.8 percent faceoff success rate and the fact that he often does not play selfishly enough at five-on-five. The good news is that he improved in the faceoff dot for a fourth consecutive season, while acknowledging in his end-of-season media availability that he knows that he needs to shoot more. If Stützle can maintain his defensive gains while winning more draws and electing to shoot more, he could be in line for a massive season. More puck possession and any improvement on a five-on-five shot rate (5.43) that was by far the worst of his career will improve this team's even strength scoring woes. Yet, even without those improvements, 'wins above replacement' (WAR) metric rated only two forwards (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl) as contributing more value than Stützle last season.

Brady Tkachuk

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	40	37	77	0.95

The Senators' captain bolstered his reputation as a shot volume-producing machine. Of the forwards who logged more than 500 minutes of five-on-five ice time during the regular season, no player in the league generated more shots than Tkachuk's 11.82 per 60 minutes. Unfortunately, the rugged forward sustained a lower-body injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off, which limited his availability and effectiveness down the stretch leading into the postseason. Tkachuk's 29 goals and 55 points in 72 games represented his lowest production totals since the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season, in which he recorded 17 goals and 36 points in 56 games. Had he enjoyed better health, he undoubtedly would have surpassed the 30-goal threshold for a fourth consecutive season. Despite lower production totals, his five-on-five shot rate was not far removed from his career norm, while his shooting percentage (5.67) was the worst of his career. If he continues to generate that volume while his shooting percentage normalizes, his production should comfortably return to previous levels. Thanks to that shot volume and his willingness to go to the dirty areas, it feels like in one of these years, if he gets the bounces and his shooting percentage climbs into the low to mid-teens, Brady will score 45 to 50 goals. He continues to play with a physical edge that makes him such a unique and dynamic player. He joined Vincent Trocheck and Tom Wilson as one of only three players last season to record more than 25 goals and 200 hits.

Drake Batherson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	29	37	66	0.80

The Senators' right winger is often paradoxical in the sense that he is a model of consistency while leaving a feeling that he is capable of more. Batherson has played in all of the Senators' 82 regular season games in each of the last three seasons while compiling more than 20 goals and 60 points in each of them, being one of only 11 players who surpassed those two thresholds and recorded more than 100 hits. Batherson scored 26 goals while contributing a career-best 68 points in 2024-25, but the organization was compelled to make a move at the trade deadline to give their talented right winger the play-driving center he needed to not only generate offence but help take the puck and sustain play in the offensive zone. Following the March 7th trade deadline, the 27-year-old led the Senators in scoring with 10 goals and 19 points in the team's final 21 games. There is an expectation that Batherson will return to play on the Senators' second line alongside center Dylan Cozens, but there may be a chance the right winger could replace Claude Giroux on the team's first line. If he does, it would represent an incredible opportunity to shatter his previous career highs.

Dylan Cozens

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	20	38	58	0.71

Acquired by the Senators in a stunning trade deadline deal that moved the popular Josh Norris to Buffalo, Cozens' addition immediately began paying dividends. There was no secret to the success; the change represented a better and healthier fit. Where Josh Norris was a center who was strong on faceoffs and a finisher, Cozens was a big and physical center who could take the puck from the Senators' end and navigate it safely through the neutral zone, creating clean entries and sustained offensive zone pressure. After scoring 31 goals and adding 37 helpers during his career-best 2022-23 campaign, Cozens has failed to replicate that success. Granted, it may have been naive to believe that those numbers were sustainable, given the fact that his shooting percentage was approximately five percent higher than his career average. Through his first 11 games with the Senators, he tallied three goals and nine points while generating 29 shots on goal. When he was on the ice at five-on-five per, the Senators generated 48.06 percent of the shots (CF%), 50.36 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 60 percent of the total goals (GF%), and 47.10 percent of the expected goals (xGF%). In his last 10 games, the center contributed two goals, five assists and 20 shots while the Senators' five-on-five shot and goal metrics cratered. These are incredibly small sample sizes, but if the Senators are serious about transitioning from a prospective playoff team to a true Stanley Cup contender, they will need their second line to not only be productive but also tilt the ice in their team's favour against the opposition's best.

Claude Giroux

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	15	40	55	0.69

Heading into the offseason, there were genuine concerns about whether the 37-year-old veteran remained a fit for the Ottawa Senators. Giroux's shot rate (iCF/60), shot on goal rate (iSF/60), goal rate (G/60), and expected goal rate (xG/60) were all easily the lowest of his career. Collectively, the Senators struggled to produce goals at five-on-five. Only the Nashville Predators finished with fewer five-on-five goals than the Senators. Giroux's offensive decline in 2024-25 could be a microcosm of the Senators' problems. Too often, it felt like the team chased quality at the expense of quantity, and he could afford to be more selfish with the puck. He scored on 10.9 percent of his shots last season, so he can still fire the puck. He also contributed 15 goals and 50 points, but it is reasonable to wonder how much his production would decline if he stopped playing the majority of his minutes with Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle. In fairness to Giroux, HockeyViz's data demonstrates he has continued to maintain strong isolated impacts on both offence and defence. Having the league's best faceoff rate, winning 61.5 percent, serves as a nice insulator for Stützle on important draws, but if the offence continues to diminish, it could create an opportunity for Drake Batherson or Fabian Zetterlund on the first line.

Fabian Zetterlund

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	22	25	47	0.57

Like Dylan Cozens, the addition of Fabian Zetterlund in the waning minutes of the trade deadline was an unexpected but welcomed depth move. The Swedish winger tallied 24 goals and 44 points during San Jose's 2023-24 season and was well on his way to surpassing those totals after he was dealt to the Senators. Unfortunately, for the second time in his career, Zetterlund struggled to produce following a deadline trade. During the 2022-23 campaign, he was dealt to the Sharks and failed to record a goal in 22 games. With the Senators, he only tallied two goals and five points in 20 games. His usage began modestly, starting on the fourth line with second power play unit duties. Zetterlund would eventually ascend the lineup, playing a variety of roles, but his lack of production elicited concern. The Senators signed him to a three-year extension carrying a $4.25 million AAV, so they do not share those worries. If his underlying metrics were commensurately unimpressive, it would be troubling. Instead, he ranked second on the team behind only Brady Tkachuk in several individual offensive stats, such as shot rate, expected goals, and scoring chances. Zetterlund was shooting the puck and creating chances at a career-high rate in Ottawa, but it coincided with a team-worst 3.13 shooting percentage at five-on-five. If he continues to generate high-rate stats while enjoying better luck, his production will inevitably match or better his career norms.

Ridly Greig

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	16	29	45	0.56

Ridly Greig's sophomore season represented a marked step forward in many respects. He was the Senators' swiss-army-knife, moving up and down the lineup, filling a hole wherever needed. He averaged 17:05 of ice time per game last season, which marked a two-and-a-half-minute improvement over his previous year's number. This jump reflected the trust that Travis Green and the coaching staff had in Greig's defensive abilities. His most common linemates were Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio, and the trio was tasked nightly with the responsibility of shutting down the opposition's top line. This duty allowed him to shine in a pest role, where his knack for getting underneath the opponents' skin was effective. His line played well given their difficult assignments, generating 46.76 percent of the shots (CF%), 51.25 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 48.77 percent of the total goals (GF%), and 51.41 percent of the expected goals (xGF%). This line will likely start the year together in 2024-25, but the organization has historically referred to Greig as a center. If any of the Senators' centers fall to injury, expect Greig to wind up back in the middle. In the interim, he can be expected to play a significant defensive role on the third line and first penalty kill unit.

Shane Pinto

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	23	26	49	0.61

Having lost the first half of his 2023-24 season to suspension following a league investigation into a gambling account, the 2024-25 campaign represented a blank slate for Pinto. The Senators' third line center responded by establishing new career highs in goals (21) and points (37) while predominantly getting matched against the opposition's most skilled forwards. The 2024-25 campaign is an important one for the center, who will turn 25 years old in November. Pinto is in the last year of a two-year extension that he signed in July of 2024, carrying a $3.75 million AAV. As one of the Senators' best defensive forwards, he has an opportunity to cash in on a long-term extension with a big year. The challenge will be to expand his offensive game. Goal scoring has never been the issue, as he averaged more than 21 goals per 82 games across the last three seasons. Zetterlund's addition at the deadline bumped Pinto from second-unit power play duties, and he finished the season averaging 1:07 of PP/TOI per game. Travis Green preferred to use the Pinto line out after a power play to match up against the opposition's skilled players. Adam Gaudette's departure as a free agent should create the opportunity to get more minutes on the power play, which should help boost his offensive numbers.

David Perron

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	18	24	42	0.57

Hardships characterized Perron's 2024-25 season campaign. His first half was derailed by a back injury and an illness to his unborn daughter that necessitated surgery during pregnancy and after she was born. Perron took a leave of absence from the team and did not play regularly until the end of January. He ultimately played 43 games for the Senators, scoring nine goals and 16 points and being the team's nominee for the Masterton Trophy. The 37-year-old is one of the slowest skaters in the league. Of all the forwards in the NHL who played more than 500 minutes, only four skaters recorded fewer 18-plus miles per hour bursts than Perron. Despite that lack of speed, he remains an effective player. He finished third on the Senators amongst regulars in individual expected goals per 60 behind Brady Tkachuk and Fabian Zetterlund. It speaks to his skill set that he can overcome his size and speed. Perron's competitiveness, ability to protect the puck, and willingness to go to the net and dig the puck out along the wall create an opportunity for his team to extend shifts in the offensive zone. This diversification of skills allows him to play in a variety of roles. Although he may be slated to start the season on the fourth line, he can seamlessly ascend the lineup and play in a more skilled role.

DEFENCE

Jake Sanderson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	14	48	62	0.77

It was almost a tale of two seasons for the smooth-skating Sanderson. He was supposed to start alongside his regular playing partner, Artem Zub, but a concussion and fractured foot injury forced the defenceman to miss 26 games in the first half of the season. Zub's absence and the organization's lack of faith in their depth options put the team in the uncomfortable position of relying on veteran Travis Hamonic. When this pairing was on the ice in their almost 400 five-on-five minutes together, the Senators generated 49.00 percent of the shots (CF%), 50.67 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 24.05 percent of the total goals (GF%), and 46.74 percent of the expected goals (xGF%). When he played with Zub, the numbers climbed to 51.28 CF%, 52.38 SF%, 47.38 GF%, and 55.59 xGF%. Separating Sanderson from one of the worst statistical defencemen in the league last season will do wonders for the player and the Senators. Of all the defencemen in the league last season who played more than 500 five-on-five minutes, only four had a lower on-ice shooting percentage than Sanderson. The worst? Travis Hamonic. Despite the circumstances, he finished with a career high of 11 goals and 57 points in 80 games, becoming the sixth defenceman in franchise history to record more than 50 points in a season. Sanderson is already a great defensive player, but Ottawa's improved defensive depth should allow him the opportunity he needs to continue to strengthen his offensive numbers and allow him to contend for a Norris Trophy.

