Jack McBain – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – UTAH MAMMOTH – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:43:53 +0000

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 11: Utah Hockey Club Defensemen Mikhail Sergachev (98) as seen during an NHL game between The New York Islanders and The Utah Hockey Club on January 11, 2025 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT. (Photo by Aaron Baker/Icon Sportswire)

In the franchise’s first season in Utah, after moving the roster (if not the team, officially) from Arizona, Utah finished with 89 points (38-31-13), missing the playoffs, but there were some encouraging signs. The Utah Hockey Club had the underlying numbers of a contender, ranking sixth in Corsi percentage (53.5) and fifth in expected goals percentage (53.9). They ranked 13th with 8.06 goals per 60 minutes during five-on-four play, and 17th with 7.47 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play. Unfortunately, they did not have the goaltending to reach the postseason. Karel Vejmelka appeared in 58 games, and played well, but Connor Ingram struggled before re-entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and Utah didn’t have any great options otherwise, leading to Vejmelka handling a heavier-than-expected workload.

What’s Changed?

Utah got busy in the offseason, naming the team the Mammoth, and taking a big swing in the trade market, sending defenceman Michael Kesselring and right winger Josh Doan to the Buffalo Sabres for winger J.J. Peterka, who adds an up-and-coming scorer to the Mammoth roster. Utah signed free agent right winger Brandon Tanev as well as Stanley Cup champion defenceman Nate Schmidt. They also inked goaltender Vitek Vanecek, who provides insurance behind Vejmelka if Ingram is unable to return to action. Winger Matias Maccelli was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs and veteran centre Nick Bjugstad signed with the St. Louis Blues as a free agent. The move for Peterka was an indication that the Mammoth are not going to be shy about doing what it takes to make the team better.

What would success look like?

A playoff berth would have to count as success, since the previous iteration of the franchise, the Arizona Coyotes, reached the playoffs just once in their last 12 seasons in the desert. There is a quality core of forward talent that can take this team to the postseason, but the questions will land on defence and in goal, where depth could be an issue. It doesn’t appear as though the Coyotes are ready to be real contenders, but earning a playoff spot in that challenging Central Division would be a successful season and it’s not some ridiculous pipedream to believe that they can get there.

What could go wrong?

Last season could have gone much worse for Utah if Vejmelka had not played so well so, like most teams, the Mammoth can ill afford to have subpar goaltending. They do have a few stars that are probably harder to replace, like defenceman Mikhail Sergachev is hugely important and with the moderate level of blueline talent behind him, an injury to their top defenceman could be devastating. Utah’s improved depth could help them overcome an injury or two up front, but this team is still working on relatively thin margins, so a few bad bounces, unfortunate injuries, or subpar goaltending could be enough to keep them out of the playoffs yet again.

Top Breakout Candidate

Third-year centre Logan Cooley has to be the pick here, even after a relatively high on-ice shooting percentage last season, because he is poised to be the No. 1 centre for Utah, which would mean playing with left winger Clayton Keller, who just put up 90 points (30 G, 60 A) last season, so that kind of opportunity raises the ceiling for Cooley who, in his own right, is a dynamic offensive talent. If there is chemistry with Keller, Cooley may just continue his upward scoring trend.

FORWARDS

Clayton Keller

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	34	56	90	1.13

A talented playmaking winger, Keller put up a career-high 90 points (30 G, 60 A), continuing to provide offense at an elite level. In the past three seasons, he has 252 points (100 G, 152 A) in 241 games, ranking 16th in the league in that time. Keller is on the smaller side and plays according to his strengths. He only had 11 hits last season, his lowest total since his rookie season in 2017-2018, but he thrives in open space, whether it’s in transition or on the power play, where he can set up on the half wall and direct the play from there, either as a setup man or launching one-timers. His 37 power play points last season was tied for third, behind only Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon. Keller uses his quickness to create space from which he generates offensive opportunities, with the element of surprise working in his favour. Keller is a highly skilled player whose puckhandling makes him a challenge for defenders and goaltenders alike when left in a one-on-one situation. With Keller established as a legitimate star player for the newly named Mammoth, now is the time for the team to build a quality supporting cast around him, so that he can continue to deliver on the offensive end. While Keller is not necessarily noted for his defensive acumen, the puck was moving the right way when he was on the ice in 2024-2025; last season he had a 54 percent Corsi with 53.4 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play. If the supporting cast can continue to get better, then Keller should be a prime offensive threat in 2025-2026. It would be fair to expect 30-35 goals and 85-90 points, with a chance to challenge 100 points if he has good fortune in terms of percentages.

Logan Cooley

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	29	47	76	0.93

Drafted third overall in 2022, Cooley took a big step forward in his second NHL season, jumping from 44 points (20 G, 24 A) in 82 games in 2023-2024 to 65 points (25 G, 40 A) in 75 games last season. The name of the game for Cooley is speed, as he uses his acceleration to separate from defenders and create dangerous opportunities off the rush. He plays with an offensively aggressive mindset, so he’s not afraid to go to the net when the opportunity presents itself and seeing what he has accomplished through his first two seasons offers a tantalizing glimpse into his potential. At the same time, there is still room for improvement. While Cooley had a 50.4 percent Corsi in his sophomore season, up by three percent over his rookie campaign, his relative numbers were down 2.2 percent from the previous season. Some of that may be that Utah had more all-around talent so other lines also pushed play, but if he is going to be the star that he appears he can, he should not be trailing others when it comes to controlling play. Cooley remains a work in progress in the faceoff circle, but did improve, going from a winning percentage of 38.0 percent as a rookie to 44.7 percent last season. With an expectation that Cooley spends most of his time skating on a line with Keller, the young center’s production should continue to ascend but projections need to take into account that his on-ice shooting percentage last season was 11.7 percent, a mark that he is highly unlikely to duplicate in 2025-2026. As such, 25 goals and 65-70 points is a fair possibility and while it might not seem like much of an increase, he could use power play production to offset a likely five-on-five regression.

J.J. Peterka

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	30	34	64	0.78

Coming off a season in which he racked up a career-high 68 points (27 G, 41A) for the Buffalo Sabres, Peterka insisted on getting moved and was highly sought after as a 23-year-old winger just coming into his prime. Utah stepped up, sending Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring to the Sabres to complete the deal and then signed Peterka to a new five-year, $38.5 million contract. His arrival in Utah gives the Mammoth another legitimate high-end offensive talent and it could be the type of move that lifts them into postseason contention. Coming from Buffalo, Peterka does not have playoff experience, but he has shown well when playing for Germany at the World Championships. He compiled 21 points (11 G, 10 A) in 18 games during the 2023 and 2024 World Championships and was named the top forward at the 2023 event. While Peterka certainly appears to be on the upswing in his career, there should be some caution exercised because his on-ice shooting percentage last season was 14.2 percent, an unsustainably high number that was the highest in the league among forwards that played at least 200 five-on-five minutes. So, while the tendency might be to lean towards optimism for Peterka, it is going to be difficult to overcome that likely statistical regression. That being the case, it’s fair to expect him to challenge 30 goals and 65 points during the 2025-2026 season.

Dylan Guenther

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	32	35	67	0.85

Drafted ninth overall in 2021, Guenther signed an eight-year, $57.14 million contract prior to last season and while it seemed like a major commitment to a player who had played a total of 78 NHL games to that point, Guenther quickly showed that it could be money well spent as he busted out with 27 goals and 60 points last season, showcasing a lightning-quick release that figures to serve him well for many years. There are so many NHL players who can really shoot the puck with authority that for the rare ones to stand out in that crowd there must be something special there and listening to teammates talk about Guenther’s shot, it appears that he is on a rare tier. The next step is to take more advantage of his shot during five-on-five play because Guenther has scored 51 goals in his NHL career and 25 of them have come via the power play. There is the possibility now that Guenther has enough experience to slide up the depth chart so that he could play first line at even strength, which should help him increase his even-strength scoring, because if it means playing with Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley, those are two very skilled linemates. Expect Guenther to continue his career ascent in 2025-2026. It would be entirely fair to expect him to hit 30 goals and 65 points.

Nick Schmaltz

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

In the past four seasons, Schmaltz has ranked between 58 and last season’s career-high 63 points, producing at a consistent level, though there is an obvious argument that scoring 58 and 59 points in 63 games, as he did in 2022-2023 is better than 63 points in 82 games, as he did last season. Schmaltz is a talented playmaker who has gradually become more comfortable shooting the puck. He’s still not firing indiscriminately towards the opposing net, but 2.27 shots on goal per game last season got him to 20 goals even with a shooting percentage of 10.9 percent, which was well below his career mark, which was 14.2 percent going into last season. With sound offensive instincts and good puck skills, Schmaltz is a strong complementary player to Clayton Keller, though both of them are quite reluctant to get involved in physical play, as Schmaltz accrued just 14 hits last season. As the Mammoth improve their talent, Schmaltz could slide into a second line role, where he would still have plenty of opportunity to generate offense, but may also be split away from Keller. Knowing how consistently Schmaltz has contributed to the offense in recent seasons, it’s fair to expect something similar, maybe in the range of 20 goals and 55-60 points during the 2025-2026 season.

Barrett Hayton

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	18	28	46	0.56

It sure seemed like a reach when the Arizona Coyotes drafted Hayton fifth overall in 2018, but they gave him ample opportunity to prove that he could play in a scoring role and what ultimately appears to have happened is that he has shown he can be a capable second-line center. He hit career highs with 20 goals, 26 assists, and 46 points last season while playing a little over 16 minutes per game. That has Hayton fitting into the Utah lineup just behind Logan Cooley on the center depth chart. Hayton has good speed to create opportunities and will go the net to generate chances, but the lack of consistency in his career makes it difficult to expect him playing higher in the lineup if the team has more viable options. At the same time, while his offensive numbers have never really taken off, Hayton has turned into a puck possession monster the past couple of seasons, earning 57.9 percent Corsi and 57.9 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play over the past two seasons. So, on one hand, the point production isn’t quite what is needed from a first-line center, but his two-way play has evolved to the point that he is a strong option as a second-line center and with the Mammoth improving their team depth, that means that Hayton should have quality wingers to play with this season. He should be able to contribute 15-20 goals and 40 points.

Lawson Crouse

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	15	16	31	0.39

After three consecutive seasons with at least 20 goals, Crouse saw his role decrease dramatically as the team moved to Utah last season, with his average ice time per game falling from 16:49 in 2023-2024 to 13:44 per game last season. His production plummeted, too, and he managed a dozen goals and 18 points. The category that Crouse could trade on, in terms of fantasy value, has always been hits. He peaked at 288 hits in 2018-2019 and still registered 193 hits in his diminished role last season. When he was scoring 20 goals and recording 175 hits, there was clear fantasy value to Crouse’s production, but last season’s decline made it far less appealing. With his size and physical presence, Crouse should be valuable in the modern NHL, because he can battle the biggest defenders and handle himself if a fight is needed, but he has also grown as a player to fill a complementary role, capable of finishing chances around the net. His most common linemates last season were Jack McBain, Nick Bjugstad, and Josh Doan. Crouse had quite a bit of success with the since-traded Doan, controlling 62.7 percent of expected goals and outscoring opponents 16-10, but it should be an indication that Crouse is a strong complementary option alongside more skilled playmakers. That should give at least some hope that Crouse can bounce back in 2025-2026, so expect 15-20 goals and 30-plus points, along with 190 hits.

Jack McBain

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	12	17	29	0.35

A 6-foot-4 center who uses his size to be an effective physical presence, McBain has earned the respect of the Mammoth, which was shown by his new five-year, $21.25 million contract, an indication that they view him as more than a fourth-line center. McBain recorded career highs in goals (13) and points (27) to go along with 291 hits and 78 penalty minutes last season. The scoring numbers alone don’t generate fantasy interest, but 291 hits ranked sixth in the entire NHL and that holds value in banger leagues already, but if McBain can expand his offensive repertoire, then he would gain more widespread appeal. While McBain doesn’t have a huge offensive pedigree in the NHL, he did have productive senior season at Boston College in 2021-2022, scoring 33 points (19 G, 14 A) in just 24 games, so maybe there is a path to him producing more if he gets consistent ice time in Utah’s top nine. If McBain gets a little more ice time in 2025-2026, then he can fairly be expected to contribute 10-15 goals and 30 points, and if he puts up 250-plus hits, too, that will give him some fantasy value and if he could pop more offensively, that appeal would climb quickly.

Alex Kerfoot

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	12	20	32	0.40

A versatile veteran forward who has missed one game in the past five seasons, Kerfoot’s role was reduced last season, his ice time dropping more than two minutes per game and his point production dropped from 45 points in 2023-2024 to 28 points (11 G, 17 A) in 2024-2025. In addition to his ice time being cut, Kerfoot suffered from a dramatic swing in his on-ice shooting percentage, going from 10.1 percent two seasons ago to a career-low 6.6 percent last season. Kerfoot has established in Colorado, Toronto, and Arizona before the move to Utah that he is a reliable complementary forward who can play wing and center, moving around the lineup as needed. Last season, he won 52.5 percent of his draws, only the second season in his career in which he was the right side of the faceoff ledger. The main concern when it comes to Kerfoot’s offensive production is his reluctance to shoot the puck, recording 203 shots on goal in 163 games over the past two years. In a supporting role for the Mammoth, Kerfoot should still be counted on to play every game, and he should find his way to double-digit goals and 30-35 points.

DEFENCE

Mikhail Sergachev

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	12	40	52	0.67

Acquired from Tampa Bay following an injury-shortened 2023-2024 season, Sergachev provided Utah with the No. 1 defenceman that they needed. He sniped a career-high 15 goals and his 53 points was the second-highest total of his career. Sergachev averaged a career-high 25:07 of ice time per game and he brings a lot to the Utah defence. He is physically strong and can win puck battles, though he cut down on his hits last season compared to previous campaigns. Sergachev is also an excellent puck-handler who will use his wide base to protect the puck, taking the time necessary to make the best possible play. The smart move for the Mammoth to acquire Sergachev was that he was at a statistical buy-low point, coming off a season with a 95.1 PDO, and his percentages bounced back last season to 100.1 PDO, which is a little below his career mark, but much more in typical range. Sergachev did score on 11.4 percent of his shots on goal, which was more than double his career shooting percentage (5.6 percent) prior to last season, so that is a number likely to see some regression. Keeping in mind that he is playing 25 minutes per game for the Mammoth, Sergachev should still be able to hit double digits in goals and 50-plus points again.

