Denis Gurianov – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 19:58:08 +0000

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 19: Nashville Predators center Thomas Novak (82) is shown during the NHL game between the Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers, held on December 19, 2022, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire)

Review: The Predators have rarely been listed among the main contenders for the Stanley Cup in any given year, but they have managed to stay consistently competitive, making the playoffs for eight straight campaigns from 2014-15 through 2021-22. They nearly reached nine consecutive seasons but came just short with their 42-32-8 record last year. Juuse Saros deserves most of the credit for keeping Nashville close. He’s one of the most reliable goaltenders in the world, and he stayed strong in 2022-23, posting a 33-23-7 record, 2.69 GAA and .919 save percentage in 64 contests. Consider that Nashville ranked 28th in 5-on-5 expected goals against (199.01), suggesting the Predators were among the league’s worst teams defensively and would have consequently been easy to score against if not for some stellar netminding. Saros’ role was even more important because Nashville didn’t do much offensively. None of the Predators reached the 60-point mark, though it didn’t help that Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and especially Roman Josi missed meaningful chunks of the season. The silver lining is Saros is just 28, and the Predators have two more seasons left at a team-friendly $5 million cap hit, so there’s still time to build around him.

What’s Changed? Deciding major turnover was necessary, Predators GM Barry Trotz bought out Matt Duchene’s contract and traded Ryan Johansen to Colorado. Nashville leveraged that freed cap space to ink top-six forwards Ryan O'Reilly and Gustav Nyquist. They also added defensive defenseman Luke Schenn, which might make life a little easier on Saros.

What would success look like? The Predators could absolutely make it back into the playoffs, but their push needs to start with another great campaign from Saros. Assuming they have that, an injury-free year out of Josi would do a lot to make up the rest of the gap. Meanwhile, it will be the first full NHL campaign for forwards Thomas Novak, Luke Evangelista and Juuso Parssinen, who could combine to make Nashville a significantly better team offensively than they were in 2022-23.

What could go wrong? Whenever a team relies so much on a single player, as Nashville does with Saros, the nightmare scenario is always an injury to said player. Although Nashville does have a sufficient backup in Kevin Lankinen, but being forced to rely on him for an extended period would be far from ideal. It’s also not clear how much offensive help O’Reilly and Nyquist will be. Both had up-and-down campaigns last year, so if Nashville was hoping to swap Duchene and Johansen for safer bets, they may end up disappointed.

Top Breakout Candidate: After scoring 17 goals and 43 points in 51 games last season, Novak is perhaps too easy of a choice, so instead let’s focus on one of his projected linemates, Evangelista. The 21-year-old also had an encouraging, albeit much shorter, stint with Nashville in 2022-23, contributing seven goals and 15 points in 24 contests. Evangelista also excelled in the AHL with 41 points in 49 outings and turned pro with plenty of offensive upside. He’s a big part of why Nashville has reason for optimism about the long-term outlook of its forward core.

Forwards

Filip Forsberg - LW

Looking to follow up a fantastic 42-goal season, Forsberg started off a little slow with only two goals in the first month of the season. He hit his stride over the winter, scoring at a point-per-game pace in November and December before a concussion in early February sidelined him for the rest of the season. Streaky scoring isn’t out of the ordinary for Forsberg, as he is the type of player who will run hot, and he was on-pace to match his typical season totals before getting hurt. Talent eventually shows through with most players, and he is the type you can always count on to go on a scoring tear at some point. Terrific at generating offense on his own, Forsberg is one of the most creative shooters in the league. He can test goalies despite being covered or tricking defenders by passing at the very last second to set up a breakaway or a lay-up goal for his linemates. He had fantastic chemistry with Matt Duchene in 2022 for this reason and while they struggled to repeat that last year, Forsberg still found a way to get on the scoresheet with a revolving door of linemates. His 42-goal campaign might have been an aberration, but at the end of the day the Preds will be happy with what they get out of Forsberg.

Ryan O’Reilly - C

Nashville shook up their forward corps this summer, shipping off veterans Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen and bringing in Ryan O’Reilly as their new centerpiece. Whether you’re a contending team or navigating a rebuild, O’Reilly is a good player to build your forward group around. He can handle the big minutes and the tougher matchups, which will make life easier for the Tommy Novaks of the roster. Nashville’s blue line will also benefit from him, as he acts like a third defenseman with how deep he plays in the zone and how good he is at starting breakouts. This along with his strength in making plays on his backhand are his calling cards. He has also made the most out of playing with some of the scraps in the St. Louis’ forward corps, as the more talented players were moved to more scoring lines. Last year he formed an excellent checking line with Josh Leivo and Brandon Saad. O’Reilly is the type of player whose line will usually dominate territorially even if they aren’t scoring a lot of goals, so this bodes well for what he can do in Nashville. Very high floor, but a lower ceiling than there used to be with him.

Tommy Novak - C

The former Minnesota Gopher might have been the best player in the second half of the season that you’ve never heard of (unless you’re a Nashville fan or a fantasy hockey player). Known primarily as a playmaker and a pass-first player, the 17 goals in 50 games Novak scored last year was one fewer than his career total in four years at college and more than he scored in any season in the AHL. It wasn’t the “playing out of the string” type of production either, as Nashville was fighting for a playoff spot in the second half and three of Novak’s goals were scored in overtime. He showed signs that he could be a good player during his first cup of coffee with the Preds. He has excellent hands and was very good at making safe plays to keep offensive zone shifts going. What changed last year was that he really started poaching for more offense and began shooting more. Some of that is from getting endless breakaway opportunities but he also worked his way into the slot to create his own shot instead of reverting to the point or passing it off to someone else. At 26, this was probably Novak’s last chance to prove he belongs in the NHL and to say he proved that is an understatement.

Gustav Nyquist - LW

Every team needs a player or two like Nyquist, a decent scoring forward who isn’t a top-liner but can keep up with your big dogs if you need someone to fill-in. Nyquist has that Swiss-Army Knife toolset where he can do just enough to help everyone his line without being the main driver of it, not being the first one on pucks, but usually being in the right spot to receive a pass or setup a give-and-go. Uses his stick well in the defensive zone and was a regular on Columbus’ aggressive penalty kill for years, scoring seven shorthanded goals in three years with Columbus. Had no real consistent linemates with the Jackets last year and didn’t see any action with Minnesota until the playoffs where he played on a line with Ryan Hartman. Doesn’t have the shot or the game-breaking skill to be the driver on his line, or a consistent offensive threat, but will pitch-in enough to help any line that he is on. Modern day utility player and a nice placeholder for the Preds.

Cody Glass - C

Spending all of 2021-22 in the AHL, Nashville made it a priority to fix Cody Glass’ development after getting him from Vegas. The former third overall pick had a rocky start in the NHL and his first full season with the Predators was a major step forward. Finding his way as a middle-six center, Glass seemed to find his niche as a goal-scorer and a net-front guy on the power play. Scoring six of his goals with the man advantage, Glass is more of the “goal/point vulture” mold right now, he hangs around the net most of his shifts and has slowly figured out the ins-and-outs of scoring a lot of dirty goals. He has terrific hands but slow feet, so this is a good way for him to make an NHL career. It makes him more of a secondary player on his line, as he doesn’t play with a lot of pace, or handle the puck much, but it’s also something you can work around since he will do the little things away from the puck. His defensive game was especially encouraging, always in the right spot in coverage to help generate easy exits. Great things were expected for Glass when Vegas took him with their first ever pick and a detour to Nashville seems to be just what he needed to get his career back on track.

Yakov Trenin - LW

Appropriately nicknamed “The Yak,” the Nashville winger is probably most known for being one of the only players to fight Zdeno Chara twice. What they might not know is that he’s become one of Nashville’s more reliable players since then. Scoring double-digit goals in back-to-back seasons, he found a home on what was dubbed “The Herd Line” by Preds fans. He was one of the straws that stirred the drink on that line because he is very direct in how he plays. He shoots the puck at every opportunity and will lay a shoulder into any player that is along the boards. The more skilled parts of his game showed out a little last year, carrying the puck into the zone more and surprising defenders with his puck-handling. He still doesn’t drift too far from his bread and butter, always hanging around or behind the net to set up shop in the offensive zone and being a nuisance to play against. Also, a fixture on Nashville’s penalty kill alongside Colton Sissons. Trenin should continue to be a regular middle-sixer for Nashville even with The Herd Line disassembled.

Denis Gurianov - RW

Dallas finally decided to cut bait with their former first round pick, sending him to Montreal in exchange for Evgenii Dadonov. Far removed from his 20-goal rookie campaign, Gurianov struggled to find the scoring touch after that and hasn’t found a niche in the other parts of the game. His last year in Dallas was his low point, with only two goals in 43 games. If you tuned into their games, you know it wasn’t for a lack of trying, as he averaged more shots per 60 minutes than almost any of their other forwards and the blistering one-timer is still there. Being able to get it on the net has been the issue and his game went from one-dimensional to zero-dimensional as a high-shot volume player who couldn’t score. A fresh start in Montreal helped for a pinch, scoring four goals in five games after the trade but they ultimately let him become a free agent. He brings some qualities that Nashville could use, especially as a triggerman for their second power play unit and someone who plays with a high-motor and will at least work hard in his minutes. It’s tough to say if he will get regular playing time with so many players from Milwaukee looking for full-time jobs too.

Colton Sissons - C

A hero from their 2017 Stanley Cup run, Sissons has been a mainstay in Nashville’s bottom-six for years, centering The Herd Line with Trenin and Jeannot. He was one of a few players that had their role increased last year due to injury, playing close to 19 minutes some nights and even getting some prolonged time with Filip Forsberg in the top-six at times. Sissons is typically the “next man up” for Nashville in these situations because of how reliable his game is as a defensive player and that he has the stamina to play bigger minutes if needed. Most of the time he has a pretty thankless role as the center who takes most of the defensive zone faceoffs and the main job is surviving the shift before even thinking about making a play with the puck. It’s a tough, but necessary role on most teams and you can do worse than Sissons. He usually finds a way to get to the 25–30-point range despite that, though. Last year was his highest goal total since 2019, as the extra ice-time allowed him to poach for more offense at times. He can also play the wing if needed, so should continue to be a fixture in Nashville’s lineup next year.

Phillip Tomasino - RW

After spending all of 2021-22 in the NHL, the former first round pick wasn’t called up to Nashville until February. This decision was met with the refrain of “it’s about time,” as he was a sleeper pick for some people last year. Not setting the world on fire but showing some flash as a playmaker and looking like he belonged in the NHL at the very least. His play down the stretch was more of the same, Tomasino getting more of a run in the top-six and showing some of that creativity that got him drafted so high. Why he was in the AHL for so long is tough to say. Either Nashville didn’t want to have one of their top prospects stuck as a checker or they felt his overall game needed more work. Regardless, it looks like he did enough to be on the opening night roster this year. He was a decent weapon on the second power play unit, setting up a lot of plays from the right faceoff circle and scoring a few “surprise” goals off deflections. The lack of goal-scoring and his spotty play-driving are legitimate concerns, but hopefully he will get a full-season to iron those out this time around.

Defense

Roman Josi - D

Following up a record-setting season is tough. Perhaps it’s even more difficult when someone on another team breaks your own record, which was the case for Nashville’s star defenseman. He was the first defenseman to top 90 points, something that hasn’t been done post-lockout, until Erik Karlsson scored 101-points this year. There wasn’t a lot that changed about his overall game this year except the puck went into the net less often, mainly on the power play where he had 13 fewer points. Josi was the same, roaming player he has always been, always looking to push for offense. Nashville’s forwards not scoring as many goals as they used to is what hurt his point total more than anything. The same passing plays he created in 2022 weren’t as freely available last year, so the points didn’t come as easily for him. The main difference for the Nashville captain this year was adjusting to a new partner in Ryan McDonagh, pairing him with another lefty for the first time in a while and someone who is a little tougher around the edges than Dante Fabbro. It made breakouts a little easier, as Josi didn’t have to go the full 200 feet to create offense and could get up in the play more with a steady partner back. Still projects to be the team’s best player for the upcoming season.

Tyson Barrie - D

Some players are a product of the situations they’re in and Tyson Barrie has been living his best life running the top of the umbrella of the Oilers power play. His vision and deception from the point made him a good fit for that spot, as he can do more than just distribute from the point and find the soft spots in the penalty kill. Nashville got to see glimpses of that during his audition with the team after the trade deadline. He’s also a decent goal-scoring threat for a defenseman, tallying 10 last season. He has some utility at 5-on-5 but was used primarily on the third pair during his final year with Edmonton, as he doesn’t handle forecheck pressure well and has trouble translating his strong puck-skills when the game gets quicker. Most of his value is attached to what he does on the power play, which was a lot with the Oilers. 54-percent of his points with Edmonton were with the man advantage. He could see a bigger role in Nashville but will have a tough time unseating Roman Josi as the team’s power play quarter back.

Ryan McDonagh - D

Few players deserved the “underrated” tag more than Ryan McDonagh in his prime. He did everything you want out of a top-pairing defenseman and could control 5-on-5 play better than almost anyone. As he has gotten older, he’s gotten less concerned with putting up points and more with taking care of his own zone first. He’s a strong skater still and will jump in for a splash play occasionally, but he’s not the one-man breakout he used to be. Pairing him with Josi made sense on paper, as McDonagh can still be effective with taking hits and killing the play along the boards so Josi can scoop the puck up, but there is only so much you can do as a defenseman playing this style. You’re making the first play, but everything else is out of your control, so the downside is you might have a season like McDonagh where you spend most of the time blocking shots and preventing damage in your own zone. There’s a role for these players, but it’s a taxing style on their bodies and McDonagh already has a lot of miles on his tires at 33-years old. His skating is still strong enough to keep him a viable option on the penalty kill and the top-four.

Alex Carrier - D

The young defenseman suffered two setbacks, first was having his season derailed by an injury, second was losing Mattias Ekholm, Carrier’s defense partner for most of his brief career. His game isn’t too different from top-pairing defensemen around the AHL or in other leagues, just needing a chance to finally get a chance in the AHL. He’s a good skater that uses his stick to disrupt plays without taking penalties and was a great fit for John Hynes’ system where the right defensemen step up in the neutral zone regularly. Very good with the puck even if it doesn’t translate to a lot of points, as exiting the zone with control is a strength of his. Could be in a tough roster situation this year with Nashville having four right-handed defensemen under contract and his regular partner now playing for another team. Mobility and willingness to play anywhere in the lineup should be enough to keep him a regular, although maybe with a different role depending on how the roster shakes out.

Goaltending

Juuse Saros - G

The Nashville Predators missing out on the postseason last year was hardly goaltender Juuse Saros’ fault. The undersized – but remarkably well-positioned and hard-to-shake – number one put up one of the league’s best performances last year, despite the raw numbers showcasing nothing more than an overworked (but better than average) starter on an underperforming team. No goaltender in the NHL made more saves above expected last year than he did, with the 28-year-old keeping his team not just in games, but close to the playoff hunt quite literally down to the bitter end. The Predators missed the postseason by a mere three points last year, and it’s hard to believe they would have been anywhere but the league basement without Saros’ steady presence in more than two-thirds of their games.