Thomas Chabot

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	8	34	42	0.60

The 2024-25 season was an important one for the longest-tenured member of the Ottawa Senators. After undergoing corrective surgery to resolve a wrist problem that had afflicted him for years, Chabot responded with one of the most complete seasons of his career. He contributed nine goals and 45 points while posting significantly improved defensive metrics. Less was more for the Senators and Chabot as the defenceman's 23:01 of ice time per game represented his lowest average ice time since he averaged 17:31 per game as a rookie in 2017-18. Having a regular defensive partner in Nick Jensen assuredly helped, too. For years, Chabot's performance suffered because of injuries, overuse and a lack of continuity. In 2024-25, he put together one of his best seasons as a pro. His 'wins above replacement' (WAR) metric rated Chabot as creating the fifth-highest amount of value amongst NHL defencemen. For the first half of the season, he had one of the highest WARs in the entire league, before Nick Jensen's hip injury impacted his effectiveness down the stretch. From October through December, this pairing was one of the best in the league, with the Senators generating 54.52 percent of the shots (CF%), 54.98 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 59.62 percent of the total goals (GF%), and 54.49 percent of the expected goals (xGF%). If the pairing can approach that level in 2025-26, Chabot should be in line for another strong season.

Nick Jensen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	3	16	19	0.26

Acquired last summer with a draft selection in a trade for Jakob Chychrun, the deal was panned in some circles because it represented a sell-low value considering the opportunity cost used to acquire Chychrun the year prior. Rather than continue the previous regime's pattern of chasing names, Steve Staios and his staff prioritized good fits, and Jensen was one last season. His bottom line only shows three goals and 21 points in 71 games played, but his on-ice contributions and impact on partner Thomas Chabot were unmistakable. Jensen's ability to skate, retrieve pucks and move the puck competently served as a nice complement to Chabot. But, once Jensen suffered a chronic hip injury, it sank the pairing's numbers. In their final 43 games, the Senators only generated 48.40 percent of the shots (CF%), 44.74 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 46.67 percent of the total goals (GF%), and 44.33 percent of the expected goals (xGF%). Jensen turns 35 years old this September, so it is reasonable to expect some level of decline in his game, but it will be worth monitoring how he recovers from this injury. The organization remains optimistic that he will be ready to start the season, but they need more than him to be available. The Senators need Jensen to resemble the player he was for the first three months of the 2024-25 season if they are to continue their ascent in the Eastern Conference.

Jordan Spence

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	4	27	31	0.40

Heading into the offseason, the Senators' most significant need was to address their quality of depth on right defence. Thanks to the injuries that Artem Zub and Nick Jensen suffered last season, it became clear that the Senators could ill afford to give minutes and significant responsibilities to players who were simply out of their element. The addition of Spence serves as an insulator on that right side, and he is a good one. In 79 games for the Kings last season, the 24-year-old recorded four goals and 28 points while averaging 16:47 of ice time per game. His underlying metrics were excellent. When Spence was on the ice at five-on-five, the Kings generated 56.80 percent of the shots (CF%), 56.98 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 65.43 percent of the total goals (GF%), and 56.88 percent of the expected goals (xGF%). He did play sheltered minutes on one of the better defensive teams in the league, so that is something to be mindful of. He will likely be partnered with Tyler Kleven on the third pairing to start the season, but as an undersized defenceman, he could draw out for Nik Matinpalo depending on the matchup. At the very least, his exceptional puck-moving ability brings a dynamic to the right side that was previously lacking, and his presence affords the Senators the patience to develop the well-regarded prospect, Carter Yakemchuk, at the AHL level.

Goal

Linus Ullmark

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
63	32	22	5	5	.910	2.75

Boston's loss was most certainly Ottawa's gain last year, as they got a chance to trot out one half of the league's most formidable tandem en route to the franchise's first postseason appearance since 2017. Linus Ullmark was crucial in Ottawa's step forward, providing the kind of consistency he's been counted on for years now; he rarely puts up games full of highlight-worthy saves, but his technique is hard to shake and it's rare he'll put up more than a handful of truly bad performances over the course of the entire year. And while prospect Mads Søgaard didn't quite live up to the hype once again during his limited NHL appearances, fellow prospect Leevi Merilainen was more than up to the task -- and he'll enter next season as the surprising backup darling to Ullmark as Ottawa looks to prove they can string together consecutive postseason appearances.

The biggest question mark for Ottawa will be just how many games Merilainen can take on over the course of the regular season, since Ullmark plays his best hockey when he's able to manage his workload and split starts more regularly. If Merilainen struggles to step into a true tandem role, Ullmark's health becomes a concern. For a team that spent more than a few years desperately trying to chase the reliable presence Craig Anderson brought to the crease, though, Ullmark is a welcome face - and if Merilainen is able to continue progressing as a tandem backup, Ottawa could become a real threat.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – PLAYOFF EDITION – Less obvious picks that will win your playoff pool

Scott Cullen — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 14:56:32 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, the focus will be on the upcoming playoffs. Here are some players to target for playoff pools and it should go without saying that the focus will be on less obvious players because you don’t need me to tell you that Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar would be a good pick.

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 02: Florida Panthers Center Sam Bennett (9) dumps the puck in during the NHL regular season game between the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 2, 2025, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire)

#1 It is quite common for NHL players to score at a lower rate in the playoffs, and it is only natural – they are only playing against the top half of the league in the postseason. Florida’s Sam Bennett, however, is built differently. Since 2019-2020, Bennett has scored 220 points (107 G, 113 A) in 379 regular-season games, which is a rate of .581 points per game. In the playoffs, since 2019-2020, Bennett has 45 points (19 G, 26 A) in 64 games, a rate of .703 points per game. He rose to the occasion during the 4 Nations Face-Off and it’s reached the point where it is fair to expect Bennett to elevate his game when the games matter more.

#2 The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Yanni Gourde from the Seattle Kraken at the trade deadline, bringing the feisty forward back to Tampa Bay, where he won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning. In his past three playoff appearances, Gourde has produced 34 points (17 G, 17 A) in 62 games. Even more importantly, he has been moved to left wing on Tampa Bay’s top line, skating alongside Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov and he finished the regular season with six points (1 G, 5 A) in the last eight games.

#3 It is not like Adrian Kempe is an unknown offensive quantity, having scored 139 goals across the past four seasons, but the Los Angeles Kings have routinely been bounced from the playoffs in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers and that is despite Kempe putting up 19 points (11 G, 8 A) in 18 games over his last three playoff seasons. Skating on the Kings’ top line with Anze Kopitar and Andrei Kuzmenko, Kempe is likely to offer good value in this postseason, especially if this is the year that the Kings find a way to get past the Oilers.

#4 Carolina Hurricanes right winger Seth Jarvis has recorded back-to-back seasons with 67 points, including more than 30 goals in both seasons. He has also been a consistently productive player in the postseason, producing 27 points (13 G, 14 A) in 40 playoff games. He also had a strong finish to this regular season, putting up 21 points (9 G, 12 A) and 62 shots on goal in his last 18 games.

#5 Second year Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Matthew Knies is in a prime spot to generate offense, skating on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, and he finished the regular season with a flourish, tallying 13 points (4 G, 9 A) with 30 shots on goal in his last 12 games. At 6-foot-3, 227 pounds, Knies has the size to handle the more physical play which tends to show up in the playoffs and with an elite setup man like Marner and a finisher like Matthews, there are plenty of points to be found while skating on their wing.

#6 The Montreal Canadiens are naturally underdogs in their first round series against the top-seeded Washington Capitals, but in deep playoff pools, sometimes the play is to take a top player for a lower-seeded team. Consider Habs captain Nick Suzuki, who had 15 points (8 G, 7 A) with 22 shots on goal in his last 10 games, on his way to a career-high 89 points (30 G, 59 A) this season. In deeper pools, there comes a time where fantasy managers need to decide whether to take the sixth-best forward on the favored team or the best forward on an underdog and if the pool is relatively large, hitting on the right underdogs can have a huge effect.

#7 Vegas Golden Knights left winger Ivan Barbashev has been a reliable offensive performer since arriving in Vegas, producing 112 points (48 G, 64 A) in 175 games for the Golden Knights, but he was also an integral part of their Stanley Cup winning team in 2023, contributing 18 points (7 G, 11 A) in 23 games. Barbashev plays a hard game, with plenty of hitting, and is not shy about getting to the front of the net, so he is a quality support scoring option for Vegas.

#8 With the Winnipeg Jets dealing with injuries on the wing, including to Nikolaj Ehlers and Gabe Vilardi, opportunity has knocked loudly for Alex Iafallo, who has often been an over-qualified fourth liner this season. In his last 10 games of the regular season, Iafallo contributed seven points (4 G, 3 A) with 22 shots on goal, while playing frequently with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor on the Jets’ top line.

#9 Drafted 12th overall in last summer’s draft by the Minnesota Wild, defenseman Zeev Buium returned to the University of Denver for his sophomore season and accrued 48 points (13 G, 35 A) in 41 games. He is an intriguing deep league sleeper for playoff pools, as the skilled blueliner appears to be on his way to not only playing for the Wild in the playoffs but potentially quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit. Minnesota has an uphill fight, taking on Vegas in the first round, but the Wild were a much stronger team with Kirill Kaprizov in the lineup this season and Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek both returned from injuries late in the season. If that improves the Wild’s chances of pulling off an upset, it also improves the chances of Buium having a productive postseason.

#10 Since St. Louis Blues left winger Dylan Holloway remains week-to-week with a lower-body injury, it has been important for the Blues to fill his spot in the lineup. While it was likely going to happen anyway, the Blues inked 2022 first-round pick Jimmy Snuggerud, who had 51 points (24 G, 27 A) in 40 games during his junior season at the University of Minnesota. Since joining the Blues, Snuggerud has chipped in four points (1 G, 3 A) with 10 shots on goal in seven games. He finished the regular season on a line with Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou, a quality spot for him to keep contributing offensively.

#11 Los Angeles Kings centre Quinton Byfield had some ups and downs during the season, but he really seemed to find his footing later in the season. In his last 32 games, Byfield had 31 points (12 G, 19 A) with 64 shots on goal. His most common linemate this season has been Kevin Fiala and they have been a dominant duo during five-on-five play, controlling 63.1 percent of shot attempts and 61.0 percent of expected goals.

#12 Ottawa Senators winger David Perron has endured a difficult regular season, managing just 16 points (7 G, 9 A) in 43 games, and he is 36 so maybe age is just catching up to him, but don’t ignore his playoff track record. In his past four playoff appearances, Perron has played a total of 62 games, recording 47 points (21 G, 26 A). He is past his peak years, obviously, but scored seven goals in a 13-game stretch in March, and plays a physical, agitating style that tends to translate well in the postseason.