Sean Durzi

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	12	17	29	0.37

An early season shoulder injury sabotaged Durzi’s 2025-2026 season, limiting him to just 30 games, and he produced 11 points (4 G, 7 A). With the acquisition of Sergachev, Durzi was not needed to quarterback the top power play unit and that will still be the case this season, but Durzi has established his ability as a right-shot puck-moving defenceman. He has confidence to make plays on the offensive blueline and has a hard and accurate shot. Durzi does not play an especially physical game, but he is quick to get in the path of opposing shooters, recording 475 blocked shots in 242 career games. As the Mammoth improved as a team, Durzi found his way to a career-high 53.6 percent Corsi, which is, at least in part, a product of his ability to move the puck up the ice. While Durzi falls behind Sergachev on the depth chart, on a relatively thin Mammoth blueline, Durzi is still the second-best fantasy option, since he will play more than 20 minutes per game and should at least quarterback the second power play unit. In 2025-2026, look for Durzi to rebound as he challenges double digit goals and 30-35 points while also recording 140 blocked shots.

John Marino

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
71	3	21	24	0.34

Acquired from the New Jersey Devils last summer, Marino missed half of the season while recovering from back surgery, so he didn’t get into the lineup until January, but the veteran blueliner was effective once he got back into his groove. Marino recorded 14 points (1 G, 13 A) in 35 games and all of those points were at even strength, so, among the 248 defencemen to play at least 200 five-on-five minutes, Marino ranked sixth in assists per 60 minutes (1.25) and 14th in points per 60 minutes (1.34). He is an excellent skater who makes good passes to exit the defensive zone, but last season’s scoring pace was unusual as he has yet to match the 26 points (6 G, 20 A) that he scored as a rookie in 2019-2020. He is also not a particularly strong presence when battling in the corners, so there is some vulnerability in that aspect of his game, but it gets offset by his positive attributes and he finished last season with a 53.6 percent Corsi, with the Mammoth outscoring opponents 30-25 with Marino on the ice. That fits into any lineup and on a Mammoth team that is light on defensive depth, Marino should play a big role in 2025-2026. He has recorded one power play point, total, in the past three seasons, so there is a limit to what Marino will provide offensively, but he should be expected to contribute 20-25 points and around 90 blocked shots which, generally, will not draw much fantasy interest.

Olli Maatta

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	2	15	17	0.22

A veteran blueliner who has been bouncing around quite a bit in recent seasons, Maatta made the most of his opportunity in Utah, earning a three-year, $10.5 million contract. While that might not sound like a huge deal, the Mammoth are Maatta’s fourth team since the 2019-2020 season and he was struggling on Detroit’s third pair before Utah traded a third-round pick to acquire him. Maatta averaged 19:55 of ice time per game in Utah, a mark that he last surpassed in 2015-2016, his third season in the NHL. Thrust into a top four role on a team that didn’t have John Marino and Sean Durzi for significant chunks of the season, Maatta was a positive possession player and the Mammoth outscored opponents 41-39 with him on the ice during five-on-five play. That’s not a game-breaking performance, rather it’s an indication that he could competently fill a spot in Utah’s top four on the blueline and that’s enough. Maatta is a competent puck-moving defenceman, though he rarely sees power play ice time and that means his scoring production will be modest. He’s also not a hitter, as last season’s total of 25 hits was his lowest since 2014-2015, when he had 18 hits in 20 games. With security and what should be a regular role on the Mammoth blueline, expect Maatta to chip in 15-20 points with 110 blocked shots. Like Marino, that’s probably not enough to generate fantasy interest, but the blueline options are limited in Utah.

GOAL

Karel Vejmelka

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
46	23	16	4	3	.906	2.72

The Utah Mammoth seem to be opting for a kitchen sink approach in net at the moment, following a year that saw Connor Ingram fail to live up to the future starter trajectory he seemed to be on when he arrived in Arizona. They'll start the 2025-26 season with Ingram and the surprisingly reliable Karel Vejmelka as their tandem pairing, but Vitek Vanecek sits waiting in the wings in case something goes awry - and Matt Villalta is hanging around in the depth chart too, along with former Providence College standout Jaxson Stauber. All five goaltenders in Utah's immediate depth chart have NHL experience, but none have a storied history as a team's relied-upon starter - which feels very Coyotes of the Mammoth, despite the expansion team's attempt to forge their own identity.

The Mammoth didn't completely flounder last season, but they failed to reach the postseason by a big enough margin that it's clear something will need to change this fall. And while Vejmelka was clearly the team's best chance of success last year, he has a shaky history when asked to shoulder too much of the workload. Ingram will need to bounce back after his tough campaign if Utah hopes to challenge, and they've got far more reliable goaltending tandems waiting across the ice from a handful of the Western Conference's Wild Card contenders.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – UTAH HOCKEY CLUB – Team Preview

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 20:00:14 +0000

_{ST. LOUIS, MO - FEBRUARY 11: Arizona Coyotes right wing Clayton Keller (9) chews on his mouth guard while waiting for the face off during a game between the Arizona Coyotes and the St. Louis Blues on February 11 2023, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis MO (Photo by Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire)}

The last season in Arizona, before moving to Utah, was not successful as the Coyotes finished the season with 77 points (36-41-5), leaving them in sixth place in the Central Division. While they finished 21 points out of a playoff spot, the Coyotes did perform better than expected. Arizona ranked 23rd with 48.0% Corsi and 48.1% of expected goals. On the power play, the Coyotes ranked 16th with 7.96 goals per 60 minutes while the penalty killing ranked 27th with 8.94 goals against per 60 minutes. They did not have enough top-end talent to compete with the best teams in the league, but the Coyotes could have easily been one of the worst, so finishing in 27th place overall felt like a bit of a win. Things were not great in Arizona and should be better with the move to Utah, especially if it means that the team has the financial wherewithal to compete.

WHAT’S CHANGED? The big change is that the Arizona Coyotes moved to Utah, where they haven’t settled on a long-term team name, so they are going with Utah HC for the time being. Aside from the franchise moving to a new city, the hockey team stayed with a decent amount of continuity. The top 11 scorers from last year’s team remain with the club. The 12th was the defenceman J.J. Moser, who was traded to Tampa Bay as part of the deal for defenceman Mikhail Sergachev. Utah signed checking centre Kevin Stenlund who had just won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. Utah also bolstered its defence by trading to get John Marino from New Jersey and then signing Ian Cole, who played with Vancouver last season.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? Since the Arizona Coyotes finished 21 points out of the playoffs last season, it would be asking a lot for Utah to make up that deficit. The moves to acquire Sergachev and Marino should give their defence more consistency and if the goaltending is up to par, then there just might be a chance for the Coyotes to play meaningful games down the stretch. To get there, it will require Utah’s top players to remain at their best, but moreover the young players will need to take big steps forward. If, for example, Logan Cooley is a star in his second season, that development could help move the Coyotes into a more competitive tier.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? In relative terms, it would be difficult for Utah HC to have dramatically worse results, even though they may have overachieved somewhat last season. Even if the season went the wrong way, that could put Utah HC into position to earn a higher draft pick. With a new home and new ownership, they can continue to build the right way, and not rush into a misguided move to improve now. Additionally, there is a brighter future for the team in Arizona because the ownership appears committed to building a contender, something that was not happening in Arizona, where the Coyotes were playing home games in a college hockey rink.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: He has already been mentioned but Logan Cooley is a prime candidate to take a step forward in his second NHL season. Cooley is a creative offensive player who plays at a high speed. While he had some ups and downs as a rookie, it looked like he was finding his groove late in the season, which should set him up for a significant jump in Year two. If he gets the chance to play with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz on the top line, Cooley could see a big boost in production.

FORWARD

Clayton Keller

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	35	45	80	0.99

A crafty playmaking winger, Keller has really come into his own in the past two seasons, tallying 70 goals and 162 points, one of 18 players across the league to hit those totals in those two years. He has grown comfortable launching one-timers from the right faceoff circle on power play and had 30 points with the man advantage in 2023-2024. He uses his quickness to dart in and out of openings before the defence knows what has happened. Because he is not a massive physical presence, Keller tends to do his best work when he can avoid traffic, either in transition or on the power play. That’s not to say that he can’t score otherwise, but he uses his savvy to find pockets of space where he can unleash his increasingly dangerous shot. Also, when he gets in alone on a goaltender, Keller has lightning quick hands that can leave goalies grasping for air. As the bona fide star of the Utah team, Keller needs to keep producing at this elite level and hope that he can get more support in the coming seasons. As it is, he has made a good connection with Nick Schmaltz on the opposite wing of the top line. Last season that duo had a rotating cast of centres including Barrett Hayton, Nick Bjugstad, Jack McBain, and Logan Cooley and it would figure that Keller’s production could get even better if one of those players, ideally Cooley, could stick in the role full-time. In any case, Keller should be looking at 30-35 goals and 75-80 points in the franchise’s first season in Utah.

Nick Schmaltz

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	24	36	60	0.74

Even though Schmaltz finished last season with a career-high 61 points, he was more productive on a per-game basis in the previous two campaigns, during which he played just 63 games. Schmaltz was a pass-first player when he started in the league but has grown into a more balanced offensive role, though he is not ever going to be a high-volume shooter. What hasn’t changed is that Schmaltz has always been a creative playmaker with soft hands, so it should come as little surprise that he has enjoyed his most success skating on a line with Keller in recent seasons. When they are cooking, they can really work some magic together. Schmaltz does not get terribly involved in physical play. Across the past five seasons, he has a total of 70 hits. There have been 527 players to skate in at least 200 games over that time and only nine – four of whom did not play in 2023-2024 – have fewer hits than Schmaltz. Even so, the puck does tend to move in the right direction when he is on the ice, so Schmaltz is a valuable contributor on this team. He should continue at a similar level of production which would mean 20-25 goals and 60 points in 2024-2025.

Logan Cooley

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	27	37	64	0.78

The third pick in the 2022 Draft, Cooley jumped to the NHL after spending one season at the University of Minnesota, where he shredded the competition, putting up 60 points in 39 games. Cooley plays the game at high speed and uses his acceleration to create chances but also just to go hard to the net because that’s where goals are scored. It’s not surprising that Cooley struggled on faceoffs as a rookie, winning just 38.0 percent because that’s fairly common. He also has room to improve his play-driving as the Coyotes were controlling 47.4 percent of shot attempts and 48.4 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play with Cooley on the ice. Despite those areas for improvement, Cooley was one of four rookies to score 20 goals last season and ranked fourth among rookies with 44 points, but he finished with a flourish to get there, putting up nine goals and 14 points in his last 16 games. That kind of production offers a glimpse into what could await Cooley in the future, because he has high-end offensive instincts and could be in position to jump higher on the Utah depth chart in 2024-2025. In his second NHL season, Cooley should see an increased offensive output, with 20-25 goals and 55 points a fair expectation, yet that could end up being low if Cooley picks up where he left off last season.

Dylan Guenther

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
76	29	27	56	0.74

The ninth pick in the 2021 Draft, Guenther has quickly established a reputation for his rocket shot, and it lifted him to 18 goals and 35 points in 45 games after he was called up from the American Hockey League, where he had 10 goals and 28 points in 29 games. Half of Guenther’s 18 goals were scored on the power play, the 21-year-old already making himself indispensable with the man advantage. Knowing that his shot is his calling card, Guenther does a fine job getting into soft spots in the defensive zone coverage and getting there ready to fire the puck at a moment’s notice. There were 375 forwards that played at least 500 five-on-five minutes last season. Of that group, Guenther ranked 71st in shots per 60 minutes (8.51). That should be on the low end of where he is headed in his career, because when you have a weapon like Guenther’s shot, there is little point in keeping it holstered. That doesn’t mean shooting for the sake of shooting, but when a player can bury the puck from distance, it becomes very important to provide consistent opportunities for that player to use that skill. For his first full season in the National Hockey League, Guenther should be able to contribute 25 goals and 50 points and that might even be on the low end if he happens to find a quality line for regular playing time. His most common linemates last season were Cooley and Crouse, which is not bad, but it looks like there should be some competition for scoring roles in Utah this season.

Lawson Crouse

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	22	21	43	0.54

A power forward who has scored at least 20 goals in three straight seasons, Crouse has also recorded more than 150 hits for six years running. Crouse is 6-foot-4 and skates with a powerful stride. He will bang bodies and, when needed, drop the gloves, but that is not a big feature to his game as he has had a dozen fights in his past five seasons. As his game has matured, he has improved his ability to get into scoring position and is ready to shoot the puck when he gets there. Having had some offensive success, there is greater confidence in Crouse’s game now, and while he is not the type of player to create a ton of chances, he is fine complement to players who can get the puck into the offensive zone and can use Crouse’s net-front presence to finish the play. Crouse’s most common linemates last season were Nick Bjugstad, a big centre, and Matias Maccelli, a playmaking winger who could benefit from those large linemates. The trio outscored opponents 23-16, controlling 55.0 percent of expected goals, during five-on-five play last season. Look for Crouse to continue providing complementary offence, including 20-plus goals and 40-plus points for Utah in 2024-2025.

Matias Maccelli

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	16	41	57	0.70

A smaller winger, Maccelli has still established that he can be a valuable playmaker, fitting in the middle six as well as adding skill to the power play. In the past two seasons, the Coyotes outscored opponents 87-73 with Maccelli on the ice during five-on-five play. His possession numbers have been okay, including 48.6 percent Corsi percentage and 51.2 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play. Maccelli is shifty and uses his edges to change direction and create space, which he tends to need, but once he gains that space, he has outstanding vision and finds his linemates for some of the easiest tap-ins around the net. While Maccelli is not big, he does use a wide base to protect the puck and that is a key part of his game in the offensive zone, because holding the puck longer allows him to generate better scoring chances, usually for his linemates. Last season, he was the playmaking force on a line with Bjugstad and Crouse, but if there is an upgrade on one of those spots, that could give Maccelli even more scoring upside. Heading into his third full season in the NHL, Maccelli should be able to score 15 goals and 55-60 points, which makes him a really valuable piece for the Utah Hockey Club.