Of course, there’s only so long that the team can continue to trot out Saros for over sixty games a year. It’s hard to imagine they don’t want to split the workload more evenly, and there’s a chance that he’ll be able to take some breaths of relief with prospect Yaroslav Askarov looking more and more ready for regular NHL action. But ultimately. Saros is a smaller goaltender who has to rely on picture-perfect precision in his game to keep the team from backsliding; if they keep playing him with the kind of workload they’ve asked of him for the last few years, it’s hard to imagine it won’t start to show up in the form of fatigue errors before they’re ready to get Askarov into regular game action. The Predators have to find the balance between treating their current starter right and avoiding any kind of rush job for their goaltender of the future – and right now, they’re toeing that line a little too closely for comfort.

Projected starts: 60-65

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Value to be mined on the waiver wire in time for fantasy hockey playoffs

Scott Cullen — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 17:41:29 +0000

OTTAWA, ON - JANUARY 27: Carolina Hurricanes Center Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) skates during the second period of the NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and the Carolina Hurricanes on January 27, 2022 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Steven Kingsman/Icon Sportswire)

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

This week, the fantasy playoffs are coming, or underway in some cases. There is still value to be mined from the waiver wire, especially if your team needs to adjust to late-season injury news, like the season-ending injury to Andrei Svechnikov. Barrett Hayton, Dylan Strome, Logan Couture, and Jason Zucker are some of the forwards worth a late season add.

#1 The worst of the injury news this week is the Carolina Hurricanes losing left winger Andrei Svechnikov to a season-ending knee injury. At the time of his injury, Svechnikov was one of six players to have at least 20 goals and 140 hits. Brady Tkachuk, Jason Zucker, Lawson Crouse, Alex Ovechkin, and J.T. Miller were the others. With Svechnikov out, opportunity knocks for Jesse Puljujarvi, who gets a shot on Carolina’s top line alongside Sebastian Aho, his former teammate from Karpat in Finland. It has been a disappointing season for Puljujarvi, as he has just 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in 61 games, but this could be a good opportunity to snap out of it.

#2 While we’re talking about Finnish forwards in Carolina, don’t overlook Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who has produced 16 points (7 G, 9 A) in his past 17 games. That does include a five-point game against Tampa Bay and he only has 23 shots in that time, but the increased offensive production is a welcome development from the third pick in the 2018 Draft. His next point will tie his career high of 34 points, set during his rookie season in 2018-2019.

#3 It has not necessarily been the smoothest development path for Arizona Coyotes center Barrett Hayton, who was drafted fifth overall in 2018, but it looks like he is starting to find his groove in the NHL. The 22-year-old has 11 points (3 G, 8 A) during a six-game point streak and is making the most out of his opportunity to center Arizona’s top line. Before the points picked up, Hayton had already started generating more shots and has 68 shots on goal in his past 22 games, which is an encouraging sign for his future production.

#4 The third pick in the 2015 Draft, Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome has had his share of ups and downs with previous stops in Arizona and Chicago but has shown that he can score when given the chance. Strome has 10 points (3 G, 7 A) during a six-game point streak and has hit the 50-point plateau for the second time in his career.

#5 He is older now and playing for a team at the bottom of the standings, but San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture has contributed 21 points (7 G, 14 A) in his past 19 games. That gives him 58 points (24 G, 34 A) in 69 games for the season and his 0.84 points per game is the second highest per-game rate of his career. He’s also widely available for fantasy managers, so worth considering for a late-season push.

#6 Pittsburgh Penguins left winger Jason Zucker has managed to stay relatively healthy and is once again a goal-scoring threat. In his past 10 games, the 31-year-old forward has scored nine goals and put 38 shots on goal, giving him 24 goals and 42 points. The last time he had more in either category was the 2017-2018 season. Zucker’s 20 even-strength goals ranks 20^th in the league.

#7 As one of the few regular forwards to remain healthy in Montreal, Josh Anderson is playing a big role late in the season. In the past 10 games, he has eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 23 shots on goal, while averaging more than 19 minutes of ice time per game. He is up to 21 goals on the season, the second time in his career that he has crossed the 20-goal threshold.

#8 Recently acquired from the Dallas Stars, winger Denis Gurianov is thriving in a bigger role with the Habs. After scoring two goals and nine points in 43 games for Dallas, Gurianov has contributed five points (4 G, 1 a) and 29 shots on goal in 10 games for Montreal. It’s not earth-shattering production, but he is getting more than 15 minutes of ice time per game and, on a depleted Canadiens roster, has a good chance to play a big role for the rest of the season.

#9 Playing a bigger role in Chicago, winger Taylor Raddysh has seven points (6 G, 1 A) in his past five games and has hit the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career. One of the encouraging signs for Raddysh is that he is shooting more – he has 21 shots on goal in the past eight games and this comes after he had recorded a total of five shots on goal in the previous eight games. It is a lot easier to buy Raddysh as a goal-scoring threat if he is averaging 2.5 to 3 shots per game.

#10 On rare occasions, the waiver wire can unearth a gem, and it looks like that could be the case for the Arizona Coyotes with defenseman Juuso Valimaki, the 24-year-old that they claimed from Calgary. Valimaki had 16 points (3 G, 13 A) in 82 games for the Flames before he was waived and has shown that he is not only a legitimate NHLer, but a legit top four, or even top pair, defenseman. In addition to providing sound defensive play, Valimaki has responded well to an elevated role, playing nearly 23 minutes per game since late January. In his past 21 games, Valimaki has earned 16 assists and is quarterbacking Arizona’s top power play unit.

#11 What a strange path it has been for Nashville Predators center Thomas Novak, a 25-year-old who had seven points (1 G, 6 A) in 27 games as a rookie last season and started this season in the American Hockey League. He is now Nashville’s most productive center, playing on the top power play. In his past 14 games, Novak has put up 17 points (9 G, 8 A) with 25 shots on goal. He is obviously not going to keep scoring at that rate without more shots, but Novak has gone rather quickly from fringe NHLer to significant offensive contributor.

#12 Although he is not finishing like he has in the past, Vancouver Canucks right winger Brock Boeser is contributing to the club’s improved play late in the season. Since Rick Tocchet took over behind the Canucks bench, Boeser has 18 points (3 G, 15 A) in 21 games and he is helping center J.T. Miller get back on top of his game, too. Boeser has 45 points, a level that he has hit in each of his six NHL seasons, but just 12 goals.

#13 Los Angeles Kings right winger Gabriel Vilardi had a strong start to the season before some lean times in the middle portion of the schedule, but he is picking up his production again. In his past 17 games, he has 14 points (6 G, 8 A), giving him 22 goals and 39 points, which are both career highs. Of course, given Vilardi’s injury history, the 59 games that he has played this season is also a career high.

#14 Banger league managers may want to have an eye on Blues winger Sammy Blais, who has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 69 hits in 16 games since returning to St. Louis. Philadelphia’s Nic Deslauriers is the leading forward in terms of hits per game (minimum 50 GP), averaging 3.89 hits per game. Blais is averaging 4.31 per game with the Blues. Arizona rookie Jack McBain is another to consider, though probably for deep leagues only. McBain has six points (3 G, 3 A) to go with 25 hits in his past seven games and the Coyotes are giving him plenty of reps – he is averaging nearly 18 minutes per game over the past seven.

#15 At this stage of the season, it is not easy to find goaltending help, so that help may have to come from unlikely sources. If Tristan Jarry continues to struggle for Pittsburgh, Casey DeSmith could see more action. DeSmith has a .932 save percentage in his past six appearances.

#16 Other goaltenders that are more readily available in fantasy are some of the guys getting action with the worst teams in the league. Alex Stalock and Petr Mrazek of the Chicago Blackhawks are both playing better than might be expected. Stalock has had trouble staying healthy but has a .922 save percentage to go with a 9-8-1 record in 19 games. Mrazek struggled for a good chunk of the season, but he has a .926 save percentage in his past eight games. Arizona’s Connor Ingram has a .927 save percentage in his past 10 games but, because it is with the Coyotes, he has a 3-2-5 record in those 10 games. These aren’t ideal options, obviously, but if you’re desperate enough to look for goaltending at this stage of the season, you might be desperate enough to take goalies that are playing on bad teams.

#17 Colorado lost left winger Artturi Lehkonen for 4-6 weeks with a broken finger, suffered in his return to Montreal. That has resulted in guys like Evan Rodrigues and Denis Malgin getting bumped up the depth chart. Rodrigues has five points (3 G, 2 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past eight games. Malgin has two goals in his past six games but is not getting enough ice time to generate serious fantasy interest.

#18 The Arizona Coyotes is missing Nick Schmaltz with a lower-body injury, which is unfortunate considering that he had 25 points (14 G, 11 A) in his last 20 games before getting hurt. Newly acquired Brett Ritchie has been plugged into Schmaltz’s spot on the top line and first power play unit, which is not typical deployment for Ritchie. He does have four points (2 G, 2 A) in five games for Arizona and has played more than 18 minutes in each of his past three games.

#19 A lower-body injury has kept Kings right winger Kevin Fiala out of the lineup for the past week. That takes the leading scorer, with 68 points (22 G, 46 A) in 66 games, out of the mix for Los Angeles. Trevor Moore has rejoined Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson on the second line with Fiala out of action and Moore has a goal and an assist in three games since his ice time was bumped up.

#20 Connor McDavid, Clayton Keller, and Cale Makar are tied for the scoring lead in the two weeks since the March 3 trade deadline, with 13 points. They are followed by Matthew Tkachuk, Nathan MacKinnon, Tim Stutzle, and Miro Heiskanen, at 12, with Leon Draisaitl, Barrett Hayton, Jamie Benn, and Vince Dunn coming in with 11. Hayton is obviously making the most of his chance to play with Keller, and the Stars getting big production out of Benn and Heiskanen is a little eye opening considering how dependent Dallas has been on production from the top line. Stutzle and Dunn have both taken a major step forward this season. Dunn is tied for 10^th among defensemen with 56 points (13 G, 43 A) in 68 games while Stutzle has erupted for a career-high 76 points (34 G, 42 A) in 64 games.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Key trade deadline moves with fantasy impact

Scott Cullen — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 23:17:52 +0000

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 02: New York Rangers Left Wing Artemi Panarin (10) and New York Rangers Right Wing Patrick Kane (88) talk during the National Hockey League game between the Ottawa Senators and the New York Rangers on March 2, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire)

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

This week brought a flurry of trades even before Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline and then not so much on deadline day. Nevertheless, here is a look at the potential impact of the most significant moves, including Patrick Kane, Timo Meier, Jakob Chychrun, Shayne Gostisbehere, Tyler Bertuzzi and many more.

#1 When the New York Rangers traded for Vladimir Tarasenko, it looked like Patrick Kane might not get his wish to end up on Broadway. Kane re-ignited trade interest by putting up 10 points (7 G, 3 A) in his last four games with the Blackhawks and he should be productive in New York, where he will have a stronger supporting cast and is re-united with former Blackhawks linemate Artemi Panarin. Overall, this probably improves Kane’s value down the stretch but his strong finish in Chicago ensures that he won’t be any kind of buy-low bargain for fantasy managers.

#2 A shot generating beast, Timo Meier was acquired by the New Jersey Devils from the San Jose Sharks and while he is recovering from an upper-body injury, there is an excellent opportunity awaiting him with the Devils. Whether he ends up with either Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes as his center, Meier is going to be in position to keep producing at an elite level. He had 31 goals in 57 games with San Jose, averaging a career-high 4.47 shots on goal per game. As for the Sharks, they will offer a bigger role for Fabian Zetterlund, who had 20 points (6 G, 14 A) in 46 games for New Jersey and Andreas Johnsson, who has been stuck in the minors for most of the season and had 30 points (9 G, 21 A) in 36 AHL games, but they would only hold appeal in the deepest of leagues.

#3 The Ottawa Senators landed one of the most sought-after defensemen with the addition of Jakob Chychrun from the Arizona Coyotes. Chychrun has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career but has also been very productive when he is on the ice. Since 2018-2019, among defensemen that have played at least 200 games, Chychrun ranks sixth with 0.19 goals per game (49 goals in 256 games) and seventh with 2.73 shots on goal per game. The question is whether Chychrun has a chance to supplant Thomas Chabot on Ottawa’s top power play unit. In Arizona, Juuso Valimaki is set to take over as the full-time quarterback on the Coyotes power play. He has 10 assists, including five with the man advantage, in the past 11 games.

#4 One of the reasons that Valimaki is the new No. 1 option on the Arizona blueline is that, in addition to trading Chychrun, the Coyotes dealt puck-moving defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to Carolina. Gostisbehere will get regular power play time with the Hurricanes and given Carolina’s five-on-five dominance, he should see an uptick in production at even strength, too. The Hurricanes also acquired right winger Jesse Puljujarvi from Edmonton. While Puljujarvi is probably more of a long-term project, who arrives with 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in 58 games, he did score 29 goals in 120 games over the previous two seasons. He has been a strong play-driving winger, which fits in Carolina, but Puljujarvi may also have some untapped offensive potential, too.

#5 With long-term injuries hitting wingers Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno, the Boston Bruins wasted no time in dealing for Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings. Bertuzzi was an attractive commodity on the trade market even though he had just 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 29 games for Detroit. He was scoring on a career-low 6.5% of his shots, with a 7.8% on-ice shooting percentage, so he is probably due for some positive regression when it comes to his percentages. With Bertuzzi departing Detroit, Dominik Kubalik moved back up to the Wings’ top line.

#6 Power forward Nino Niederreiter landed with the Winnipeg Jets after scoring 28 points (18 G, 10 A) in 56 games for the Nashville Predators. Niederreiter is a six-time 20-goal scorer and should have a good opportunity to produce down the stretch for Winnipeg. He played more than 18 minutes in his first game for the Jets, something Niederreiter did in 11 of 56 games for the Predators. While Nashville has made several changes, one of the more notable moves was to call John Leonard up from the AHL, where he had 32 points (11 G, 21 A) in 52 games for Milwaukee. Leonard scored in his first game for the Preds, skating on a line with Cody Glass and Matt Duchene.

#7 After scoring 24 goals as a rookie last season, Tanner Jeannot was snakebit for most of this season in Nashville, scoring just five goals and 14 points in 56 games. He also had 213 hits and can drop the gloves, if need be, so he can have an impact without scoring, but the Tampa Bay Lightning will try to rekindle Jeannot’s touch around the net. He is skating on the third line with Ross Colton and Nick Paul, a line that should be tough to play against. With Jeannot gone, Cole Smith has joined Colton Sissons and Yakov Trenin on Nashville’s checking line.