#13 Just a couple of seasons ago, in 2022-2023, Cam Fowler recorded a career-high 48 points (10 G, 38 A) in 82 games for the Anaheim Ducks, the team that he had spent his entire career with until earlier this season when he was traded to the St. Louis Blues. Since joining the Blues, Fowler has produced 36 points (9 G, 27 A) in just 51 games. Eight of those 36 points were on the power play, so there might be even more upside there, as Fowler is now on St. Louis’ first power play unit and if the Blues are going to upset the Jets in the first round, they will likely need Fowler to continue at this level.

#14 Tampa Bay Lightning centre Anthony Cirelli set career highs with 27 goals and 59 points this season and he is in a good spot for that production to continue, as Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel are his wingers at even strength. Cirelli also has had playoff success. In his past four playoff appearances, Cirelli scored 28 points (11 G, 17 A) in 57 games. He is likely to play plenty in a matchup role, because of his defensive acumen, but Cirelli can deliver offensively, too.

#15 The 2024-2025 season has been thoroughly unimpressive for Maple Leafs winger Max Domi, who finished with 33 points (8 G, 25 A) in 74 games, his lowest single-season point total aside from the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season. Nevertheless, Domi has been productive in the postseason, accumulating 23 points (7 G, 16 A) in 40 games across his past three playoff appearances, all with different teams (Carolina, Dallas, and Toronto). He is skating on Toronto’s second line, with John Tavares and William Nylander, so there should be scoring opportunities for Domi in this year’s playoffs, too.

#16 Carolina Hurricanes winger Taylor Hall has bounced around a lot and battled injuries in recent seasons and was mostly overlooked when the Hurricanes acquired him at the same time that they traded for Mikko Rantanen earlier in the season. However, once the Hurricanes traded Rantanen to Dallas, more responsibility was waiting for Hall, and he has responded favorably. In 18 games since the trade deadline, Hall contributed 15 points (8 G, 7 A) with 38 shots on goal. Hall also has 29 points (14 G, 15 A) in 39 career playoff games, so he has tended to show up in the postseason, even if it ends up being in small samples.

#17 At 35-years-old, Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn fills more of a supporting role on the team. He finished with 49 points (16 G, 33 A) in 80 games, the third time in his career that he played more than 70 games and finished with fewer than 50 points. Benn finished the regular season with no goals and nine assists in his last 17 games. It can’t be ignored, though, that Benn has been a beast in the playoffs. He has reached double-digit point totals in five separate playoff runs and in the past two seasons, he has put up 26 points (7 G, 19 A) in 36 playoff games. He finished the regular season on a line with Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen, which should give Benn quality chances to contribute offensively, though a late-season injury to Jason Robertson could cause the Stars to shuffle those lines.

#18 The Montreal Canadiens plugged winger Ivan Demidov into their lineup for the last two regular season games and Demidov responded with a goal and an assist in his first period of NHL action. Two games is obviously a super small sample size, but Demidov’s five-on-five shot rate (11.62 per 60 minutes) and point rate (5.81 per 60) were better than any other Habs skaters in those two games. His individual expected goals rate (1.29 per 60) ranked second behind Alex Newhook (1.85 ixG/60). Demidov is playing on a line with Newhook and Patrik Laine, while also getting second-unit power play time and if the Habs are going to pull off an upset against Washington, they might just need their precocious rookie to make a difference.

#19 Goaltenders with the best save percentage since the 4 Nations Face-Off (minimum 10 starts): Andrei Vasilevskiy (.927), Darcy Kuemper (.926), Connor Hellebuyck (.924), Scott Wedgewood (.924), Anthony Stolarz (.922), Adin Hill (.920), Sergei Bobrovsky (.914), Sam Montembeault (.912), Filip Gustavsson (.911), and Jordan Binnington (.910). That could be encouraging for any of the teams that employ those netminders, but Vasilevskiy’s Lightning and Kuemper’s Kings could use the lift that comes with strong goaltending.

#20 Goaltenders with the worst save percentage since the 4 Nations Face-Off (minimum 10 starts), among playoff goaltenders: Jacob Markstrom (.869), Pyotr Kochetkov (.879), Logan Thompson (.880), Stuart Skinner (.883), Charlie Lindgren (.887), Frederik Andersen (.890), Calvin Pickard (.899), and Mackenzie Blackwood (.899). Just as the Lightning and Kings could be more hopeful with strong goaltending, the Hurricanes, Capitals, Oilers, and Avalanche might be a bit more wary based on the goaltending they have received late in the regular season.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NHL: CULLEN- 20 FANTASY POINTS – Protas’ breakout season, injury to McDavid, Nichushkin emerging, Cozens thriving in Ottawa, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 20:44:45 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Aliaksei Protas’ breakout season, an injury to Connor McDavid, Valeri Nichushkin emerging, Dylan Cozens thriving in Ottawa, and much more!

#1 Massive Washington Capitals winger Aliaksei Protas has exploded offensively this season, going from 29 points in 2023-2024 to 62 points (29 G, 33 A) in 69 games this season. He has 11 points (6 G, 5 A) in his past seven games and has recorded 57 of his 62 points at even strength. That ranks seventh in the entire league, putting him between sixth-place Nikita Kucherov and eighth-place Kyle Connor. Sidney Crosby ranks ninth. At even strength, Protas is skating on the top line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alex Ovechkin, and while regression may be due for a player scoring on 22.5 percent of his shots and whose team scores on 14.7 percent of its shots at five-on-five when he is on the ice, that good fortune has been working in Protas’ favor all season.

#2 The Edmonton Oilers will be treading carefully following a possible lower-body injury to Connor McDavid, suffered Thursday night against Winnipeg. McDavid’s absence would obviously be a big deal for the Oilers, but especially in the short term as Leon Draisaitl did not play Thursday and is considered day-to-day as well. The best case for the Oilers is that, in the event that McDavid needs to miss some time, Draisaitl will soon be ready to return to action. If not, then the Oilers will likely need to run Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Henrique in their top two centre slots while their superstars are on the mend.

#3 Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin has had issues staying in the lineup, whether due to injury or suspension, in recent years, but he has also established that he can be a force to be reckoned with when he plays. In his past seven games, Nichushkin has nine points (6 G, 3 A) with 18 shots on goal. He is getting first unit power play time and skates alongside Brock Nelson and Jonathan Drouin at even strength.

#4 The past couple of seasons had been relatively difficult for Dylan Cozens, who had busted out with 68 points (31 G, 37 A) during the 2022-2023 season, but he dropped to 47 points (18 G, 29 A) in 68 games last season and had 31 points (11 G, 20 A) in 61 games with the Sabres this season before he was traded to the Ottawa Senators. Since joining the Sens, Cozens has six points (3 G, 3 A) with 20 shots on goal in seven games. His production is improving despite playing less – his ice time dropping from 17:13 to 15:23 per game – thanks in part to better percentages, scoring on 15.0 percent of his shots and 14.0 percent on-ice shooting percentage.

#5 Top scorers since the trade deadline among those players who changed teams: Brandon Saad (3 G, 3 A in 7 GP), Cody Glass (2 G, 3 A in 6 GP), Dylan Cozens (2 G, 3 A in 6 GP), Mark Jankowski (4 G, 0 A, in 5 GP), Mikael Granlund (3 G, 1 A in 6 GP), Mikko Rantanen (2 G, 2 A in 6 GP), Brock Nelson (2 G, 2 A in 7 GP), Martin Necas (2 G, 2 A in 7 GP), Connor Timmins (1 G, 3 A in 5 GP), Yanni Gourde (0 G, 4 A in 6 GP), Cody Ceci (0 G, 4 A in 6 GP), J.T. Miller (0 G, 4 A in 8 GP); Marcus Pettersson (0 G, 4 A in 8 GP).

#6 San Jose Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini has enjoyed a fantastic first season, even if the Sharks’ season has still been a struggle. In his past 20 games, Celebrini has 18 points (8 G, 10 A) which is great, but it’s very encouraging that he has 76 shots on goal in that time. That shot rate practically ensures continued production. The only players averaging better than 3.80 shots on goal per game across the full season are David Pastrnak, Nathan MacKinnon, and Brady Tkachuk. One other statistical edge for Celebrini: he has blocked 19 shots on those 20 games. There are only a handful of centres (Elias Pettersson, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Henrique, Auston Matthews, and Ryan Poehling) who have blocked a shot per game across the full season, so Celebrini offers rare contributions at both ends of the rink.

#7 It is likely too soon for a full-throated recommendation of Winnipeg Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg, because he doesn’t have a power play role, but he does have 10 points (3 G, 7 A) and 46 blocked shots in his past 20 games while he is averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per game. For a Jets team that leads the league with a goal differential of +78, merely playing a significant role on the blueline can offer potential value, at least for managers in deeper fantasy leagues.

#8 St. Louis Blues veteran defenceman Justin Faulk has seen his offensive production tick up recently, recording seven points (1 G, 6 A) in his past seven games. Faulk is quarterbacking the Blues’ second power play unit and 12 of his 29 points this season have come via the man advantage. That is his most power play points in a season since 2017-2018 when he was playing for the Carolina Hurricanes.

#9 The third pick in the 2021 Draft, Anaheim Ducks centre Mason McTavish has rounded into form in the second half of the season. He has put up 24 points (12 G, 12 A) in his past 23 games and is now skating between Trevor Zegras and Brett Leason. The Ducks have shuffled their lines over time, so this is a newer combination, but it has not mattered much to McTavish, as he has been in a scoring groove for a couple of months. Another promising development for the Ducks is that Leo Carlsson, the second pick in the 2023 Draft, has picked up his production, too. In 15 games since the 4 Nations Face Off, Carlsson has 14 points (7 G, 7 A). In addition to joining McTavish on the Ducks’ top power play, Carlsson is skating on a line at even strength with rookie Cutter Gauthier and veteran Alex Killorn.

#10 After all the hype around Mikko Rantanen’s arrival, and then departure, from Carolina, left winger Taylor Hall has been overshadowed, but he has started to find his footing. After a slow start when he joined the Hurricanes, Hall has started to rally, with six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past six games. He is getting a shot on the ‘Canes top power play unit but has just three power play points all season. Nevertheless, that is quality ice time and Hall is making the most of his time skating on a line with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jack Roslovic.

#11 There are three Vancouver Canucks with 20 or more goals this season: Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser, and…Pius Suter. Suter, the Swiss centre, has tallied eight points (6 G, 2 A) in his past 11 games, vaulting him to a new career high with 20 goals and, with 34 points, he is two points off of his previous career high. He is centering the Canucks’ second line, between DeBrusk and Kiefer Sherwood. Staying in Vancouver, winger Nils Hoglander has climbed the depth chart to skate on Elias Petterson’s wing and Hoglander has delivered seven points (1 G, 6 A) in his past seven games.

#12 Some hidden value for fantasy managers can be found with defensive defencemen who add some offense, in addition to their other statistical contributions. Seattle Kraken blueliner Adam Larsson, for example, has 10 points (3 G, 7 A) in his past 14 games and since Larsson also has consistently delivered hits (88) and blocked shots (126), he has value for fantasy managers.