Barrett Hayton

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	10	21	31	0.44

Following what amounted to a breakthrough season in 2022-2023, when he had career highs of 19 goals and 43 points, Hayton managed just 10 points in 33 games last season, his season upended by several injuries. Considering that his most common linemates were Schmaltz and Keller, that production was woefully insignificant. When he’s on his game, Hayton has good speed and can attack the net. There have been flashes, but it’s still a work in progress because he hasn’t truly done it for a full season. At the same time, Hayton has also delivered strong play-driving numbers, which at least offers some hope that there is more to the story than 84 points in 209 career games. It’s one thing to see Hayton manage just 10 points in 33 games last season, but then he had a Corsi percentage of 54.2 and an expected goals percentage of 55.1. Those are underlying numbers that suggest a quality player and it’s up to the team, and Hayton himself, to figure out how to translate that into production that can make the difference in games. At this point in his career, 24-year-old Hayton should be expected to put up 30 points, something he has only accomplished once, but there is room for him to score significantly more, depending on which linemates he skates with most frequently.

Nick Bjugstad

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	17	18	35	0.44

Returning to Arizona last season after finishing the previous year in Edmonton, 32-year-old centre Nick Bjugstad delivered one of his best seasons, ending up with 22 goals and 45 points. Those were the second highest totals for him in both categories in his entire career. Bjugstad also played a career-high 17:27 per game, so the opportunity was provided to him and he responded favourably. At 6-foot-6, Bjugstad has towering size, which serves him well both in a defensive role and when trying to carve out space in front of the opposing goal. He appears to have found a fit with this franchise. In 135 games with Bjugstad on the ice in the past two seasons, the Coyotes outscored opponents 85-65, and this while starting less than 40 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. He needed some lofty percentages (103.1 PDO) to get there, but Bjugstad has had a positive impact, and he has made the team more competitive. He is a useful option in the middle six and should fulfill that role again in Utah. While he could get overtaken by younger options, it would still be fair to expect 15 goals and 35 points from Bjugstad in 2024-2025.

Alex Kerfoot

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	12	29	41	0.50

A durable forward who has not missed a game in the past four seasons, Kerfoot played a career-high 17:26 per game last season and finished with 45 points, including 12 on the power play, his most power play points since the 2018-2019 season. While Kerfoot is a solid complementary contributor, and his playmaking skills allow him to put some points on the board, he is a downright reluctant shooter. Among the 375 forwards to play at least 500 minutes last season, Kerfoot’s 4.15 shots per 60 minutes at five-on-five ranked 363rd. His 0.88 primary assists per 60 minutes ranked 48th, so there are some numbers to back up the idea that he would much prefer to have his teammates do the scoring. After several seasons playing primarily on the wing, Kerfoot took 862 faceoffs last season, which ranked second on the Coyotes behind Nick Bjugstad. Of course, none of the Coyotes players that took even 100 draws finished on the right side of 50 percent at the dot. Kerfoot is a smart and versatile player, albeit one who is not overpowering and there may be a few too many forwards on this roster who find themselves at a disadvantage when the game gets more physical. The expectation for 2024-2025 should be that Kerfoot will play every game and contribute maybe a dozen goals and finish with 40-plus points, a threshold he has crossed four times in seven NHL seasons.

Jack McBain

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	9	15	24	0.31

A big, physical player, McBain is one of five forwards to accrue more than 500 hits across the past two seasons. He also has recorded eight fights, so the 6-foot-3 centre has established his path into the NHL with physical play. He is more than just a big body, however, as McBain’s possession stats improved notably last season, and his 49.4 percent Corsi and 50.3 percent expected goals percentage were respectable for a player who starts more of his shifts in the defensive zone and whose most common linemates were enforcer Liam O’Brien and Michael Carcone. Furthermore, the Coyotes outscored opponents by 38-31 during five-on-five play with McBain on the ice. Those results are fantastic from a fourth line forward so it is conceivable that McBain could climb into the middle six though, based on current personnel, he might not be able to do it at centre. A safe projection for McBain would be along the lines of double-digit goals and 30 points, but there is also a world in which he produces more than that. When that production gets paired with McBain’s lofty hit totals, it does give him a chance to have fantasy relevance. It takes a lot of hits to make up for such modest scoring numbers, but if McBain gets up to 35 points, that starts to open the door in more leagues.

Michael Carcone

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	16	10	26	0.33

A late bloomer who just played his first full NHL season, the 28-year-old Carcone did deliver 21 goals for Arizona in 2023-2024, with his 1.45 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five play ranking sixth among forwards that played at least 500 minutes. That came on the heels of scoring 31 goals and 85 points in 65 AHL games the season before, so he knows what he is doing in the offensive zone, and he is excellent in transition going on the attack. Carcone will take the puck to the net and has a goal-scorer’s release. The other end of the rink, however, is a legitimate area of concern as Carcone had the highest rate of shot attempts against, shots against, and expected goals against among Arizona forwards. That suspect defensive play makes it more challenging for Carcone to secure his spot in the lineup, but if he does manage to find a regular role, he should be able to deliver some points along the way. As a 5-foot-9 winger, Carcone is facing an uphill fight to hold a regular spot on the lower half of the depth chart, but if he has a relatively regular spot in the Utah lineup, Carcone could chip in 15-20 goals and 30-plus points.

DEFENCE

Mikhail Sergachev

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	11	44	55	0.71

Coming off a broken leg last season, Sergachev had a career-best season in 2022-2023, recording 64 points, including 27 on the power play. He fell off that pace in 2023-2024 managing 19 points in 34 games but also getting outscored 33-17 during five-on-five play. He had horrific percentages, including an on-ice shooting percentage of 6.2 percent and an on-ice save percentage of .889, leaving him with a 95.1 PDO. There were 217 defencemen that played at least 500 five-on-five minutes last season and only three of them had a lower PDO than Sergachev, so it was certainly a buy-low situation for Utah when they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Lightning. In Arizona, Sergachev should continue to play a major role. He has averaged more than 22 minutes per game in each of the past three seasons and it would come as no surprise if he ended up adding a couple more minutes per game to his responsibilities on what is a relatively thin blueline group in Utah. Sergachev is physically strong and uses a wide base to effectively protect the puck. He can play a physical game and block shots but his greatest value for fantasy managers is if he is quarterbacking the top power play unit. If that’s the case, Sergachev ought to be able to produce 45-50 points, provided that he stays healthy. Before last season’s injury, his career had been marked by especially good health, so Sergachev should be counted on as a workhorse In 2024-2025.

Sean Durzi

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	8	32	40	0.51

Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings last summer, Durzi stepped into a big role for the Coyotes, playing 22:43 per game, the highest average in his three NHL seasons. He finished with a career-high 41 points and blocked a career-high 160 shots. A right-shot puck-moving defenceman, Durzi has averaged 4.82 points per 60 minutes through his first three NHL seasons. There were 57 defencemen that have played at least 300 five-on-four minutes in those seasons and Durzi ranks 18th in points per 60 minutes. It is worth noting that Sergachev, Utah’s high-profile acquisition, ranks seventh with 5.90 points per 60. Nevertheless, Durzi plays with legitimate confidence on the offensive blueline and has a hard and accurate shot that allows him to score goals from long range. He played 91 games in the AHL, spread across two-plus seasons, before making the jump the Kings in 2021-2022. He has made steady progress in his first three seasons and should be in his prime right now. Although Durzi could lose time on the top power play unit, he is still likely to play big minutes for Utah and could very well partner with Sergachev. While his hit totals are nothing to write home about, Durzi could deliver 40 points and 150 hits in 2024-2025, which would offer plenty of value for fantasy managers.

Juuso Valimaki

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	3	21	24	0.31

One of the better waiver acquisitions in recent seasons, Valimaki has shown that he is a legitimate NHL defenceman. He played a career-high 19:06 per game last season and was tops among Coyotes defencemen with Arizona controlling a team-high 52.5 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play with Valimaki on the ice. Valimaki had a dozen power play points in 2022-2023, but with Durzi rolling into town, he lost that power play role. He has good size and moves well, so it is easy to see how Valimaki fits on the Utah blueline, but it took some time before he could get a serious shot with regular minutes in the NHL. He is not especially physical, so that is always an area that could be improved upon, but the puck moves the right way when he is on the ice, at least relative to his teammates, and that is happening even though Valimaki starts more of his shifts in the defensive zone. It’s been a meteoric rise for Valimaki, who was claimed off waivers and by last season his most common defence partners were rookie Michael Kesselring and veteran Troy Stecher. With those partners, Valimaki is the one who would be considered the steady and reliable partner. It would be entirely reasonable for him to get more playing time, and could contribute about 25 points, but he is not likely to have a regular power play role and that puts a cap on his point projections.

GOAL

Connor Ingram

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
55	25	23	6	3	0.906	2.75

It feels like few goaltenders have been tested as much as Utah starter Connor Ingram. Despite performing as one of the most obvious minor-league standouts within the Tampa Bay system in his early career, he found himself shuttled between the AHL and ECHL before getting jettisoned for another franchise's system entirely. But after time spent in the league's Player Assistance Program for OCD, Ingram's career went on a steady rise; he moved from the minors in the Nashville depth chart to the Arizona Coyotes, where he earned a role as the team's best starter since the Antti Raanta-Darcy Kuemper tandem pre-pandemic. Just as he found his footing in the league, though, the team's relocation rumors finally came to a head - and he'll now have to prove that he can replicate his stellar numbers on a rebuilding squad in a brand-new town, absent the ever-swirling relocation and sale chatter but also absent the powerful underdog vibes that seemed to permeate Mullett Arena in Tempe.

Ingram was tied for the league lead in shutouts last season over his 50-game campaign, sitting above league average in every stat category despite playing for a team that went on a tumultuous ride on and off the ice. He showed a little bit of weakness from a technical standpoint when it came to his glove side, and his tendency to try to play it safe with conservative angles and flatter positioning didn't always pan out when the younger then-Coyotes defensive corps left him open to cross-ice challenges. But he looked far and away like the more consistent option for his team between himself and Karel Vejmelka, so expect to see the starts still heavily favoring Ingram up in the Utah snow.

NHL: DADOUN – THE WEEK AHEAD (February 12th to February 18th) – Washington fading in playoff race and faces tough questions – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 18:37:42 +0000

Early this season, Washington seemed to be able to manufacture wins despite not looking great on paper. The Capitals had a 17-9-4 record through Dec. 21, but at that time they had a minus-8 goal differential. Washington was doing fine defensively, ranking 10th with 2.73 goals allowed per game, but it was 30th offensively, averaging just 2.43 goals per contest. Washington compensated for that by having one of the league’s best records in one-goal games (10-1-4).

The question at the time was if Washington’s success was mere smoke and mirrors. At this point, it’s fair to say that it was. The Capitals are now 22-20-7. They’re seven points back in the Wild Card race, which might not sound like much, but it’s a mountain to climb this late in the campaign. Meanwhile, their goal differential has gotten even worse, dropping to minus-36.

If Washington can’t find a way to turn things around soon, then the Capitals will need to consider retooling. What would look like, though? Trading Alexander Ovechkin is almost certainly a nonstarter. He’s not having that strong of a season anyway (11 goals and 33 points in 46 games) and at the age of 38, teams might be reluctant to take on his $9.5 million cap hit through 2025-26. Even if he was playing well, though, he’s the face of the franchise and has a no-movement clause, so there would be a lot of barriers to moving him.

TJ Oshie? His $5.75 million cap hit through 2024-25 likely would give contenders pause too. The 37-year-old has just eight goals and 12 points through 32 contests. Tom Wilson agreed to a seven-year, $45.5 million contract in August, so Washington probably won’t trade him, and Dylan Strome is signed to a $5 million cap hit through 2027-28. Meanwhile, Nicklas Backstrom is on the long-term injured reserve and isn’t likely to play again this season while Evgeny Kuznetsov is in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, so neither of them is likely to come up in serious trade conversations.

There are still a couple of players who might be dealt. Anthony Mantha’s 16 goals and 24 points in 45 outings isn’t good relative to his $5.7 million cap hit, but at least his contract ends at the end of this campaign, so there might be contenders willing to part with a pick for him if Washington retains half his remaining salary. Max Pacioretty has a goal and seven points in 14 contests since coming back from his Achilles injury. That’s not great, but there might still be a team interested in him as a secondary scorer and veteran presence.

Those kinds of moves won’t fundamentally change Washington, though, they’ll just leave the Capitals with minor consolation prizes for their lost season. At some point, though, Washington needs to decide if a larger rebuild is necessary. The Capitals are likely reluctant to go down that path while Ovechkin is still under contract, but the alternative might be added years of futility before finally beginning the process.

Anaheim Ducks – TUE @ MTL, THU @ OTT, SAT @ TOR

The Ducks will be in Canada next week, playing in Montreal on Tuesday, Ottawa on Thursday and Toronto on Saturday. The 26-15-8 Maple Leafs figure to be a tough adversary, but Montreal and Ottawa are far removed from the playoff picture.

Those upcoming two games against struggling opponents give Troy Terry an opportunity to extend his hot streak. The 26-year-old has recorded at least a point in six consecutive contests, totaling four goals and six assists. Adam Henrique has been on a run too, providing five goals and 14 points across his last 12 appearances, which gives him 15 goals and 33 points in 49 outings in 2023-24.

Pay special attention to Henrique because there’s a good chance he’ll get traded before the deadline. Granted, that’s not until March 8, but we’ve already seen a couple of major moves, so there’s no guarantee that teams looking to upgrade will wait before pulling the trigger. Especially with Henrique doing so well recently, Anaheim might be able to get a decent return for him. How that impacts Henrique remains to be seen. He’s averaging 17:16 of ice time with Anaheim, including 2:21 with the man advantage, and might not get that kind of role with a contender, which might hinder his fantasy value.

Another trade candidate with Anaheim is Jakob Silfverberg. The 33-year-old forward has struggled this campaign with just five goals and 13 points in 49 outings, but he’s shown some life recently, supplying three goals and five points over his last four appearances. It helps that he’s averaged 15:07 in that span, compared to 12:14 on the season.

Arizona Coyotes – MON @ PHI, WED VS MIN, FRI VS CAR, SUN @ COL

The Coyotes have a busy week ahead of them. It will start with a trip to Philadelphia on Monday, followed by a home stretch versus the Wild on Wednesday and Hurricanes on Friday. Finally, the Coyotes will head to Colorado to play the Avalanche on Sunday.