#8 One more deal for Nashville, as they sent Mikael Granlund to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Granlund had 36 points (9 G, 27 A) in 58 games for the Preds, and has three seasons in his career with more than 60 points, so he has the skill to be a productive contributor. At the same time, it is not like he is stepping into a big role with the Penguins. In his first game for Pittsburgh, Granlund played mostly with Jeff Carter and Danton Heinen, which is not the best spot for putting up points. Granlund’s departure from Nashville does open up room for a scoring winger and recently called up right winger Philip Tomasino has a chance to take advantage of that situation. Tomasino had 32 points (12 G, 20 A) in 38 AHL games before getting called up and has five points (1 G, 4 A) in nine games since his promotion.

#9 The Vancouver Canucks made one trade with an eye to the future and one that is more geared to the present. First, they sent checking winger William Lockwood to the New York Rangers for Vitali Kravtsov, a 23-year-old winger who had fallen out of favor with the Blueshirts after managing six points (3 G, 3 A) in 28 games. Kravtsov might have some long-term upside but is not likely to offer fantasy value this season. Vancouver’s other major deal involved the addition of Filip Hronek from the Detroit Red Wings. Hronek is a 25-year-old right shot defenseman who has already tied his career high with 38 points (9 G, 29 A) in 60 games. However, 16 of those 38 points have come on the power play and it would seem unlikely that Hronek would get first unit power play time ahead of Quinn Hughes in Vancouver. Hronek’s departure does open up more of an opportunity on the power play for Detroit’s sophomore blueliner Moritz Seider, who started slowly, but has 18 points (2 G, 16 A) in his past 23 games.

#10 The St. Louis Blues continued to sell off veteran talent, dealing versatile forward Ivan Barbashev to the Vegas Golden Knights. Barbashev had a career-high 60 points in 2021-2022 and is not likely to get to that level again, but had 29 points (10 G, 19 A) in 59 games for St. Louis before the trade. Barbashev is getting an excellent opportunity in Vegas, skating on the top line with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault, so Barbashev is worth tracking in his new location. St. Louis has overhauled a lot of their forward group, but waiver pickup Kasperi Kapanen is looking at a better role than he had in Pittsburgh. Kapanen had 20 points (7 G, 13 A) in 43 games for the Penguins, but was playing just 12 minutes per game. He will play more than that in St. Louis and is getting a look alongside Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich.

The Blues picked up a winger desperately in need of a fresh start. Jakub Vrana was traded from Detroit to St. Louis and the 27-year-old winger spent some time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program this season. He had just two points (1 G, 1 A) in five games for the Red Wings as well as 11 points (6 G, 5 A) in 17 AHL games. However, when he was not injured or otherwise out of the lineup Vrana did score 22 goals in 42 games with Detroit, so there is obvious upside for a team like St. Louis, that is not looking for a full rebuild, but a quick turnaround instead. Tread cautiously with adding Vrana for this season but see what kind of opportunity he gets with the Blues and expect that he will have sleeper value next season.

#11 The Edmonton Oilers bolstered their roster with the additions of defenseman Mattias Ekholm from Nashville and center Nick Bjugstad from Arizona. Ekholm is a defensive standout, but is a capable puck mover, too, and has recorded more than 30 points in five different NHL seasons. Tyson Barrie went to Nashville in the Ekholm deal and going from Edmonton’s power play to Nashville’s power play is going to be a shock to the system. Edmonton has scored 12.50 goals per 60 during five-on-four play, easily the best in the league, while Nashville has scored 6.34 goals per 60, ranking 24^th. Barrie scored 28 of his 43 points with the man advantage and will be replaced on the Oilers power play by Evan Bouchard, who has been able to generate points at evens, but has 14 of his 70 career points on the power play. Since the Oilers’ power play is driven more by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Bouchard should benefit from the new role. Bjugstad had 13 goals and 23 points in 59 games for Arizona, but he is likely to fill a bottom six role with the Oilers, so should not bring much fantasy value.

#12 The Los Angeles Kings, feeling like contenders, upgraded their defense and goaltending in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, acquiring blueliner Vladislav Gavrikov and netminder Joonas Korpisalo, while sending goalie Jonathan Quick to Columbus. Gavrikov tallied a career-high 33 points last season but has just 10 points (3 G, 7 A) in 52 games this season, so he does not offer much fantasy appeal. Korpisalo, however, is looking at the opportunity to start for a team that is headed to the playoffs. Over the course of his career, Korpisalo has mostly been a below average goaltender, but he had a .919 save percentage in his last 17 games for Columbus and that is good enough for him to count as an upgrade for a Kings team that needed AHL call-up Pheonix Copley to save their season. Quick was reportedly not happy about the deal to Columbus and was then flipped to the Vegas Golden Knights. With Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit injured, Vegas could use someone to back up behind Adin Hill. Quick had a .876 save percentage in 31 games for the Kings, which would be a career-low mark for the 37-year-old goaltender. All of this is to say that Quick does not offer much for fantasy managers at this stage of his career.

#13 The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their active ways, dealing defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals for Erik Gustafsson and a first-round pick. Sandin has a chance to play a substantial role in Washington for the rest of this season and beyond. With John Carlson injured, and Gustafsson heading to Toronto, Sandin is looking at a prime situation in which he can quarterback Washington’s first power play unit. Gustafsson, who had scored 11 of his 38 points with Washington while on the man advantage, is tied for 15^th among defensemen with 27 even-strength points. However, Toronto’s blueline looks awfully crowded so, barring a sudden change, Gustafsson is likely to fall into a depth role, virtually eliminating his fantasy appeal. Toronto also added defensemen Jake McCabe and Luke Schenn, as well as center Sam Lafferty, any of whom might help Toronto’s plans to add grit for the postseason, but none of them look like fantasy contributors.

#14 The Dallas Stars acquired Evgeni Dadonov from the Montreal Canadiens, sending Denis Gurianov the other way. The Stars also brought in center Max Domi from the Chicago Blackhawks. Dadonov is a skilled veteran winger who had a shooting percentage of 5.6% and on-ice shooting percentage of 6.6% for the Habs, both of which are likely to get a natural lift – he’s due! Dadonov has three points (1 G, 2 A) and eight shots on goal in three games for the Stars, skating on a line with Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston. Gurianov had just two goals in 43 games for Dallas, but he scored 20 goals in 2019-2020, so there is some upside there and the Habs have the time to draw it out of him. Gurianov scored a goal in his second game for Montreal and played more than 17 minutes in his first two games for the Canadiens, a threshold he had not hit this season in Dallas. Domi wrapped up his tenure with the Blackhawks by scoring 14 points (4 G, 10 A) with 29 shots on goal in his last eight games. He has 49 points, his most in a season since scoring 72 points in 2018-2019. He will be in more of a supporting role with Dallas, so while he may contribute in Dallas, his fantasy value has probably peaked already. With Domi gone, 2020 first-round pick Lukas Reichel has been promoted from the AHL, where he had 46 points (17 G, 29 A) in 51 games for Rockford. Reichel has stepped into Domi’s spot, centering Chicago’s top line between Andreas Athanasiou and Philipp Kurashev.

#15 The Minnesota Wild made some modest deals to improve their forward depth before making bigger deals at the deadine. First, they added Gustav Nyquist from the Columbus Blue Jackets and Marcus Johansson from the Washington Capitals. Nyquist is injured, but should be healthy by the time the playoffs roll around and he is a competent scoring middle six winger. Johansson could have a little fantasy sleeper value. He had 28 points (13 G, 15 A) in 60 games for Washington, but started his second stint with the Wild by playing more than 16 minutes while skating on a line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy.

The Wild then added defenseman John Klingberg from Anaheim, where he had 24 points (8 G, 16 A) in 50 games, and just going to a better team ought to help Klingberg’s production. Will he step into the Wild’s top power play unit? The Wild rank 10^th with 8.18 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-four play, but rookie defenseman Calen Addison is the top-scoring power play defenseman for the Wild and he has been a healthy scratch recently.

Minnesota also shipped winger Jordan Greenway to Buffalo, but he had just seven points (2 G, 5 A) in 45 games. Greenway produced a career-high 32 points (6 G, 26 A) in 56 games in 2020-2021, but has typically not scored enough to matter for fantasy purposes. The Wild replaced Greenway on the roster with Oskar Sundqvist, who had 21 points (7 G, 14 A) in 52 games for Detroit. Of all these additions by the Wild, Klingberg is the only one with widespread fantasy appeal.

#16 Although he played just 13 minutes per game for the Toronto Maple Leafs, lanky winger Pierre Engvall could have a better situation waiting for him with the New York Islanders, at least in the short term. With injuries up front, the Isles have Engvall starting out with Anders Lee and Bo Horvat on the top line. It’s worth giving him a look. In 21 games this season in which Engvall played more than 14 minutes, he contributed seven goals and four assists.

#17 With the deals covered, there are still some players that are heating up and worth adding, starting with the Devils’ Dawson Mercer. The second year forward has scored a goal in seven straight games, putting up 14 points (9 G, 5 A) with 22 shots on goal. He has a good thing going on a line with Nico Hischier and Tomas Tatar.

#18 Carolina’s second year right winger Seth Jarvis has returned to the top line, alongside Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. He has seven points (5 G, 2 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past six games and his increased shot rate makes it easier to buy him as a scoring threat down the stretch.

#19 Trying to recapture last season’s magic, when Ryan Hartman had a career high 34 goals and 65 points the Minnesota Wild have re-united Hartman with Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello on the top line. Hartman has seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past seven games.

#20 Scoring Buffalo’s only goal in Thursday’s 7-1 loss at Boston, Casey Mittelstadt is on a tear, with 10 points (3 G, 7 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past 10 games. That shot rate is concerning when it comes to sustaining his offensive production, but Mittelstadt is up to a career high 38 points (10 G, 28 A) in 60 games and that warrants consideration in deeper leagues.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – DALLAS STARS – NHL Player Profiles

Corey Sznajder – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 23:35:25 +0000

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 30: Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) skates with the puck during the NHL game between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, held on March 30, 2021, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Jason Robertson

There aren’t enough stats to show how great Jason Robertson’s sophomore season was. He followed up a runner-up Calder campaign with a season that put him in the MVP conversation, scoring 41 goals and producing scoring chances at a rate that was among the league’s best. He was the triggerman on his line with Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski, but all three were interchangeable with how well they worked together. Robertson just had the golden touch, converting on almost 19% of his shots and he created chances at a higher rate than any player not named Auston Matthews. He is one of the more unique young stars in the game, not having the breakaway speed or an abundance of highlight reel goals. He just excelled at making plays under pressure, knowing where to go with the puck before he received it and finding creative ways to give himself room to shoot. Part of that is the chemistry with his linemates and knowing their tendencies. The other part is his skill, he was a fantastic goal-scorer in the OHL with skating as his only major “flaw.” It hasn’t been an issue in the NHL because he hasn’t needed to break away from defenders to give himself space to shoot. Instead, he can trail Hintz entering the zone or curl away from a defender to give himself just enough time to get the shot he wants. It’s a skill we don’t get to see much of with how fast the game moves now, but players like Robertson can make it happen. Some regression might be expected next year, very few players shoot at almost 20%, but his floor should stay very high with the volume of offense he produces.

Roope Hintz

While Robertson was the moneymaker for Dallas, Hintz was the burner. It’s tough to breakdown Dallas’ top line individually because they all had similar impacts but go about their business in different ways. As the de facto center, Hintz adds some element of speed to the trio and does most of the work in the neutral zone, facilitating most of their rush offense and creating space for both Robertson and Pavelski. He had most of the highlight reel goals from the group, both at 5v5 and on the penalty kill. Hintz converted on a high percentage of his shots for the third year in a row, showing a good nose for the net and being a problem for goaltenders with some of his breakaway moves. He could also score from distance with his wrister, but most of his success came around the blue paint, both off rebounds and deflections. The Dallas top line was firing on all cylinders on such a level that they could play any style they wanted and Hintz’s work off the rush gave them another dynamic element. Hintz was one of the few Dallas prospects who let his skill show in Dallas’ forecheck-heavy system and he has since emerged as one of the league’s best centers.

Joe Pavelski

It says a lot when the one guy on the Stars top line who didn’t have a sky-high shooting percentage still had a career year. At the ripe age of 37, Pavelski set a career high in points with 81, getting the full benefit of Robertson and Hintz’ outstanding finishing but the veteran had a great year independent of that. Still one of the better two-way players in the league, Pavelski is the prime example of “less is more” and adapting to your surroundings. He excels at making plays in tight spaces, reading off his linemates and winning box-outs against defenders. It’s probably why he’s been able to debunk the aging curve, which is an understatement when you look at what he has given the Stars the past two seasons. A decline in boxcar stats should be expected, but he’s never been the fastest skater or the most physically gifted player, so it’s been easier for him to stay an effective player despite whatever curveball father time throws his way. Not too different from his Joe counterpart in San Jose. Signed for one more year at $5.5 million, he will continue to be the glue on the Stars top line.

Tyler Seguin

Seguin getting back to the 20-goal mark was a feel-good story for the Stars. A couple years removed from “losing his entire quad” it has been a long road back from the former second overall pick. Most of his value came from scoring, as the speed of the game looked too much for him at time and he didn’t produce the level of offense we’re used to seeing from him. Instead, you saw more goals off deflections or broken plays in front of the net, which is what you have to do when most of your explosiveness is gone. What they got from him last year is fine (49 points from a middle-six winger is nothing to scoff at), but for the contract the Stars have him signed to, it’s a bit of an albatross. They can only hope that time helps him regain some of his old form, even if the history of players coming off labral tears isn’t promising. He showed glimpses of his old self in stretches, but it’s tough to say if his body can keep up with the rigors of a full NHL season anymore.

Jamie Benn

The past few years of Jamie Benn paint a decent picture of what the back half of a long-term contract looks like for a power forward. Benn in particular has seen his offense dry up, coming off an 18-goal season where only nine came during five-on-five play. It’s a far cry from the player who could bullrush his way to the net. Not all the offense has left him, as he’s still good with winning pucks along the wall and getting to the scoring areas. Most of the high-end skill, however, hasn’t shown up on a consistent basis. Some of that is from poor finishing luck, his shooting percentage has been stuck in the mud for years now, and the other is him becoming more one-dimensional in the offensive zone. Stuck in more of a net-front role, most of your value is going to be based on how many plays you finish off and it’s been the major drawback of Benn’s game. Having Tyler Seguin replace Jason Dickinson as his regular linemate also impacted this, as he was tasked with providing more offense instead of only focusing on checking. His contract is what it is ($9.5 mil for three more years) so Benn just needs to do what he can to be effective. If that means being on the positive side of the goals and scoring chance battle, Dallas will live with it even if his offense continues to decline.