#13 Utah Hockey Club netminder Karel Vejmelka has stepped up with his best season in his fourth NHL campaign. In his past 13 games, he has a record of 8-3-2 and has .909 save percentage. With Connor Ingram taking a leave from the team, the Utah Hockey Club’s push for the playoffs is going to depend heavily on Vejmelka.

#14 The Ottawa Senators have been the second highest scoring team in March, with 3.76 goals per 60 minutes (ranking only behind the Colorado Avalanche at 3.96 GF/60) and the Sens are now a rising tide that lifts all boats. While Jake Sanderson, Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Drake Batherson are leading the way offensively, there are others who are more widely available. In his past 10 games, Michael Amadio has eight points (5 G, 3 A) with 14 shots on goal and veteran winger David Perron has contributed six points (3 G, 3 A) with seven shots on goal in his past eight games. Neither one has a shot rate that suggests they can maintain this production, but it is worth keeping them on your fantasy radar.

#15 It has been a breakthrough season for Columbus Blue Jackets enforcer Mathieu Olivier, which earned him a contract extension. The 28-year-old winger has five points (4 G, 1 A) and 16 shots on goal in his past six games, giving him 26 points (16 G, 10 A) for the season. With 120 penalty minutes and 258 hits, Olivier is a banger league star and he’s playing top nine minutes, which makes it more likely that he will remain productive enough to hold that value.

#16 As the Buffalo Sabres have shuffled their lines, centre Ryan McLeod has moved into the second line centre role and is thriving with more offensive responsibility. In his past 16 games, McLeod has put up 12 points (5 G, 7 A) with 22 shots on goal while playing nearly 19 minutes per game. He has Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker on his wings and McLeod has career highs in goals (16) and points (38).

#17 With Jack Hughes out for the rest of the season, the New Jersey Devils were looking for help down the middle of the ice and picked up Cody Glass from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has had an immediate impact for the Devils, scoring five points (2 G, 3 A) in six games, logging nearly 15 minutes per game. He is centering a line with Erik Haula and Daniel Sprong on his wings. It’s an interesting line, with three players who have sufficient skill to score, but who have also bounced around the league quite a bit, so it will be interesting to see if Glass can maintain this level of production.

#18 Vegas Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev continues to make his mark as a finisher. In his past six games, Dorofeyev has put up eight points (6 G, 2 A) with 21 shots on goal. That shot rate is very encouraging and Dorofeyev is getting first unit power play time in addition to skating on a line with veterans Brandon Saad and Tomas Hertl. Dorofeyev ranks 12th (minimum 500 minutes) with 9.77 shots on goal per 60 minutes of five-on-five play.

#19 Colorado Avalanche winger Ross Colton had a 14-game scoring drought but has since snapped out of it in a big way, with 11 points (2 G, 9 A) and 21 shots on goal in his past 11 games. That flurry of assists has weakened Colton’s Cy Young case, as he now has 15 goals and 12 assists for the season but has 13 goals and three assists before suddenly turning playmaker.

#20 The leaders in five-on-five expected goals per 60 minutes (minimum 500 minutes): Zach Hyman (1.31), Auston Matthews (1.22), Barrett Hayton (1.17), Jeff Skinner (1.15), Brady Tkachuk (1.12), Anders Lee (1.11), Warren Foegele (1.06), Filip Chytil (1.05), Connor McMichael (1.05), Bryan Rust (1.05), and Sean Monahan (1.05). Some of these names are to be expected, because Matthews generates a lot of shots while Hyman, Tkachuk, and Lee tend to have a lot of in-close opportunities. It’s intriguing to see players like Hayton, Skinner, Foegele, and Chytil among the leaders because it does suggest that they could deliver more production at even strength. At the very least, maybe the Oilers could keep Skinner in the lineup to see if those scoring chances can eventually pay off.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: CULLEN – Laine making the most of his power play time, Schmaltz, Hertl and Nelson are hot, Jones thriving since returning to lineup, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 23:24:57 +0000

MONTREAL, QC - DECEMBER 07: Patrik Laine (92) of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the third period of the NHL game between the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens on Dec 07 2024, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Patrik Laine has made the most of his power play time in Montreal, Nick Schmaltz, Tomas Hertl and Brock Nelson are hot, Seth Jones is thriving since returning to the Chicago lineup, and much more!

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

#1 It is not like the hockey world forgot what Patrik Laine could do when the puck hit his stick, but he has been playing sporadically in recent seasons, so the evidence wasn’t quite so evident. After joining the Montreal Canadiens, however, Laine has shown that he is still a lethal shooter. In 20 games with the Habs, Laine has 18 points (12 G, 6 A) with 54 shots on goal. He is scoring on 22.2 percent of his shots, which is a higher rate than he has finished in any previous season, but he is also quite specifically a power play threat, with 10 of his 12 goals coming with the man advantage. Laine has 10.35 goals per 60 minutes of power play time, which ranks first among players that have played at least 30 minutes on the power play this season. Victor Olofsson (6.48), Pavel Dorofeyev (5.76), Michael Bunting (5.22), and Brayden Point (4.82) round out the top five in power play goal-scoring efficiency.

#2 Veteran Utah Hockey Club right winger Nick Schmaltz has established his credentials as a quality point producing forward but had been off to a relatively slow start prior to embarking on what is now a seven-game point streak, during which he has nine points (3 G, 6 A). Schmaltz has consistently played alongside Clayton Keller, but the duo has recently added second-year centre Logan Cooley to the top line and Cooley has been cooking, putting up 30 points (12 G. 18 A) in his past 28 games.

#3 Barrett Hayton, who has played quite a bit with Schmaltz and Keller in recent seasons, has moved to a line with Matias Maccelli and Josh Doan and continues to have success, tallying seven points (3 G, 4 A) in his past four games. Hayton’s ice time is down this season to 15:24 per game after playing more than 17 minutes per game in the previous two seasons, but he has also improved his work in the face-off circle, winning 54.2 percent of his draws. Given Cooley’s offensive upside, it probably makes more sense for Hayton to slot in as the No. 2 centre in Utah.

#4 Vegas Golden Knights centre Tomas Hertl had been relatively inconsistent early in the season, but he might be turning the corner. He is riding a seven-game point streak, putting up 11 points (6 G, 5 A) with 25 shots on goal in those seven games. That elevated shot rate is an important factor because Hertl was averaging 2.24 shots per game through the first 41 games of the season. Taking that up to 3.57 shots per game is a strong indicator for a player sustaining is production.

#5 New York Islanders centre Brock Nelson is finding his name in trade rumours as the Isles are sitting in last place in the Metropolitan Division. He is helping to keep his value high, scoring seven points (3 G, 4 A) with 18 shots on goal while playing more than 20 minutes per game in his past six games. A 6-foot-4 centre who has scored more than 30 goals in three straight seasons, Nelson is obviously appealing for a team looking to boost its offense.

#6 Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Seth Jones is starting to heat up. He had missed five weeks with a foot injury, but has delivered 10 points (2 G, 8 A) in 14 games since getting back into the lineup. Jones has recorded 10 of his 20 points on the power play, and with 7.87 points per 60 minutes on the power play, he ranks third among defencemen, behind only Zach Werenski (8.11) and Neal Pionk (7.91).

#7 Seattle Kraken centre Chandler Stephenson had been on a good run before getting injured Thursday night. In his past 11 games, including Thursday, Stephenson has contributed 10 points (5 G, 5 A) but there is a bona fide concern with his low shot rate. He has 46 shots on goal in 48 games, which is a shockingly low amount for a player who logs more than 19 minutes of ice time per game. With Yanni Gourde also injured, Stephenson’s absence could create more playing time for Shane Wright, who is making progress. In his first 23 games of the season, Wright had seven points (4 G, 11 A), but in the next 23 games, he has contributed 15 points (4 G, 11 A).

#8 Looking for a buy-low winger? Consider Kevin Fiala of the Los Angeles Kings. In 11 games since the holiday break, Fiala has a modest five points (2 G, 3 A) but he also has 40 shots on goal. That shot rate is encouraging, but there is also the matter of Fiala’s low on-ice shooting percentage this season. During five-on-five play, the Kings are scoring on just 5.8 percent of their shots when Fiala is on the ice, which is his lowest since his rookie season in 2016-2017.

#9 Calgary Flames winger Blake Coleman can fly under the radar a bit but when he is contributing offensively, that makes his fantasy contribution quite strong. In his past 17 games, Coleman has 15 points (5 G, 10 A) but he also has 36 hits and that combination makes him quite appealing for fantasy managers. Coleman is unlikely to match last season’s career highs of 30 goals and 54 points, but already has 92 hits in 46 games, so if the point production continues, Coleman’s all-around contribution is solid.

#10 On a similar level, Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie has picked up his production a bit, with eight points (5 G, 3 A) in his past 10 games, but he also has 25 hits in those 10 games. Be a little wary, though, since Geekie only has 16 shots on goal in those 10 games, his goal-scoring has been dependent on a high shooting percentage (31.3 percent in the past 10 games).

#11 Carolina Hurricanes rookie right winger Jackson Blake has found his way to the top line, skating with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Blake has played 15:27 per game over the past four, chipping in three points (1 G, 2 A) with nine shots on goal. It is probably too soon to jump on Blake in most fantasy leagues, but if he remains on that top line there is obvious scoring upside for a player who ranks third among rookies with 11 goals despite very limited ice time (12:02 ATOI). (Editors note – The Rantanen trade followed the publication of this article – the coach may want to spread the scoring around, but it is more likely Rantanen takes that spot on the top line)

#12 Toronto Maple Leafs centre John Tavares is out of the lineup due to a lower-body injury and for all of the criticism that Tavares takes, he remains a high-end point producer, with 42 points (20 G, 22 A) in 44 games before getting hurt. The challenge for the Maple Leafs is to get contributions down the middle of the ice behind Auston Matthews because, with Tavares out, the second line centre is Pontus Holmberg and the third line centre is rookie Fraser Minten. Holmberg has zero goals and one assist in his past 11 games while Minten has zero points in his past eight NHL games after starting with four points in his first five games.

#13 With the New York Islanders’ season teetering on the brink, they got bad news that standout defenceman Noah Dobson is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Dobson’s production has fallen off the pace he set last season, when he had a career-high 70 points (10 G, 60 A) in 79 games, as he has 24 points (6 G, 18 A) in 46 games this season, but the Islanders don’t have great options to replace him on the power play. Ryan Pulock has handled the role before and is noted for his heavy shot from the point, but has one power play point this season.

#14 New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom has suffered a sprained MCL, which will keep him out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks. Markstrom has been exactly what the Devils needed between the pipes, with a .912 save percentage and 10.0 goals saved above expectations in 36 games. With Markstrom out, Jake Allen will need to handle the starter’s role. Allen has a .901 save percentage and 4.04 goals saved above expected in 15 games this season, so he is a capable starting goaltender for the next month plus.