Although Arizona doesn’t have a back-to-back set next week, the busy schedule might still lead to Karel Vejmelka getting some work. He had a strong relief appearance Thursday, stopping the 28 Golden Knights shots he faced after Connor Ingram surrendered three goals on just six shots midway through the first frame. That strong performance is the exception, though. Vejmelka still has a 6-11-2 record, 3.33 GAA and .900 save percentage in 18 appearances in 2023-24. Ingram has been the better option with a 17-12-1 record, 2.69 GAA and .914 save percentage in 33 outings, but he’s now allowed at least three goals in each of his last three contests, so there’s an opening here for Vejmelka if he can take advantage of it.

Someone else with an opening is Jack McBain. He’s been all over the lineup this season, but recently the 24-year-old has featured on the top unit alongside Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. McBain isn’t much of an offensive threat, scoring just six goals and 15 points through 34 games, so don’t get too excited, but it of course helps to be working alongside players of that caliber.

Especially with Clayton Keller being hot at the moment. He has eight goals and 15 points over his past 12 contests, bringing him up to 21 tallies and 46 points across 49 games.

Boston Bruins – TUE VS TBL, THU VS SEA, SAT VS LAK

The Bruins get to stay in Boston next week and will host the Lightning on Tuesday, the Kraken on Thursday and the Kings on Saturday. It’s not the easiest schedule, but Seattle isn’t in a playoff position and LA has been slumping for the better part of two months, so the potential is there for the Bruins to have a strong run.

Some teams lack any particular player who has stood out recently. That’s almost never the case for the Bruins. You can count on David Pastrnak to put on a show and, most recently, he’s provided three goals and eight points in four contests. He continues to be one of the league’s biggest stars with 33 goals and 75 points through 51 outings.

One player who isn’t as much of a sure thing is Pavel Zacha, but he’s been clicking lately, providing two goals and six points over his active four-game scoring streak. That brings him up to 12 goals and 33 points in 47 appearances this season.

Meanwhile, Brad Marchand has been quickly climbing up the goal-scoring list. He’s found the back of the net 12 times over his past 15 contests, giving him 25 markers and 51 points in 51 games. That puts him on pace to reach the 40-goal milestone for the first time, but his current hot streak has skewed those numbers and he’s a safer bet to finish with around 35 tallies.

Los Angeles Kings – TUE @ BUF, THU @ NJD, SAT @BOS, SUN @ PIT (BTB)

As noted above, LA has struggled lately, posting a 3-8-6 record over its past 17 outings. The Kings will attempt to rebound during a road trip that will take them to Buffalo on Tuesday, New Jersey on Thursday, Boston on Saturday and Pittsburgh on Sunday. Certainly not the easiest of schedules, but LA is one of the few teams set to play in four contests, so it’s still worthy of mention.

Maybe the Kings will get some help from Brandt Clarke, who was summoned from AHL Ontario on Thursday. He’s been fantastic in the minors, recording eight goals, 33 points and 35 PIM in 32 contests and figures to be a big part of LA’s long-term plans. It’s not clear what role he’ll have next week, but with the way things have been going for the Kings, they could stand to mix things up, and giving Clarke some responsibility would be one way to do that.

Alex Turcotte was also recalled Thursday. He had a goal and an assist in two games with LA during his previous stint and has recorded 24 points (seven goals) across 30 AHL appearances, so the 22-year-old might be helpful too.

Given the busy schedule, Cam Talbot is expected to get at least one opportunity to rebound over the next week. He had a 14-8-3 record, 2.10 GAA and .925 save percentage in 25 appearances through Jan. 2, but since then he’s lost his last seven contests while posting an ugly 4.62 GAA and .865 save percentage. He hasn’t played since Jan. 26, though, so perhaps the 36-year-old goaltender has had sufficient time off to step back and reset.

At the same time, David Rittich has done well, posting a 5-1-3 record, 2.09 GAA and .925 save percentage in 11 outings this season, which is part of the reason why he’s been able to wrestle the starting gig from Talbot. Even if Talbot rebounds, there’s a chance Rittich will stay busy, perhaps in a 1A and 1B situation. Certainly, this is a goaltending duo worth monitoring.

Montreal Canadiens – TUE VS ANA, THU @ NYR, SAT VS WAS

The Canadiens will host the Ducks on Tuesday, visit the Rangers on Thursday and conclude the week with a home match versus the Capitals on Saturday. New York is a tough adversary, but Anaheim and Washington aren’t in playoff positions.

Montreal’s standout forward recently has been Nick Suzuki, who has provided three goals and eight points during his active five-game scoring streak. The 24-year-old was limited to three assists across eight appearances from Jan. 4-18, but he’s been far more hit than miss this campaign, totaling 15 goals and 45 points through 50 contests.

Sean Monahan was having a strong season with Montreal too, but he was dealt to Winnipeg. The silver lining is that opened the door for Brandon Gignac to make his Canadiens debut Tuesday against Washington. Gignac logged 14:54 of ice time, including 0:32 on the power play. He didn’t record a point in that game, but the 26-year-old has 14 goals, 42 points and 36 PIM in 43 outings with AHL Laval this season, so if he continues to serve in a middle-six capacity while seeing time on the Canadiens’ second power-play unit, then he should have some offensive production going forward. Keep in mind that Montreal might not be done trading veterans. At the least, Tanner Pearson is likely to be shopped, and if that happens, the door might be opened to Gignac also serving a bigger role with the man advantage.

It’s safe to say Juraj Slafkovsky won’t be moved, though. Although the 19-year-old hasn’t been a major part of the Canadiens this year, supplying nine goals and 22 points across 50 contests, he is a big part of their long-term plans. He’s also seen an uptick in production recently, collecting five goals and seven points over his last eight games, so perhaps we’re seeing the early stages of a strong second half.

New Jersey Devils – MON VS SEA, TUE @ NAS (BTB), THU VS LAK, SAT VS PHI

New Jersey is gearing up for an eventful week. It will start by hosting the Kraken on Monday, then the Devils will play in Nashville on Tuesday before returning home to face the Kings on Thursday. They’ll conclude the week with a game against the Flyers on Saturday. New Jersey is the home team for that contest, but rather than it being played at Prudential Center, it will be an outdoor event at MetLife Stadium (the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets).

Injuries have held Jack Hughes back in 2023-24, but he returned from an upper-body issue Thursday, logging 20:24 of ice time, including 3:19 with the man advantage. If he can stay healthy, then Hughes adding 35-40 points over the Devils’ final 33 games is a reasonable hope.

Erik Haula might see his role diminish somewhat now that Hughes is back. Haula logged 15:40 on Thursday compared to an average of 17:40 from Jan. 6-Feb. 6 while the Devils were without Hughes. Haula, who had three goals and seven points in 10 outings during that stretch, might see his production decline as a result. He has 11 goals and 25 points in 43 appearances overall.

One forward who is likely to get a lot of work regardless of Hughes’ status is Jesper Bratt. The 25-year-old winger has certainly earned that privilege. He registered three assists Thursday to extend his scoring streak to six contests (four goals, nine points). Bratt’s up to 20 markers and 55 points through 49 outings in 2023-24.

Ottawa Senators – TUE VS CBJ, THU VS ANA, SAT VS CHI

The Senators aren’t having a great campaign, but they’ll be playing against some of the other teams at the bottom of the pack next week. They’ll host the Blue Jackets on Tuesday and the Ducks on Thursday before visiting the Blackhawks on Saturday.

Before that action starts, Anton Forsberg (groin) and Travis Hamonic (upper body) are set to return this Saturday versus Toronto. The Senators are expected to be without Jake Sanderson (lower body) against Toronto, though, and it remains to be seen if he’ll be available next week. If he can’t play, then Mathieu Joseph will likely find himself with a role on the power play again after averaging just 0:10 with the man advantage over Ottawa’s last seven contests. Joseph hasn’t recorded a power-play point this season, but he’s done well overall with eight goals and 23 points through 37 appearances, so this is a situation worth monitoring.

It will also be interesting to see if Forsberg’s return saps time away from starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. The No. 1 goaltender has left plenty to be desired this season with a 12-16-2 record, 3.38 GAA and .889 save percentage in 33 outings. However, Korpisalo has stepped up lately, posting a 4-1-2 record, 2.19 GAA and .912 save percentage across his past seven appearances. If he keeps that up, he should be able to hold Forsberg at bay, but if Korpisalo reverts back to his previous struggles, then Forsberg might play on a semi-regular basis down the stretch.

The Senators don’t have any blazing hot forward at the moment, but Shane Pinto has done well since returning from his 41-game suspension for sports wagering activities. He has two goals and four points in six contests and should continue to serve in a middle-six capacity as well as the first power-play unit going forward.

Toronto Maple Leafs – TUE VS STL, THU VS PHI, SAT VS ANA

The Maple Leafs will spend next week at home, hosting the Blues on Tuesday, the Flyers on Thursday and the Ducks on Saturday. That’s not the weakest of schedules, but it’s not a particularly difficult one either. St. Louis and Philadelphia are both in the middle to upper-middle of the pack while Anaheim ranks near the bottom.

Joseph Woll (ankle) still isn’t close to returning, so Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones are still the team’s goaltending duo. Jones hasn’t started since Jan. 20, but Samsonov has surrendered seven goals on 60 shots (.883 save percentage) over his past two contests, so Jones might get another shot next week. Both of those goaltenders have had great stretches, but also some incredibly rough patches, so they’re risks going forward.

One player who hasn’t dealt with such a roller coaster of a campaign is Auston Matthews. The 26-year-old has eight goals and 13 points in eight contests, but what’s remarkable is he’s not especially hot, that’s practically just the norm for him. Through 48 games, he’s supplied 41 tallies and 61 points and is likely to continue to find the back of the net at a reliable pace as long as he stays healthy. His continued health is critical to the team. While it’s true that Toronto has other superstars, he’s personally scored a staggering 24.3 percent of the team’s entire goals.

In terms of the supporting cast, Toronto doesn’t have anyone doing particularly well at present. The only players to accumulate at least three points over the Leafs’ last five contests are the Big Four (Matthews, John Tavares, Mitchell Marner and William Nylander) and their top defenseman, Morgan Rielly. Matthew Knies is getting a turn on the Matthews’ line, though, so perhaps that will help the 21-year-old forward.

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

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

20 FANTASY POINTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – ARIZONA COYOTES – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 16:16:45 +0000

SAINT PAUL, MN - NOVEMBER 27: Arizona Coyotes center Barrett Hayton (29) skates with the puck during the NHL game between the Arizona Coyotes and the Minnesota Wild, on November 27th, 2022, at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)

Review: After finishing with the second worst record in 2021-22 (25-50-7), no one was surprised when the Coyotes miss the playoffs again in 2022-23. Last year wasn’t devoid of silver linings though. Clayton Keller emerged as the offensive leader the Coyotes always hoped he could be, setting career highs with 37 goals and 86 points in 82 contests. Matias Maccelli also looked great in his first full NHL campaign, contributing 11 goals and 49 points in 64 outings. Arizona might also have a long-term solution in goal thanks to the emergence of Karel Vejmelka. While his 3.43 GAA and .899 save percentage in 50 games from 2022-23 don’t inspire confidence, his goals saved above expected was an impressive 11.1, which suggests that Vejmelka did well and was only held back by poor defense. The starting blocks of a competitive team have been assembled.

What’s Changed? Arizona got some much-needed help on the blueline when they acquired Sean Durzi from Los Angeles, and the Coyotes bolstered their defense further by signing Troy Stecher and Matt Dumba. They also inked Jason Zucker, who should serve in a top-six capacity and get some power-play ice time.

What would success look like? Making the playoffs is probably still too much to hope for, but the Coyotes could at least make it close. To accomplish that, they almost certainly need to play a stronger defensive game while Vejmelka continues to hold up his end of the bargain. If Logan Cooley, who was taken with the third overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, has a solid rookie campaign and Maccelli progresses as a sophomore, then Arizona’s offense can move from being near the bottom of the pack into mediocre territory.

What could go wrong? Their defense could certainly fail them again, even with all the turnover. Keller has had an up-and-down career, so while he finally seems to have emerged as a star, there is still a possibility that he falls back to Earth. Zucker could also prove not to be worth his one-year, $5.3 million contract. He was solid with Pittsburgh last season, providing 27 goals and 48 points in 78 contests, but he failed to reach the 20-point mark in either of the two campaigns preceding that, and he has a bit of an injury history to boot. Speaking of injury histories, Dumba’s is coming off a season-ending concussion, so it remains to be seen how he’ll do this year.

Top Breakout Candidate: Arizona has a few, but one to pay particular attention to is Barrett Hayton. Taken with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Hayton has 176 games worth of NHL experience under his belt at this point and has been making steady progress, setting career highs in 2022-23 with 19 goals and 43 points in 82 contests. He was particularly good down the stretch with 18 goals and 38 points over his final 49 outings. He averaged 19:10 of ice time during that span, which helps explain why he became so dominant, and he’s projected to enter the season on the top line and first power-play unit, setting him up for a big campaign.

Forwards

Clayton Keller - LW

Coming off a broken leg, Keller responded by playing in all 82 games and producing a career-high 37 goals and 86 points while playing a career-high 20:45 per game. After the All-Star break, Keller put up 45 points (19 G, 26 A) with 106 shots on goal in 32 games, superstar production when considering that the Coyotes ranked 27^th with 225 goals for the season. Keller, 25, has wonderful vision that he uses to set up his teammates but, with more confidence, he has been looking for his own shot more frequently in the past couple of seasons, establishing his credentials as a star scoring winger. He is not big and does not have blinding speed, so Keller relies on being shifty and darting in and out of openings in the offensive zone. As wonderful as Keller played last season, it may be difficult to duplicate that production, especially on the goal-scoring side, as he had a career-high shooting percentage of 16.6%. Nevertheless, Keller should still be able to produce 30 goals and 75 points, which is a strong season, if not quite as impressive as last season.

Nick Schmaltz - RW

While Schmaltz was much more of a pass-first performer early in his NHL career, he has become more balanced in his approach, and he had a career high 2.10 shots per game last season. That is still not a huge shot rate, but everything is relative. Schmaltz has tallied 45 goals and 117 points in 126 games over the past two seasons, a clear step forward in his production. Not only does Schmaltz have soft hands and strong offensive instincts, but his release has improved as he gets more opportunities to finish when playing alongside Clayton Keller. Schmaltz is decidedly not a physical player, accumulating a total of 54 hits in 248 games across the past four seasons. While his per-game point production in the past couple of seasons would suggest that Schmaltz has the potential to push for a point per game, it does need to be acknowledged that he has not been particularly durable. Schmaltz might produce 55-60 points, but that total would likely occur with him missing substantial time because he has missed 38 games over the past two seasons.