Mason Marchment

Only two players in the entire league produced at a higher rate during five-on-five play than Marchment. He showed some remarkable chemistry with Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart with Florida, similar to what Dallas had in a smaller role. Marchment was the muscle of the line, being a pest on the forecheck doing most of the dirty work below the goal line. His skill seemed to catch teams off-guard because he has the body of a lanky, hard-hitting defenseman and skates with a really choppy stride. You wouldn’t expect him to nail so many one-timers or make so many between-the-legs passes as he does. He rode the wave with the rest of Florida’s historic offense, so the question is how it will translate to Dallas. Lundell and Reinhart were a great complement to him, with those two doing most of the puck-handling. Marchment plays such a strong defensive game that he should help any line he is on. His point production, however, might take a hit. Marchment was in a great situation last year, playing in an offense focused system with linemates who did most of the puck-handling, giving plenty of room to create scoring chances. Dallas isn’t blessed with that type of forward talent so the most they can hope for is for Marchment’s strong play-driving presence can revive Seguin or Benn’s games and make them a productive second line.

Radek Faksa

One of ex-head coach Rick Bowness’ favorite players, Faksa was the most relied on defensive center for Dallas, starting most of his shifts in the shadow of his own goalie and receiving heavy penalty killing duty. Every season his minutes have gone up while his offense has declined, stuck with a single-digit goal total for the second year in a row. Formerly a 15-17 goal guy, Faksa could be an interesting player to watch under the new coaching staff. It was rare for him to even step foot over the opposing blue line with the role he played. It’s something that could change under Peter DeBoer, if only because Dallas is still very thin at forward and they have another defense-first center option in Luke Glendening. Faksa has shown some goal-scoring touch in the past while still playing a checking role before, so that’s the one hope for Faksa to get back to the 15-goal mark. That or have some of his defensive stats rebound with a less taxing role.

Denis Gurianov

Once a touted goal-scorer, Gurianov found himself in depth forward purgatory heading into this season. He is still a shoot-first player but hasn’t converted on many of those shots. He was Seguin and Benn’s wingman for most of the year, which unfortunately meant having to drive the line on his own some nights, which he struggled to do. Most of his points came off broken plays or a rebound of his own shot. He couldn’t be unleashed on the power play, as he was stuck on the second unit and most teams knew his shot from the right circle was coming. Still, he had flashes. In the games where the top line had an off-night, Gurianov could pick up the slack with his penchant for creating off the rush. It’s something that turned a few games around for Dallas and makes him a valuable player even if his overall stats leave you wanting more. He will be given a fresh start with the new coaching staff but finding linemates who can set him up will be a challenge unless the top line gets broken up.

DEFENSE

Miro Heiskanen

Will this be the year Heiskanen emerges as a Norris front-runner? It’s only his fifth year in the league and he excels at so many things that even the best defensemen in the league struggle with. Whether it’s killing plays along the wall, defending one-on-one or skating away from pressure, Heiskanen does it better than almost anyone else in the league. It’s fair to ask if he even needs to have the gaudy point totals to get Norris talk. Unfortunately, it’s just the nature of the beast and it could see a shift this year with John Klingberg’s spot on the top power play unit up for grabs. Heiskanen has a lot of tools that could make him Dallas’ version of Roman Josi. He skates so effortlessly and is great at commanding the offensive zone, so it’s easy to see him having a similar impact with better finishing from the guys in front of him. It’s the one area of his game where the skill hasn’t translated to results and while some of it is out of his control, most who follow the Stars have been waiting for this type of breakout since his rookie season. Things are lining up for him to have that offensive explosion. He is already among the league’s top blue-liners at creating scoring chances, needs to pick up some of John Klingberg’s slack and is now playing for a coach who oversaw career offensive seasons from Brent Burns, Shea Theodore and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Will Miro be next in line?

Ryan Suter

Few players fit the “quietly goes about their business’ description better than Ryan Suter. It’s tough to recall any highlights from his first season with the Stars but in the big picture, he played in the top-three all season and held the fort down. He isn’t the automatic breakout or shadow in the defensive zone that he used to be, so his impact is a little more neutral now than a dominant presence. It’s a little concerning because the Klingberg departure and the decision to replace him from within could force Suter back into the 25–27-minute range, especially if he is Heiskanen’s partner again. Suter will always have the cardio to play those minutes, but the decision-making and ability to keep forwards to the outside is where his game has slowed down. He will usually patrol the front of the net instead of skating forwards into a corner and doesn’t have the same accuracy when going for the long stretch pass. DeBoer could make things easier for him, as he did with Alec Martinez in Vegas, but it’s still a lot to ask for someone who is about to turn 38 and has a lot of miles on his tires. Thomas Harley emerging as a top-four guy could help Suter in the long run.

Esa Lindell

Lindell has one of the most thankless jobs in the league, playing 20+ minutes and spending most of it either blocking shots or killing penalties. He will occasionally break for offense, producing like a middle-pair defenseman for most of his career, but he is usually focused on preventing damage. That means throwing a lot of hits and standing up at the blue line to try to prevent entries. He has always been great at this role, it’s just a question of how much longer he can play it before his body starts to breakdown. That and this is the first year where he won’t have Klingberg by his side, which could mean more responsibility for him to move the puck instead of just clearing it out of the zone. He has shown some upside here in the past, scoring 11 goals back in 2018-19 with some modest power play production sprinkled in. It is very tough to transition to a completely different mindset when you’ve been in the same role forever, but Dallas’ has a lack of mobility on their blue line, which could force Lindell to play in more offensive situations. Whether or not he can handle that remains to be seen.

Colin Miller

Colin Miller’s stint in Buffalo is proof of how tough it is to make the jump to the top-pair for even the most talented defensemen. The Sabres were hoping he could be a running-mate for Dahlin after he dominated territorial play on Vegas’ third pair. Instead, they got three years of him shuffled around the lineup, including a handful of healthy scratches, and him struggling to translate his impressive physical traits into game situations. Miller isn’t the only Sabres defenseman who struggled to keep his head above water, so he gets to have a fresh start on a Dallas team with more structure. It shouldn’t be too hard for him to find a niche under DeBoer. He’s a lanky, mobile defenseman with a big shot, boasting a similar profile to guys DeBoer got good miles out of in Vegas, even if it’s in a depth role. With Miller having a track record as a great third-pair guy, he should get a chance to turn his career around in Dallas. There also might be a chance to move up in the lineup with Jani Hakanpaa currently slotting in on the Stars second pair.

GOALTENDING

Jake Oettinger

There was a big asterisk next to Jake Oettinger’s name for the majority of the off-season, with the Stars coming down to the eleventh hour on contract negotiations with the restricted free agent before inking him to a three-year deal worth $4 million each season.

Now that he’s signed, though, there’s little that the Stars need to worry about with Oettinger at the helm. The team has dealt with a few too many bad calls in signing experienced veteran netminders over the last decade, so Oettinger truly checks all their boxes in a way fans haven’t seen in years. He’ll turn 24 mid-season, giving him plenty of mileage left in the tank; add in two seasons of impressive NHL numbers as an option in their rotating goaltending carousel, and this might be the first safe and consistent bet Dallas has deployed since the Marty Turco era. They brought in a more reliable number two for Oettinger as well, acquiring Scott Wedgewood not to compete for starts, but to supplement their heir apparent. From a technical standpoint, there’s little about Oettinger’s game that still needs significant clean-up, either – he seems to love catching shooters by surprise and throwing in a few dramatic stops here and there, but also keeps a consistent baseline to his game’s foundation that emphasizes conservative movement within the blue paint and a front-facing stance. In other words, fans might watch him throw himself to the ice a time or two, but he won’t often get caught facing the pipes and spun in circles trying to track the puck; it makes him fun to watch without the element of stress that some of Dallas’ more colorful past backstops have brought to the table.

Projected starts: 60-65

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Hall delivering, Benn and Gurianov Stepping up, Barzal, Tkachuk and Kardi fading down stretch plus more ..

Scott Cullen — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 19:50:54 +0000

Each week, Scott Cullen will dive into the numbers to unearth some analytical insights to help your fantasy team.

This week, the Boston Bruins got just what they needed with the acquisition of Taylor Hall. Jamie Benn and Denis Gurianov are stepping up for the Stars while Mathew Barzal, Matthew Tkachuk and Nazem Kadri are fading down the stretch.

#1 In one of the more predictable outcomes of the trade deadline, Bruins center David Krejci is thriving with Taylor Hall on his wing, putting up nine points (5 G, 4 A) in nine games since the Bruins acquired the 2017-2018 Hart Trophy winner. Krejci had scored two goals in 35 games before the trade.

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 13: Boston Bruins left wing Taylor Hall (11) takes a shot off the face off during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres on April 13, 2021, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

#2 The move has been good for Taylor Hall, too. Sure, he has seven points (4 G, 3 A) in nine games with Boston, but Hall’s underlying numbers have exploded. In his first nine games with Boston, the Bruins are generating shot attempts, shots, and expected goals at least 25% higher than when Hall was on the ice with the Buffalo Sabres. Playing on a dominant Bruins team works in Hall’s favor, too, as he is generating 3.33 shots per game in Boston, compared to 2.38 per game in Buffalo, and this despite Hall’s average time on ice dropping from 18:41 per game in Buffalo to 15:57 per game in Boston.

#3 Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn has been making a difference down the stretch and it appears as though working in the middle of the ice is bringing out his best. There have been 19 games this season, including each of his past 12 games, in which Benn has taken at least 10 draws and in those 19 games, Benn has produced 18 points (7 G, 11 A). He has 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in the 26 games in which he takes fewer than 10 faceoffs.

#4 Islanders center Mathew Barzal is slumping late in the season. He has no goals and two assists with 11 shots on goal in seven games since the trade deadline and the Islanders have earned one regulation win in those seven games. That’s not great, obviously, but his schedule does get easier. In the past seven games, three were against the Capitals and two against the Bruins. The Islanders’ next six games include a pair against the Rangers, a couple at Buffalo, and two against New Jersey so there should be opportunities for Barzal to snap out of this untimely slump.

#5 As the Calgary Flames try to remain in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the North Division, left winger Matthew Tkachuk has no goals and three assists in the past 10 games. He has 10 points (3 G, 7 A) in 22 games since Darryl Sutter took over behind the Flames bench, averaging 16.33 time on ice per game under Sutter after playing 19:35 per game before the coaching change.

#6 There is good news in Calgary, though. Johnny Gaudreau had difficulty getting going when Sutter took over, managing four points and 25 shots on goal in 14 games. More recently, though, Gaudreau has produced 10 points (4 G, 6 A) and 15 shots on goal in the past eight games.

#7 While the Buffalo Sabres have endured a miserable season, Sam Reinhart has been a leader for them late in the season. In nine games since the trade deadline, he has produced 10 points (8 G, 2 A) with 30 shots on goal.

#8 As the Dallas Stars try to push for a playoff spot, they have been getting contributions from a bunch of players. Denis Gurianov led the Stars with 20 goals last season but went through a stretch in the middle of this season in which he scored two goals in 33 games. He has emerged from that slump with eight points (5 G, 3 A) and 23 shots on goal in the past eight games.

#9 It was something of a surprise when Mikael Granlund re-signed with the Nashville Predators in the offseason because he had not been very productive in his time there, producing 35 points in 79 games coming into the 2021 season. Granlund had his own midseason slump but has been a valuable contributor to Nashville’s playoff push, scoring 14 points (8 G, 6 A) in his past 19 games.

#10 The St. Louis Blues made veteran winger Mike Hoffman a healthy scratch late last month after he had managed two points (1 G, 1 A) with 17 shots on goal in the previous 10 games. With the Blues getting healthier, they had more forward options and if Hoffman isn’t producing offensively, his value is limited. Since that reset, Hoffman has nine points (6 G, 3 A) and 19 shots on goal in nine games, despite averaging a modest 13:57 of ice time per game.

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 24: New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) shoots the puck during the first period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New Jersey Devils on April 24, 2021, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

#11 Shots are a foundational aspect when it comes to fantasy hockey value. Both as the source of goals scored but also because those shots count as their own category in most cases. In the past month there are 14 players that are generating at least 3.50 shots per game and there are a bunch of familiar names in that group – Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Alex Ovechkin etc. – but there are some surprises, too. Maybe the biggest surprise in that group is New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, who is averaging 3.50 shots per game in the past month and his point production has picked up, too. Hughes has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) in the past 12 games, despite playing for a Devils squad that snapped a 10-game winless slide with Tuesday’s win against Philadelphia.

#12 There are 121 defensemen that have played at least 750 all-situations minutes this season. Of the 121, the top five in shots plus blocked shots per 60 minutes are: Alec Martinez (12.60), Alexander Edler (12.16), Jakob Chychrun (11.88), Alex Pietrangelo (11.87), and Dougie Hamilton (11.64).

At the other end of the spectrum: Cam Fowler (5.77), John Marino (5.94), Marc Staal (6.06), Brenden Dillon (6.21), and Nick Leddy (6.31).

Considering that Martinez also ranks 24^th among defensemen with 26 points (7 G, 19 A) in 46 games, he has been shockingly valuable – like Top 10 on defense – for fantasy purposes.

#13 When the Vegas Golden Knights put Chandler Stephenson in the center spot on their top line, between Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, it seemed that he might just be keeping the spot warm for, say, Cody Glass, a high draft pick with the offensive potential to be a No. 1 center. Glass has had a few opportunities in that role but not nearly enough to supplant Stephenson, who has nine points (5 G, 4 A) and 22 shots on goal in the past nine games, giving him 29 points in 42 games this season.

#14 For the first half of the season Jeff Petry was one of the top fantasy defensemen, scoring 27 points (11 G, 16 A) in 30 games but his pace has slowed down, with no goals and six assists in 17 games since. That’s really not a surprise, since Petry’s inflated percentages were unlikely to last all season. He is still among the top ten defensemen overall, but regression has come for the Habs blueliner.

#15 The story is even worse for Montreal’s Shea Weber, who has two points (1 G, 1 A) in his past 13 games, leaving him with 19 points in 47 games, his lowest per-game scoring rate since 2007-2008. Weber is famous for his devastating slapshot but he is not getting as many pucks to the net anymore either. Weber is averaging 2.13 shots per game this season. after three straight seasons with at least 2.85 shots per game, and it is his lowest per-game shot rate since 2006-2007.

#16 Around St. Patrick’s Day is when the Colorado Avalanche really started to hit their stride and the Avs have scored 3.98 goals per 60 minutes in all situations since then. Their top line is scoring a ton and a lot of complementary players have contributed to that prolific stretch. One who has not contributed nearly as much as might be expected is center Nazem Kadri who has four points (1 G, 3 A) in those 19 games, and this is despite Kadri recording 58 shots on goal.

#17 There are 27 forwards that have recorded at least 100 hits this season and none of them have as many points as Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal, who has 37 points (16 G, 21 A). The next highest scoring forwards with at least 100 hits are Andrei Svechnikov (36), Brady Tkachuk (32), Matthew Tkachuk (31), and Chris Kreider (30).

#18 Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner has been the top fantasy goalie over the past month, posting a .941 save percentage on his way to a 7-0-1 record in eight starts. Injuries have cut into Lehner’s season, but he has just one regulation loss in 15 starts all season.