#15 The Boston Bruins are in a tough battle for a playoff spot, for the first time in a while, but that is made even more challenging when goaltender Jeremy Swayman and No. 1 defenceman Charlie McAvoy are sidelined with injuries. Defenceman Hampus Lindholm was already injured, so the current version of the Bruins is without its top two defencemen and top goaltender, and that is going to make it even more difficult. Swayman’s injury does not seem serious, so Joonas Korpisalo may only have short term value, but McAvoy has landed on injured reserve, which will keep him out for at least a week. This defensive weakening does make the Bruins more vulnerable, potentially worth targeting as opposition while the Bruins are missing Lindholm and McAvoy.

#16 Bruins defenceman Mason Lohrei has been making the most of his opportunity to quarterback the power play. He has six points (1 G, 5 A) in the past seven games and is up to 10 power play points. With 6.85 points per 60 minutes on the power play, Lohrei is tied for 15th (with Chicago’s Alex Vlasic) among NHL defencemen.

#17 Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin is considered week to week with a lower-body injury, and that leaves a large hole for the Avalanche. In 21 games, Nichushkin has 17 points (11 G, 6 A). His absence keeps Ross Colton in Colorado’s top six and while Colton has been held scoreless in his past four games, he is worth keeping tabs on as a player with potential upside because he thrived earlier in the season when given a big opportunity due to injuries.

#18 Ottawa Senators centre Josh Norris is out with an upper-body injury. Given his history with shoulder woes, Norris’ health is an area of concern, yet the thing is that he can still produce when healthy. In 47 games this season, Norris has produced 17 goals and 27 points. The Sens do get David Perron back in the lineup, so that should theoretically help alleviate Norris’ absence, but Perron has failed to record a point in 10 games this season, so expectations should be kept in check. Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson is out of the lineup with a lower-body injury, which elevates Thomas Chabot to the first power play unit.

#19 Norris’ absence from the Senators’ lineup should also open the door for Shane Pinto to step up. While Pinto has six points (2 G, 4 A) and 18 shots on goal in the past eight games, he is also averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game in that time, so it would be a prime opportunity for Pinto to lift his offensive production because with 16 points (8 G, 8 A) in 40 games, he has underachieved offensively.

#20 Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Darren Raddysh has elevated his game recently, producing six points (2 G, 4 A) with 13 shots on goal in the past five games, averaging 21:50 time on ice per game. With J.J. Moser and Erik Cernak injured, the Lightning certainly need Raddysh to take on more responsibility. In his first 18 games this season, Raddysh averaged 15:30 time on ice per game and in 20 games since then, has averaged 20:04 per game.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Examining offseason moves – Oilers thriving ex-RFA’s versus UFA signings – Teams with favourable schedules

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 16:15:29 +0000

DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 14: St Louis Blue defenseman Philip Broberg skates with the puck down the ice during an NHL game between the St Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars on December 14, 2024, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. (Photo by Steve Nurenberg/Icon Sportswire)

Going into 2024-25, it looked like the Oilers had a great summer. Sure, they lost restricted free agents Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to St. Louis, but only because the Blues overpaid for them. Meanwhile, Edmonton was crafty, snagging Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson at bargain bin prices, while also re-signing Adam Henrique to a reasonable contract. The goaltending was still in a risky state given the reliance on the streaky Stuart Skinner and the defense looked thin, but up front, Edmonton seemed deeper than it had ever been in the Connor McDavid-era.

Reality has played out differently. Edmonton has a 23-12-3 record, so they don’t have much to complain about on that front. However, Skinner hasn’t been the bargain that they thought. Instead, the six-time 30-plus goal scorer has just six markers and 13 points through 37 appearances. He’s been so underwhelming that he’s been largely relegated to the fourth line and was even a healthy scratch Sunday.

Arvidsson hasn’t been much help either. Granted, injuries have been part of the issue, but even when healthy, he’s underwhelmed with four goals and nine points through 23 outings. Meanwhile, Henrique has three goals and 10 points in 38 games after finishing the 2023-24 regular season with 51 points.

With the benefit of hindsight, Edmonton should have prioritized its restricted free agents. Broberg has three goals and 14 points in 27 outings while managing a top four role. Holloway has looked even better, collecting 14 goals and 27 points in 40 appearances.

As for Skinner and Arvidsson being bargains while Broberg and Holloway were overpaid, the former duo costs $7 million combined for 2024-25 while the latter comes in at roughly $6.9. Oops.

To be fair, this isn’t what many would have predicted going into the campaign, and there’s still time for Skinner and Arvidsson to make their marks, especially come the playoffs. However, it does highlight how plans can go awry, and with nearly half the campaign now in the books, this seems like a good time to take stock of how teams did in the offseason.

That’ll be the theme of this week’s article: For every team I highlight below, I’m going focus on the players who were brought in over the summer and reevaluate whether it’s worked out.

Carolina Hurricanes (Tue @ TBL, Thu @ TOR, Fri vs VAN, Sun vs ANA)

Carolina has been middling recently, posting a 7-8-1 record over its past 16 games, though the Hurricanes are still 23-13-2 overall thanks to their commanding start. Next week is packed for Carolina and primarily at home, though the opponents will be difficult. The Hurricanes will play in Tampa Bay on Tuesday before hosting Toronto, Vancouver and Anaheim on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, respectively.

Even after factoring in Carolina’s recent underwhelming play, the Hurricanes are still well on their way to making the playoffs for the seventh straight campaign despite significant turnover. They lost two top-four defensemen -- Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce -- and top-six forward Teuvo Teravainen. Jake Guentzel also parted ways with Carolina, but he was a midseason rental, so he was less ingrained into the team.

Carolina led the league in xGA/60 in 2023-24 (2.65), but the team has dipped to 11th (2.90) this year. That’s not bad, but it does suggest that the losses of Skjei and Pesce have been felt.

Carolina did ink Shayne Gostisbehere to a three-year, $9.6 million contract over the summer, but the 31-year-old defenseman was brought in as more of a power-play specialist than a two-way option. He has served well in that role, supplying six goals and 27 points through 35 appearances, but unfortunately, he’s out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

Interestingly, Brent Burns appears to be staying on the second power-play unit despite Gostisbehere’s injury. Burns is hot with two goals and four points over his past four appearances, but he has just one point with the man advantage this year, and unless he moves up to the top power-play grouping, it’s hard to see him having a strong second half.

Ty Smith seems to have gotten the special-teams assignment instead of Burns. The 24-year-old has averaged just 14:02 of ice time in Carolina’s three games without Gostisbehere, but 4:05 per contest has come with the man advantage. Smith has a goal (provided on the power play) in those three appearances after supplying three goals and 10 points in 13 outings with AHL Chicago. He’s worth a short-term pickup.

Moving back to the Hurricanes’ summer acquisitions, Carolina also inked Jack Roslovic to a one-year, $2.8 million deal. He’s worked out well in Carolina, collecting 17 goals and 25 points through 38 outings, which puts the 27-year-old on track to surpass his career high of 45 points. I’m not confident he’ll get there, though. His 22.4 shooting percentage doesn’t look sustainable and his role with the team hasn’t been consistent, resulting in him averaging a modest 14:00, including 1:15 on the power play. It’s hard to trust him unless he starts getting bigger minutes consistently, so there’s a risk of him slowing meaningfully in the second half.

Detroit Red Wings (Tue vs OTT, Fri vs CHI, Sun vs SEA)

The Red Wings are showing some life under new bench boss Todd McLellan, winning each of their past three games. Still, they have a lot of ground to make up given their 16-18-4 record. Fortunately, their upcoming competition is favorable -- they'll spend next week at home, hosting Ottawa on Tuesday, Chicago on Friday and Seattle on Sunday.

Detroit lost Gostisbehere and veteran forward David Perron over the summer, which threatened to hurt the team’s scoring, but the Red Wings hoped to mitigate that by bringing in Vladimir Tarasenko on a two-year, $9.5 million contract. Tarasenko isn’t the same player he was when he provided over 30 goals on six occasions from 2014-15 through 2021-22, but he still figured to be a valuable middle-six option after providing 23 goals and 55 points over 76 outings between Ottawa and Florida in 2023-24.

It hasn’t worked out like that, though. Tarasenko has just four goals and 14 points through 37 appearances and isn’t giving Red Wings fans much hope that he’ll have a strong second half. The veteran has no goals and three assists across his past 14 games. While Detroit has won its last three games by scoring at least four goals in each contest, Tarasenko has managed a single shot on net over that stretch.

Detroit re-signed Patrick Kane to a one-year, $4 million deal over the summer. Initially, Kane’s story this season looked a lot like Tarasenko -- Kane had just three goals and 10 points over his first 24 appearances of 2024-25 -- but he’s hit his stride, providing five goals and nine points across his past nine outings.

Detroit ranks 25th in goals per game with 2.68, which is a collapse compared to the Red Wings’ 3.35 last campaign. That’s in large part due to a decline in secondary scoring. Detroit had eight players with at least 15 goals. Just five are scoring at a pace to reach that mark this campaign. If Tarasenko could get going, that would certainly help, but it would be wrong to put the blame solely on him when the team as a whole has declined that much.

Minnesota Wild (Tue vs STL, Thu vs COL, Sat @ SJS, Sun @VGK)

The Wild have won four of their past five games, bringing their record up to 24-11-4 this campaign. They’ll look to continue the good times next week, starting with a home game against the Blues on Tuesday. After that, the Wild will host Colorado on Thursday before hitting the road for contests in San Jose on Saturday and Vegas on Sunday.

In contrast to their dominance this season, the Wild missed the playoffs in 2023-24 with a 39-34-9 record, so you’d think they had a successful summer, but this is largely the same team that fell short last campaign. The big difference has been Filip Gustavsson. He struggled in 2023-24 with a 20-18-4 record, 3.06 GAA and .899 save percentage but has rebounded this time, posting a 17-6-3 record, 2.28 GAA and .924 save percentage across 26 starts.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Gustavsson continue his dominance through the second half of the campaign. While it’s in contrast to last season, he has demonstrated this level of success before -- he was 22-9-7 with a 2.10 GAA and a .931 save percentage in 39 outings in 2022-23 -- so this isn’t coming out of nowhere.

Marco Rossi has also taken a step up. The 23-year-old finished 2023-24 with 21 goals and 40 points and is well on his way to shattering those totals this season, collecting 15 goals and 33 points through 39 outings so far. For the second straight campaign, Rossi has the distinction of getting plenty of ice time with Kirill Kaprizov, but the duo seems to be meshing better this year. Kaprizov showed up on the scoresheet for 16 of Rossi’s 40 points last season but has already featured on 21 of Rossi’s 33 points in 2024-25.

While Minnesota didn’t make any significant additions last summer, it is worth noting that the Wild signed Brock Faber to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension back in July. Faber was one of the few positives for the Wild in 2023-24, supplying eight goals, 47 points, 65 hits and 150 blocks in 82 appearances as a rookie. Locking him up long-term was a bit of a risk given his small sample size, but it’s looking like it was a great call. He has five goals, 20 points, 15 hits and 51 blocks through 39 outings in 2024-25.