Barrett Hayton - C

It took some time, but the 23-year-old pivot emerged in the second half last season as a player that could fill a legitimate scoring role. That was hardly the expectation when he had zero goals and four assists through his first 28 games. After Christmas, though, Hayton played a lot with Keller and Schmaltz, producing 38 points (18 G, 20 A) in his last 50 games of the season. It is not like Hayton can be considered a sure thing, but his confidence appears to be climbing and if he can build on last season’s finish, he will be a legitimate scoring threat. He has a strong build, so Hayton can protect the puck and withstand the battles against the boards and around the net. So long as he holds that spot between Keller and Schmaltz, Hayton ought to be poised for the best season of his career. A 50-point season is easily within Hayton’s reach, with some upside beyond that if he can stay on Arizona’s top line.

Jason Zucker - LW

Following a few injury-plagued seasons, the 31-year-old winger was healthy in 2022-2023 and showed that he can still finish, scoring 27 goals, his most since tallying 33 for the Minnesota Wild in 2017-2018. Zucker has good speed and uses that speed to generate scoring chances. While he has typically been a tenacious checker, he was much more physical in 2022-2023, recording 197 hits, the first time in his career that he finished with more than 90 hits in a season. When he’s going well, Zucker can go on scoring binges, and he had an eight-game stretch in February and March in which he scored nine goals. A healthy Zucker gives the Coyotes legitimate scoring support, but he is also signed to a one-year contract, so if the Coyotes are not in the playoff picture, Zucker could very well be trade bait before the deadline. His health is a big factor when it comes to placing expectations on his 2023-2024 production. If he remains reasonably healthy, another 20-goal season ought to be within his grasp. He usually scores more goals than assists, so he may challenge for a 40-point campaign, but that is about as high as expectations should go, at least without knowing where Zucker will be playing to finish the season.

Matias Maccelli - LW

A sleeper candidate for the Calder Trophy, Maccelli finished fourth in the voting after producing 49 points (11 G, 38 A) in 64 games. Maccelli is another player who is hesitant to pull the trigger, managing 82 shots on goal in 87 career games even though he has played more than 15 minutes per game. What Maccelli does have going for him is excellent vision and creativity, and that can’t be taken for granted. He got better as the season went along and, even though he missed six weeks with a lower-body injury, he finished with 19 points (7 G, 12 A) in his last 20 games. Maccelli’s defensive play was surprisingly effective for a rookie, and that raises the bar for what might be expected from him in the future. He skates well, with a wide base that helps give him solid balance when he attacks in the offensive zone. While Maccelli was much of a setup man than finisher as a rookie, he did score on 18.0% of his shots last season and that should be difficult to maintain. Even so, provided he stays healthy, a 50-point season should be a realistic target for Maccelli in 2023-2024.

Lawson Crouse - RW

A power forward who scored a career high 24 goals and 45 points last season, Crouse is a 26-year-old who is one of four forwards who recorded at least 20 goals and 190 hits last season. Brady Tkachuk, J.T. Miller, and Jason Zucker are the others. Crouse has great size, which makes him a strong net front presence, but he also has a strong enough release that he can score from distance, too. Even though he is a strong skater for a big man, Crouse is best suited to filling a complementary role alongside playmakers, who can get him the puck in scoring position, rather than trying to maneuver there on his own because he is more of a straight-line player and not particularly deceptive in his approach. While Crouse is more suited to a supporting role, he did have an 11-game stretch in December last season in which he produced 10 points (4 G, 6 A) and played nearly 19 minutes per game. Crouse has scored on more than 15.0% of his shots in back-to-back seasons, and maybe that is his new level, but there is the possibility of experiencing some regression there. As a result, a 20-goal, 40-point season should still be within his reach.

Alexander Kerfoot - RW

A veteran forward who used to play center but has been spending more time on the wing, Kerfoot has been a reluctant shooter, generating a career high 1.62 shots per game last season. He has been more effective defensively and is a strong penalty killer, but he is also a capable playmaker on the offensive end. Kerfoot is not a great finisher, who scored on a career low 7.5% of his shots last season, so there might be some justification for him being hesitant to pull the trigger. Nevertheless, in Arizona he can fulfill a secondary offensive role and that will suit the 29-year-old’s skills just fine. One of the values that Kerfoot will provide in Arizona is his versatility, as he can play wing and center, but also move around the lineup to work in a scoring or checking role. That versatility does put a ceiling on what kind of offensive impact might be expected from Kerfoot because he could reasonably play on lines two through four. However, his track record suggests that 35 points is a fair estimate for what Kerfoot could deliver for the Coyotes.

Nick Bjugstad - C

The towering 6’ 6” center returns to Arizona after he was traded to Edmonton at the trade deadline. He finished last season with 17 goals and 29 points, both his high water marks since 2017-2018. The 31-year-old is a reliable defensive forward who is comfortable using his size to his advantage and that wasn’t always the case. Bjugstad is a solid veteran presence for the Coyotes, and while he offers more value defensively, his ability to chip in offensively makes him a quality third line forward. It’s fair to note, though, that the previous three seasons from Bjugstad had been relatively unimpressive so last season’s solid contribution is not necessarily his new level. If Bjugstad remains healthy, a 25-point season is a reasonable expectation, but while younger forwards might have upside, a player with injury issues like Bjugstad might come with more downside.

Travis Boyd - C

The summer signing of top prospect Logan Cooley could present a challenge for Boyd, who has played a much bigger role with Arizona in the past two seasons than he ever had previously in the NHL. He played a career high 16:32 per game while dressing for all 82 contests last season, finishing with 15 goals and 34 points. However, Boyd struggled away from the puck and the Coyotes were buried when he was on the ice, which makes him a prime candidate for a smaller role next season. After years of being an over-qualified fourth liner, he has probably been an under-qualified second liner for the past couple of seasons and may be moving towards that fourth line role once again. The relatively late signing of Cooley puts Boyd into an uncertain position, so it makes more sense to figure on 25-30 points for Boyd, a decline from his production in the past two seasons, just because he is less likely to see 16 minutes of ice time per game.

Jack McBain - LW

A 23-year-old center who played all 82 games as a rookie last season, McBain chipped in 26 points (12 G, 14 A) but his most noteworthy statistical contribution was 304 hits, which ranked second among all forwards. After the trade deadline last season, McBain contributed 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 20 games, while playing more than 16 minutes per game, and while that might offer some hope for his future contributions, the Coyotes have added proven talent to the roster and that could make it difficult for McBain to secure enough playing time to build on his finish to last season. Since the Coyotes were so active this summer, adding more established NHL forwards, it could be a challenge for McBain to even match the 14 minutes per game that he had as a rookie, which means he could be hard-pressed to increase his production beyond the 26 points he had last season.

Defense

Sean Durzi - D

Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings, Durzi is looking at a great opportunity to move up Arizona’s depth chart, particularly on the power play, where he contributed 16 of his 38 points for the Kings last season. He had a six-game point streak in late November and early December, during which he scored nine points (1 G, 8 A), and he produced 11 points (2 G, 9A) in his first 14 games coming out of the All-Star break. Durzi is a right-shot defenseman with strong offensive instincts, though he could improve his passing in terms of creating chances, but his suspect defensive play is going to bear watching. If he can tidy up his play without the puck, Durzi could become a cornerstone piece on the Arizona blueline. If not, he may be more of a power play specialist and while still that has value, it is not the same as proving to be able to successfully handle a legit top-four role. If Durzi is on the first power-play unit for Arizona, that should help him score more than 40 points in a full season. If he can’t secure that spot ahead of the competition on his team, maybe he ends up in the range of 30-35 points.

Juuso Valimaki - D

Picked up off waivers from Calgary, Valimaki made the most of his opportunity, providing impressive defensive play and then landing a spot quarterbacking the power play once Jakob Chychrun and Shayne Gostisbehere were moved out. After the All-Star break, Valimaki averaged more than 22 minutes of ice time per game, contributing 22 points (2 G, 20 A) in 32 games. He may face a challenge from Durzi for the role at the point on the first power play unit, but Valimaki established last season that he should be a foundational piece for the Coyotes, or he will be if he can continue on the path that he started to blaze last season. Not only was he productive on the power play, but Valimaki was an excellent defender in Arizona. He was Arizona’s only regular to finish with better than 50% of expected goals during five-on-five play. Getting a legitimate top-four defenseman, possibly even a top-pair defenseman, on waivers is a gift. The competition for a spot on the top power play unit does cast some doubt on Valimaki’s offensive upside this season but, with more ice time, he should be able to surpass last season’s total of 34 points.

J.J. Moser - D

After playing more than 21 minutes per game while dressing in all 82 games in just his second season, Moser will naturally be expected to fill a big role on Arizona’s blueline. He is a smooth skater who is a competent puck mover but needs to continue developing his play away from the puck so that he can have a stronger defensive impact. The arrival of Durzi also has the potential impact of limiting Moser’s role on the power play where, last season, he scored 11 of his 31 points. With more competition for playing time, Moser could be hard-pressed to match his scoring total from last season, so it’s probably fair to expect production in the range of 25-30 points.

Matt Dumba - D

Dumba played more than 20 minutes per game in each of his last seven seasons with the Minnesota Wild, and his experience should bolster the Arizona blueline. The 29-year-old is a right-shot defender who plays bigger than his size but has seen his level of play slip in recent seasons, and he finished with a career low 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 79 games last season. At his best, Dumba plays with confidence and aggressiveness, both with the puck and when it comes time to play the body. While it would seem likely that Sean Durzi and Juuso Valimaki would get power play preference in Arizona, Dumba has quarterbacked the Minnesota power play, with 74 of his 236 career points coming with the man advantage. Dumba had a career-high 14 goals and 50 points in 2017-2018, but that is far enough in the rearview mirror now that it is probably more reasonable to expect 25-30 points from him in 2023-2024.

Goaltending

Karel Vejmelka - G

Everyone expected the Arizona Coyotes, mired in controversy after dealing with more arena drama and ownership gossip, to strip down for parts and settle in last season as the NHL’s worst team in decades. Instead, they capitalized on the fun of playing in a college arena with a fiery fan atmosphere and played their way from the bottom of the barrel into upper-tier lottery territory; they posted the 19th-best record at home and went on both a nine-game point streak in February and an eight-game point streak in March that at one point made them the NHL’s hottest team. That success, surprising as it was, owed an even more surprising amount of credit to sophomore goaltender Karel Vejmelka – who followed up on a sneaky NHL debut season with proof that he could replicate those results. He outperformed goaltenders like Jordan Binnington, Philipp Grubauer, Jack Campbell, and Jacob Markstrom, backstopping a roster few expected to even survive en route to a season that wasn’t good, but was certainly fun.

It was clear that Vejmelka still prefers to play a more aggressive game, itching to come out and challenge opponents and show off his above-average speed in favor of sitting back and waiting for pucks to come to him. But it was clear that he started to settle in with regards to the North American game, remaining patient and picking up on reads from his team despite their disjointed defensive structure to continue serving as a reliable option for a team that’s clearly still building up a roster base. He’s likely not a long-term starting option for the team, but he doesn’t need to be anymore; the emergence of redemption story Connor Ingram as his tandem partner – and now the subsequent re-signing of Ingram to play with him next year – lend credence to the idea that the Coyotes are going to continue developing and taking steps forward in the 2023-24 season.

Projected starts: 40-45

Connor Ingram - G

If Coyotes fans weren’t sure what they were getting in Karel Vejmelka’s rookie season, they were even less sure what they were getting when the team placed a waiver claim for former Tampa Bay standout prospect Connor Ingram. Now long past the days of truly being a prospect, Ingram had gone from being a legitimate contender to come up alongside Andrei Vasilevskiy to being banished to the ECHL, jettisoned to Nashville, and ultimately sat out of the bulk of a season due to an entry into the NHL’s Player Assistance Program. The program graduate proved that it can do exactly what it’s designed to, though, as the Coyotes’ 2022-23 season went on; although Ingram stumbled a bit in his first few games with the team, he quickly found his legs and put up numbers that would have made him an enviable starter for nearly half the teams in the NHL. Even with his somewhat shaky start, Ingram finished last season with a .907 unadjusted save percentage, a .577 quality start percentage, and the league’s 30th-best goals saved above average among 75 goaltenders with qualifying start volumes. He was able to shoulder the workload for 27 games for Arizona – and after putting up sub-.900 performances in five of his first eight games, went on to only dip below that margin four more times in his final 19 games. Once he was able to get his rhythm back, he displayed the game characteristics that had made him so impressive to watch as a prospect; he was quick on his feet, effective with his hands, and hard to move away from his positioning with trick passes or deceptive shots. Arizona’s decision to lock him up as their number two for the 2023-24 season, in all likelihood, could be a big piece of the puzzle as they look to take a step forward.

Projected starts: 40-45

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Injuries provide opportunities – Blues resurrecting careers in Blais, Vrana and Kapanen

Scott Cullen — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 16:02:32 +0000

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

This week, the 2022-2023 NHL season is winding down and there are opportunities available for a rookie defenseman like Jake Sanderson to step up and the St. Louis Blues have been working quite successfully on resurrecting the careers of some forwards, including Sammy Blais, Jakub Vrana, and Kasperi Kapanen.

OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 22: Ottawa Senators Defenceman Jake Sanderson (85) before a face-off during third period National Hockey League action between the Arizona Coyotes and Ottawa Senators on October 22, 2022, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

#1 Ottawa Senators rookie blueliner Jake Sanderson has had an excellent first season in the NHL and looks like he should see a big role in the final few weeks of the season. Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychrun are both out, which opens the door for Sanderson to see first unit power play time and extra ice time has resulted in more production for the freshman defenseman. Sanderson played a career high 27:49 against Philadelphia on Thursday and has played more than 23 minutes in 22 games this season, recording 11 assists in those games, including seven helpers with the man advantage.

ST. LOUIS, MO - FEBRUARY 28: St. Louis Blues left wing Sammy Blais (79) looks for a shooting lane during a game between the Seattle Kraken and the St. Louis Blues on February 28 2023, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis MO (Photo by Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire)

#2 Seeing what he has been able to accomplish since returning to St. Louis, it feels like the New York Rangers might have missed out on the best of Sammy Blais, who was primarily a spare part in his time with the Blueshirts. In his past 12 games, Blais has 15 points (6 G, 9 A) and 53 hits, making him a hugely valuable fantasy contributor and one that is widely available.