#19 The next most valuable goaltenders in the past month (minimum 5 GP): Boston’s Jeremy Swayman and Tuukka Rask are at two and three, respectively, then Carolina’s Alex Nedeljkovic, Vancouver’s Braden Holtby, and Detroit’s Thomas Greiss. Goaltenders are voodoo.

#20 The least valuable goaltenders in the past month (minimum 5 GP): Columbus’ Joonas Korpisalo, New Jersey’s Mackenzie Blackwood, Toronto’s David Rittich, Detroit’s Jonathan Bernier, and Chicago’s Kevin Lankinen. This end of the spectrum is not as surprising, though Lankinen had a pretty good run when he was first called up to Chicago early in the season.

Advanced stats via Evolving Hockey and Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2021 NHL YEARBOOK: Under the Radar Fantasy All-Stars

Scott Cullen — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 18:09:45 +0000

FANTASY ALL-STARS

There are many reasons why a player might not be valued in the fantasy hockey marketplace. Often, that discrepancy between market value and expectations for a new season can be tied to poor percentages the year before.

It’s important to understand that shooting percentage and on-ice shooting percentage can fluctuate in small samples and from one year to the next there can be dramatic shifts and the changes in those percentages ultimately change goal and point production, too.

But there are other reasons why a player might be in position to exceed expectations in a new season. Maybe the player is coming back from injury or has moved to a new team or is looking at a bigger role on the power play; all of these factors could put a player in a better position to produce.

Last year’s Fantasy All-Stars article included the likes of Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, William Nylander, Jaden Schwartz, and Kevin Fiala among those who were much more valuable by the end of the season than they might have been expected to be at the beginning. It also included Alex Galchenyuk, so there are no guarantees here but there are some tried and frequently true methods for seeking out players who can exceed expectations and thereby provide fantasy value that can make a difference in your league.

Opportunity matters, fluctuations in percentages matter, and when it comes to value in fantasy drafts, perception matters.

While someone like Taylor Hall should be better this season than he was last season, there’s not necessarily a lot of value to be gained because there’s naturally quite a bit of hype surrounding his move to Buffalo and the possibility of playing with Jack Eichel.

Hall is a good bet to have a bounce-back season and he could very well be one of the top left wingers by season’s end but that’s going to be a very popular take so there isn’t necessarily a lot of excess value to be gained unless he has a truly exceptional campaign.

Here are my Fantasy All-Stars for the 2020-2021 NHL season, players that may be able to provide good value relative to their preseason expectations.

FORWARDS

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 20: New Jersey Devils left wing Nikita Gusev (97) skates during the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the San Jose Sharks on February 20, 2020 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

Jeff Skinner, LW, Buffalo

After burying 40 goals in 2018-2019, Skinner crashed to just 14 goals and 23 points in 59 games in 2019-2020. However, he remains an elite shot generator with more than three shots on goal per game in every season since his second year in the league and that can turn around results in a hurry once the percentages pendulum swings. The Sabres have added talent to their top six up front, bringing in Hall and Eric Staal, so Skinner should benefit from having more skill around him in the lineup.

Nikita Gusev, LW, New Jersey

It took some time for Gusev to transition from the KHL to the NHL last season and he had 14 points in his first 29 games. But from mid-December on, shortly after the Devils made a coaching change, Gusev saw his ice time increase and he produced 30 points in 37 games. He should be poised to play a prominent role for the Devils right from the start of this season.

Nick Suzuki, C, Montreal

The playmaking pivot showed well in his rookie season, putting up 41 points in 71 games, but his work in the postseason should elevate expectations. With their season on the line, the Habs leaned even more on Suzuki and he had seven points and 27 shots on goal while playing more than 19 minutes per game in 10 playoff games. If Suzuki gets that kind of ice time from the start of this season, he should see a spike in production.

Robert Thomas, RW, St. Louis

The third year Blues winger has been on an upward trajectory and he produced 26 points in 33 games after Christmas last season. With Vladimir Tarasenko expected to miss much of this season, the opportunity is there for Thomas to take on an even bigger offensive role.

Denis Gurianov, RW, Dallas

While the 23-year-old winger was the only 20-goal scorer on the Stars last season, he also managed just nine assists and ranked 11^th among Dallas forwards in average time on ice. Even if Gurianov doesn’t score on more than 15% of his shots again he has the potential for increased production just based on the possibility of receiving more ice time because he’s too good to be limited to 13 minutes per game.

Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey

It’s hard to fly under the radar as a first overall pick but Hughes’ value is surely depressed after a rookie season in which he slumped at the end with one assist in his last 14 games, finishing with 21 points in 61 games. But there are also reasons to be optimistic about Hughes’ chances heading into his sophomore campaign. The first is that his percentages have to get better. Hughes had a shooting percentage of 5.7% and an on-ice shooting percentage of 5.1%; both very low. The second is that Hughes is outstanding at transporting the puck, with control, from the defensive zone into the offensive zone. If he can still do that and the percentages start to fall his way, Hughes’ production could take off.

Kevin Labanc, RW, San Jose

Even after getting an extra couple of minutes of ice time per game last season, Labanc saw his point total fall from 56 points in 82 games in 2018-2019 to just 33 points in 70 games last season. Despite creating a lot of opportunities during 5-on-5 play last season, Labanc’s percentages dropped significantly from the previous season. He should have an important enough role in San Jose to have it pay off if the percentages flip again.

Cam Atkinson, RW, Columbus

The veteran winger went from a career-high 41 goals and 69 points in 2018-2019 to 12 goals and 26 points in 44 games last season. He still generated more than three shots on goal per game for the third straight season and remains a part of Columbus’ first power play unit. He also had career low shooting and on-ice shooting percentages so a healthy Atkinson will be set for a bounce-back performance this season.

Kirby Dach, C, Chicago

The third overall pick in 2019, Dach was fine as a rookie, contributing 23 points in 64 games but his play in the bubble should increase anticipation for what he might accomplish in his second season. Not only did Dach produce six points in nine playoff games but he averaged 19:24 of ice time per game, a boost of more than five minutes per game over the regular season. Part of that boost was finding a role on Chicago’s top power play unit so Dach could be ready to provide significant secondary offense. (Editors Note: Kirby Dach suffered an injury in the World Junior Championship and is likely t miss much, if not all, of the season)

Vincent Trocheck, C, Carolina

Since suffering a broken ankle in November of 2018, Trocheck has produced 58 points in 99 games. That after producing 88 points in the 99 games that he had played before suffering that injury. This season may provide a better chance for Trocheck to recapture his form, especially with a Hurricanes team that has tended to dominate shot counts in recent seasons.

Ryan Donato, LW, San Jose

Although he has not had a consistent role since arriving in the league, Donato has been a high-end shot generator and he did score a career-high 14 goals while playing 10:38 per game for the Wild last season. The move to San Jose brings a real opportunity for Donato to get more ice time and, with quality linemates, Donato could surprise.

Paul Stastny, C, Winnipeg

Stastny will be 35 years old by the time next season starts, which isn’t the ideal time to go picking someone for a bounce-back season. The value here is in expecting his production to recover from a season in which he finished with 38 points, his lowest in a season in which he played at least 50 games. His on-ice shooting percentage of 6.9% last season was the second lowest of his career so it’s not that difficult to imagine Stastny returning to Winnipeg, where he had great production in a small sample late in the 2017-2018 season, and finding finishers who can help boost his point production.

DEFENSE

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 05: Los Angeles Kings Defenceman Sean Walker (26) skates with the puck during the NHL regular season game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 5, 2019, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire)

P.K. Subban, New Jersey

It’s not like Subban could ever be forgotten but he did have a career-low 18 points in 68 games last season. However, the main issue is that he struggled on the power play and the Devils gave Sami Vatanen and Damon Severson significant time on the point with the man advantage. If Subban can get back to producing on the power play he could once again be a difference maker.

Tyson Barrie, Edmonton

The move to Toronto did not start out well for Barrie, who managed seven points in 23 games before the Maple Leafs fired head coach Mike Babcock. A new coach offered Barrie more freedom and he produced a much more typical 32 points in 47 games the rest of the way. He moves to Edmonton, where the Oilers need a power play quarterback because of Oscar Klefbom’s injury. Playing a critical role on the league’s best power play is a great place for Barrie to re-establish his value.

Erik Gustafsson, Philadelphia

A quality puck-moving defenseman who has produced 27 power play points in the past two seasons, Gustafsson did see his total points drop from 60 points in 2018-2019 to 29 last season, which is part of the reason that he may be a fantasy bargain. Gustafsson should be looking at a big role on a Philadelphia blueline that can use him in a top four role after Matt Niskanen retired.

Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston

The departure of Torey Krug to St. Louis leaves a spot open on Boston’s top power play unit and McAvoy, the Bruins’ best defenseman, could be the beneficiary. In his first three NHL seasons, McAvoy has contributed 1.23 points/60 during 5-on-5 play, which ranks 12th among defensemen (between Gustafsson and Barrie) so he has the offensive chops to handle the job.

Rasmus Andersson, Calgary

The Flames have overhauled their blueline and Andersson appears set to take on an even bigger role than the one he played last season when he logged nearly 20 minutes per game. He’s also probably due for an uptick in on-ice shooting percentage from last season’s 6.2% giving him a chance to make a more notable offensive contribution.

Sean Walker, Los Angeles

Drew Doughty is ahead of Walker on the Kings first power play unit, which does put a limit on the upside of the third-year defender, but Walker is capable of generating shots and contributed 24 points in 70 games despite an on-ice shooting percentage of 5.9% last season.

GOALIES

EDMONTON, AB - DECEMBER 14: Edmonton Oilers Goalie Mikko Koskinen (19) makes a blocker save in the second period during the Edmonton Oilers game versus the Toronto Maple Leads on December 14, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB.(Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire)

Mikko Koskinen, Edmonton

The Oilers are playing to win now and if they are intent on being competitive, Koskinen is the goaltender that gives them the best chance. He wasn’t very effective in four playoff appearances last year but he was above average in 38 regular season games, which should give him the edge on Mike Smith for the starter’s job and if Koskinen is starting for an Oilers team that should be a playoff team, he can be a rather useful fantasy netminder. That he hasn’t yet established a great reputation, as a 32-year-old who has played just 97 career NHL games, is an advantage in this case as Koskinen should be relatively inexpensive on draft day.

Frederik Andersen, Toronto

From 2016-2017 through 2018-2019, the Maple Leafs netminder won 107 games while posting a .918 save percentage, rating well above average. Last season wasn’t quite at that level. Andersen still won 29 of 52 starts but his .909 save percentage was a little below average and it’s that dip in save percentage, coupled with Andersen getting outdueled by Columbus’ goaltenders in the play-in series, that should make Andersen a little more cost friendly for what he can provide. He still has a contending team in front of him and if he bounces back to previous form, Andersen will have a chance to provide a great return on investment.

Dallas Stars 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 11:12:52 +0000

Dallas Stars’ GM Jim Nill was hired in April, 2013, and Vancouver marked his seventh draft. In other words, he has enough of a track record now at selecting amateurs that we should be able to judge him. Including the four players the team picked up this year, they have made 48 total selections under his watch. It is too early to judge that crew and, in fairness, too early to judge the fruits of the 2018 draft as well, so we will focus on the 36 players selected by Dallas between 2013 and 2017. Some would posit that it is not fair to judge him on 2013 either, as he joined the team a mere two months prior to the draft and he likely had a lot of input from the scouting staff of the previous regime. But as we will see in a moment, without 2013, the picture would be exceptionally bleak.

Year	Pick number	Name	Games played
2013	10	Valeri Nichushkin	223
2013	29	Jason Dickinson	105
2013	40	Remi Elie	106
2013	101	Nick Paul	56
2014	14	Julius Honka	87
2015	12	Denis Gurianov	22
2015	49	Roope Hintz	58
2017	3	Miro Heiskanen	82
2017	194	Dylan Ferguson	1
Total		10 players	740

Of the ten players who have played in the NHL, two never suited up for Dallas, and only three have reached the 100 games mark. As we will see as we go through the top 20 prospects currently in the system, there are also not too many others left from those years who look ready to join them, with only five of the top 20 coming from the 2013-2017 draft classes.

On the face of it, just seeing 10 who have made it to the NHL out of five drafts, is not very good. Digging in, it is worse His first pick, Nichushkin, has played more than double anyone else, but he is largely considered to be a bust and is expected to return to Russia this year after failing to score a single goal last season and spending large chunks of time in the press box as a healthy scratch, including for most of the postseason.

2014 first rounder Julius Honka will probably play in his 100^th game sometime early next year, but for a player marketed as a dynamic, offensive defenseman, his total of 13 points in 87 has been underwhelming and his defensive game has been rougher than expected.

2015 first rounder Denis Gurianov showed promising signs last season, coming within six points of the AHL team lead, despite playing in 14 fewer games than the team leader. On the other hand, he has not been able to show much of anything in the NHL, with only four points in 22 games, all but one of which were last year. We are still optimistic, but neither our nor the Stars’ patience will be limitless.

Heiskanen looks like a star, and credit to Nill and company for not blowing a lottery pick, but it isn’t enough. Outside of Heiskanen, Dickinson and Hintz are the only two Nill draft picks who should be inked into the Dallas roster for next year and the two forwards might not be anything more than nice third liners. Without a sharp uptick in NHL action from his draft picks, his performance at the head should rightfully be questioned sharply.