Faber didn’t look ideal analytically last campaign with a relative 5v5 CF%/FF% of minus-2.8/minus-3.5, which suggests that the team performed worse from a puck possession perspective when he was on the ice, but the 22-year-old has shown some growth in that regard as a sophomore, posting a minus-1.7/minus-2.9 relative 5v5 CF%/FF%.

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

Minnesota is enjoying a great campaign after a rough one, but the Senators are still floundering in mediocrity. Ottawa finished 37-41-4 in 2023-24, missing the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year. The Senators are a more respectable, but still not great 19-17-2 this year.

Ottawa does have a shot at ending its postseason drought, but every point will be critical. Next week, the Senators will play in Detroit on Tuesday, host the Sabres on Thursday, play in Pittsburgh on Saturday and then head back home to face the Stars on Sunday.

There was some reason for cautious optimism going into this campaign. Joonas Korpisalo had been a big problem for the Senators in 2023-24, posting a 21-26-4 record, 3.27 GAA and .890 save percentage in 55 outings while finishing minus-16.1 in terms of goals saved above expected. To exchange him with Linus Ullmark in a trade with Boston over the summer seemed like a huge win, and it has been.

Ullmark did initially struggle in Ottawa and is presently dealing with a back injury, but he’s still been strong overall with a 12-7-2 record, 2.38 GAA and .915 save percentage across 23 games with the Senators. Unfortunately, Ottawa’s holdover goaltender, Anton Forsberg, has continued to struggle with a 3.04 GAA and an .885 save percentage in 12 outings, so Ottawa has to hope that Ullmark returns soon.

Even when he is playing, though, Ottawa is still limited by its offense, ranking 20th in goals per game with 2.95. Trading offensive defenseman Jakob Chychrun to Washington didn’t help. The Senators did receive Nick Jensen in the trade, but Jensen is more of a defensive option, contributing two goals, 13 points, 37 hits and 44 blocks in 38 contests with Ottawa this campaign.

The Senators also attempted to boost its secondary scoring by inking David Perron to a two-year, $8 million contract. Perron had recorded at least 36 points in each of his past eight campaigns, so he seemed like a reasonable bet, but the 36-year-old has been no help. Part of that is due to injuries, but even in the nine games he’s logged with Ottawa, Perron has no points.

To make matters worse, Claude Giroux is showing his age, collecting nine goals and 24 points through 38 appearances in 2024-25, putting the 36-year-old on pace to finish well below his totals of 79 and 64 points in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively.

If Ottawa is to miss the playoffs this year, a lack of scoring will likely be the reason.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Tue vs CBJ, Thu vs EDM, Sat vs OTT, Sun vs TBL)

Pittsburgh was aggressive in the summer of 2023, bringing offensive defenseman Erik Karlsson into the fold, but that proved to be not enough for the 2023-24 Penguins, who missed the playoffs due to a 38-32-12 record. The Penguins didn’t make as big a splash this summer, and the results remain mixed with the Penguins sitting at 17-17-6. They are in the mix for a playoff spot, so their upcoming homestand will be important -- Pittsburgh will host Columbus on Tuesday, Edmonton on Thursday, Ottawa on Saturday and Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Goaltending was a weakness for Pittsburgh in 2023-24, but the Penguins didn’t change its duo, so Alex Nedeljkovic and Tristan Jarry are paired together for the second straight campaign. The results have been bad, Pittsburgh ranks last in goals allowed per game (3.63), though the defense in front of them is at least partially to blame given the team’s xGA/60 of 3.34, which ranks 29th in the NHL.

At least Rickard Rakell is having a good year. He dropped from 60 points in 2022-23 to just 37 last year, but he’s bounced back to 18 goals and 32 points through 40 appearances this campaign. One factor in that is likely the loss of Jake Guentzel, who the Penguins traded during 2023-24 to avoid potentially losing for nothing as an unrestricted free agent. With Guentzel gone, Rakell has taken his old spot on the top line alongside Sidney Crosby, and that seems to have benefited Rakell quite a bit.

Of course, that’s only because Crosby is defying Father Time with 11 goals and 42 points through 40 games at the age of 37. Malkin, 38, is showing his age more, but he’s still more than holding his own with eight goals and 32 points across 40 outings.

Without much cap space, the Penguins did attempt to supplement its offense on a budget by signing Anthony Beauvillier (one-year, $1.25 million) and Blake Lizotte (two-year, $3.7 million), which has worked out okay. Beauvillier has nine goals and 12 points through 39 appearances while Lizotte has eight goals and 12 points in 24 outings. They add a bit of skill to the bottom six, which is not nothing, but it’s not a lot.

Seattle Kraken (Mon vs NJD, Thu @ CBJ, Sat @ BUF, Sun @DET)

Seattle has been a mixed bag this campaign with a 17-19-3 record, but the Kraken have a somewhat favorable schedule next week. They’ll start by hosting the Devils and then go on the road to play in Columbus on Thursday, in Buffalo on Saturday and in Detroit on Sunday. New Jersey is the only adversary in that batch currently occupying a playoff position.

Although Seattle is still a fairly new franchise, there was some significant turnover during the summer. The biggest change came behind the bench rather than on the ice: Dave Hakstol was replaced by Dan Bylsma as the new bench boss. Under Bylsma, Seattle’s scoring has ticked up somewhat, going from 2.61 goals per game in 2023-24 to 2.90 this campaign, but that’s been undermined by the goals allowed per game increasing to 3.10 compared to 2.83 last year.

Jaden Schwartz has been one of the bigger winners under Bylsma. After collecting 13 goals and 30 points in 62 appearances while averaging 16:22 of ice time last season, Schwartz already has 12 goals and 25 points in 39 games in 2024-25, and he’s seen his playing time tick up to 17:41.

Bylsma has also been making good use of newcomer Chandler Stephenson. Like the coach, Stephenson was an offseason addition, signing a seven-year, $43.75 million deal. That’s a significant commitment to the 30-year-old, but so far, he’s fulfilled his top six duties about as well as expected, supplying four goals and 24 points through 38 appearances. He also has 12 power-play assists, quadrupling that of any other Seattle player.

Brandon Montour was Seattle’s other major free-agent splash, inking a seven-year contract worth one dollar shy of $50 million. Montour missed out on that buck because he was limited to 33 points in 66 regular-season outings with Florida in 2023-24 after setting a career high with 73 points in 2022-23, but he’s done well in his new environment, supplying eight goals and 22 points across 38 outings.

He has gone through something of a cold patch recently with three points (one goal) over his last 10 contests, but it’s not to the point yet where I’m too worried. Even in his amazing 2022-23 campaign, you can find an example of a quiet stretch from Feb. 9-28 in which he had four assists in nine appearances. To be clear, I’m not suggesting that this season will parallel 2022-23, merely stating that slower stretches happen, and the 30-year-old should start picking up the pace again before too long.

Vegas Golden Knights (Tue @ SJS, Thu vs NYI, Sat vs NYR, Sun vs MIN)

While Seattle hasn’t had much playoff success yet, the NHL’s other young franchise, Vegas, has already made the playoffs six times and won the Cup in 2023. The Golden Knights had a down year in 2023-24, posting a 45-29-8 record followed by a first-round exit, but they’re back in business this campaign at 26-9-3. The Golden Knights will start next week with a road match against the rebuilding Sharks before hosting two struggling teams in the Islanders on Thursday and the Rangers on Saturday. Finally, Vegas will be up against a tough contender when they play at home against Minnesota on Sunday.

The Golden Knights more than any other franchise in the NHL is known for making bold trades and constantly having to maneuver to stay under the salary cap. The ceiling forced the Golden Knights to watch forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson walk as free agents over the summer. Vegas also traded Logan Thompson to Washington and Paul Cotter to New Jersey.

With those losses, how have the Golden Knights done so well? For starters, Vegas has an economical replacement for Thompson in Ilya Samsonov, who inked a one-year, $1.8 million deal with the Golden Knights. The 27-year-old Samsonov has been a nice backup in Vegas, providing a 10-3-1 record, 2.69 GAA and .907 save percentage in 14 outings. To some extent, he’s even outperformed starter Adin Hill, who is 16-6-2 with a 2.65 GAA and a .902 save percentage through 24 appearances.

You might look at those solid GAAs and middling save percentages and conclude that Vegas’ secret sauce is the defense in front of its netminders, but that’s not entirely the case. In terms of shots allowed per game, Vegas has been relatively good, ranking 12th with 27.9, but the team is also tied for 21st in xGA/60 (3.10) because the Golden Knights tend to give up a ton of high-danger shots, tying for eighth in that category with 142.

As a result, Vegas’ goaltenders don’t necessarily need to work a ton, but they do need to be at the top of their game, and they’ve done just that. Hill has a goals saved above expected of 8.4 and Samsonov is at 6.1, putting them in 14th and 18th, respectively, among all goaltenders, per Moneypuck.

Vegas has also received good value out of Tanner Pearson and Victor Olofsson, who each inked one-year contracts and combine for less than $2 million in cap space. Pearson has eight goals and 16 points through 38 outings, providing some nice scoring depth in a bottom-six capacity. Meanwhile, Olofsson did miss 20 straight games from Oct. 17-Nov. 29 because of a lower-body injury, but he’s been a great middle-six option when healthy, contributing eight goals and 13 points through 18 appearances.

Health in general has really been the key, though. In 2023-24, Vegas finished with just three players who logged the full 82 games while Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo were among those who endured significant absences. Vegas hasn’t been the poster child for health this year, but the situation hasn’t been nearly as bad. That’s helped Eichel especially, who leads the team with 50 points (10 goals) through 38 appearances in 2024-25.

Vegas also made midseason trades during 2023-24 that are paying off now. This is the team’s first full season with defenseman Noah Hanifin, who has six goals and 20 points in 38 outings while serving in a top-four capacity, and forward Tomas Hertl, who has 10 goals and 25 points in 38 games. The result is Vegas is a deep team both up front and on the blue line, even after watching some notable players go over the summer.

Washington Capitals (Mon @ BUF, Wed vs VAN, Fri vs MTL, Sat @ NSH)

The Capitals barely made the playoffs in 2023-24, finishing the regular season with a 40-31-11 record before being swept in the first round. They look very different this year, though, as demonstrated by their 25-10-3 record. Washington will start next week by playing in Buffalo on Monday before returning home to host the Canucks on Wednesday and the Canadiens on Friday. They’ll wrap things up with a game in Nashville on Saturday.

While some of the teams above have made major strides this campaign despite minimal changes over the summer, that doesn’t describe the Capitals. Washington was aggressive in addition pieces, acquiring Jakob Chychrun from Ottawa, Pierre-Luc Dubois from LA and Logan Thompson from Vegas in trades. Washington also made a big splash by signing Matt Roy to a six-year, $34.5 million contract.

Those additions have paid off superbly for Washington. Darcy Kuemper left plenty to be desired with the Capitals last season, posting a 3.31 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 33 starts, but Washington was able to part with him in the Dubois trade, and Thompson has been so much better, recording a 15-2-2 record, 2.30 GAA and .918 save percentage across 19 appearances this season. That upgrade in goaltending has been a critical factor in Washington’s success, especially because it has gone a long way toward counteracting the decline of Charlie Lindgren, who has a 10-8-1 record, 2.70 GAA and .898 save percentage in 19 outings in 2024-25, down from 25-16-7 with a 2.67 GAA and .911 save percentage in 50 appearances last year.