#3 Cast aside by the Detroit Red Wings, Jakub Vrana is quickly re-establishing his credentials as a top goal scorer. He scored a goal in Thursday’s 5-3 win at Chicago, making it nine goals and 43 shots on goal in 13 games since he was acquired by the Blues. He now has 23 goals in 44 games since the start of last season.

#4 While we’re hanging out praise in St. Louis, might as well include right winger Kasperi Kapanen, getting another chance to play up in the lineup after his progress stalled in Toronto and Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old speedster has nine points (5 G, 4 A), with 20 shots on goal while playing more than 17 minutes per game, in his past eight contests. With Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich injured, Kapanen has even moved to the middle, playing center between Blais and Jordan Kyrou.

#5 Although he is not as dangerous as he was during his prime years in New Jersey, the Islanders’ Kyle Palmieri is providing much-needed offense for a team making a push to the playoffs. Since the trade deadline, Palmieri has 13 points (6 G, 7 A) and 30 shots on goal in 12 games. He is up to 15 goals in 49 games and the last time he had more in a season was when he scored 25 in 2019-2020, his last full season with the Devils.

#6 The Nashville Predators remain in the playoff hunt, but they are missing star defenseman Roman Josi, who has an upper-body injury. Fortunately for the Preds, newly acquired Tyson Barrie is helping to fill the role of puck-moving blueliner, contributing seven points (2 G, 5 A) while averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game in his past eight games. Barrie’s ice time had dipped the past couple of seasons in Edmonton, but he has spent most of his career logging 21+ minutes of ice time per game, so he can handle this responsibility.

#7 In what has mostly been a lost season, the Philadelphia Flyers can take some solace in the development of young players. One of those players that is rising to the forefront is 23-year-old center Morgan Frost, who has nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 16 shots on goal in his pats eight games. He has landed in the middle of a line with Joel Farabee and Owen Tippett, players that should be part of the Flyers’ future, so it would make sense to feed them big minutes the rest of the way.

#8 Production tends to run hot and cold for Edmonton Oilers right winger Kailer Yamamoto, but he seems to have found his groove right now, skating on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane, which is admittedly a pretty good spot for point production. In his past seven games, Yamamoto has seven points (2 G, 5 A) and 12 shots on goal. While he has just 24 points in 52 games this season, he did have a career-high 41 points in 81 games last season, so there is some untapped offensive upside in the diminutive 24-year-old winger.

#9 Finding productive fourth line scoring is a rarity in the National Hockey League, but it appears that the Seattle Kraken have a reliable source in Daniel Sprong. In his past 11 games, the 26-year-old winger has 10 points (5 G, 5 A) and 25 shots on goal, while averaging just 10:38 of ice time per game. Among players that have played more than 500 five-on-five minutes, Kraken teammate Jared McCann and Montreal’s Cole Caufield are the only ones that have scored at a higher rate than Sprong’s 1.57 goals per 60 minutes.

#10 One of my favorite players to recommend late in the season has been Arizona Coyotes center Barrett Hayton, who is thriving on a line with Clayton Keller. In his past 12 games, Hayton has 16 points (7 G, 9 A) and 33 shots on goal while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game. It has taken some time since he was drafted fifth overall in the 2018 Draft, but Hayton’s emergence in the second half of this season should give the Coyotes confidence that he the 22-year-old pivot can be a part of the long-term solution for the franchise.

#11 Injuries have taken their toll on Montreal Canadiens right winger Brendan Gallagher, not only keeping him out of the lineup for extended periods, but also diminishing what he can contribute when he is available to play. Since returning from his latest turn on the injured list, though, Gallagher is looking healthy and has produced four points (3 G, 1 A) and 16 shots on goal in six games. The Habs are cobbling together a functional lineup at this point, with so many players hurt, but Gallagher is getting first unit power play time in addition to skating on a line with Jake Evans and Sean Farrell, the 2020 fourth-round pick who was just signed out of Harvard.

#12 For a defenseman who has never had 25 points in a season, Florida Panthers blueliner Radko Gudas still has a measure of fantasy value because he is a man with a particular set of skills. He hits and hits a lot. In his past 17 games, Gudas has a modest total of four assists, but he also has 90 hits, which works out to 5.3 hits per game. With 280 hits, he ranks third, just behind Luke Schenn (283) and Tanner Jeannot (281).

#13 The season has been undeniably rough for the Anaheim Ducks, but it is not going to get any better with Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry out of the lineup. Zegras is injured and Terry is staying in Anaheim due to the premature birth of his child. Isaac Lundestrom is getting first line duty at center but has gone 14 games without a point. If there is fantasy value to be found in the Ducks lineup, look to Jakob Silfverberg, who has four assists in his past five games, or Derek Grant, who has six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past 10 games. Okay, those are really only options for the deepest of leagues.

#14 With Buffalo Sabres star center Tage Thompson dealing with an upper-body injury, Casey Mittelstadt is getting a shot on the top line between Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch. Mittelstadt could stand to shoot the puck more often but does have four assists in his past six games, giving him a career high 44 points (10 G, 34 A) for the season.

#15 Since Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart is dealing with a lower-body injury, that should mean more action for Felix Sandstrom and potentially Samuel Ersson, too. Sandstrom has not shown much in a backup role this season but does have a .900 save percentage in five starts since the trade deadline. Ersson has not played for the Flyers since allowing seven goals on 36 shots at New Jersey on February 25, but he had a few standout performances, too, including a 28-save shutout against Buffalo. Speaking of Buffalo, a better option for goaltending late in the season could be Devon Levi, who is set to make his debut for the Sabres on Friday. Levi was a seventh-round pick in 2020 but just wrapped up a college career in which he had a .942 save percentage in 66 games for Northeastern.

#16 Injuries have caught up to the San Jose Sharks, with Alexander Barbanov, Andreas Johnsson, and Evgeny Svechnikov all out of action. That has opened the door for Jacob Peterson, Martin Kaut, and Thomas Bordeleau to land top-six roles in the San Jose lineup. Peterson has three assists in four games since he was acquired from the Dallas Stars. Kaut, claimed off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche earlier in the season, has four points (2 G, 2 A) with 11 shots on goal in his past five games. Bordeleau recorded an assist in his first game of the season for the Sharks after tallying 41 points (22 G, 19 A) in 64 AHL games. None of these players look like stars, but they are getting a great opportunity at the end of this season to show that they belong in the league.

#17 The top two rookie scorers since the trade deadline play for the Arizona Coyotes. Matias Maccelli has 13 points (6 G, 7 A) and is followed by Jack McBain, who has 10 points (3 G, 7 A). They have most recently been skating with Lawson Crouse on the second line in addition to sharing second unit power play time. Maccelli now ranks second among all rookie scorers this season, with 43 points (10 G, 33 A) in 57 games.

#18 Another rookie forward contributing late in the season is Buffalo’s J.J. Peterka, who has nine points (2 G, 7 A) and 18 shots on goal in his past nine games. He has been skating on a line with Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn, with the 22-year-old Cozens counting as the old vet on the line.

#19 Minnesota Wild winger Matt Boldy leads the NHL with 12 goals in 13 games since the trade deadline. His 0.92 goals per game ranks first, ahead of Clayton Keller and Leon Draisaitl (0.79), Matthew Tkachuk (0.77), Auston Matthews and Alex Ovechkin (0.75). When it comes to points per game, Draisaitl leads with 1.93 points per game (11 G, 16 A in 14 GP), followed by Connor McDavid (1.86), Tkachuk (1.69), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1.64), Cale Makar and J.T. Miller (1.62).

#20 Matthews has talked about how a hand injury had negatively impacted his production earlier in the season, but he sure seems to be firing on all cylinders now. Matthews has 67 shots on goal in 12 games since the deadline, an average of 5.58 per game, which leads the league. Before that, he was averaging 4.15 shots on goal per game, so that is a dramatic improvement, though it is admittedly skewed by his launching 15 shots on goal against Carolina on February 25. That is remarkable because the Hurricanes are, easily, the best team in the league when it comes to shot suppression, allowing an average of 25.7 shots against per 60 minutes. The rest of the shots per game leaders since the trade deadline: David Pastrnak (5.29), Viktor Arvidsson (4.75), Brady Tkachuk (4.71), Nathan MacKinnon (4.47), Jack Hughes (4.40), Matthew Tkachuk (4.38), Carter Verhaeghe (4.30), Sidney Crosby (4.21), and Jake Guentzel (4.14). Many of those names are to be expected, though Arvidsson and Verhaeghe are hanging in elite company. Crosby has clearly become more aggressive with his approach as the Penguins desperately cling to a playoff spot.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

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.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – ARIZONA COYOTES – Top 20 Prospects

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 12:30:54 +0000

1 - Logan Cooley C US

The Arizona Coyotes are slowly building their next contender, stockpiling picks and prospects more aggressively than any NHL franchise has done before. Armed with the third overall pick at the 2022 draft, the Coyotes began to lay the foundation for their next era by selecting Logan Cooley, a center out of the U.S. National Team Development Program. Cooley instantly became the most promising prospect in the Coyotes’ system, and just one look at his game film from his draft year will show why. Despite playing on a USNTDP team fully stocked with top prospects, Cooley kept finding ways to stand out above the pack. There’s one word that best describes Cooley’s game: dynamic. Cooley’s puck skills are elite, and he’s always finding creative ways to get himself out of trouble and make his way through defensive coverage. When the puck is on his stick, Cooley’s linemates are always open for a pass. Cooley is more of a creative skater than a true burner, relying more on his edgework and stop-start ability than pure speed. While that fact of his game means his skating won’t set him apart at the NHL level the way his puck skills will, it also means he’ll have an easier time translating his offensive habits to the NHL level, where most defenders are strong enough on their feet to avoid being beaten through speed outright. Cooley has a wide-open offensive toolbox that is arguably the best in his age group, and he’ll head to the University of Minnesota next season with the expectation of being an instant impact scorer. With the Cooley pick, the Coyotes added an all-too-rare commodity to their system: a prospect with the chance to become an NHL number-one center in the NHL. - EH

2- Dylan Guenther RW WHL

At this time last year, one would have probably assumed that Guenther would play out the season with Edmonton (WHL) and then make a run at the Arizona Coyotes roster in 2022/23, possibly as a top Calder candidate. However, a knee injury suffered in the WHL playoffs this year has altered those plans. Guenther will not be ready for Coyotes training camp this year and that likely means he returns to the WHL for another year. The Coyotes will be patient and cautious with one of their top prospects. Guenther did have a great year for the Oil Kings last season and remains one of the top goal scoring wing prospects in the NHL. His combination of size and skill is impressive and rare these days. And while he’s not a power forward in the traditional sense, he took big steps forward this season as someone who can play that power game by driving the net and playing through contact. His shot is a major weapon, and his offensive zone awareness is at a near elite level. He is never likely to be a top end two-way player and there is still some room for improvement in his decision making/vision with the puck, but his development has him tracking towards being a quality top six winger for the Coyotes and someone who could potentially be a consistent 30 goal scorer. If his injury recovery goes according to plan, he should be ready to jump into Arizona’s lineup in 2023/24. - BO

3 - Matias Maccelli LW AHL

The only U22 forward in the AHL to have a better points per game average than Maccelli last season was top prospect Jack Quinn. Since being drafted in the fourth round in 2019, Maccelli has done nothing but progress positively. Two strong years in Liiga (in Finland), the first of which saw him named as Liiga’s rookie of the year. Then the aforementioned strong AHL debut last year. Granted, he did struggle in his first attempt at the NHL after a midseason call-up, scoring a single goal across 23 games (despite getting decent ice time and some powerplay responsibility). However, this was only the first bump in the road for Maccelli. The 5’11 winger is extremely skilled and creative, giving him significant upside as a top six NHL forward. Originally, there were concerns over his lack of speed, explosiveness, and ability to dictate pace, however he has made significant strides in these departments since being drafted. Of course, as his brief stint in the NHL showed, he still has room to grow as a player, but the potential for him to develop into a solid point producer for the Coyotes is very real. Look for Maccelli to secure a permanent spot on the Coyotes this year out of training camp, as he will be given every opportunity to jump into a top nine role. He may even be a nice sleeper for the Calder Trophy (still eligible because he played just under 25 games). - BO

4 - Conor Geekie C WHL

While Geekie's statistical output from the 2021-22 isn't especially notable, it doesn't sufficiently reflect how good of a hockey player he is — and just how much better he can become over time, with the right development. The 2nd overall pick in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft (behind Winnipeg Ice teammate Matthew Savoie) and the 11th overall selection by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, he possess an enticing and hard to find package of size, deft puck skill and advanced offensive vision. He has a natural touch for the puck, able to get it under control with ease or distribute it naturally on the forehand or backhand. He can also really lean into his wrist shots, getting enough power behind them that the speed and force can cause problems for goalies. Even better, with his bulky 6'4" frame he is able to fend off defenders more effectively than most of his peers, giving him more time to scan the play unfolding around him and find more opportunities to create offense. At his best, his skill package makes him a major headache for opposing defenders to handle. He is, however, a below-average skater. Skating will never be a strength for him, but something that he can improve — and needs to focus on improving — is his pace and willingness to keep his feet moving. He also had a bad tendency last season on a stacked team to hang back and let his teammates lead the charge. There were too many shifts where he wasn't noticeable, and that inconsistency ultimately showed up in his scoring totals. The Ice are primed for another championship-contending season in 2022-23, and Geekie is expected to be a bigger part of their efforts. - DN

5 - Victor Soderstrom D AHL

Arizona has been excited about getting Söderström into its lineup, but it ended up being just 16 pointless games last season and all he had to show for it was a -7 rating. He kicked the season off with the team but was eventually sent back to the AHL and re-called for a stint in January and again in April. In between, he enjoyed his most productive AHL outing to date, even if his 19 points in 32 games was accompanied by a -12 rating. The 11^th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Söderström was drafted straight out of the SHL. He upgraded an already impressive SHL season in his draft year with an even more impressive sophomore season for Brynäs, leading many to feel he was on the fast track to a spot in the desert. His six-point performance in the 2020 WJC only helped boost this impression. Alas, it’s been somewhat slow cooking since arriving in North America.A very confident player with the puck on his stick, Söderström has spent considerable time on learning and reinforcing his habits without the puck. His competitiveness continues to be one of his strongest traits. When suiting up for Arizona this past season, he never once saw less than 11:45 of ice time and only saw less than 15:20 minutes in two of his 16 outings. In a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers, he chalked up over 20 minutes of ice time. As such, the question has not been whether he’s ready and willing to take a regular shift, but rather just how much he has to gain from an all-round perspective playing with a still growing club in the NHL when he could be an all-purpose player in the AHL. For now, Arizona will be going to camp with a spot open for Söderström right from the beginning, so opportunity abounds. - CL