-Ryan Wagman

Dallas Stars left wing Denis Gurianov (34) (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire)

1 Ty Dellandrea, C (13^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 2) You would be hard pressed to find a more complete player in the OHL than Dellandrea. He skates well. He is an all situations player who has a terrific hockey IQ. He is aggressive and assertive physically. He has good hands and creativity. Unfortunately, playing in Flint, on a relatively poor team up to now, has prevented him from really establishing himself as a consistent offensive force. This has some debating what his NHL potential is. Whether he can become a legitimate top six center or is more of a 3rd line checking line anchor remains to be seen. What Dallas does with him also remains a mystery. Physically, he is likely ready to play in the NHL for the upcoming year and Dellandrea is likely to get an audition for that. However, continuing to play in the OHL would be great to develop his confidence as an offensive player. - BO

2 Thomas Harley, D (18^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Harley is one of the better skating defensive prospects on the planet at this time. His stride is effortless and he covers so much ground with long, powerful strides. This makes him a very effective player in transition as he leads the breakout. The rest of his game is best personified by the term raw. Defensively, he will need to assert himself more and learn to use his size to be more difficult to play against. This is especially true for his play in the corners and his effectiveness in winning those loose puck battles. But Harley’s potential is sky high because of his size and mobility combination. How quickly he ends up in Dallas depends on the growth and maturation of his game at both ends. - BO

3 Jason Robertson, LW (39^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 3) At one point, Robertson’s skating was seen as a huge hindrance to him becoming an NHL player. He has since progressed substantially in this area to the point where it is no longer something that will hold him back. At his best, Robertson is a monster in possession who prolongs offensive zone time because of how well he protects the puck. He also possesses terrific instincts, a great release, and a high skill level with the puck that makes him a very complete offensive player. He will likely need time to adjust to the speed and strength of the pro game, in addition to working on his play in all three zones. Robertson could be a solid supporting top six winger sooner rather than later in Dallas. - BO

4 Denis Gurianov, RW (12^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 8) When Dallas spent its 2015 first-round pick on Gurianov, a winger from the Russian minor leagues, they eventually missed out on Mat Barzal, Jake DeBrusk, Kyle Connor, and Brock Boeser, among many others who were selected after the 12th overall pick. It is impossible to mention Gurianov without what came after, but the Stars are finally starting to see the first-round talent they acquired that night. An AHL All-Star last season, the 22-year-old used his world-class speed, evolving shot, and much improved hockey IQ to tear it up with AHL Texas, posting a 57-20-28-48 stat line. His straight line speed, soft and deceiving hands, and great use of his lean frame make him a lethal offensive player, and his defensive game is improving. He has come a long way from being a healthy scratch in the Calder Cup Final, and could contend for an NHL spot in training camp this season. Long term, he looks like a top-six scoring winger, as he did on draft night in 2015. - TD

5 Jake Oettinger, G (26^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 5) Not only is Oettinger one of the top prospects in the Dallas system, the 20-year-old is firmly among the elite goaltending prospects in the sport. He is a 6-5” behemoth in the crease, but with the mental composure of a veteran and the agility of an NHL starter, boasting one of the most impressive packages of netminding skill in the game today. His lateral mobility and technical refinement as a goaltender goes beyond his age, and combining that athleticism with the smarts and maturity he exhibited in college, and in his short AHL stint at the end of the season, should put a smile on the faces of Stars’ fans. His quickness and size can be relied on, but he will have to improve in tracking the development of plays. He projects to be a mid-to-upper tier NHL starting goalie, and though netminders generally take longer to develop than position players, it appears his future as an NHLer will not be far away. - TD

6 Riley Damiani, C (137^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 14) A year after being drafted by Dallas in the fifth round, Damiani’s game has improved substantially. In 2018-19, only Akil Thomas and Barrett Hayton had higher point per game averages among 2000 born players in the OHL. At the heart of his game is his high end motor. Damiani is best compared to a gnat, in the sense that he is always hovering around the puck. His improved play with the puck and confidence in creating off of the rush have made him a very dangerous two-way forward. At this point, Damiani’s high end potential is likely as a middle six energy forward who can provide versatility to an NHL lineup, but given his improvement trajectory thus far, this could be underselling him. - BO

7 Adam Mascherin, LW (100^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 10) Mascherin came to the Stars organization in unusual circumstances; a Florida Panthers draft pick in 2016, the left-shot winger did not sign, re-entered the Draft, and was taken with Dallas’s fourth-round selection in 2018. The Stars are reaping the benefits of the former 40-goal scorer with OHL Kitchener, seeing him blossom into an NHL-caliber forward with AHL Texas this past season. He 76-18-26-44 stat line is more impressive when you account for his frequent usage on the third line, and his lack of power-play time. His game features intense, albeit choppy skating speed, high-end upper-body strength despite an undersized frame, and most importantly, a heavy wrist shot that has captivated the Stars organization. His biggest issue is a hesitance to utilize that great shot, instead relying on his evolving playmaking game. In a year or two, he could make an impact as a depth scorer and energy line forward with Dallas. - TD

8 Riley Tufte, LW (25^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 7) Another big man who tries to play a big man’s game, Tufte turned pro after playing a part in two consecutive NCAA titles with Minnesota-Duluth, even though Tufte’s own role in those triumphs was not always prominent. He is a decent skater, although better than that considering his outsized frame, and he works hard. He has a hard shot from the circles on in. His hands work well in board battles, protecting the puck from opponents, but they are not the type of hands that will show much creativity. There is a chance that his physically overpowering game will work better as a pro, though the rarity with which he took over as a collegian does not make me feel optimistic. He has an NHL future, but not likely as more than a third liner. - RW

9 Albin Eriksson, RW/LW (44^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 15) A big (6-4”) winger with a good shot and puck skills but with average speed. Eriksson isn’t a typical power forward in the sense that he doesn’t play a strong skating, forechecking game. He is more of a Maroon/Penner type of forward. He uses his size to his advantage as he protects the puck well and is strong in tight areas. He won’t be a driver on a line but can be a good complementary player. He had a decent first SHL with 16 points in 44 games with limited ice time (10 min/game). He will probably see more ice time this season as he continues his development in SHL. It will be interesting to see if gets a shot at the WJC as his style is kind of uncommon in Swedish hockey and his strength seems more suitable for smaller rinks. - JH

10 Tye Felhaber, RW/C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 1, 2019. Last Year: IE) Felhaber used a terrific overage season with a strong Ottawa 67’s club to earn an NHL contract from the Stars. A great skater who can put the puck in the net, he was highly coveted as a free agent throughout the previous OHL season. The big step forward this past season came because of an increased desire to attack the net and play through traffic, instead of on the periphery. If he can continue to play this way at the pro level, he has the skill set to continue to score goals. Of course, he may need to alter his game slightly to become a more well-rounded player, but the potential is there even if overage CHL free agents can be difficult to project. - BO

11 Joel L’Esperance, C/RW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Jul. 1, 2018. Last Year: Not ranked) Signed to an amateur contract at the end of the 2017-18 campaign, L’Esperance -- a Michigan Tech product -- greatly impressed the Stars brass and earned an NHL entry-level deal. He impressed with AHL Texas in 2018-19, scoring 30 goals in 54 games and earning a recall to Dallas (where he added two more goals), in the process. However, the righty does not play a goal-scorer’s game, instead the 6-2” center plays a high-energy game in all three zones, forechecks hard, and has some solid technical skating skill for a big man. He has a splendid wrist shot and a hockey IQ that is as high as his experience from the college ranks would suggest. His NHL ceiling is not the high-volume scorer he is in the AHL, but more so a bottom-six two-way physical center with some power play potential, and he is ready to jump to that level. - TD

12 Nicholas Porco, LW (142^nd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) It was interesting to see the Stars draft Porco this year after signing Felhaber, because Felhaber and Porco have a lot of similarities, especially at the same age. Both were high OHL selections. Both struggled with consistency in their draft years. Felhaber used to struggle fighting through checks and his speed could be contained to the outside. That is where Porco is at now. What Dallas is banking on is that Porco’s game can develop the same way, with his speed being utilized as an asset without the puck and thus being better able to score goals. He may be a long term project, but Porco is someone to keep an eye on because he can skate and he is skilled. - BO

13 Gavin Bayreuther, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 15, 2017. Last Year: 13) Another collegiate free agent signing, Bayreuther has been just what the Stars front office expected. Spending the last two seasons with AHL Texas, the left-shot defenseman has been an instrumental offensive force from the back end, doing the same in some tough minutes in 19 NHL games last season. He plays an upstart, heads-up style of puck-rushing, using his high-grade skating skill, solid hands, and nifty, creative passing tendencies to create offense from defense. The New Hampshire native possesses an absolute bomb of a slap shot and held down the fort on the second power play unit during his time with Dallas. His backwards skating and initial blue line defense make him a solid depth d-man for an NHL team, as his offensive skillset is not hindered by defensive flaws. At 25 years old, he looks ready to make the jump, but the Stars have a stacked blueline right now, and he will have to do more to impress the NHL coaching staff. - TD

14 Curtis Douglas, LW (106^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 12) Now listed at 6-9”, Douglas is one of the largest hockey prospects on the planet. Down low, he is a near immovable object as most defenders in the OHL have a difficult time keeping him away from the crease. He loves to operate behind the net too, where he can control pace and extend zone time. On the other hand, at this point, his skating is going to be a large (no pun intended) hurdle for him to climb. His start-ups are quite slow and he can find himself a step behind the play because of this. While Douglas is a long shot to become an NHL regular based on where he is right now, he does possess some intriguing potential because of his size, reach, and unique skill set. - BO

15 Oskar Back, C/RW (75^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 11) A two-way center who plays a 200ft game. He has good offensive instincts but lacks elite level tools. His skating and hockey sense are slightly above average at best, while the rest of his tools are average. Back works hard, is strong on the puck and plays a team first game. In that sense, he is a good bottom six prospect. He has good size and is strong for his age. Last season, he played his first senior season in Allsvenskan and put up a decent 20 points in 45 games. This upcoming season he will get a shot in SHL. If he makes the NHL, it will probably be in the next 2-3 years as he is a player type that most often doesn’t develop much more after that. - JH

16 Dawson Barteaux, D (168^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 20) Barteaux was a mixed bag this year. In spurts, he looked to have taken a step as a power play quarterback both with his ability to get his shot off and his ability to split defenses with his passing. Defensively, while he was the top defender on the Rebels, he could get caught chasing the play and trying to do too much. When he is on he uses his skating and footwork to outmaneuver opponents on the ice but he can also skate himself into trouble and turnover pucks. He could use an age 20 season in Junior to give himself a chance to physically dominate and gain more offensive confidence. He projects as a bottom pairing defender that could be used on a second powerplay unit, especially if they can take advantage of his right shot. - VG

17 Dillon Heatherington, D (50^th overall, 2013 [Columbus]. Last Year: 17) Acquired for dirt cheap by the Stars in March of 2017, Heatherington has been the anchor of the Texas Stars’ defense since the trade deadline deal from Columbus. A rock solid physical defenseman, the Calgary native is hard to beat at the blueline, plays hard around the boards with great control of his body, and has a solid stretch pass to create offense from his own zone. Though he moves pretty well for someone with a 6-4”, 225 frame, his lack of overall mobility limits his offensive game. Heatherington had a big opportunity to impress the Stars brass last season during his recall to Dallas, but played extremely sheltered minutes, was benched multiple times, and was beaten on the depth chart by some less experienced guys like Bayreuther and Ben Gleason. If the former Swift Current Bronco has an NHL future as a bottom-pair shutdown guy, it almost certainly will not be with Dallas. - TD

18 Nicholas Caamano, RW (146^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 18) A former teammate of top prospect Dellandrea with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds, Caamano had a rough adjustment period in his first pro season, posting 12 goals and 12 assists in 73 games with AHL Texas. However, through his overall inconsistency, he showed some glimpses of absolute mastery as a three-zone energy line player. He is a plus skater with some very effective one-on-one moves, underrated strength as a puck carrier, and a high hockey IQ as someone who plays hard on defense and in transition at all times. If the 20-year-old improves his shot a little bit, he can soon be a potent bottom-six power forward-type depth scorer with Dallas. - TD

19 Joel Kiviranta, LW/RW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 31, 2019. Last Year: IE) Kiviranta had a very good season with Sport in the Liiga, helping him earn a spot on the Finnish team for the World Championship tournament. He exceeded expectations on the fourth line, forechecking effectively and scoring a pair of important, timely goals. Kiviranta has always had a lot of speed but lacked in hockey IQ at the junior level. He has improved in his decision making and added poise while playing against men. His game now looks more clear and structured. He plays an energetic style and constantly competes hard away from the puck. He creates havoc on the opposing defenders with strong forechecking. He has some puck skills and a good shot as well. Kiviranta could be a decent middle-six winger if he continues to improve his overall game and adds more offense. - MB

20 Emil Djuse, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Apr. 29, 2019. Last Year: IE) An older free agent pick-up this summer by the Stars. Djuse turns 26 in October and comes over following a couple of strong SHL seasons. He took his time to develop but found his game when he came to Skelleftea in 2016. He is a mobile defenseman with strong puck-moving abilities. As a junior, his decision-making and overall hockey sense were very raw, and he tended to be more of a mistake-driven player for his team rather than a productive player. With more experience he has learned to use his assets better and is now strong on both sides of the ice, even his strengths mostly are with the puck. His time to make Stars line-up is limited due to age, but I still expect him to start the season in the AHL. - JH

MCKEEN’S 2019-20 YEARBOOK: Top 25 Rookies

Ryan Wagman — Sun, 08 Sep 2019 19:01:27 +0000

Projected Top 25 NHL rookies for the 2019-20 season. The top ten are ranked and the final 15 are listed alphabetically.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) (Photo by Russell Lansford/Icon Sportswire)

Cale Makar, D, Col

As a freshman, Makar was very good for UMass and excellent for Team Canada at the WJC, making the tournament All Star team. As a sophomore, he more than doubled his offensive output, winning the Hobey Baker Award on his way to taking the Minutemen to their first ever Frozen Four. He joined Colorado for the postseason and played a key role in getting the Avalanche to the second round. He could be on the first pairing by Canadian Thanksgiving.

Quinn Hughes, D, Van

Like Makar, Hughes got his toenails wet in the NHL at the conclusion of an excellent sophomore season in the NCAA, in his case with Michigan. He may be more protected this year in the NHL but will have every opportunity to play big offensive minutes and quarterback the Vancouver power play.

Kaapo Kakko, RW, NYR

In the big picture, we prefer the player ranked next, but Kakko is readier right now to impact the Rangers’ fortunes. He has already excelled against men in the Liiga and in the World Championships, scoring six times on the way to a Gold Medal in the latter. He will be competing with Vitali Kravtsov for a top six job right away.

Jack Hughes, C, NJ

One of the most offensively dynamic players ever to play for the USNTDP, Hughes also played in the World Championships, but in a more muted role than Kakko. Older brother Quinn is more likely to play a critical NHL role this year, with Jack slated for third line duties in New Jersey, but Jack is also a superstar in the making.

Sam Steel, C, Ana

We thought Steel would earn an NHL job last year, but Anaheim let him spend most of his first season as a pro in the AHL, where he excelled in both the regular season and the playoffs. He also held his own in limited NHL duty, with 11 points in 22 games. The Ducks are ready to turn to the youth now, and Steel is first in line.

Joel Farabee, LW, Phi

There is a tangible risk that Farabee spends the season, or the bulk of it, in the AHL, but there is also the greater likelihood that his high-end hockey sense, well-rounded skill set and non-stop motor convince the Flyers’ brass that he makes them a better team right now and that playing in the NHL even before he has reached full physical maturity will not harm him long term.

Erik Brannstrom, D, Ott

A WJC All Star for the Silver Medal winning Sweden side, Brannstrom also excelled as a teenaged blueliner with Chicago in the AHL, before being shipped to Ottawa as the prime return in the Mark Stone trade. He will have experienced competition to make the NHL roster out of camp, but the Senators have only one blueliner (Chabot) who is clearly better right now.

Martin Necas, C/RW, Car

Like Brannstrom above, Necas excelled in the AHL as a teenager both before and after a strong WJC performance for his homeland. The winger was also a rock in the AHL playoffs and was one of Charlotte’s leading performers in their run to a Calder Cup. Necas has a good shot to play top six minutes for the Hurricanes from day one and has the tools to stick in the role.