The Capitals were able to snag Dubois from LA for the low cost of Kuemper because the 26-year-old Dubois comes with an $8.5 million cap hit through 2030-31, but he had an underwhelming 16 goals, 40 points and 70 PIM in 82 regular-season outings with the Kings last season. LA had a logjam up the middle, though, contributing to Dubois averaging just 15:42 in 2024-25. By contrast, Washington had a clear second-line opening for him, which he has settled into nicely, providing five goals, 29 points and 22 PIM in 38 games. You’d still like more from a player with his contract, but there’s no question that he’s added to the team’s scoring depth.

If Dubois has worked out with an asterisk because of his price point, then Chychrun has been a clearer win. He is on the final campaign of his contract, but his $4.6 million cap hit is superb value for the 26-year-old defenseman, who has 11 goals and 25 points this campaign. Washington already had John Carlson has a high-end offensive option on the blue line, and now Chychrun is providing Washington with another big weapon to either send out with Carlson or spread out across the top two pairings.

When it comes to the signings, Matt Roy was the major splash. The defenseman has a goal, eight points, 63 hits and 45 blocks in 28 appearances while averaging 19:24 of ice time. He’s never been a major offensive threat, but Washington already has that role well covered with Chychrun and Carlson. Roy is there to help in Washington’s end, which is why 55.4 percent of his 5v5 zone starts have been defensive.

All that has played a role in the Capitals’ success, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Alex Ovechkin’s role in all this. He has an incredible 18 goals and 28 points in 22 appearances. That said, Washington was still a strong 10-5-1 during the 16-game absence of Ovechkin from Nov. 21-Dec. 23 due to a fractured fibula, so clearly this team is more than just the byproduct of its superstar.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – OTTAWA SENATORS – Team Preview

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 16:00:11 +0000

_{OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 21: Ottawa Senators Left Wing Brady Tkachuk (7) before a face-off during second period National Hockey League action between the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators on October 21, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)}

Although the Ottawa Senators entered last season with expectations that they could challenge for a playoff spot, that dream never really materialized as they finished with 78 points (37-41-4). They struggled to a 16-24-1 record while centre Shane Pinto was suspended for the first half of the season and could not make up that deficit to get back into the playoff picture. The Senators ranked 19th with a 49.8% Corsi and 22nd with an expected goals percentage of 48.8%. Their power play was tied for 25th with 6.43 goals per 60 minutes and their penalty killing ranked 30th with 9.51 goals allowed per 60 minutes. They were a little below average at full strength and worse on special teams, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the Senators didn’t really challenge for a playoff spot.

WHAT’S CHANGED? The new ownership and front office in Ottawa started making changes following the disappointing campaign. Travis Green was hired to be the head coach, replacing Jacques Martin, who had stepped in to replace D.J. Smith during the season. The Sens made a move to acquire goaltender Linus Ullmark from Boston, with centre Mark Kastelic and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo part of the package going to the Bruins. Defenceman Jakob Chychrun was traded to Washington, with right-shot defender Nick Jensen coming to Ottawa in return. Right winger Mathieu Joseph was traded to St. Louis. Left winger Parker Kelly and defenceman Erik Brannstrom both signed in Colorado as free agents. The Senators signed free agent wingers David Perron from Detroit, Michael Amadio from Vegas, and Noah Gregor from Toronto.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? Maybe a year later, the Senators will have a fighting chance for a playoff berth. Ullmark should be a significant upgrade between the pipes and a full season from Pinto increases the chances that Ottawa will be playing meaningful hockey in March and April. Since the Sens have gone seven seasons without a trip to the playoffs, actually getting in would definitely be recognized as success. It would require some young players to step up their games, but it’s also not some pie-in-the-sky idea. If Ottawa’s complementary players contribute and the stars produce at a high level, then the goaltending upgrade could be what pushes the Senators over the top.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? With the addition of Ullmark, expectations should go up in Ottawa. While last year’s acquisition of Joonas Korpisalo was fraught from the start, the Senators have legitimate reason to be optimistic about their goaltending this season. This is where it could go wrong. If the Senators still can’t turn in a season with at least 90 points, something that will keep them in the playoff hunt, the disappointment will be substantial. The relatively new owner doesn’t have to make up for everything from the previous regime, but that baggage is hanging around and it will until the Sens finally turn the corner.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Jake Sanderson and Ridly Greig are viable candidates as well, but Shane Pinto was rather impressive in his half a season of work after returning from suspension last season. The 23-year-old centre contributed 27 points in 41 games, but he did so with a shooting percentage of 8.2% and an on-ice shooting percentage of 7.5%. By playing a full season and getting some positive regression out of those percentages, Pinto should obliterate his previous career high of 35 points, set in 2022-23. He will compete for playing time down the middle with Josh Norris, but Norris has had so much trouble staying healthy that Pinto should be able to secure a regular spot in a scoring role.

Forwards

Brady Tkachuk

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	44	37	81	1.01

From the moment Brady Tkachuk entered the league, it always felt like it was a matter of time before one of the league's highest-volume shot generators would develop into a prodigious goal-scoring talent. Only David Pastrnak registered a higher individual shot rate last season. That production allowed Tkachuk to register a new career high in shots (357) and establish a new high with 37 goals. It marked the third time the power forward surpassed the 30-goal threshold in his career. Tkachuk had the league's fifth-highest expected goal rate (1.83 ixG/60) in 2023-24. That metric is a product of Brady's willingness to create havoc in front of opposing goaltenders. His all-situations shooting percentage has sat slightly above the 10 percent mark in each of his last three seasons. That mark is respectable, but it does lend itself to the idea that if Tkachuk maintains his shot generation and enjoys any spike in luck that pushes his shooting percentage north near 12 to 14 percent, this is a player who has the potential to tally 40 to 50 goals. Considering how Tkachuk also finished the season with the third-highest total number of hits (294), that blend of physicality and offensive potential makes him one of the most unique players in the league.

Tim Stützle

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	28	60	88	1.09

Tim Stützle's 2023-24 campaign was a sobering reminder that not every young player's development and production growth will be linear. After scoring a sparkling 39 goals and 90 points in 2022-23, Stützle experienced a marked drop in production last season. The German registered 18 goals and 70 points in 75 games. It was probably fair to expect some regression in his shooting percentage after it leapt to 17.1 percent in 2022-23, but it was plainly evident that Stützle was a less dangerous player shooting the puck. His shooting percentage in all situations was 9.4 percent, which represented a career low. He also experienced some depreciation in his defensive game. At least some of his setbacks can be explained by the team’s struggles under former head coach D.J. Smith. Fortunately, there is a physical explanation for this. At the end of the season, Stützle acknowledged that a wrist injury he suffered in the fourth game of the season bothered him throughout the campaign. If the offseason affords his wrist the necessary time to mend, a completely healthy Timmy will go a long way to bolstering the Senators' forward core.

Claude Giroux

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	21	42	63	0.77

In case anyone needed a gauge to know how fast time flies, Claude Giroux is entering the final year of the three-year, $19.5 million contract he signed in 2022. Although the team's performance has not lived up to the fostered expectations when the popular veteran returned home, Giroux has fulfilled his end of the deal by playing in every one of the Senators' games over the last two seasons. He will turn 37 in January, but he has maintained strong levels of production into what is supposed to be the declining stage of his career. His production rates did experience a dip from his 2022-23 campaign, where he tallied 35 goals and 79 points. Giroux's goal rate (0.76 G/60) represented his lowest mark since the 2018-19 season. His point rate (2.33 Pts/60) represented his lowest rate since the 2019-20 campaign. Despite the drop in production, he still contributed 21 goals and 64 points while providing the leadership and competitiveness the organization desperately needs to support its young core. Although he no longer plays centre, Giroux's ability to take draws in the faceoff circle is essential for a Senators team featuring several young pivots. Of the players who took over 200 faceoffs last season, Giroux's 58.0 percent success rate was the ninth highest in the league. Although Tim Stützle improved his faceoff success rate from 41.6 to 46.7 percent over the last two years, it remains a weakness in his game. With Josh Norris coming off another shoulder surgery and Ridly Greig posting a lowly 43.9 percent success rate, the Senators can shelter their development by relying on Giroux.

Drake Batherson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	26	47	73	0.89

Despite eclipsing the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career during the 2022-23 season, it still felt like Drake Batherson had more to give. After spending the previous two years scoring on more than 15 percent of his shots on goal, Batherson's 2022-23 shooting percentage (8.8) represented the lowest mark of his career. He overcame that drop in efficiency by shooting the puck more than he ever had. In 2023-24, his shooting efficiency returned. He posted career highs in goals (28) and points (66) while registering 53 fewer shots on net. The hope is that there is still more room for offensive growth provided he can strike a balance between last season's efficiency and his shot volume levels from 2022-23. Along with Brady Tkachuk and Shane Pinto, Batherson was one of only three Senators regulars to average more than one expected goal per 60 minutes of ice time. He led the Senators in primary assists per 60 (1.17 A1/60) while finishing second in even strength goals (21) and power play goals (7). He tied Tkachuk for the club-leading 22 power play points.

David Perron

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	16	26	42	0.56

A prominent theme of the Senators' offseason was management prioritizing veteran leadership to offset the inexperience of the team's young core. Perhaps more importantly, management added veterans who could also contribute value on the ice. At 36 years old, David Perron is a depreciating talent entering the final years of his career. And, at that, there is a risk the Senators overpaid by awarding him with a two-year deal averaging $4 million AAV. Perron's goals and points per 60 rate have declined for two straight years, but his 2023-24 marks (0.86 G/60, 2.37 Pts/60) are not far removed from his 2022-23 season (1.04 G/60, 2.42 Pts/60) in which he scored 24 goals and 56 points. Never a great skater, there is concern that if Perron has lost a step, it could exacerbate his weaknesses. NHL Edge data lists Perron in the bottom 50th percentile in top skating speed, speed bursts over 20 mph, and shot speed. To the player's credit, even if he has lost a step, Perron has created value by going to the dirty areas of the ice to create offence. Ottawa has historically relied on skill and rush chances to create offence in recent years, so they will welcome Perron's net front tenacity and his ability to win battles along the boards to sustain offensive zone time.