6 - Josh Doan RW US

At face value, the selection of Josh Doan near the top of the second round at the 2021 NHL draft looked more like an organization hoping to please its fans than an organization looking to select the absolute best player available. Doan had gone undrafted in his first year of draft eligibility and was selected by the Coyotes after a 70-point campaign with the USHL’s Chicago Steel. But after a freshman year at Arizona State that saw Doan rank among the team’s top scorers, the Coyotes’ choice is looking wiser and wiser. In his first year in the NCAA, Doan began to show why he was such a high selection at the 2021 draft. Despite the lofty expectations that come with his name in Arizona, Doan’s game stands on its own merit. Doan has an active motor and wants to be the focal point of every shift. Offensively, his shot is his best weapon, and he’s got the ability to pick a corner on a goalie and score from a distance. He has the ability to fire strong shots from less than opportune angles, and his goal-scoring is his most translatable NHL tool. Doan also is comfortable with the physical side of the game, and he’s growing into his six-foot-two frame, learning to better use his size to consistently win battles for pucks. Defensively, Doan is more of a work-in-progress, but he should improve that side of his game as he gets more college hockey under his belt. Doan’s skating has improved since his draft year, but it still isn’t where it needs to be for him to comfortably project to the NHL level, He still very likely has an NHL future, but adding an extra gear to his skating could mean the difference between a future in an NHL bottom-six or a chance to stick on a scoring line. - EH

7 - Jan Jenik C AHL

Jenik is another in the line of Coyotes prospects who got an extended look at the NHL level last season: the life of a pro prospect on a rebuilding team. However, this was also in part thanks to the terrific sophomore season that Jenik had in Tucson. If you recall, Jenik was in the midst of a breakout season in the OHL nearly three years ago (pre pandemic), before injuring his knee at the World Junior Championships. This set him back a bit and his first pro season was somewhat turbulent. However, last year was a major step forward for the competitive center. Jenik has a very well-rounded profile. He is skilled and can beat defenders one on one to create time and space. He is quick and can drive the pace of play. He competes hard at both ends of the ice and can be utilized in any situation. As such, Jenik looks like a really solid bet to become a dependable middle six forward for Arizona in the next year or two. At the NHL level last year, Jenik played on the wing, but at the AHL level he played down the middle. This coming season, there is definitely an opportunity for him to grab one of Arizona’s top three center spots, along with Barrett Hayton and Travis Boyd. Worst case scenario, he splits the year between the NHL and AHL before being ready full time in 2023-24. - BO

8 - Maveric Lamoureux D QMJHL

At 6’7’’, it’s not surprising to see scouts drooling about what a defenseman like Lamoureux could become at the NHL level. Lamoureux impresses with his size, ferocity, and ability to skate very well for his aforementioned size. On the flip side, he should look to become more consistent in his game as he can make frequent mistakes defensively. Physically, his potential is immense. He can dominate down low by pushing around the opposition. He takes away space so well. However, his reads and reaction time need work if he wants to become a quality defensive player at the NHL level. As an offensive player, he can lead the attack, however, his reads are inconsistent, and turnovers can be an issue. Even though he possesses the potential to be an offensive catalyst, he is currently at his best when he keeps things simple. Did the Coyotes reach by selecting Lamoureux in the first round? It is way too early to make that assumption. His development could take a lot of different forms because of his athletic tools. Eyes will be fixed on him in Drummondville this season as he looks to help the Voltigeurs to a better record and become one of the Q’s top two-way defenders. - EB

9 - Artyom Duda D Russia

It’s hard to find a lot of prospects that would seem to me as controversial in terms of the game style as Artyom Duda. He is really enjoyable to watch in the attacking zone (especially when orchestrating the powerplay), as he got the skating, puck skills and a very dangerous shot. When it comes to his all-around game, I’d say watching him can be even annoying, as he leaves an impression that his game style is too relaxed and lacks intensity, which is not something you can get away with outside of the junior level. Still if we look at this season the positive side of him clearly prevailed, as his offensive production was just outstanding and that convinced the Coyotes management to draft him relatively early – at the start of the second round of the 2022 NHL draft. Considering the concerns that I have described above it would be very interesting to see Duda playing at least on the VHL level next season, but unfortunately, judging by the preseason it is not something guaranteed at all. If I understood correctly, he still has two more seasons on the current KHL contract, so the Coyotes fans will have to wait a bit, but at least at that point it might be clearer what we are getting in him and how his development is going, still I think it would be fair to say that we can have a Top4 NHL defenseman potential in our mind.

10 - John Farinacci C US

While John Farinacci’s development track hasn’t been the smoothest ride — just one look at his 2020-21 season confirms that — he has made steady progress since being drafted 76th overall at the 2019 draft, and he’s one of many quality Coyotes prospects currently playing college hockey. Farinacci has been a useful player at Harvard, but he hasn’t truly cemented himself as a high-end college player the way his teammates, fellow NHL prospects such as Matthew Coronato and Sean Farrell, have. There are positives and negatives to the outlook and projection of players who play specific roles in college, and Farinacci’s game is no different. On one hand, Farinacci is playing the sort of role he’s likely to occupy as a pro, getting extensive experience in the situations he’ll be asked to handle in pro hockey. He’s a leading penalty killer, and he’s a bit of a Swiss army knife, playing a versatile enough game to fill in the gaps anywhere he’s asked. The result of this is Farinacci should have a relatively easy time meeting the expectations of the professional game. But the downside associated with his college role has been that his upside as a pro player remains relatively limited. Beyond a decent shot that’s allowed him to score double-digit goals in each of his two college seasons, Farinacci lacks the offensive tools that will lead him to reliably create offense at the next level. There’s no separation gear to Farinacci’s game, and when he does go on the attack he doesn’t deceive or manipulate defenders, he doesn’t have the sort of habits that give confidence that his offense will translate to more difficult levels of hockey. The other aspects of his game will have to carry him, and to what degree his offense carries from college to pro hockey will determine his likelihood of having an NHL career. - EH

11 - Julian Lutz

The big German winger’s draft year was a disaster because of injuries; however, he remained a high pick for a reason. His combination of size, speed, and scoring ability make him a potential NHL player.

12 - Jack McBain

The Coyotes acquired the rights to McBain after a terrific senior year at Boston College. He should make an immediate impact for the Coyotes in their bottom six with his size and physicality.

13 - Nathan Smith

Similar to McBain, Smith had his rights acquired by the Coyotes and then immediately joined the team to finish the season. An intelligent two-way forward, he profiles as a future middle six player for Arizona.

14 - Vladislav Kolyachonok

The Belarussian defender split last season between Arizona and the AHL and could be positioned for a full-time role this year. His mobility is a major asset in the defensive end as he can be aggressive in closing quickly on attackers.

15 - Ivan Prosvetov

The massive netminder likely has the inside track at the back-up job behind Vejmelka this season after three (somewhat inconsistent) years in Tucson.

16 - Conor Timmins

Injuries have derailed a once promising career and Timmins has struggled to remain healthy as a pro so far. This coming season is a big one for the former Soo Greyhound standout.

17 - Aku Raty

Raty showed great improvement in Liiga last season, and the expectation is that his offensive game will continue to blossom. The former 5th round pick is a potential bottom six player for Arizona because of his strong off puck play.

18 - Rasmus Korhonen

The 6’5 netminder will try to establish himself as a full time Liiga player this year after playing out last year in Mestis (second division).

19 - Ben McCartney

McCartney was a pleasant surprise for the Coyotes last year, after a strong pro debut with Tucson. The hard-working winger is the perfect complement to more skilled players and is starting to look like a potential NHL player.

20 - Jeremy Langlois

A third-round selection of the Coyotes in 2022, Langlois is a competitive two-way defender. He will return to Cape Breton of the QMJHL and look to become one of the league’s elite defenders.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – ARIZONA COYOTES – NHL Player Profiles

Scott Cullen - Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 20:48:55 +0000

FORWARDS

SAN JOSE, CA - May 8: Arizona Coyotes right wing Clayton Keller (9) carries the puck during the San Jose Sharks game versus the Arizona Coyotes on May 8, 2021, at SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Matt Cohen/Icon Sportswire)

Clayton Keller

Although the 24-year-old winger suffered a broken leg that ended his season prematurely, Keller recorded 63 points, including a career high 28 goals, in 67 games. Keller is a slick and confident playmaker who operates with a lot of confidence when he has the puck. After scoring 65 points as a rookie in 2017-2018, Keller’s production was uneven for the next three seasons before rounding into form last season. From January 15 through March 19, Keller tallied 31 points in 22 games, remarkable production for a team that was consistently getting outshot and outscored last season. That situation figures to repeat itself, and maybe to an even greater degree, so Keller faces the challenge of trying to produce offensively even though it is unlikely to have a material effect on the team’s results. A lack of supporting cast talent could make for a challenging season, but Keller ought to find a way to generate 60 points to lead the Coyotes’ attack.

Nick Schmaltz

The 26-year-old playmaking forward has shown flashes of high-end setup skill and that includes a stretch from the beginning of March through nearly mid-April when he scored 27 points in 20 games, on his way to a career high 59 points in 63 games last season. The Coyotes have consistently had better results with Schmaltz on the ice in the past three seasons but that is as much a reflection of the team’s lack of quality depth as it is an accomplishment of Schmaltz’s. Even so, for a Coyotes team that sorely lacks dynamic offensive players, Schmaltz and Keller are a couple that offer some small reason for optimism. If Schmaltz could put up 55-60 points that would have to be considered a success under the circumstances.

Lawson Crouse

While he might not live up to some of the hype leading up to the 2015 Draft, Crouse has turned into a solid pro winger. He scored a career-high 20 goals and 34 points in 65 games last season, and he has recorded more than 2.5 hits per game in each of the past four seasons. A 6-foot-4 winger who has the size to play a physical game, Crouse moves well and plays a sound defensive game, which makes him a valuable contributor, though one that can get overlooked when he is on a team that is getting buried in the standings. If Crouse puts up 30 points and 200 hits, that will still offer deeper league value in leagues that reward physical play.

Travis Boyd

After bouncing around as an over-qualified fourth liner for several teams, the 28-year-old pivot secured a regular role for the Coyotes and produced a career-high 17 goals and 35 points. While Boyd was always more skilled than a typical fourth liner, he is also not necessarily equipped to play a prime scoring role in the NHL either. Given the Coyotes’ lack of established talent down the middle of the ice, though, Boyd is likely to play a significant role for the team in 2022-2023. If that means that he could duplicate last season’s production, 35 points, that’s a fair baseline for expectations. Boyd might be able to score more if he is a first-or-second line center but it’s hard to bank on that considering that last season was the first time he ever had that kind of role for a full season in the NHL. The path to more points for Boyd is on the power play. Of his 35 points last season, 31 came at even strength, the same number of even-strength points as Teuvo Teravainen, David Perron, and Tim Stutzle, believe it or not.

Nick Ritchie

After washing out with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ritchie responded well to his move to the desert, scoring 10 goals in 24 games for the Coyotes. When he is on his game, Ritchie is a 6-foot-2, 230-pound winger who can have a physical impact, especially as a forechecker, but also as a complementary scorer. He does not create the chances on his own but is capable of finishing if linemates can transport the puck into the offensive zone. In the past two seasons, Ritchie has scored 27 goals in 113 games and last season was the third time in his career that Ritchie was credited with more than 150 hits. He might be looking at a bigger role with the Coyotes, mostly due to Arizona’s lack of legitimate NHL talent, but he has also had trouble playing a full schedule of games, missing at least 20 games in three of his past four seasons. That puts a limit on his upside, so Ritchie could contribute 25-30 points with big hit totals, which makes him not quite as valuable as Crouse.

Barrett Hayton

The fifth pick in the 2018 Draft, Hayton has struggled to get a foothold in the National Hockey League, but the 22-year-old did produce a career high 24 points in 60 games last season and, maybe more importantly, provided sound defensive play, which is not to be taken for granted from such a young player. The rebuilding Coyotes should have plans to play Hayton in a big role this season, in the hopes that his defensive play remains strong and, ideally, he could add more to his offensive repertoire. In addition to having difficulty producing in the NHL, Hayton has 16 points in 36 AHL games, so it’s fair to wonder if he is going to score like he did in his last season of junior, when he tallied 66 points in 39 games and looked like he would reward the Coyotes for taking a chance on him with such an early pick. On this team, opportunity should be screaming out for Hayton to step into a scoring role. Contributing 30 points for the first time would be a good starting point but there is more upside for Hayton depending on his role.

Nick Bjugstad

A towering 6-foot-6 forward who plays more on the wing at this stage of his career, Bjugstad contributed a modest 13 points in 57 games for the Minnesota Wild last season, but his overall contributions were solid enough in a fourth-line role. There was a time that it looked like Bjugstad could turn into something more – he scored 49 points in 2017-2018 – but it didn’t stick and was traded after a slow start the following season. He creates just enough offensively and is serviceable enough defensively to fill a role in the NHL but there is little upside to be found in a 30-year-old who has missed at least a dozen games in six of his past seven seasons. Taking his health into consideration, it would be asking a lot for Bjugstad to produce more than 20 points.

Zack Kassian

A 31-year-old winger who was acquired in a salary dump from the Edmonton Oilers, Kassian does have a pair of 15-goal seasons to his credit and can be a useful depth forward who bangs bodies and causes havoc on the forecheck. Trouble is, Kassian’s performance tends to come and go and when he is not asserting himself physically, he does not bring enough to the table otherwise. He should get an opportunity to play a decent role for the Coyotes, but without the potential superstar boost that he would get at times in Edmonton when he would land on Connor McDavid’s wing. Kassian has missed more than 60 games over the past three seasons, so he is probably going to miss games this season, too. If he ends up with 20 points and 150 hits, that will meet expectations.

Christian Fischer

Since scoring 33 points as a rookie in 2017-2018, the 25-year-old winger has just seen his production fade away, and he managed just 10 points in 53 games for the Coyotes last season. He will play the body, especially when forechecking, but the lack of production really has him hanging on the edge of the NHL at this point in his career. This season could be a last gasp for him as he tries to hold onto his NHL career. As such, it is hard to project him into any kind of scoring role. He has 30 points in 161 games across the past three seasons so double-digit points is a modest, but deserved, expectation.