Elvis Merzlikins, G, Clb

Twice named the Goalie of the Year (Jacques Plante Trophy) in Switzerland, Elvis is finally coming to Columbus. His primary competition for the Blue Jackets’ starting job is Joonas Korpisalo, so there is a good chance he finishes much higher in the Calder voting once the season is over. He has more professional experience than anyone here and the tools to succeed are in his pocket as well.

Adam Fox, D, NYR

Traded twice in the last year, Fox steadily was a top offensive blueliner in the college ranks. Drafted by Calgary before moving to Carolina in the Dougie Hamilton trade, he was traded to the Rangers for two early-ish picks. His quarterbacking skills are NHL ready, but he has to prove that the rest of his game will hold up. There is a third pairing spot with his name on it.

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes (86) (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

The Next 15 Candidates are Listed Alphabetically

Drake Batherson, C/RW, Ott

After impressing mightily as a rookie pro last year, including a strong 20 game stint in the NHL, former WJC hero Batherson has a good chance to spend the full season with the torn down Senators. Not the most physically gifted, he is a pure play driver with potentially high-end offensive instincts.

Mackenzie Blackwood, G, NJ

After struggling for two seasons as a pro, Blackwood turned the corner in his third go-round, holding his own for a volatile Binghamton squad and then showing well in New Jersey while Corey Schneider was out. Goalies sometimes take longer, but he has shown all of the tools since his days as a workhorse for OHL Barrie. Playing time will again be dependent on Schneider’s health.

Evan Bouchard, D, Edm

Excelling again with the London Knights is not news for Bouchard. A point per game postseason performance for AHL Bakersfield was. His pace may keep him from reaching the ceilings expected from the blueliners ranked in the top 10, but the rest of his game grades out very well and will give him a long NHL career, likely starting this year.

Maxime Comtois, LW, Ana

Comtois was stunning in an early season job in the NHL, before an injury allowed the team to reevaluate what would be best for his future and returned him to the QMJHL where he scored 31 times in 25 games. He has an NHL frame, and should be in line to compete for a bottom six role out of camp, and better equipped to keep it this time.

Thatcher Demko, G, Van

The Canucks have moved slow with Demko, giving him most of three seasons in the AHL as they cycled through numerous guys in the NHL. He may have received a longer look with the Canucks last year were it not for injury. Jacob Markstrom is ahead of him on the NHL depth chart, but that shouldn’t be for too long.

Noah Dobson, D, NYI

Unlike the defensemen listed in the top ten, Dobson has a traditionally big frame. He is also not a pure, new-age blazing fast puck mover. But he is a future defensive lynchpin. After two consecutive Memorial Cup titles with different teams, he is ready for the NHL. His challenge for now is forcing the Islanders’ hands, as there are seven NHL vets in front of him on the depth chart.

Dante Fabbro, D, Nsh

Like Cale Makar, Fabbro moved to the NHL at the conclusion of his collegiate year and the former first rounder had a regular shift in the postseason as well. Fabbro’s game is less exciting than Makar’s, but his all-around skills and hockey sense made it easier for David Poile and company to trade P.K. Subban to New Jersey and clear room on the roster for the talented rookie.

Cody Glass, C, Vgk

The last remaining member of the Vegas Golden Knight’s inaugural first round of drafting, Glass was several levels too good for the WHL last year and jumped with both feet into the AHL at the end of his junior eligibility, helping take the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup final. His frame has filled out since the draft and he has enough hockey sense to play in any role.

Carl Grundstrom, LW/RW, LA

After a strong 15 game cameo late in the year with the Kings, after moving over from Toronto as part of the return for Jake Muzzin, Grundstrom is expected to make the NHL roster out of training camp this year. He plays a heavy, but clean, game and will help prolong offensive zone time for LA, even if he is not going to be a primary play driver.

Denis Gurianov, RW/LA, Dal

Former first rounder Gurianov was looking for all intents and purposes like a bust after two middling years in the AHL. He upped everything by two or three notches last year, becoming an offensive force at times, although his NHL time (21 games) was less impressive. He should have another prolonged chance to prove he is ready for the big time.

Taro Hirose, LW, Det

Most of the players on this list were high-end draft picks. Hirose is the only one who was never drafted. Three years as one of the top offensive threats in the NCAA have a way of changing things. Quicker than he is fast, he plays a dynamic offensive-oriented game. The seven points in his first 10 NHL games is unlikely to be sustainable, but his tools are NHL ready.

Victor Olofsson, LW, Buf

After four years of steadily improving play in the SHL, Olofsson fit right in as an AHL rookie, with nearly a point per game with Rochester. His brief stint with Buffalo also left a positive taste in the mouth, putting him in line to fight for a bottom six role this year as long as he demonstrates that he can play inside the dots consistently.

Ryan Poehling, C, Mtl

Poehling was already accomplished as a two-way player when Montreal used a first-round pick on him, but over the last two seasons, his offensive game has taken positive steps as well, suggestive of a higher upside than was once imagined. He won’t score three goals every game as he did in his NHL debut, but he can contribute in a middle six role and his defensive play is strong enough to keep him on the roster even if he doesn’t produce.

Alexandre Texier, C/LW, Clb

A great skater, there was risk involved when Columbus used a second-round pick on the Frenchman, particularly as he was playing in the French league. He has spent the past two seasons playing in the Liiga, and his offensive game flourished last year, culminating with him playing for the Blue Jackets in their postseason run, scoring twice. After so many free agents left the team, the path is clear for him to spend the full season in the NHL.

Eeli Tolvanen, LW/RW, Nsh

Consider this a bet on the tools. After a fantastic teenage season in the KHL, Tolvanen came back to North America and was only OK in a season spent mostly in the AHL. He was not as consistently assertive as he is at his best. There is a pathway to a bottom six role in the NHL to start for the Finnish sniper, but it will not be handed to him. He will have to work.

AHL West Report: Life without Brannstrom, Kahkonen living the Wild life, plus much more

Tom Dorsa — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 12:55:35 +0000

With the National Hockey League's annual trade deadline falling in late February, the teams in the American Hockey League are prone to change from the fall out. Prospects being shipped from one place to another with a flurry of deals can change the face of that star youngster's career, as well as the fate of their respective teams.

Youthful players have to prove their worth with new teams, while pre-established players in the same dressing room have to fight for an increase in ice time. All of this battling occurring while the team prepares itself to ink fresh NCAA and junior hockey graduates to late-season ATOs can make for a hectic scene for fans and scouts alike.

So, in this piece, we'll check in on the best and brightest prospects in the AHL's Central Division, one of two divisions in the Western Conference.

Chicago Wolves (Vegas Golden Knights)

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 26: Chicago Wolves defenceman Nic Hague (2) plays the puck during the second period of the American Hockey League game between the Chicago Wolves and Cleveland Monsters on January 26, 2019, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

Life without Erik Brannstrom -- who was sent to Ottawa as part of the Mark Stone trade -- might be hard to adjust to for the Chicago Wolves, but luckily, the Golden Knights have stockpiled a bounty of top prospects playing in the AHL.

Especially Nic Hague (fourth in our preseason rankings of Vegas prospects), who has done yeoman's work in keeping the Wolves atop the Central Division standings, taking on heavy, all-situation minutes in the wake of the Brannstrom trade. His skating is still a big issue, and players can drive past the lefty blueliner pretty easily, but his raw, 6-6" size makes Hague (10-14-24) nearly unbeatable low in the zone, where he shuts down the cycle well and forces opposing forwards into turnovers.

Goaltender Oskar Dansk (14th) doesn't quite have the stats to show it, but the technical aspects of his game have improved in the AHL this season. He is moving well laterally and staying on his feet to challenge shots, as well as becoming a better puck-handler. At 25 years old, Dansk (17-9-1, 2.86 GAA, .896 Sv%) has little development left to do, and instead should settle into an NHL backup role eventually, when his health will cooperate.

Other defensemen of interest are Jake Bischoff (5th) and Zach Whitecloud (12th), who are now both playing up in the lineup thanks to the absence of Brannstrom. Bischoff (2-9-11) is a solid two-way guy with potential to man an NHL second-unit power-play, based on his plus foot speed and creativity, but his willingness to take hits and his improved gaps and reads have led to more defensive zone deployment this season. He has been called up by the Golden Knights a few times already but has yet to see NHL ice time.

Whitecloud (6-17-23) has a lower ceiling than Bischoff, but arguably a far higher floor. The 6-2" defenseman is seeing power play time for the Wolves as he has worked on his assertiveness offensively, and is already a very well-rounded d-man he works hard in the defensive zone and has a very active stick. The first NCAA free agent signing in Knights history is due for a recall.

Iowa Wild (Minnesota Wild)

Though the Iowa Wild have been a steady force near the summit of the Central Division standings this season, their team is led mostly by pro hockey veterans, and few top prospects are really shining for this club. Iowa's three leading scorers are Cal O'Reilly (32 years old), Gerald Mayhew (26), and Kyle Rau (26), while top-tier prospects Luke Kunin (2nd) and Jordan Greenway (3rd) have essentially graduated to the NHL.

However, goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (7th) has been perhaps the class of AHL netminding this season, and after an All-Star Classic appearance, has continued his torrid 2018-19 season. The 22-year-old has been dynamic behind a relatively thin defensive core, using his enhanced play-reading abilities and athleticism to carry the load for the club.

Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings)

Not much has gone right for the Detroit Red Wings this season, but if anything has, it is the development of their top-tier prospects. Unlike most rebuilding teams, who will have their prospects marinate in the junior leagues for years, Detroit has shown a willingness to give guys like Filip Zadina (1st), Michael Rasmussen (3rd), and Filip Hronek (7th) a chance to prove themselves in the pro ranks at a young age.

It is an admirable development strategy, one counter to their traditional practice of slow-walking prospect development, and the results have been promising to this point, with Zadina's curious 2018-19 season leading the charge. After a very slow start, the 2018 draft's sixth-overall selection started funneling shots on goal and using his plus-plus foot speed to impact games. He has been a solid power-play option and a middle-sixer whose Griffins run specific sets so as to utilize his speed and deft hands.

A guy on the opposite spectrum is fellow forward Givani Smith (18th), whose lack of top-end skill has really shown this season. A former second-round pick taken, seemingly, for his fiery physical game, which has paid off on the Grand Rapids penalty kill, Smith (4-3-7) has struggled in any role besides that shorthanded deployment. He is an alright skater, but his usage on Grand Rapids' fourth-line (when he isn't being healthy scratched), is pretty indicative of his shortcomings.

Texas Stars (Dallas Stars)

After being a black ace for the Texas Stars' run to the Calder Cup Finals last season, goaltender Philippe Desrosiers has had a memorable stretch as of late. He spent considerable time in the ECHL to start the season, as he did last season, but has enjoyed a resurgence as a split-starter with fellow netminder Landon Bow in the Texas crease.

Desrosiers (not ranked) has appeared in nine out of Texas' last 12 games, and in that stretch, has posted a 2.43 GAA and .913 Sv%. He has been noticeably better at reading plays, and comes out to the lip of the crease to challenge opposing shooters more often.

Undrafted, free-agent signing Joel L'Esperance (not ranked) has lit up the AHL this season, to the tune of 29 goals. The big-bodied, versatile centerman has earned a recall to Dallas and has appeared in six NHL contests, just a year removed from signing an ATO out of Michigan Tech. Though L'Esperance (29-15-44) likely will never be a pure scorer at the NHL level, his offensive skills are underrated, and he can fill out a second power-play unit for a long time.

Another surefire NHLer, Roope Hintz (9th) is essentially finished with AHL hockey and has graduated to Dallas. It's a well-deserved promotion for perhaps the best pure skater in the organization, as his foot speed, stride length, and top speed are all well above league-average. The former second-round draft pick (9-13-22 in the AHL) has a wicked wrist shot and also quite a bit of chemistry with Denis Gurianov, which could help accelerate the development of the Russian.

Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks)

After being squeezed out of ice time due to a resurgent Blackhawks team making a late-season playoff push, youthful defenseman Henri Jokiharju was assigned to Rockford and immediately became an impact player in an AHL team in a tight postseason race of their own. The former WHLer (2nd) has posted 12 points (1-11-12) in 13 games since being sent down.

Though he could stand to better take a hit, his skating, shot, defensive intelligence, and transitional game are at an NHL level at just 19 years old. He is probably better suited to get increased ice time with the IceHogs than to play on the third pair in Chicago, as the Blackhawks brass want the Finn to develop into an all-around defenseman, similar to (though with not as high a ceiling as) Duncan Keith.

Though his 15-game ride in the NHL was underwhelming, centerman Luke Johnson (19th) has taken major strides in his development this season. Mostly a two-way defensive forward with some creativity, Johnson (13-13-26) has become more assertive on offense and has earned himself some time on the Rockford second power play unit. His NHL game will be more of honing in on his best qualities, the Marcus Kruger-esque fourth-line checking role.

Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators)

Though the Admirals lost one of their leading scorers, Emil Pettersson, in a trade with the Coyotes, they acquired forward Adam Helewka in the same deal, and Helewka (17th in Arizona's preseason prospect rankings) has been money for the thin Milwaukee forward core. Though he can be inconsistent and now joins a more stacked organization, the Canadian forward remains very intriguing.

With 11 points (4-7-11) in 10 games since joining the club, Helewka has been driving play at 5-on-5 with his creativity and hustle, though his skating is a major issue. He has a goal-scoring package to him, and he kills penalties for the Admirals, making him a very useful AHL player, even if he has a limited NHL-caliber ceiling.

Defenseman Alexandre Carrier (8th) continues to be an assist machine, and a forward's best friend at even strength and on the power play. As an undersized defenseman with middle-pair potential, his game will have to be one of that style, and his puck-moving skills and foot quickness fall in line with that. Luckily, that's just what Nashville asks of its defensemen in the Peter Laviolette system, and his playing style can help the NHL team in that regard.

Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets)

With a team that has lost some top prospects over the course of the season, such as Kristian Vesalainen (1st), Jack Roslovic (2nd), Mason Appleton (3rd), and Sami Niku (4th), Michael Spacek (9th) has been leading the way. The 2015 fourth-rounder has zeroed in on becoming a more well-rounded player this season, and has focused less on shooting and more on playmaking.

For a guy whose shot is a weapon on the power play, his commitment to improving as a passer has shown so far in 2018-19, as he is on pace for a career high in points (8-26-34) by virtue of those 26 helpers. His hockey sense plays up his average skillset, and he probably is best suited for a depth shooting role. Though he has an undersized frame, he has been solid as a checking-line forward at times.

Though the speed and energy of JC Lipon (20th) can be infectious at times, he has been stagnant as a prospect and it is hard to make anything of him. After experiencing a nine-game NHL trial three seasons ago, he has not been back to the top league since, and at 25, he really can't do any more improving.

He lacks high-end skills to compliment his speed, and has embraced the role of a fighter on his team, which can often be a death sentence for a young player's future. Once a depth forward for the Canadian World Junior Championships team, Lipon (10-14-24) looks more like a career AHLer than anything at this stage in his development.