Josh Norris

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
56	23	17	40	0.71

One year removed from a shoulder injury limited Josh Norris to eight games during the 2022-23 season, this is not where anyone expected the centre's recovery to be. Norris reinjured that same left shoulder in a game against the Predators on February 27th, necessitating surgery and forcing him to miss the remainder of the season. There are few modern sports examples of players needing three surgical procedures on one shoulder in such a short span, but if there is a glimmer of hope, Vladimir Tarasenko offers it. Norris' former teammate endured three procedures of his own, and he eventually returned to playing at a decent level. Norris turned 25 this offseason, so there is hope his youth may assist in his recovery. With six years remaining on an eight-year contract extension carrying an AAV of $7.95 million, there is nothing else fans can do but hope he eventually resembles his pre-injury form when he scored 35 goals and 55 points in 2012-22. Although he has missed 106 games across the last two seasons, there have been moments of optimism when he has played. It was fair to expect some regression in his shooting percentage (17.7) that led to his big 35-goal 2021-22 campaign, but Norris' shot continued to be dangerous. In his last 58 games, he scored on almost 14 percent of his shots. The question facing the Senators is, when Norris does return, where should he play? Norris has proven to be a quality finisher, but his playmaking and puck-driving ability have not been strong. By playing the wing, he will have fewer defensive responsibilities and can be sheltered from taking faceoffs. His reintegration into the Senators' lineup will be one of the more intriguing storylines to follow in 2024-25.

Shane Pinto

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	25	31	56	0.68

It is safe to assume that the start of Shane Pinto's 2024-25 season will be less distracting than its predecessor. After salary cap complications and stalled contract negotiations between the Senators and Pinto's camp marred last year's offseason, the NHL levied a 41-game suspension - one of the largest suspensions in league history for his involvement in a gambling scandal. Once Pinto returned, he performed at a high level. In 41 games last season, Pinto registered nine goals and 27 points while averaging 18:07 of ice time. The centre's point rate grew from 1.60 points per 60 to 2.18 in 2023-24. A large driver in that growth was an improvement in his primary assist rate, which grew from 0.27 to 0.81. An important consideration to monitor will be Pinto's usage. Josh Norris' recovery from shoulder surgery could cause wrinkles throughout the top three lines. Provided everyone is healthy, a reasonable bet would be for Pinto to start the season anchoring the third line. In saying that, he was Brady Tkachuk's most common centre at five-on-five last season despite missing half the team's games. If Norris' recovery progresses slowly or he cannot return to his pre-injury form, Pinto will have an easy path to top six minutes. Should he continue to build upon last season's numbers when his individual expected goal rate (1.34 ixG/60) was the second highest on the team behind Brady Tkachuk, his play will warrant that opportunity on merit. And, in signing a two-year, $3.75 million AAV contract this summer, he will arrive in camp without any distraction.

Michael Amadio

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	13	14	27	0.35

Arguably the organization's most low-key addition this offseason was Michael Amadio. The versatile two-way forward returns to Ottawa, where he played five nondescript games with the Senators during the 2020-21 season. Since then, Amadio has solidified himself as an NHL regular after three seasons in Vegas. In 193 games in the desert, he compiled 41 goals and 72 points including 14 goals and 27 points in 73 games last season. He has demonstrated he can be an efficient scorer in this league. In parts of seven NHL seasons, Amadio has scored on 12.2 percent of his shots. According to Evolving-Hockey's 'wins above replacement' metric, Amadio compiled the fourth-highest value (1.5 WAR) in Vegas last season. He did so while spending most of his time playing on a line with William Karlsson. Amadio will likely not have the luxury of starting the year playing with a 30-goal scorer in Ottawa. There is a risk that his numbers could suffer away from Karlsson, but Amadio will be expected to bring positional flexibility, goal-scoring, and defensive aptitude to the bottom of the lineup. A glaring weakness of the Senators' roster building in recent years has been their willingness to bring in supporting players who offer offence or defence, but not both. The belief is that Amadio will be a more well-rounded fit than his predecessors.

Ridly Greig

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	15	15	30	0.39

If there was a positive to come out of Shane Pinto's half-season suspension last season, it was that it created the opportunity Ridly Greig needed to establish himself and develop at the NHL level. Greig began his campaign recording seven points in his first eight games, and it was only a short time before he garnered attention for his production, chippiness, and two-way play. Greig finished 15th in rookie scoring with 13 goals and 26 points, despite only contributing six points in his last 33 games. Greig was a Swiss Army knife, allowing his coaches to play him up and down the lineup on the wing or at centre. Greig played on nine different line combinations that played more than 30 minutes together. His most common linemates were Dominik Kubalik and Mathieu Joseph – but that trio played just 87 minutes together to poor results. The Senators generated only 44 percent of the shots (CF%) and expected goals (xGF%) while they were on the ice. In a smaller sample size, Greig thrived with Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux generating 69 percent of the shots (CF%) and 72 percent of the expected goals. A promising start and more continuity and better linemates should help his progression.

DEFENCE

Jake Sanderson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	12	39	51	0.63

Jake Sanderson did the unthinkable. For the first time since the 2017-18 season, someone other than Thomas Chabot led the Senators in average ice time per game (23:13). Fresh after signing an eight-year extension worth an AAV of $8.05 million, Sanderson experienced a breakout, recording 10 goals and 38 points - becoming the ninth defenceman in franchise history to record more than 10 goals and 35 points in a season. Despite those point totals, there is considerable room for growth. The loss of Jakob Chychrun should free up more power play ice time for Sanderson. He averaged only 0.75 points per 60 minutes of five-on-five ice time. Among the seven defenders on the Senators who logged more than 10 games, only Travis Hamonic had a lower point rate than Sanderson. He could be due for a big season if he can improve that point rate. On the defensive side of the puck, the Senators do not have to worry about Sanderson. His pairing with Artem Zub gave the Senators a reliable defensive tandem to match against the opposition's most dangerous lines. Together, they logged 826 five-on-five minutes. When they were on the ice together, the Senators generated the majority of the goals (52.5 GF%), shots on goal (54.7 SF%), shots (53.7CF%), and expected goals (54.9 xGF%). The Sanderson-Zub pairing had the 10th-highest xGF% of all the defensive pairings in the league that logged more than 500 minutes. A considerable achievement given where the team finished in the standings.

Thomas Chabot

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	10	32	42	0.60

Since being drafted in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Thomas Chabot has played parts of eight seasons with the Senators. Never once has the defenceman reached the postseason. These years were spent logging big minutes on bad teams with even worse defensive partners, fuelling a belief that Chabot had developed poor defensive habits. The 2022-23 campaign was arguably the worst defensive season of his career, so there was a lot of pressure on Chabot to improve. Under Jacques Martin, his game improved considerably. The rate of shots (CA/60) and shots on goal (SA/60) that the Senators allowed while Chabot was on the ice were the lowest of his career. As much as the defence improved, Chabot had one of his least impactful offensive seasons, recording nine goals and 30 points in 51 games while mercifully being removed from the first power play unit and replaced by Jake Sanderson. His seven power play points matched a career-low and Chabot failed to be a viable threat from the blue line. One explanation for his offensive play is injury. He reportedly underwent surgery on his wrist to alleviate an issue that has been plaguing him for several seasons. Staying healthy will be a key to both his and the team’s success. The 27-year-old has missed 75 games across the last four years, including 31 games in 2023-24. Having a stable and reliable defensive partner should help too. Nick Jensen, an undervalued defensive defenceman, is expected to replace Jakob Chychrun as Chabot's partner. The Senators allowed 4.38 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five when Chychrun and Chabot were on the ice together. Replacing Chychrun with a natural right-shot defenceman who has historically put up solid defensive numbers since the 2016-17 season should help.

Nick Jensen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	2	14	16	0.21

Acquired with a third-round pick in a slightly polarizing trade that sent the 26-year-old Jakob Chychrun to the Washington Capitals, Nick Jensen joins the Senators to balance the handedness of the top two defensive pairings. The defensive defenceman has always been an analytics darling, but last season was his least impactful from an underlying numbers perspective. The Capitals only generated 44 percent of the shots (CF%) and expected goals (xGF%) when Jensen was on the ice. 2023-24 also represented Jensen's least impactful season regarding his surface numbers. In 78 games for the Capitals last season, Jensen had a lonely goal and 13 assists. The optimistic view is that Jensen is just one season removed from a productive season. Jensen's poor 2023-24 campaign could be partly explained by the Capitals' decline or the fact that Jensen never had a consistent playing partner following the Dmitry Orlov trade in 2023. He played more than 100 minutes with five different partners to poor results. The 33-year-old right-shot defenceman projects to begin his Senators career playing alongside Thomas Chabot. Chabot represents the most talented partner that Jensen will have had in his career, so it's a relatively soft landing spot for Jensen to prove his 2023-24 campaign was not part of a larger age-related decline.

Artem Zub

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	3	16	19	0.26

Since entering the league as an unheralded European veteran at the start of the 2020-21 season, Artem Zub has solidified his reputation as the Senators' best defensive defenceman. Together with Jake Sanderson, the Senators have assembled one of their best defensive shutdown pairings since the early 2000's. To put things into perspective, the Senators allowed an average 29.51 shots per 60 minutes of five-on-five ice time. When Sanderson and Zub were on the ice together, often playing against the opposition's best forwards, the Senators allowed 26.73 shots. Zub's offence was the most understated part of his 2023-24 season. He led Senators defencemen in five-on-five points per 60 (1.10). It more than doubled his 2022-23 rate (0.44). The only blemish on Zub's record is something out of his control. He has missed a half-season worth of games across the last two seasons. Without a ton of quality options available behind Jensen and Zub, any prolonged absence from the lineup will put the team in an unenviable position of having to give Jacob Bernard-Docker or Travis Hamonic top four minutes.

GOAL

Linus Ullmark

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
55	28	22	5	3	0.909	2.68

The Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins have never been considered one of the NHL’s premier rivalries. But come the start of the 2024 campaign, that may change - all thanks to one of the most inexplicable trades made by an NHL GM since the Toronto Maple Leafs gifted Boston a Vezina winner nearly twenty years ago. This time, it’s the Canadian franchise on the receiving end of a Vezina-caliber gift; thanks to a cap crunch in Boston, the Senators will start their upcoming season with elite-level starter Linus Ullmark between the pipes, likely for as many games as they can possibly squeeze out of him. Ullmark has been one of the NHL’s most reliable performers since arriving in Boston in 2021. He’s served as the slightly more veteran half of a formidable tandem with Jeremy Swayman, splitting the net almost perfectly down the middle in terms of workload and reaping the benefits of carefully constructed rest periods. Now, he’ll head to a floundering team stuck in the quagmire of a rebuild, dangerously close to becoming another Buffalo. The Senators keep getting close to taking the next step forward, but just can’t seem to put it all together.

That should make for an interesting situation with regards to how Ullmark will fare. He spent the first half of his NHL career skating out as a starter for none other than the Buffalo Sabres, and his numbers were admirable but incapable of carrying his team out of the basement. Now, he’s older and has considerably more experience taking reps behind a more structured defensive system - but he’s also started to develop a minor injury history and hasn’t had to deal with the kind of inconsistency that Ottawa’s defense can display a little too often for comfort. Getting back into the habit of having to rely on desperation saves over structure and system might take some adjustment for Ullmark, and it’s entirely possible that his numbers will suffer as a result. Hopefully, though, he’s the missing piece the Senators have needed - and he’ll be able to help give the team the necessary push back into the hunt for a Wild Card berth.