DEFENSE

Jakob Chychrun

A 24-year-old defenseman who has played more than 23 minutes per game for the past two seasons, Chychrun had a career season in 2020-2021, scoring 18 goals and 41 points in 56 games, on his way to finishing 10^th in Norris Trophy voting. The percentages flipped on him last season however, and instead of scoring on 10.2% of his shots, he scored on 5.0% of his shots, finishing with seven goals and 21 points in 47 games. Chychrun has generated more than three shots per game in the past two seasons, one of three defensemen to hit that threshold – Roman Josie and Dougie Hamilton are the others – and Chychrun is more active as a shooter rather than a playmaker, which might not be an ideal path to generating offense from the blueline. He has landed in trade rumors recently and would presumably bring a significant haul of assets as a top-pair defenseman in his prime on a team-friendly contract. Depending on his health, Chychrun could score 15 goals and 40 points. If he gets traded to a better team, which is virtually guaranteed, there would potentially be an opportunity for more assists and therefore a higher ceiling on his point totals.

Shayne Gostisbehere

After falling out of favor in Philadelphia, to the point that he was a healthy scratch, Gostisbehere showed that he is still a very capable NHL defenseman. The 29-year-old scored 14 goals and 51 points for the Coyotes last season, resurrecting his NHL career with the second highest goal and point totals of his career. While Gostisbehere is not the most rugged player and does come with some defensive deficiencies, his ability to skate, jump into the attack, and distribute the puck surely outweighs the negative impacts related to the things that he does not do well. Gostisbehere is likely to play a major role for the Coyotes this season, at least until he gets traded before the deadline. It would be impressive if he could match his production from last season, but even 40-45 points would still be a strong season for the veteran blueliner.

Troy Stecher

An undersized right-shot defenseman, Stecher brings tenacity to the game and has more puck skills than might be expected from a player who had just three points in 29 games for the Red Wings and Kings last season. Stecher has good mobility, battles hard for loose pucks, and should be an asset to the Coyotes defense corps, though an asset that is not likely to score a ton of points, something in the mid-teens is reasonable. From Stecher’s perspective, this should be an opportunity to re-establish his credentials as an NHL defenseman.

Dysin Mayo

A 25-year-old who was a rookie last season, Mayo burst onto the scene and played nearly 21 minutes per game for the Coyotes. However, his results were mostly miserable, with Arizona getting outshot and outscored by large margins with Mayo on the ice. There were 213 defensemen that played at least 500 5-on-5 minutes last season and Mayo ranked dead last from that group when it came to his on-ice expected goals percentage of 38.6% and his on-ice Corsi of 39.6%. Say this for him, Mayo is active as he was one of 20 defensemen to record at least 125 hits and 125 blocked shots last season. If he scores 15-20 points but provides value in those peripheral categories, he might have some appeal in the deepest of fantasy leagues. Whether that translates to value for the Coyotes is still to be determined.

GOALTENDING

Karel Vejmelka

Few goaltenders surprised viewers more last season than Czech prospect Karel Vejmelka, who arrived with the Arizona Coyotes as a first year North American goaltender and took on a surprise role as the team’s starter with zero complaint. He struggled to perform up to league-average standards, but he did better than most goaltenders likely would have behind a stripped-down rebuilding club in a year where they likely would have been better suited to a season of adjustment in the AHL; he picked up on shot timing and communication with his teammates well enough to hold his own in a surprising number of games, and strung together some truly surprising stretches by failing to fall into slumps when the team deployed him in clear no-win situations.

The biggest learning curve that Vejmelka seemed to face came down to his depth management and decision-making on when to challenge shots outside the blue paint and when to remain more patient and wait out his opponents; he went through a fairly extensive amount of trial and error trying to suss out the best balance of his natural high-speed game based on rhythms and reactions and a more controlled game based on positioning and tracking. His performance for the Czech Republic at the World Championships in May, though, offered Coyotes fans some promising data to parse through; while he then struggled with opening his game play back up and utilizing the more open-ice format the the World Championships offered, he showcased some real improvements behind the higher-end defensive structure of his country’s best players. And to Arizona’s credit, they seemed willing to let Vejmelka make his mistakes and learn as he went along; if they’re able to keep that mentality into the new season, he should remain a reliable and fun option, if not one that fans can bank on statistically outclassing his opponents every night.

Projected starts: 40-45

Jon Gillies

It’s honestly a little hard to figure out just what Arizona is trying to do here by adding Jon Gillies as their number two; while they’re far from the only team that made a seemingly inexplicable choice with the tandem they’re heading into the season boasting (looking directly at Chicago as their direct competitor in the Disastrous Goaltending Tandem Sweepstakes), they seem to be the team that can least afford to lose fan interest in the process.

Gillies comes to Arizona as a goaltender who seems unlikely to offer services as anything more than a stopgap to someone else; he has just 32 career NHL games to his name, and he has a whopping three-year gap between appearances in the league. At nearly 29-years old, he’s no longer considered a prospect that may just have bloomed late; at this point, he’s an AHL tweener who likely serves less to give Arizona a goaltender for their future and more to help them keep their rebuild on track. What he has going for him, though – and what should help Arizona regardless of the performance he puts up – is that he’s more likely to stay healthy through the year than a number of the other journeymen that were available on the market this summer. The team was burned last year by the long-term injury sustained by free agent signee Carter Hutton early on in the season, which left them forced to rush some of their younger goaltenders to the NHL during a year that was designed to help them draft well and rebuild their core. The addition of a younger stopgap who hasn’t started to show the signs of wear and tear that could leave them forced to throw their prospects to the wolves means that they’ll be better equipped to truly allow their young players to grow and develop at the minor league level, which gives them a better chance of success a few years down the line.

Projected starts: 30-35

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Carey Price is diving back into the crease, Robert Thomas and Nico Hischier are making the leap, and college stars like Owen Power, Matty Beniers, Bobby Brink, and Kent Johnson are jumping into the NHL.

Scott Cullen — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 14:37:24 +0000

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

In this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points, Carey Price is diving back into the crease, Robert Thomas and Nico Hischier are making the leap, and college stars like Owen Power, Matty Beniers, Bobby Brink, and Kent Johnson are jumping into the NHL.

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 15: Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) first game of the season after a long injury participates in drills at warm-up before the New York Islanders versus the Montreal Canadiens game on April 15, 2022 at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

#1 It has been a trying season for the Montreal Canadiens, due in part to being without their starting goaltender all year. Carey Price returned to action Friday against the New York Islanders and allowed two goals on 19 shots in a 3-0 loss. In the past four regular seasons, Price has compiled a .909 save percentage in 198 games, which is a little below league average, but he has been excellent in his past five playoffs, earning a .925 save percentage in 62 postseason games since 2013-2014, which is tied with Braden Holtby for the best mark in the league among goaltenders that have appeared in at least 30 playoff games in that span.

#2 The 2020-2021 season should have been a breakout year for St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas, who was heading into this third season after showing promise in his first two. Then he scored 12 points in 33 games. That lowered expectations for this season and now Thomas has had that breakout campaign. He has 23 points (6 G, 17 A) during an 11-game point streak and is up to 71 points (18 G, 53 A) in 64 games for the season.

#3 With Jack Hughes sidelined for the rest of the season, New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier steps into the role as the team’s No. 1 center and Hischier has rolled up 34 points (12 G, 22 A) in his past 26 games, recording at least one point in 21 of those 26 games. The reason for long-term hope in New Jersey is largely because of the potential of their top two centers.

#4 The top pick in the 2021 Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, defenseman Owen Power stepped into the NHL after finishing his sophomore season at Michigan, where he put up 32 points (3 G, 29 A) in 33 games for the Wolverines. Power made a seamless transition to the NHL, averaging 21:30 per game in his first two contests. For fantasy purposes, Power’s upside is going to be limited for the time being because Rasmus Dahlin is manning the point on Buffalo’s first power play unit.

#5 Power’s teammate at Michigan, and the second overall pick in last summer’s draft, Matty Beniers joined the Seattle Kraken and, like Power, Beniers looked ready for the challenge. He recorded an assist in his NHL debut and has landed in the No. 1 center spot for the Kraken, between Ryan Donato and Jordan Eberle. Beniers had 43 points (20 G, 23 A) in 37 games as a sophomore for the Wolverines.

#6 Not as highly touted as the kids coming out of Michigan, center Marc McLaughlin was signed by the Boston Bruins after he wrapped up his career at Boston College, where he was the captain for the past two seasons. McLaughlin had 31 points (21 G, 10 A) in 33 games as a senior for the Eagles and has stepped into the Bruins lineup and scored three goals in six games. While McLaughlin is establishing himself as a bona fide NHL player, he has averaged 10:34 of ice time per game thus far, which is indicative of his depth role on the Bruins.

#7 Arizona made a couple of deals to acquire college players before the trade deadline and Jack McBain and Nathan Smith have made their NHL debuts for the Coyotes. McBain, who was brought in from Minnesota, was a teammate of McLaughlin at Boston College and produced 33 points (19 G, 14 A) in 24 games for the Eagles. While McBain has no points and just one shot on goal in his first two NHL games, the puck is moving the right way (56.4%) with him on the ice and this late season audition gives him a chance to show he is NHL ready for next season. Smith was drafted by Winnipeg but was traded to Arizona after he had 50 points (19 G, 31 A) in 38 games for Minnesota State Mankato. Like McBain, Smith has no points and just two shots on goal in his first two games, but the puck is moving the right way (55.9 CF%).

#8 A small winger whose skating is not necessarily his strong suit, Bobby Brink is nevertheless an intriguing option for the Philadelphia Flyers. He has joined the team after winning the national championship for Denver University, piling up 57 points (14 G, 43 A) in 41 games as a junior for the Pioneers. Brink has one assist in his first two NHL games and is skating alongside Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee at evens while also getting a look on the top power play unit, so there is an opportunity for Brink to not only play but to contribute down the stretch.

#9 Another first-round pick out of Michigan Kent Johnson was the fifth overall pick in 2021 by Columbus. He tallied 37 points (8 G, 29 A) in 32 games as a sophomore for the Wolverines and slides into a role on the Blue Jackets’ third line. He is on the second power play unit but Johnson only saw 11 minutes of ice time in his NHL debut so he may not have enough of an opportunity to provide a fantasy impact this season. He will be one to watch for next season.

#10 The Minnesota Wild made splashy trade to bring in Marc-Andre Fleury at the trade deadline and it should be noted that Cam Talbot is hardly giving up the crease. In his past nine starts, Talbot is 7-0-2 with a .936 save percentage. That’s good enough to stay fantasy relevant down the stretch as the Wild do not need to lean heavily on Fleury, even if he is the one that is most likely to see the bulk of the action in the playoffs.

#11 For most of this season, Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith has struggled, and it was not so long ago that it looked like Mikko Koskinen would have to be the No. 1 guy for Edmonton down the stretch. Smith, however, has rounded into form and with the Oilers scoring a bunch, Smith has thrived, going 7-1-1 with a .932 save percentage in his past nine starts.

#12 One of the reasons that the Nashville Predators are in position to make the playoffs this season is the production that they have received from center Ryan Johansen. He already has 23 goals, which is his highest goal total in a season since 2014-2015, but it is not like Johansen has had a dramatic spike in shot rate. He is averaging 1.52 shots per game this season, compared to 1.40 per game last season, but he is scoring on a career high 21.3% of his shots and that has made a difference. The question is how sustainable that difference might be.

#13 On the other hand, Nashville has received a career season from Matt Duchene, who has set career highs with 38 goals and 75 points. This comes after a season in which Duchene managed a mere 13 points in 34 games. While Duchene is scoring on 19.0% of his shots, he has generated 2.86 shots on goal per game, the second highest rate of his career and his highest since 2013-2014.

#14 Even though the Ottawa Senators are well out of the playoffs, they have been competitive late in the season and part of that is due to the development of second-year center Tim Stutzle, who has drawn criticism for diving from Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher. Ultimately, Stutzle is a 20-year-old playmaker who has 23 points (6 G, 17 A) in his past 19 games.

#15 The Calgary Flames have had a tremendous season and that team success has lifted the results of many individual players, including defenseman Noah Hanifin, who has a career high 41 points (8 G, 33 A) while generating a career high 2.29 shots on goal per game. Hanifin’s 12 power play points ranks second among Flames defensemen behind Rasmus Anderson, who has 17.

#16 As the Vancouver Canucks make a desperate push for a playoff spot, they are doing so without injured right winger Brock Boeser and that has created more playing time for rookie winger Vasily Podkolzin, who has six points (3 G, 3 A) while averaging 16:19 of ice time per game in his past four games. Prior to that, Podkolzin had been averaging 12:16 of ice time per game, so he is stepping into a big role at a critical point in the Canucks’ season.

#17 New Jersey Devils left winger Yegor Sharangovich did not score a goal in his first 13 games of the season, but he is enjoying a strong finish to his second NHL season, contributing 26 points (14 G, 12 A) in his past 28 games. He is riding shotgun on left wing with Hischier on the Devils top line, with AHL call-up Fabian Zetterlund on the right side.

#18 A 36-year-old forward on a team with fading, nearly extinct, playoff hopes, Paul Stastny has been a quality contributor for the Winnipeg Jets. He has nine points (3 G, 6 A) in his past nine games, giving him 41 points (20 G, 21 A) in 64 games. Stastny’s 16 even-strength goals is his most in a season since 2013-2014.

#19 Bowen Byram has returned to the Colorado Avalanche lineup following a concussion and the second-year defenseman has three assists in five games since rejoining the Avs. He has only appeared in 23 games, but Byram has averaged 1.52 points per 60 minutes of 5v5 play, which ranks seventh among defensemen (just behind the Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly) that have played at least 200 5v5 minutes this season. Byram’s teammates Cale Makar and Devon Toews rank second and fifth, respectively.

#20 Since the trade deadline, these are the players with the highest rate of individual expected goals (minimum 100 5v5 minutes): Florida’s Mason Marchment, Tampa Bay’s Ross Colton, Boston’s Brad Marchand, Calgary’s Blake Coleman, Dallas’ Alexander Radulov, Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers, Pittsburgh’s Evan Rodrigues, Toronto’s Auston Matthews, Vegas’ Nicolas Roy, and Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.