San Antonio Rampage (St. Louis Blues)

The top-rated European prospect from the 2017 draft, Klim Kostin has taken a pretty considerable step backwards in a 2018-19 season that has been anything but good to San Antonio. Kostin (2nd) has been a quiet player offensively, has taken a ton of penalties, and is not being nearly as assertive from a physical standpoint.

There is still a lot of promise in Kostin, who is seen by the Blues as an untouchable prospect, especially considering he is only 19 years old and this is already his second full AHL season. However, Kostin (7-11-18) will need to ramp us his intensity in the offensive zone and his willingness to shoot the puck to live up to the initial hype. He will never be an elite skater, but he can be a go-to power forward.

Jordan Kyrou (3rd) has been a bright spot on an otherwise bleak Rampage team this season, leading the club with 41 points (16-25-41) in as many games, carrying with him his offseason prowess from his junior days. However, Ville Husso (7th) has been worrisome and horrid this season.

Husso is supposed to be one of the best goaltending prospects in the sport, but was surpassed on the Rampage depth chart and outperformed by Jordan Binnington and Jared Coreau. Husso (6-14-0, 3.45, .881) has the raw tools, but has lost a step in terms of play-reading and competitiveness.

AHL Report: Central Division – All Star Break Edition

Tom Dorsa — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 13:22:13 +0000

The mid-season break in the American Hockey League, with the annual All-Star Classic serving as an equator for the league's 31 teams, allows the farm clubs of the top affiliated league in the world to self-evaluate.

What are we doing right? What are we doing wrong? How can we improve? What is the right strategic approach to the second half of the season?

A good portion of the questions team ask in these self-evaluations is regarding the organization's brightest prospects. And often times, following the mid-season break, the youngsters playing in the AHL will see an increase, or a decrease, in playing time, special teams deployment, and the skill of linemates.

The eight teams in the AHL's Central Division will be asking those questions at the end of the January month of play, with a few guys on the radar for those fluctuations in ice time distribution, man-advantage and penalty kill play, and overall lineup construction.

In addition, during the National Hockey League's annual All-Star Game break, a good amount of two-way players on the NHL roster are sent down for conditioning. On account of this, we can see how the top prospects playing in the AHL mesh with solidified NHLers, and how it effects their usage within a team's lineup.

Some prospects have made those questions easy to answer in January, but some have done the opposite. Without further ado, let's take a look at the prospects in the AHL's Central Division, with a well-deserved focus on league all-stars competing in Springfield, Massachusetts at the AHL All-Star Classic.

Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings)

The top team in the Central Division is being headlined by two of the Detroit Red Wings' premier prospects, Filip Zadina (first in the McKeen's preseason Detroit system rankings), and Michael Rasmussen (3rd). And regardless of both players being 19 years old, they are playing top-six minutes with hard matchups for Grand Rapids.

Early in his first pro year, Zadina (11-11-22) was having trouble adjusting to the speed and skill of the AHL, but has started to use his legs to impact the game more. He grades high as a pure skater, and has become a better player on stretch passes and designed breakouts with his speed. His shot is still developing in terms of the deception and stick-language needed to beat AHL goalies, but his wrister is a reliable weapon.

Michael Rasmussen

Rasmussen is only down with the Griffins on a conditioning assignment, but quickly made his mark on the AHL. In scoring two goals in his AHL debut, Rasmussen (2-0-2) showed what he has for the Red Wings organization to build around. He's big and obviously has no trouble getting to the greasy areas in the offensive zone, but has displayed a willingness to help defensively with his surprising mobility and create havoc on the power play as a net-front guy and a shooting triggerman. He could stand to improve his balance on his skates and take a hit without stumbling, however.

Defenseman Filip Hronek (8th) has shown his maturity and versatility on the blueline in a season spent with both Detroit and Grand Rapids, putting up points and exhibiting competitiveness within his own zone. Hronek (5-14-19) is a speedy puck-rusher by trade, but has recently played against tougher competition and has held his own, being tough to strip of the puck in the corners and closing shooting lanes with ease.

Iowa Wild (Minnesota Wild)

It only makes sense to start the Iowa Wild section of this piece with Kaapo Kahkonen. An AHL All-Star, the 22-year-old rookie (7th in Wild prospect rankings) has been the class of the Wild roster and one of the elite netminders in the league this season. Kahkonen (12-8-2, 2.51, .914) has steadily improved his play-reading ability over the course of the campaign, and has increased his readiness for playing the puck behind the goal. His rebound control needs some refinement, but his composure and athleticism have been there all along.

Whether you can consider him a legitimate prospect or not remains a question, but Kyle Rau (17th) looks like someone who can contribute to an NHL team with the right scheme in place. Though he's an undersized 26-year-old with no further improvements to make in the AHL, he leads Iowa in goals (14-15-29) and is a better skater than some players in the bottom six of the Minnesota lineup. Nine of Rau's 14 goals have come on the man-advantage, which carries some added value.

Chicago Wolves (Vegas Golden Knights)

SAN JOSE, CA - SEPTEMBER 22: Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Erik Brannstrom (12) (Photo by Matt Cohen/Icon Sportswire)

All-Star defenseman Erik Brannstrom (3rd) is well on his way to a lengthy NHL career in Vegas after jumping over from the SHL this season and immediately becoming an anchor for the offensively-oriented Wolves lineup. While often facing the opposition's top line, Brannstrom (6-18-24) has been tough to thwart in transition and has had no trouble competing against the better forwards in the AHL, forcing shots to the outside and maintaining serviceable gaps in zone defense.

With his mobility and offensive skill (shooting, accurate passing, and puck-handling), Brannstrom had only his defensive game to improve upon this season, and has impressed since opening night.

The reclamation project of Tomas Hyka (6th), a former sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2012, has been extremely successful for the Wolves. At over a point-per-game, the versatile Czech forward -- whom Vegas signed as a free-agent in 2017 -- has displayed his lightning fast hands and exceptional technical skating skills with Chicago and Vegas this season. Though very inconsistent, Hyka can be lethal at times.

Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators)

Nashville's farm system was ranked 30th out of 31 organizations when our yearbook came out in September. It's a product of a stacked NHL team to have a lesser farm system, but the Milwaukee Admirals are more veteran-heavy than they are prospect-heavy.

Their two AHL All-Stars were goaltender Troy Grosenick (29 years old) and defenseman Matt Donovan (28 years old), and neither has ever played a game for the Predators. None of their AHL guys project to be game-changers aside from Eeli Tolvanen (1st), so let's start with the ever-so intriguing Finnish forward.

TAMPA, FL - SEPTEMBER 22: Nashville Predators right wing Eeli Tolvanen. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire)

Tolvanen hasn't accumulated the same impressive totals as the team's statisical leaders (having played in Nashville, in the World Juniors, etc), but has been perhaps their most impressive player this season. Tolvanen (7-8-15 in 29 games) has been a goal-scoring weapon at even strength and the headman of a decent power play, exhibiting his shooting talents and his vision as a distributor. His play hasn't quite matched the hype he generated in the KHL, but he is only 19 and has a lot left to improve upon, mostly with consistency and physicality.

In a prior article, we touched on how Emil Pettersson (13th) was playing his way back onto the Predators' radar as a legitimate prospect and not just Elias' brother. The elder Pettersson brother is on pace for a career year in points (11-21-32), a stat he leads the Admirals roster in. He has long been a smart player and one with defensive responsibility, but has increased his involvement in the offensive game as a top-line center and special teams anchor. His speed and technical skating still lags, but his shot accuracy, shot readiness, and willingness to let it rip have improved.

Texas Stars (Dallas Stars)

The Texas Stars had two representatives in the AHL All-Star Game, young forwards Denis Gurianov (8th) and Joel L'Esperance (unranked in preseason rankings). Both were more than deserving, from a team standpoint and a league-wide standpoint.

As of this writing, L'Esperance is tied for the lead league in goals (24) in his first full professional season. After signing an amateur tryout in March of 2018 and barely making the team to begin with, the bulky centerman has been an incredible find for the Dallas Stars. Though the Michigan Tech alumni's game revolves around his size and competitiveness, he is a fine technical skater for a 6'2" and muscular player, and has some flashes of offensive creativity.

His goal-scoring prowess will not fully translate to the NHL, but the rookie has scored a lot of his 24 tallies (24-15-39) right in front of the net and has 10 on the power play, two attributes that generally flow from the AHL to the NHL well.

Gurianov has continued his renaissance by playing the same way he has been all season, fast and assertive at all times. The former first-round pick has blazing speed but had never utilized it the right way before this season, but Gurianov has become probably the most dangerous player in the Texas lineup this season (that is, if he comes back from Dallas after his recent promotion).

Not only is his quickness changing games, but Gurianov (13-21-34) is much more aware of his surroundings and the on-ice happenings than last season. His hockey IQ and positioning has taken a massive leap from last season to this season. With the NHL faster and smarter than ever before, his presence in the Stars' lineup will be vital going down the road.

San Antonio Rampage (St. Louis Blues)

ST. LOUIS, MO. - DECEMBER 09: St. Louis Blues center Jordan Kyrou (33) during a NHL game between the Vancouver Canucks and the St. Louis Blues on December 09, 2018, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)

San Antonio's lone All-Star Game particpant was the obvious choice, Blues' 2016 second-rounder Jordan Kyrou (3rd). Though he has not been able to stick on a transitioning Blues roster to this point, he is tearing the AHL up with his pure speed, tremendous balance, and effortless acceleration.

He racks up assists with his supreme vision and ability to thread passes through the toughest of lanes, while letting it rip a little more often with an improved wrist shot and hesitation moves. Kyrou (12-17-29) has carried his linemates with his offensive skill since the outset of the season.

Overall, it's a very poor year for Blues prospects, and the Rampage altogether, as Klim Kostin (2nd), Jake Walman (5th), and Ville Husso (7th) have all been quite disappointing to this point. None of three are playing to their potential and have not taken advantage of the opportunities presented to them.

Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets)

Logan Stanley of the Windsor Spitfires was selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, NY on Friday June 24, 2016. Photo by Aaron Bell/CHL Images

At the beginning of the season, the Moose lineup was stacked with Winnipeg's top prospects, with the likes of Kristian Vesalainen (1st), Jack Roslovic (2nd), Mason Appleton (3rd), and Sami Niku (4th) all playing their part. Now, all four of them are playing elsewhere, with Vesalainen having been assigned to the KHL and the other three in Winnipeg serving the Jets' loaded lineup in one way or another.

And the Moose have taken a hit in that regard, with less top-tier talent. Their only All-Star was 26-year-old Logan Shaw, a journeyman forward who has skated with four NHL organizations so far. But it doesn't mean they don't have any impressive prospects playing in Manitoba.

Defenseman Logan Stanley (6th) caught my eye in a recent viewing. For a guy who stands at 6'7" with a 227-pound frame, the 2016 first-rounder moves exceptionally well on his feet, with good acceleration, NHL-caliber top speed, and serviceable technical skills like pivots and cuts. He has the hard shot and the physicality aspect you would expect from a guy his size, and loves to force shots to outside and pummel players behind his net.

At least, Stanley will be a future bottom-pairing physical defenseman with heavy penalty kill minutes (think Brenden Dillon or Ron Hainsey).

Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks)

Veteran defenseman and alternate captain Andrew Campbell served as the team captain for the Western Conference in the AHL's All-Star skills competition, getting his due as a journeyman deserving of the spotlight. But in terms of actual prospects, the Rockford IceHogs are pretty top-heavy.

In a lineup without much production, Dylan Sikura (3rd) and Anthony Louis (unranked) have been bright spots as the team's two leading scorers. Louis (10-17-27) is an under-the-radar guy who has a load of offensive skill and speed in a small, 5'8" package and has impressed over his second full season in the AHL.

A 2013 sixth-rounder generally isn't someone teams will plan around, but Louis has recently started facing the opposition's top defensive pairs, because teams are afraid of the Miami-Ohio alum burning them all night. Sikura, on the flip side, is a known commodity, and one who has an improving shot that complements a complete and well-rounded game.

Sikura, also a former sixth-round selection, has the scintillating hands and powerful strides to be a force on offense as well as near elite hockey IQ and defensive responsibility.

Denis Gurianov – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – NASHVILLE PREDATORS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Forwards

Filip Forsberg - LW

Ryan O’Reilly - C

Tommy Novak - C

Gustav Nyquist - LW

Cody Glass - C

Yakov Trenin - LW

Denis Gurianov - RW

Colton Sissons - C

Phillip Tomasino - RW

Defense

Roman Josi - D

Tyson Barrie - D

Ryan McDonagh - D

Alex Carrier - D

Goaltending

Juuse Saros - G

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MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – DALLAS STARS – NHL Player Profiles

FORWARDS

DEFENSE

GOALTENDING

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Hall delivering, Benn and Gurianov Stepping up, Barzal, Tkachuk and Kardi fading down stretch plus more ..

MCKEEN’S 2021 NHL YEARBOOK: Under the Radar Fantasy All-Stars

FANTASY ALL-STARS

FORWARDS

Jeff Skinner, LW, Buffalo

Nikita Gusev, LW, New Jersey

Nick Suzuki, C, Montreal

Robert Thomas, RW, St. Louis

Denis Gurianov, RW, Dallas

Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey

Kevin Labanc, RW, San Jose

Cam Atkinson, RW, Columbus

Kirby Dach, C, Chicago

Vincent Trocheck, C, Carolina

Ryan Donato, LW, San Jose

Paul Stastny, C, Winnipeg

DEFENSE

P.K. Subban, New Jersey

Tyson Barrie, Edmonton

Erik Gustafsson, Philadelphia

Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston

Rasmus Andersson, Calgary

Sean Walker, Los Angeles

GOALIES

Mikko Koskinen, Edmonton

Frederik Andersen, Toronto

Dallas Stars 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

MCKEEN’S 2019-20 YEARBOOK: Top 25 Rookies

Cale Makar, D, Col

Quinn Hughes, D, Van

Kaapo Kakko, RW, NYR

Jack Hughes, C, NJ

Sam Steel, C, Ana

Joel Farabee, LW, Phi

Erik Brannstrom, D, Ott

Martin Necas, C/RW, Car

Elvis Merzlikins, G, Clb

Adam Fox, D, NYR

The Next 15 Candidates are Listed Alphabetically

Drake Batherson, C/RW, Ott

Mackenzie Blackwood, G, NJ

Evan Bouchard, D, Edm

Maxime Comtois, LW, Ana

Thatcher Demko, G, Van

Noah Dobson, D, NYI

Dante Fabbro, D, Nsh

Cody Glass, C, Vgk

Carl Grundstrom, LW/RW, LA

Denis Gurianov, RW/LA, Dal

Taro Hirose, LW, Det

Victor Olofsson, LW, Buf

Ryan Poehling, C, Mtl

Alexandre Texier, C/LW, Clb

Eeli Tolvanen, LW/RW, Nsh

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